Chapter 75.2

Chapter 75: That time when the hero came to the island part 2

TL: kizen

ED: Filip/Gecko

That was dangerous . They didnt notice me even though I was only about 20 meters away from them . Well, I guess I should follow them for now .

Hmm, I wonder if theyre 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 Im at it, Ill 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 didnt take long for me to find them .

Mason! Jackson is safe for now! Lets link up!

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, theres nothing Sofia!

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

So you didnt go after Mason huh! Im alone now so come out!

Mason-san is still around somewhere you know? Also, Sophia-san is just unconscious and I dont know when shell come to so I apologize but Ill have to refuse

After I said that, the hero remained vigilant while slapping Sofias cheeks but it didnt 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 cant believe that I didnt 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 dont 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 . Shes either panicking or starting to see things .

I havent gotten close to them up until I silently choked her from behind though I guess she doesnt 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, Ive rendered her weapon useless .

It would have been a different story if she had brought a replacement string but I dont think theres 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 shes 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 couldnt 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! Im alone now so come out!

Ill give you some time to cool your head off before I do that . Let me know when youve 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, wouldnt 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 .

Thats right .

He replied in Japanese as well .

Throw away your weapon so that it will be out of reach . Ill show myself once you do that . If you dont comply, Ill get rid of it myself2

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?

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 lets introduce ourselves first . I was called Nagi in my previous life . If theres anything you want to ask, Ill 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 .

Its Takeru . Looking at your status, it says youre 14 but what is your true age?

Ah, thats 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?

Its nothing . Just forget about it .

It seems like he didnt get it . Unfortunate . 3

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

I was 30 at the time . Dont ask for the cause of death

So youre older huh? I apologize4

Dont worry about it

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

Reincarnating is good, isnt 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

Thats right . I want to avoid killing as much as possible after all . Im sorry for scaring you earlier

I bowed after saying that . Its a way of apologizing that you dont typically see in this world .

Its alright, we were the ones who came here to kill you after all . We dont 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 dont know if I was just unlucky but I wasnt 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 villages 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 Ill 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, its fine since it was fun . I also have a family now after all

Eh? Wait But youre still 14 years old

Oi oi, dont be surprised by that . The demonkin mature earlier than humans so it cant be helped

I guess thats 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 couldnt understand in front of them?

I cant . Especially Mason

Thats why . Id like to apologize to your friends once all of this settles down though . Why dont we move to a different place? Well . I guess we should find your companions first . Fleur-san, 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 . Ill be waiting at the tent by the coast . The magician Jackson-san, was it? Ill carry him back so Ill 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 didnt 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 isnt cheap, is it? This is bad .

He didnt 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 .

Ive already reconciled with the hero . Although we ended up like this, cant we put down our weapons and make up?

After what youve 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 heros party .

My weapons were lighter and had a shorter reach compared to the opponents 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 thats why he wont 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 machetes 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 machetes handle but I resolved myself to continue with the attack since I would have been in danger instead if he didnt 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 dont think Ill 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 dont 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 Ill have to carry two of them

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

The two men have been secured, Ill 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 hes found the two men and is leaving the recovery of the woman to you

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

Yes . Ill have a red flower thats near Caam change into this form to convey your message . Also, based on where youre facing right now, you need to head left to get to the woman . Shes about 300 paces away . Maybe more but it wont 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 Masons face to fix his nose, he woke up .

Guh Where am I?

The tent by the beach . Ill serve you some tea if you dont cause a fuss . How about it?

Kuh Just kill me!6

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

If youre 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

Thats right . I was thinking of serving them tea if they didnt resist but since theyre telling me to kill them, Ill just leave them be for now . Ill 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 . Hes also kind to us . Were even living better lives right now than before we became slaves . Thats why please dont 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 .

Hes 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, Im 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 doesnt trust me so Ill 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 wont do that so go ahead and drink first . Ill go and persuade Mason before I drink mine

Rock huh? Did you get that from Iwa in your surname?

What are you saying?Thats right . Thats where I got it from

It doesnt 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 demonkins side of the continent so we have no choice but to rely on merchant ships for things that we dont 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 thats made from wheat . Rock-kun should be familiar with it but what do you think? Does it suit your tastes?

Ive always drunk it during summer so I havent really had it warm . Put ice on mine please

Rock interjected while he was persuading the others . I dropped several adequately sizedSquare ice in Rocks drink then gave it to him .

After a while, he said .

Ive already convinced him so is it alright if I cut the ropes?

Go ahead

I just gave him a brief reply .

Ah, once Jackson wakes up, Ill have to talk with him as well

Rock complained while downing the iced barley tea .

I apologize for the hassle but Ill leave it to you . Ill have to retaliate if Im attacked after all

Haha, its something that cant be helped in a world like this . By the way, Jackson-san lost a lot of blood earlier didnt he? Ive never seen one in this world myself but are there any medicine that increases blood?

Theres no such thing . If there was, I would have bought some for cases like this

Should we have him eat wakame and liver then?

Thats the only thing we can do right now

We dont have any wakame though since even the pirates cant 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 theyre 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 dont 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 youre there right?

Yep~

So we were kept alive huh? It was quite obvious that we lost considering that Im still tied up but I just couldnt get my head around it since I wasnt bleeding

If you wont attack the Demon Lord, we can get the rope removed . How about it?

His persuasion is getting kinda sloppy .

It cant 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 were all here, first of all, let me apologize . I apologize for injuring you . I only did it to protect myself

O- ouEh?

Since the merchant ship has already left, we will be escorting you back to Corondum after a few days . In the meantime, well treat you as guests . Until then, youre free to do what you want as long as it is within the bounds of decency . Lets see, its 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, The dish doesnt seem to suit their tastes so can you serve them something else?

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

Thats right, we still have potatoes . Give me some as well please

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

okayO-ou

Sorry but we dont have any butter or soy sauce

Its fine . I dont particularly mind

No problem

What is this Demon Lord saying?

I also dont know

He seems really close with Rock, dont you think?

I can hear you guys you know Ill pretend that I cant 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 theyve cleared quite a lot of land huh? This wasnt here when we came previously

Arent these freshwater fish? Why are they here?

Theyre keeping bees too!? Do they have honey?

Look, theyre feeding the livestock we brought with us

Water is constantly flowing into this bathing area so its clean . You cant see the people bathing from the outside as well . It also seems like theyre raising chicken, ducks, and rabbits

Lets try following that road . Thats where the previous Demon Lord was trying to build his castle right?

Yeah

Whats this?

Its marked out . This is probably where they plan to build houses . Theres a well right at the center after all

A church!? Thats a church, isnt it!?

What is that building with white walls?

Theres a place that looks like a workshop at the back

Oi, just how are we going to report this?

Do you think theyll believe us?

That depends on the higher ups

I really dont 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 dont 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? Its 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 Ive drunk any I guess . I tried searching for it when I came to this world but I couldnt find any . Id be happy to have some

You can add sugar if you like, but unfortunately, we dont 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 its difficult since I have to wash them with each use . It might be unsanitary as well but in order to increase its popularity, Im going to open up a coffee shop in Corundum and see how itll 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 theres no way I would just be alright with that . Im 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 everyones daily necessities . I was desperate just from trying to turn this place into a habitable area . What were you expecting from this old man whos already over forty, is what I thought . There are other demonkin I can vent out to but there were still some parts that I couldnt let out up until now . Thats why, if you have some too, I can listen to them

ehh

It really saved me knowing that you were a nice person

Ah, 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 theres a possibility that you wont be able to go back . I died and reincarnated so the thought of going back hadnt even crossed my mind but its different for you since you were summoned . Have you ever thought of whats 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

Im sorry for bringing up such a heavy topic . Its 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

Im such a bad old man . Im really sorry

Its 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! My lovely Mora(shovel)~!

I rolled around on the floor while saying that .

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

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 wont 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!?