Chapter 44
44 . Everyone had a hunch .
Everyone had a faint hunch that it was going to rain, but the clouds that had been hanging over us since the morning had covered the sky so thickly that it finally started to rain around noon .
At first it was just a light rain, so I pulled out my rain gear and continued to work, but the rain was gaining momentum and by the time the sun was starting to set, it was finally bouncing off the ground and splattering .
The villagers retreated back into their houses and stared at the rain clouds with a vexed feeling that this was no longer workable .
Belgriff had also cut off his wild work and returned home .
He had dug up the potatoes at his place, but he hadn’t finished reaping the spring wheat from the field he was helping to plant . Once it gets wet, we have to wait for it to dry, which takes time . There is still a lot of bean crop to be harvested .
It rarely rains in Tornera at this time of year .
When winter comes, the clouds cover the sky and there is more snow, but the weather is usually good all through the autumn .
But when it turns into a downpour like this, I’m in a bit of a funk .
「It’s just the way nature is… 」
Belgriff muttered as he looked out the window . The thick clouds made it oddly dark, even though it was still before nightfall .
Behind him, Duncan was building a fire in the fireplace, Graham was dealing with Mito, and Marguerite was chopping up vegetables and putting them in a pot .
Before I knew it, I had gotten used to this awkward communal life that had begun, and I had somehow begun to divide up the roles of each of them .
「Hey Bel, can I use the dried meat over here? 」
「Yeah, sure . 」
Marguerite deftly cuts up the dried meat and throws it into the pot .
Marguerite has a bold personality, but surprisingly, she is a good cook . It’s not that she’s a finely seasoned cook, but she seems to be able to make something that will appeal to anyone’s taste buds . The result of practice, or rather the result of being able to imagine the taste by sense .
Graham, holding Mito, came to the window and stared up at the sky .
「It’s not going to last long . It’s going to be down for the rest of the night . 」
「Hmmm, well I guess it was a blessing in disguise that I was able to dig up some potatoes . 」
「It’s unusual for it to rain this time of year in the north and I hope nothing bad happens to it . 」
「Oh come on Graham, don’t be too sinister . It’s going to be real when you say it . 」
Graham chuckled and scratched his head at Belgriff’s words .
「I’m sorry Bel it’s a bad habit . 」
「Grandpa, are you mad? 」
Mito tugged on Graham’s long hair . Graham laughed, as if he wasn’t full of it .
「Yeah well I’m no match for Bel . 」
Since the forest mutation, Graham had treated Belgriff as a good friend and wanted to be treated as such himself . It seems that this elven hero, due to his fame, has only a few people he can call friends .
At first Belgriff was a bit reserved, but after learning the situation, he responded to Graham, calling him by his name and talking to him in a friendly manner .
Graham was more than twice as old as Belgriff, but they still seemed to trust each other as equal friends .
He was not an adored and awe-inspiring hero, but he seemed to hunger for an entity that would treat him as a single personality .
Now Graham is a complete babysitter .
He’s not used to working in the fields, so he can’t help out much, but he likes to take care of Mito . Although he claims that he’s just observing the Demon King as well as investigating him, the expression on his face when he’s dealing with Mito is the very same as that of a grandfather who treats his grandson .
In any case, a different lifestyle was created in Belgriff’s house, and it was beginning to take hold .
The stew was simmering and steaming .
Boiled potatoes are milled, mixed with flour, kneaded, and boiled again, and the stew is poured over the boiled potatoes . Then he sprinkled a little shaved goat’s cheese on it .
「It’s done . Hasn’t it stopped raining yet? 」
「It’s not stopping . Either way, the ground’s too muddy to work today . 」
Belgriff replied as he laid out a plate of food . Duncan sighed .
「I’m sorry to hear that . The wheat has not even been reaped yet . 」
「That’s the way it is . 」
「Yeah, it’s a bit stubborn, albeit a bit unavoidable . 」
Belgriff laughed at the hilarity of Duncan, who was completely steeped in peasant ways .
Duncan is a strong, hard-working man who is well known to the villagers in Tornella . His skill with an axe has earned him the respect of the lumberjacks as well as the fields .
Duncan himself doesn’t seem to feel bad about his peaceful life, which is different from that of an adventurer, and in the end he seems to have missed the opportunity to leave the village .
As I ate my slightly early dinner, I listened closely to the sound of rain .
It pattered against the roof, dripping and hitting the ground .
It’s called the sound of rain, but it’s not the rain itself, it’s the sound of the rain hitting things . It should have been unbroken forever, but it seemed to increase the silence in return .
You may feel daring to break it, but everyone is listening to the sound of rain in silence .
Marguerite wiped the stew from her mouth with her thumb and said
「Hey … it’s hard to get out of Tornella in the winter, isn’t it? 」
「Yes . Yeah, I know it’s not as bad as the Elf Territory, but the snow is deep here too . The roads aren’t well maintained and it’s hard to get out . 」
「I see… 」
Marguerite was silently bringing the stew to her mouth, but eventually she looked up . She looked disgustingly serious . There was a light in her eyes that seemed to be full of determination .
「I’m … thinking of leaving Tornera before winter . 」
With a twitch, Graham’s eyebrows moved . He narrowed his eyes and stared at Marguerite .
「Well where do you plan to go when you get out of here?」
「South . Tornera is a nice place, but I still want to be an adventurer like my great uncle . I want to see something different . 」
「I don’t think it would do any good to stop him . 」
Graham sighed and patted Mito on his lap . Mito looked at Marguerite with a strange look on his face .
「Marie, are you going away?」
「Yeah, but not forever . But not forever . I’ll be a top-notch adventurer and I’ll definitely be back . 」
Marguerite reached out and popped Mito’s head . Mito still looked at Marguerite with a strange look on his face .
’It’s kind of a nostalgic feeling,’ Belgriff said, the edge of his mouth loosening in a smiling mood .
「Thanks for the treat . 」
He stands up with his plate and says to Marguerite .
「Well, either way, we’ll leave after the Fall Festival . 」
「What? Why? 」
「There will be many caravans and vendors at the Fall Festival . You can go with them when they leave . 」
Belgriff said, and Marguerite frowned .
「Eh, no, it’s not cool . Besides, it’s easier to travel alone, isn’t it?」
Graham shakes his head, eyes downcast, as if he’s dumbfounded . Belgriff says with a wry smile .
「You’ll never be a top-notch adventurer like that, will you? Are you going to go alone and get lost again? 」
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「Uh… . . 」
Marguerite’s cheeks colored . Duncan laughed .
「Dear Marie, adventurers must think first of all about reducing the burden and risk . Unnecessary burdens can slow you down in times of crisis . 」
「Duncan is right Marguerite, I guess I’ll have to teach you a few things again . 」
「Ug but I’ll do my best . 」
Marguerite looked down with a shrug, probably imagining Graham’s rigorous training .
Byaku rolled to the ground as he bounced off the ground like he was being hit . Across from him stood Maria, her eyebrows furrowed in a sullen manner .
「What the hell are you doing? You can’t even dodge this much? Gehoho . 」
「Shut up . 」
Byaku stood up in frustration and held his arms out in front of him . A three-dimensional magic circle emerged and her hair began to turn black .
But Maria waved her finger quickly . Space shook, and Byaku fell to the ground slumped on his back as he was pushed from his back .
「That guy is a pear . Don’t rely on the Demon Lord’s power . 」
「Shit… . 」
Byaku forced himself to stand up and waved his arms . A sand-colored three-dimensional magic circle flew toward Maria .
But they were blocked as they hit an invisible wall before they could reach Maria . But Maria nodded in satisfaction .
「Yes, that’s fine . Be aware of that body’s magical organs . Separate the demon king’s magic power from your own . Goho, goho…… . . 」
「G… . . 」
But as he ran out of breath, Byaku’s hair was dyed a speck of white and black . Then instantly, Maria’s magic struck him down . Byaku falls to the ground .
「Too soon . Let me lean back more . 」
「You old bitch…! Get on with it! 」
Byaku stood up with a roar of rage and made his three-dimensional magic circle huge, dropping it at Maria .
However, Byaku’s angry blow is also blown away by Maria with a single finger . It’s a good idea to use magic again to knock Byaku down . Maria spat grimly .
「Do you think screaming will make you stronger? Don’t be a spoiled brat, you little–? Haha! Whoa! Whoa! Ghohohoho! 」
Angeline rushes over to Maria, who is moping spectacularly and seems to have gotten tangled up in her throat or something, and rubs her back .
「Grandma, are you okay…? 」
「Geez………damn it…… . . 」
Maria frowned and spat on the ground with a peck . Across the way, Charlotte is helping the sand-covered Byaku up .
This was the Orphen guild’s teaching hall . It’s more like a hall with a dirt floor surrounded by stone walls .
It is a facility used for the training of fledgling adventurers and for the independent training of adventurers, surrounded by sturdy walls carved with hardening formulas, and not easily broken by unleashing powerful magic .
At first, Maria started investigating the Demon King with only a handful of hours, but she became more passionate than she thought she would be, and she threw away her previous research to devote her time to research related to the Demon King .
It hasn’t been that long since I started, but it seems that I’m already getting an overview of the existence of the Demon King, one of the great demons that are renowned in the empire, as expected .
In such a situation, it also coincides with Angeline’s desire to do something about the Demon King inside Byaku, and this is how she investigates things related to his magic power while teaching him how to handle it and battle tactics .
Although Byaku can handle a considerable level of three-dimensional magic circle, his magic power relies a lot on the latent demon king’s . Angeline did not like that .
Byaku himself realized that his personality was being eroded by the Demon King’s magical power when he abused it, so he took Angeline’s suggestion and went through Maria’s training .
However, Maria’s training is intense .
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I’m sure you’ll be able to find a great deal more to say about it . But that doesn’t mean that they will be merciful and praise you if you succeed .
Until now, I had only heard about it through rumors, but after witnessing the actual scene, Angeline gave a small laugh, saying that she could certainly understand why Miriam was twisting and talking badly about Maria all the time, somehow .
But she also thought that it must be coming from Maria’s tremendous clumsiness .
Byaku got up and coughed . Charlotte rubbed his back .
「I’m sure you’ll be able to find it . 」
「Tsk… . 」
He bent forward, thrust his hands into his knees and glared at Maria with a glare .
「Hag, again . I’ve got the sense . 」
「Don’t call me an old lady . Don’t call me old lady, just come see me . Biho……… 」
As they began to fight again, Angeline and Charlotte lined up in front of them, pulling back .
「Sister, Byaku, I hope you’re okay . 」
「Don’t worry, kiddo . Even my grandmother didn’t try to kill me… 」
Byaku moved around the training grounds in a low stance while controlling the magic circle . His hair occasionally started to dye, but it never completely did . He seemed to be getting the knack of suppressing it gradually . Maria is uncommonly tough, but she’s never wrong .
It seems to be a little frightened before the tremendous battle, Charlotte gently took Angeline’s hand and squeezed it tightly . Angeline also squeezes back . Charlotte took a breath as if she was relieved .
「…… . . Afraid to fight?」
「Yeah I felt like I could have done anything with that power when I had Samisina’s ring . 」
However, Charlotte bit her lip as she felt herself growing in her versatility .
The people she meets in these peaceful days with Angeline and the others are all very kind and friendly .
When she was an itinerant priestess of Solomon, she hated blood, but she had no qualms about hurting others . All she had was vengeance and the inflated pride of having been the daughter of a nobleman .
But when you become a powerless little girl like this, it seemed terribly frightening to put yourself in the middle of something like a battle . So I couldn’t help but stick to Angeline and hang on to her warmth .
Angeline hugged Charlotte’s shoulder and patted her .
「But I don’t know what’s in store for you Charlotte, you’d better learn some magic sooner or later . 」
「…from your Aunt Maria? 」
「…or someone a little kinder . 」
Seeing Byaku being blown up in front of her, Angeline smiled bitterly .
The training was cut off as Byaku finally seemed to have reached his limit .
Byaku stood on Angeline’s shoulder with a humiliated expression on his face .
「Don’t be embarrassed . You’ll be safe with your sister . 」
Byaku wrinkled his brow and shook off Angeline to force himself to stand, but he quickly staggered to his knees . Angeline took Byaku’s arm in dismay .
「What the hell are you doing…」
「Shut up… 」
「Byaku, don’t be embarrassed, okay? Your sister is thinking of you… . 」
「I’m not embarrassed! 」
As they were rambling on, Maria came over, looking as unhappy as ever . As soon as she came over, she bent down and grabbed Byaku’s face with both hands . Then he gingerly brought his own face close to hers . The breath touched, so close that their foreheads touched .
Angeline and Charlotte’s cheeks are stained with “hiya” and they cover their faces with their hands, but peek through the gap between their fingers .
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Byaku’s eyes widened as he giggled .
「Ya, stop!」
「What? It’s not a kiss, you misunderstood me, you little mase-guy . 」
「Oh! 」
Byaku’s cheeks shot up and he stared at Maria .
Maria looked into Byaku’s eyes . A sullen face was reflected in her black eyes .
She squinted her eyes and concentrated, searching for the figure of the demon king, Kaim, who was hiding in the depths of her eyes . Only a faint shadow wavered a little and disappeared like a mirage .
「Hm … well, you seem to have it under control more than before . 」
As she was about to say it, a twisted staff struck Maria’s brain from behind . Fire came out of her eyes .
Maria held her head and cowered in agony .
「Goooooooooooo…! 」
「You old, color-blind, old bitch! What the hell are you doing to Byakun! 」
Miriam was standing in human form with a look of indignation on her face . Maria stared at Miriam with tears in her eyes .
「You … stupid disciple! You beat up Master, what kind of a concept is that? 」
「Don’t play dumb! That close to my face… 」
Miriam’s cheeks colored as she said this .
Maria frowned evasively and stood up, bounced Miriam’s hat off and grabbed her by the cat ears and pulled .
「What’s the matter with you, you’re being so quick! I don’t want this stupid cat to be turned into a cat pot! 」
「T-Three! What are you doing? 」
Miriam threw down her wand and grabbed onto Maria . As it is, the two of them are jostling each other languidly . But since they are both wizards and one of them is a sick old man, it’s just not very powerful .
Anessa, who seemed to have come with Miriam, came in beside Angeline, who stood with a dumbfounded look on her face .
「What have you been doing?」
「Grandma saw the demon king in Byaku . Milly misunderstood that . 」
「I mean, all that . Oh dear, I don’t know if we’re friends or not… 」
Both Maria and Miriam’s day job is magic, so they’re apparently not very good at fighting, and before they could go at each other that much, both of them were on their knees, out of breath .
「I knew we were close…」
「Yeah . 」
Angeline and Anessa looked at each other and giggled .
Byaku, supported by Charlotte, came wobbling over and clicked his tongue grimly .
「Damn … that’s one hell of a hag …」
「Humph, you’re pretty when you’re embarrassed, too, baby . 」
「Don’t call me “Byakun” . First of all, if you’re investigating the Demon Lord, you should be able to find out what happened to you . 」
「How many times have I told you I owe my strength to my father? 」
「Tsk……… . . 」
「Byaku, don’t say that to your sister! 」
Charlotte slapped Byaku’s forehead with a slap . Byaku sighed as if he had given up .