Chapter 172: 156

「Souya, congratulations on reaching the 40th floor. As such, I have a proposition for you that―――――」

「Sorry, Evetta-san! Have you seen my sister?!」

「Oh, your sister? She left just a while ago」

「I'll get back to you about that proposal later! Sorry, I can't right now!」

I parted ways with my person-in-charge and chased after Ea, who had run away.

When I stepped out of the Adventurers' Guild, I found the city crowded with people. It was dusk, almost dinner time, and the time when the day's work was done and the night was beginning.

Adventurers, merchants, craftsmen, artisans, prostitutes, royalty, priests, followers, warriors, soldiers, people from all walks of life and backgrounds were either heading to the taverns or bars, or back to their homes or lodgings to enjoy their daily bread.

The only ones busy at this time were the cooks, waiters, and housewives.

「Yukikaze, do you know where Ea is?」

『Yukikaze has located her. She's at home, on top of the city walls』

I squeezed through the throngs of people on the main street and took to the back alleys.

Passing through the intricate back alleys, I took the shortest route possible home.

Along the way, I passed by Tyutyu's store. It was a hole-in-the-wall store, so there was no line. The seats inside the store were half occupied. But recently, the number of regulars had been increasing. Since the customer base was basically all repeat customers, there might come a time when there wouldn’t be enough seats for everyone.

「Hey, Souya」

「Hey, foreigner」

The king of adventurers and the king of elves were seated at their regular table outside the store "today as well". In all likelihood, Otou-san would be joining them soon.

Surprisingly, neither of them had been recognized by the people who lived here or the other adventurers.

They did at least have guards watching over them from the shadows. I could feel their gazes from time to time.

「Sorry, I'm in a hurry」

Though they hadn't started drinking yet, I didn't feel like dealing with them.

When I tried to quickly leave………

「It's Ea, isn't it? She passed by earlier without so much as a hello. Listen, just take a seat」

Since Ea's father insisted, I reluctantly took a seat.

「Heyyy! Lutz-kun! Bring "that" out, "that"」

The king of adventurers called for someone.

A person came out of the store. It was a young woman with small armored beings as her companions. It was Rutsuko-san, a fellow foreigner, albeit from a different Japan.

「Alright, Oji-sama(middle-aged guy). They just happened to be done」

In a waitress outfit, Rutsuko-san had come out holding a serving tray. She set a plate with six small pieces of oven-baked bread on the table.

「Oh, Souya-san. How did it go in the dungeon?」

「I managed to reach the 40th floor without incident」

「That's amazing! You'll become an advanced adventurer in five more floors, isn't that right?!」

Rutsuko-san was pleased for me.

The one who got strangely competitive about it was the king of adventurers.

「In my day, there was nothing like the Guild you have today. The adventures were much tougher」

Yeah, yeah.

「Foreigner, this is a dish I invented. Try it」

The king of elves pushed the plate in front of me.

「Haa, like I said, I'm in a hurry」

But I ate one anyway.

It was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a hint of saltiness that permeated my mouth.

「What do you think? It's good, isn't it? It's even more delicious if you put finely-sliced bacon that has been marinated in olive oil for a while on top」

「This is………」

Is this Focaccia[1]? It tastes like a plain pizza, but I don't mind the simplicity.

「This is the flatbread that Melm-san came up with. As I recall, his daughter told―――――」

Melm silenced Rutsuko-san by clearing his throat. She smiled amiably and went back into the store.

Wait, Melm, you ripped something off again, didn’t you?

「I'm going to start selling it under the name "elven bread". No problems there, right?」

「Well………Hmm」

There's nothing but problems. Don't come to me when the Italians find out.

King Lemuria spoke up as he ate his focaccia, or rather, elven bread.

「Then maybe I should market the Shoku-pan as Lemuria bread」

「Hang on, Lemuria. Rutsuko is from the forest of the beastkin tribes. Furthermore, she's a foreigner. Isn't calling the bread she makes "Lemuria bread" strange?」

Melm argued, bring the conversation even further off-topic.

「I'm in a hurry, so I'm leaving」

I couldn't be bothered to waste any more time with these guys, so I got up from my seat.

「Like I said, wait. I'll tell you about Ea. I'd bet you didn't ask her anything about it, right?」

Melm stopped me again.

What could I possibly need to hear about her after all this time………Oh, wait. There’s something.

The magic mirror's reflection of her.

「Souya, what did you see?」

When King Lemuria asked me that, I looked at Melm and the king in turn.

「I don't care if you tell Melm. He's not the kind of man who's so light of mouth that he'd divulge any secrets」

「Speaking of which, your head has become quite light of hair, hasn't it?」

Melm's out-of-place joke brought a chill over the table.

King Lemuria ignored Melm and turned to me.

「So, Souya, what did you see?」

「Ea’s shadow―――――」

We'd get nowhere if I also ruined the mood.

「Her shadow had a firearm similar to one I had previously seen in a store. Perhaps it was the sight of that firearm, but Ea faltered, and I had to step in to help」

There's a secret trick to the magic mirror.

In the lower-left corner of the transparent wall, there's a gap. It's a design flaw that allows one to join their party member in battle by simply going through it.

Defeating the enemy that had taken Ea's form had left a bad taste in my mouth.

What was even worse was the sight of Ea sobbing and trembling after the battle. Since we were in the middle of an adventure, I couldn't prioritize my personal feelings and risk the lives of the other party members, so I decided to wait until we were out of the dungeon.

But as soon as we had exited the dungeon, Ea ran away as fast as she could.

And when chasing after her, I got caught by the kings, and that's the story up to now.

「Foreigner, what have you heard from Ea?」

「What have I heard……about what?」

Melm's questions are always like this. He always leaves out one or two important details.

And to top it off, he always answers my questions like it's too much of a hassle for him.

「I’m talking about the war」

The war between Lemuria and Heures Forest that was started to hide the killing of the knights.

I've heard something about that incident from Ea.

「If I recall correctly, she said something to the effect of, "I lost consciousness and by the time I realized it, the forest had been burnt down and I had been shot in the abdomen. Onee-chan kept her dealings with people from me, so I don’t know the details about that either"」

「I see. She told you nothing at all, huh?」

Even though it was his own daughter, Melm made an exasperated face.

「First of all, Ea has a bit of a gift. You may have noticed it yourself, but it's quite rare among elves. She has an unusually high ability to absorb things from diverse cultures」

「Ah」

Indeed, I had chalked it up to a love for cooking at first, but the speed at which she learns things aside from cooking is also abnormal. Be it the tablet devices or the other modern devices, she had learned how to use most of them "on the fly".

I had assumed that all elves must be good at assimilating different cultures, but the rate at which Ea has absorbed knowledge of my culture has been extraordinary even when compared to Rana and Maria.

Therefore, it's easy for me to accept that Ea is special.

She's even better than me at cooking curry and ramen.

Since she has this talent, it's not strange for me to lose to her in cooking ability.

For some reason, I felt a great sense of relief in terms of my identity.

「Not too long ago, my forest had a relationship with the dwarves. This sword here was alsp forged for me by a dwarf when I was young」

Melm tapped the sword at his hip.

It's a sword of ritualistic design that has been lightened as much as possible. Its name, I believe, is Cold Light.

「Because of our relationship, I was asked to test the firearms that the dwarves had invented. I knew that there was no one more suitable for the job than Ea. She was also very enthusiastic about it and learned how to use the firearms in a relatively short time.

It was kept a secret, but she became the first and best firearm user in the world.

The dwarves brought back the data they had collected and set about developing a new type of gunpowder. And then, the new gunpowder caused a major tunnel collapse, burying their entire city. The remaining firearms and gunpowder were all sealed away by Lemuria, but some of the firearms found their way to the merchant companies. Well, without gunpowder, they're just sticks. That wasn't the problem. The problem was――――――」

「No way」

I had figured it out.

「That's right. Ea had even learned how to make both the firearms and the gunpowder. The firearms carried by the knights who attacked the forest……I deceived you and glossed over it last time, but they were most likely made by Ea」

「But you don't have any proof, do you?」

If he had any solid evidence, Melm wouldn't have said "most likely".

「That’s right, I don't. It's just guesswork and conjecture on my part. You can dismiss it as pure delusion. And I've also made sure that no evidence remains. Imagine if it gets out that the firearms used by the people who attacked the forest were made by a princess of the forest. That would surely spell the end of my clan」

Yeah, they'll suspect that Ea had instigated the attack by the knights.

I'd never have thought that both sisters would each bear a share of the blame for the damages suffered by the forest.

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「Very conveniently, those who were killed by the firearms were burned to ashes by Rauaryuna. As for Ea's involvement with the firearms, only the king and a few others in Lemuria knew about it. Furthermore, Ea herself had been shot and was dying. It was all going to blow over without a hitch」

「So long as Ea dies, right?」

「That’s right」

「You……」

How can you say that with a straight face?

「Souya, stop it. That's just the way he talks. I won't ask you to understand. Just let it go」

King Lemuria stopped me. For now, I had no choice but to do as he said.

Looking at me, King Lemuria muttered softly.

「So the magic mirror created a shadow of the firearm-wielding Ea, huh? Is this what they call karma? For Ea to have to face the her that's not only stronger than she is now, but also the her that she wants to deny the most. ………This reminds me of Verxina」

For some reason, he brought up the mother of his daughter.

I'm curious, but now is not the time.

「So, Melm, what else is there?」

「That's pretty much all of it」

So he says. But I've gotten more than enough information about Ea.

「Well, now it's up to you to talk some sense into her」

Melm made an unusually reasonable statement.

There's definitely more to the story, but I don't have time to worry about that right now.

「King Lemuria, if you'd excuse me, I'll take my leave now」

「Souya, one last thing. Has Evetta spoken to you yet?」

「Yes, but I told her that I'd hear her out later」

「Then it's fine. Be sure to talk to her」

「Eh? Okay」

Is her proposition so important that even the king is concerned about it?

Leaving that aside, I bowed slightly to the two kings and started running. At full speed, I headed home.

「Yukikaze, has Ea moved?」

『It appears not. Also, there's something that's bothering Yukikaze regarding the earlier conversation』

「What is it?」

As I ran, Yukikaze voiced her doubts.

『When team member Souya asked your sister about the war in the past, she made a statement that made it sound as if her elder sister had negotiated with the enemy. Yukikaze is bothered by that』

「Let me teach you a good saying. People tell all sorts of lies, but there's one kind of lie that must be forgiven」

『And what kind of lie would that be?』

「The kind told by children」

『Just in case, Yukikaze will commit that to memory』

What do you mean, "just in case"……

I don't remember who said it, but it's a saying that has stayed with me.

Arriving home, I unlocked the door without knocking and went inside.

「Lanseal, I'm home!」

I could smell dinner.

Even though it wasn't clear when we would be returning home, Lanseal would still prepare breakfast and dinner for us anyway.

「Welcome back. Oh, what happened to Rana?」

「I’ll explain later. Ea's up there, right?」

「Yes, she didn't even say hello when she came back――――――」

「Sorry, later!」

I went past Lanseal, who had come to welcome me, and made my way up the stairs.

Opening the skylight on the fourth floor, I stepped out onto the rooftop, where the wind still blew cold even though the days had been getting warmer recently.

「Ea!」

I shouted for her, but she was unexpectedly close.

Her back was turned and she was hugging her knees, looking depressed.

「What?」

She sniffled and sobbed.

「Hey, you shouldn't just run off like that. You worried me, you know?」

「You say you were worried, but you sure took your time getting here」

「Well, that's because I got held up by your father」

「What does he want after all that has happened?」

「He told me most of it. About the firearms and all that」

Ea turned her head around for a split second and I saw that her face was stained with tears and snot.

「Onii-chan, have you come to hate me now?」

「What are you saying? All you did was make the firearms and got taken advantage of, right?」

「………………That's not it」

That's not it, huh?

It's easy to guess, but it isn't pleasant.

「It sounds foolish, right? When the dwarves had their accident and firearms got banned in Lemuria, I was deprived of the opportunity to use the technology I had just learned. Not to mention my skill with using the firearms themselves.

I was very disappointed about that.

That's why I started working for those knights despite how little they paid me and made firearms for them. I made the irresponsible assumption that Hemus would just use them in their wars between themselves. By the time they attacked the forest with the very firearms I had made, it was too late to regret what I had done」

「Ea, that’s………」

Those knights didn't deliberately have firearms made so that they could attack the forest. That would have required too much time and effort. In all likelihood, they used the firearms simply because they just happened to have them on hand.

I don't know why the knights of Elysium had wanted the firearms, but it's obvious to me that Ea was simply used.

「You were just unlucky. That's all」

I thought of many things I could say, but decided against saying any of them.

She's a smart one. She must have run through all the clichéd words of comfort in her head countless times already.

「No, you're wrong. I was a fool. And when I got shot, I was kind of relieved. I wouldn’t have to worry about being suspected anymore. That was all I could think about while I was suffering from the wound that would never heal. When you asked me about the war, Onii-chan, I immediately made a scapegoat out of Onee-chan and ran away. How's that? Isn’t that terrible?」

「You're not a fool」

「Then what am I?」

「A child」

I put my hand on top of Ea's head and messed up her hair as vigorously as I could. Her silky hair remained perfectly straight despite my efforts.

「Also, you're my sister. You're a good cook. You're reliable on adventures. So there's no way you're a fool」

「Umm, so you're saying that I can't be a fool because I'm your sister?」

「I guess so」

It's kind of difficult to make sense of, but that's how it is.

Ea gingerly turned around to look at me.

「Onii-chan, you like me」

「Huh? Well, yeah, I do」

For some reason, there wasn't a question mark at the end of her sentence.[2]

「Onii-chan likes me!」

「Ye, yeah. But the neighbors might get the wrong idea, so lower your voice a little」

If anyone were to hear this, there'd be yet another misunderstanding about me.

「I like you too, Onii-chan!」

「Shhh!」

Lanseal can definitely hear her.

「Alright! Onii-chan! I've decided!」

「What?」

In the blink of an eye, Ea was back to her usual beautiful self. I had a bad feeling that whatever it was that she had decided, it wasn't going to be anything good.

「Onii-chan, I heard from Makina that your goal is to reach the 56th floor, right?」

「Yeah, that’s right」

To be precise, there's something that I'm supposed to find on that floor.

「So I've decided!」

「Eh? Like I said, what?」

The atmosphere was so charged that I cut in without letting her finish.

「When we reach the 56th floor, I'm marrying you, Onii-chan!」

………………Obuhpfffff.

[1] Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza. In some places, it is called "pizza bianca". (Pic courtesy of bbcgoodfood.com)

[2] The sentence “do you like me?” and “you like me” are identical in Japanese and is only differentiated by whether or not there is a question mark. Hence the joke, since that’s really the usual spot for a “do you like me?”. Also, I’ve mentioned it before, but the line between “like” and “love”(both are 好き) is kinda blurred in Japanese, so “love” applies here as well.

Haha, did you see that coming? Is Ea going to be wife number 2? Still, that’s quite a lot about Ea that we didn’t know, huh? If you’ve noticed, she not only learned how to use the tablets and whatnot really fast, she also picked up on a lot of the modern world’s culture and even explained them to others quite a lot. And stuff like that was already happening in the very early volumes too. Now, the question is, how is Rana and Lanseal going to react to this? Stay tuned!

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