Chapter 117: 103

【125th day】

Seven days had passed since we resumed adventuring.

Both Agathion and Lys were back to normal, we made good progress, and were able to secure the route to the 30th floor.

All that was left was to defeat the guardian with all our might.

That would bring me past the halfway mark.

It's been 125 days since I first stepped foot in the alternate world. I have 240 days left to reach the 56th floor. ………Going by the number of days alone, I have more than enough time.

The journey to this point has felt both long as well as short.

For the first time in a long time, I asked for the probability of success.

According to Yukikaze, it’s 48%.

That's a big improvement from Izora's 0.2%, but considering that I still have a 52% chance of failure, I need to stay on my toes. And it's precisely because I need to stay on my toes that I've started to take the time to relax from time to time.

I strolled through the streets of Lemuria with just the clothes I happened to be wearing. But just in case, I had my katana at my hip. In addition, there was also the magic sword that would come when I called for it.

Even if I were to enter the rougher parts of the city, I would probably be able to at least fight off robbers.

Unhindered by anyone, I let my feet take me wherever they willed, just like a cat would.

With a god on my shoulder.

「Souya, come on, try saying "that" again. Come on」

「Please spare me」

For a while now, she has been bringing this up a lot.

「Just try calling me "Mama~". Come on, it's fine, isn't it? Kukuku」

「………Mama~」

She must have liked it a lot, because she would make me do this as soon as we were alone.

Humiliation play.

Humiliation play from a god with too much time on her hands.

For this to be my way of relaxing, am I a pervert or something?

「Alright, next is my turn」

「Yeah yeah」

Misuranika-sama moved from my shoulder to the top of my head.

「Hmmm, let's go right today」

「Alright alright」

Following her instructions, I turned right at the fork in the narrow alleyway.

Some sort of material covered the top of the alleyway, obscuring the sky. The path was dim, musty, and dank. Only in this alleyway was the ground not cobbled, but oddly smooth.

My adventurous spirit aroused, I proceeded along the long, winding path.

I found a store that had gone out of business.

Sensing no signs of life, I went in.

Was it once a general store, I wondered. The place had been ransacked, so it was hard to tell for sure, but some traces of the furnishments of a store had remained. I looked around the abandoned space and tried to picture the vestiges of life that had once passed through this place.

Since its location wasn't good, it was probably a hidden specialty store or a hobby store, and it likely wasn't a thriving business.

Even so, it must have been able to scrape by with its regulars.

Every day, the same customers must have come and gone.

There must have been days when they did nothing more than make small talk.

However, after the owner passed away, there must have been no one to take over the business, resulting in it being abandoned.

After dreaming that up in my mind, I left the place.

Once more, I continued down the narrow, winding path. I returned to a place where the sun shone.

「Ugh」

I was blinded by the glare.

「Oh, this place is……」

When my eyes had adjusted, I found myself in a familiar place.

I was in front of the Gunmerrys’ inn.

In the short while since I had seen the place, it had become neat and tidy. All the junk was gone and the old couple was baking bread on the first floor. That gentle aroma wafted through the whole area.

There was a row of flowerpots outside, with flowers of all colors planted in them.

In the upstairs window, I could see the back of someone I knew.

Right when I was wondering if I should call out to that person……

「Oh, it's a cat~!」

……a little beastkin girl came up to me. Behind her was a fat Hemu boy.

「Here, you can pet her」

I offered my god to the children.

The little girl hugged her like a stuffed animal, then petted her. The fatso also reached out and stroked Misuranika-sama's belly.

「Are you guys playing here again today?」

「That's right~, we're waiting for our friend」

The fatso's reply left me in a bit of a quandary.

We certainly did make a promise, but I didn't think that children would dutifully keep it.

The little girl stared at my face.

「Onii-………………san?」

It would seem that she had realized something.

A little lost as to what to do, I weaved a web of words.

「Is the friend you're waiting for a kid with black hair like me?」

「That’s right~」

「Yup!」

The fatso and little girl replied.

「He's my little brother. Thank you for playing with him. But I'm sorry. He's gone to another continent. So, umm, for now………………he can't play with you guys anymore」

『Eehhh～』

In unison, they let out a disappointed cry.

「When will he be back~?」

「I can't be sure at the moment」

「Why did he leave without saying anything? Why?! Why?!」

「Erm, I'm in a bit of a bind here」

I was overwhelmed by the two children who were pressing me for answers.

The interest they’re showing is stronger than I had expected.

「My brother is sick. He has a disease that cannot be cured in Lemuria. And it will take a long time to cure him. A much longer time than you can wait――」

「I see~」

「Oh, okay」

So innocent. They believed me right away.

My conscience hurts a little.

「Oh!」

The fatso yelled out all of a sudden.

He pulled the little beastkin girl back and they started whispering away. Incidentally, since she was still in her arms, Misuranika-sama was also listening and nodding along.

What's going on?

「Umm」

「Yes?」

The fatso came up to me and asked me timidly.

「Could it be that you're the king?!」

「Ehh, me?」

Why would you think that?

「I mean, you're carrying the same sword as the king」

「Oh」

My hand went to my katana.

Certainly, King Lemuria has an identical one. Recently, he has been carrying it everywhere with him, along with his favored sword. In addition, whenever he has a spare moment from his work, he wanders the streets armed in that manner, and if he comes across any wrongdoings, he pulls his blade out to redress it.

Is he the Unfettered Shogun[1] or something?

Well, it's probably half righting wrongs and half picking up women though.

Even though Lanseal, who looks about ten years old now, has been nagging him about it, there's no sign of his problems with women going away.

The fatso must have seen the king carrying the katana somewhere in the city.

「This is a sword from a foreign land called the katana」

I removed my katana, scabbard and all, from my hip.

Loosening it from the scabbard, I let the blade peek out just a little.

It's really just a little. This katana has a demonic quality to it. It might be harmful to children.

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「There are only three of them in this world. They are owned by the king of adventurers, the father of adventurers, and me」

「Wow~」

The fatso's eyes sparkled with childlike curiosity.

Perhaps the little girl's beastkin instincts had warned her that it was dangerous, but she backed away, looking scared.

With a click, I sheathed the katana.

「I knew it, you are the king~!」

The fatso exclaimed with glee.

Oh, crap. Of course he would take it that way. [2]

I hadn’t been able to contain my childishness and had spoken braggingly.

The lie that I had accidentally told also made me feel mischievous.

「To tell the truth, I'm hiding my identity」

「Hiding your identity~?」

「Was that too difficult to understand? I'm keeping the fact that I'm the king a secret」

『Eehhh~!』

Both of them were surprised.

"What should we do?! What should we do?!" they said as they looked at each other in delight.

Their reaction was adorable.

Secrets are treasures to children, I suppose.

「Children, you have learned a secret that cannot be shared with others. If you divulge it, you will be punished」

Misuranika-sama interjected in a measured voice.

「Ehh, no way~」

「Oh no! Oh no!」

They went from delight to distress all at once.

Their emotions change so easily. I wish I could have had a childhood like this too.

「Hold on, I'm not done talking yet」

「What?」

「What is it, cat-chan?」

「If you keep the secret, you'll be rewarded」

「What does the word “rewarded” mean~?」

「What does it mean?」

「Tell the man there what you want」

「A princess! I want to be a princess!」

Shouted the little girl.

「A princess, huh……」

That's a pretty difficult request.

Can I fake it by giving her nice clothes, I wonder?

「Child, what kind of princess do you want to be?」

「Umm, I want to be beautiful, dazzling, fair, and have big boobs! Oh………………」

The little girl's expression darkened suddenly.

「But………priestess-sama said that beastkin can't become princesses」

「Yeah, well………」

Well, certainly, the beastkin currently don’t have the right to get married. They aren’t allowed to inherit the property of their partners either. Even for those with royal blood, so long as they're beastkin, a mistress is the most they can be.

Becoming a princess is nothing more than a distant fantasy.

It’s merely the grand aspiration of a child.

「In that case!」

Shouted the fatso.

「I, I'll become an adventurer! I'll earn lots of fame, become a king………and then I'll make you a princess!」

「Really?!」

「Y, yup」

The fatso was blushing from embarrassment.

It’s heartwarming.

But that's a thorny path, you know?

The civilization that has flourished with beastkin under its thumb is currently the most powerful force in this world.

Creating new rights requires the destruction of the existing rights. Liberating a people also means setting free their suppressed emotions and curses.

The liberation of the beastkin slaves that Maria speaks of is a tool of war, and not something that will grant them any rights.

If anything, if they aren't kept on a tight leash, they'll commit even more horrendous acts than the current rulers.

That's what Maria is.

That's the limit of one who seeks revenge.

The right to be free can be used as a tool to instigate, but it is mere rhetoric that will last only until Elysium is destroyed. Rulers who are accustomed to using massacre as a tool will never be able to cast it aside.

History will definitely repeat itself.

It will repeat itself until the rift has been worn smooth through friction.

Wanting to become a king and making a beastkin a princess would mean having to fight against “everything”.

It may be a dream spoken by a child, but it is a blood-soaked one.

It may be a dream of becoming a king, but it is the dream of a supreme ruler.

However………………it is a dream.

When I was a child, I didn't have any dreams. That's why I won't laugh at other people's dreams. Even if they are pipe dreams, or ones that are forgotten in time, I have no right to laugh at them.

「Is that your wish?」

「Yup!」

I knelt down, bringing my eyes level with the children's, then asked.

「Let me hear your names, little ones」

「Gardoland」

Replied the fatso.

It's a pretty manly name.

「Mikyuu」

Replied the little girl.

It's a lovely name.

「I'm Souya・Urus・Ra・Tilt. A foreigner. An adventurer. And the king of the little ones like yourselves. I promise you this, Gardoland. When your fame has spread throughout Lemuria, I will bestow upon you this katana that is the mark of a king.

But resolve yourself.

The name of this katana is Kojiin. In the language of the foreign lands, it means "raging god". No matter what you slay with this blade, it will never lead you to the right path. I have "two" questions for you. Do you have the resolve to do this? The path ahead will be difficult」

「Yes!」

He gave me a spirited and lively reply.

「I will ask you the second question when it comes time to hand over the katana」

With a sinister smile, I tested the child's resolve.

But he didn't back down.

His eyes were ablaze.

I saw an unwavering flame inside them.

If you are able to hold on to that flame, then you're the real deal. Your dream will definitely come true.

After patting them both on the head, I stood up.

I may be the king of children, but so that I'm not just deceiving them, I must act majestically.

「Little adventurer, I'll be waiting for you up ahead. Be sure to catch up to me」

＜End＞

[1] The Unfettered Shogun (暴れん坊将軍) (Abarenbō Shōgun) is a Japanese television program on the TV Asahi network. Set in the eighteenth century, it showed fictitious events in the life of Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa shōgun, who went after rogue councilors and daimyō who were abusing their power. As is common for shows of this genre, the moral is loosely "rewarding good and punishing evil".

[2] The “and me” can also mean “and that’s me(And that’s who I am)”. In other words, Souya was talking about 3 people each owning 1 katana, but the fatso thought that Souya was talking about one person(Souya) owning all 3 katanas, because the way Souya said it sounded a bit like a person bragging about his titles. Something like, “The Dark Knight, Protector of Gotham, that’s who I am”, for example.

The fatso is just a small kid who still doesn’t know many words, so it was a silly but understandable misunderstanding on his part. But that small misunderstanding is what led to the title of this arc. It’s a fun little subversion of expectations, isn’t it?

The discrimination against the beastkin is a topic that Souya has done his absolute best to ignore so far, but he’s right, isn’t he? The scale of the problem is simply too big. ……What will happen in future, I wonder?

But this scene with the kids. It’s one etched deeply in my mind.

With that, see you next volume!

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