9: Pratyu’s eyes are always like this:
It's what Ryua calls "jito me" (staring eyes).
9: I made a fanfic of the bath scene. My yuriness told me to make one, and I can’t defy it, so I did……
Ep 56. Wizard Kingdom: Part 1
◆Hariart Continent: Prattz Harbour◆
「Well, it’s all thanks to you that we were able to reach the harbour safely. Thank you very much.」
「Please, don't worry about it. We couldn't just abandon our fellow men.」
Following the captain’s words of thanks, Zienia's formal reply seemed to be just for appearance's sake in my mind.
Originally, on this occasion, they were supposed to kidnap me, and yet, they failed. But regardless, without these people, we would never have reached the harbour so quickly.
A monster attacked us on the way, but by the time I went from my room to the deck, everything was taken care of. They were probably pierced by that pillar of light.
Appearing at the scene of the battle with my weapon in hand, I saw Zienia standing there waving his hand, telling me not to worry. It felt nice hearing him say 'don't worry'.
He says, “Don't worry,” a lot. Is it his favorite phrase?
「Well then, there is still the return voyage to make, so today, we will be resting at an inn. We're still in an tense/excited state from the fighting, but when it is time to rest, we must properly rest.
Everyone from the State of Metalika, please be well.」
「Yes, you’re definitely right. I need to stop staying up late as well. It's just that, when research is progressing, stopping is hard…. oops, I need to stop rambling on, don't I. Well then, be well.」
When we reached our destination, the passengers descended the ship one by one. Bortom and the other two allowed themselves a full stretch. They gave off the feeling that they could finally get some rest. Then, upon seeing me, Silva stopped what he was doing and walked towards me.
「You've helped us out a lot. If you hadn’t been there before that warship showed up, we might have already sank. Sorry for such a pitiful display. We will be more diligent now.」
「Umu, thanks. Once again with this incident, I was able to open my eyes. I don’t know what I should do to make up for it, but right now, I can’t do anything but keep doing what I can.」
「My skills in magic have rusted as well. When I was young, I used to be more diligent…… But, looking at you, somehow, I feel young once more.」
Silva, Bortom, and Zizina each gave their own words of thanks. I wonder if these three will once again guard the ship? It may have been just two boring days on a ship, but even thinking about it tires me out.
It was my first time on a ship, but in my opinion, it was too boring.
If I said that out loud, I might get scolded, but still, if those monsters hadn't shown up when they did, I might have died of boredom.
「Ah, was it that girl? Thank you, thank you very much for protecting the ship.」
「As expected of the Tournament Champion! I was enchanted!」
Before I noticed it, the passengers besides Bortom and the other 2 had also gathered. Regardless of their thanks, I felt bad for letting them experience that danger.
If I had defeated Doridon faster, they would've been able to relax sooner.
If I had to make an excuse, it would be that I’m not used to underwater fights, but looking ahead, I doubt all opponents will attack us in convenient ways.
Just like getting used to the the darkness in the Caves of Hell, I have to get used to that environment.
It was only luck that there were no casualties. While I was being slow, the ship might have capsized. It was a situation where that could have easily happened.
Because of that, if the State of Metalika hadn’t come, it might have been a bit dangerous.
Yet, while I was thinking that, I ended up surrounded by adults, kids, and old people as well.
「Y-yeah. Then, we will be going now.」
During our first quest together, thinking that we had stolen the achievement from others, Gantetsu had scolded me.
Yet, now it's the opposite, and for some reason, all this praise leaves me confused.
「Roel-oneechan, thank you!」
「You too, Rumi-chan. Be well, okay?」
It was the girl that Roel had become friends with, and standing right behind her was her mother.
Are they here for a trip? Or something else? If it's like that, even though it was supposed to be a fun trip, they ended up experiencing something dangerous.
I’m glad they're safe.
「Thank you, Roel-san, for accompanying this girl.」
「It’s all right. Seeing three family members with such a good relationship, I sorta wanted to be a part of it…..」
「Hai?」
“Teehee,” Roel was acting silly, but the mother had a surprised face.
Did Roel do something strange? If so, then does Roel need to say sorry for being rude? Right now, I have no plans to say she's weird, but ever since I first met Roel, I feel like she has often been told that.
「Three family members?」
「Yes, the one behind you smiling is the father……wait, he’s gone?」
「We are going to see my husband right now. From the west of here there is a town: he has been working away from home. However, it seems that getting money there is easier, so I thought that it would be better to move home closer to him…..」
「…..I’m sorry, I misunderstood.」
「No, it was that guy, right? I thought certain he was Roel-san’s acquaintance. Because that guy was always looking at Roel….」(9: stalker alert!! stalker alert!! Roel call the police!!)
At that moment, we looked at our surroundings. It wasn't just a misunderstanding.
Roel was being watched. At those words, I completely believed that he was here. The people going back and forth in the harbor, the road going to the market place, the shadow of the warehouse.
We searched everywhere, but that guy was nowhere to be found.
If that guy was someone I know, then there could only be one person. That guy had been on the same ship as us. He saw us fighting. If he wanted to do it, he would've been able to attack us while we were asleep.
But of course, in the Caves of Hell, I had experienced this sort of thing quite a few times, so I have confidence that I won't let him succeed.
Of the few Twelve Demon Generals we have fought, the one I haven’t defeated is Juo.
The one who tried to kidnap Roel, the necromancer who revived the dead, and that ghost ship — it might have been him who called that ship as well. He was near us, and yet I didn't notice him at all. How shameful.
「Ryua-chan….」
「It’s alright. As long as I'm here, I won’t let that guy come near you.」
I embraced Roel's shoulder to try and make her feel better, but it might also have been for me, who hadn't noticed him. That said, I know that that guy can disguise himself as another person.
From now on, every person we meet and the people around us….I need to be careful of them. I don’t know what that guy is planning, but if his goal is Roel, then there will be no mercy from me.
「Juo, I won’t be thinking of you as a human anymore.」
To the enemy that I had no way of knowing whether he was truly there, I directed my exclamation.
And for some reason, while looking into the distance, I saw Pratyu running towards us.
Just when I thought she might have actual business with us, she embraced me again.
Burying her face in my chest and sniffing me *sunsunsun* just like a dog.
「Yo, you are still here!?」
「The smell is also normal, a normal girl.」
「Geez! The day is already over, so we have to go to an inn! You two should stop worrying Zienia-san.」
「Ryua, you absolutely must come to the State of Metalika. Ab. So. Lutely.」
「Okay, okay. Just get off me!」
Saying that, she let go of me. And then, she once again tilted her head.
Really, what a weird girl. From her appearance, she is much older than Mi, but I think they're not that different.
Rather, thanks to her two sisters' education, that girl is much more mature, I think.
Now that I'm think about it, I wonder how those three sisters are doing now?
「Pratyu, it's about time to depart.」
Zienia appeared and took Pratyu’s hand. I still can’t believ that they would do so much just for one girl — that they would come to where I was to meet me. That girl….is S rank.
Seeing her holding hands while walking, watching their backs, I saw them as parent and child.
「Ah, that’s right. You said that tomorrow, you'd go to the Wizard Kingdom, but currently, I think it's impossible.」
Zienia looked back and said those ominous words. What does he mean by impossible?
I have a bad feeling this.
「It seems that right now, the Wizard Kingdom is being attacked and is under strict surveillance.
So until things calm down, I don't think they will let travelers in.」
「Wh-why!? We already journeyed here…..and more over, being attacked by what?」
「Who knows? For the precise details—of course, if you want to know….. fufufu. 」
That malicious smile is the same as Pratyu's. When I thought about that, both of them were looking at me while smiling. An evil grin, I must say It's a really hateful face, and it had some affinity with those scornful eyes. I cannot help but be irritated.
It somehow feels like they are looking down at me from above….it's that arrogant look in their eyes. Those reproachful eyes.
「If you want to know, then you will always be welcomed.」
Turning around, he flicked his hand, and then, Zienia returned to that ship.
If you think about itnormally, it would be better to go with that person as compared to the Wizard Kingdom that you can’t get into.
But, leaving it to them, it somehow feels like I lost to something. I wonder what Roel thinks about military rule.
「For now, let’s go to an inn.」
She didn’t even mind those people. We can’t go to the Wizard kingdom.
I wonder what should we do with this serious problem. Even though, I wanted to consult her about it…..
Safely getting a room at an inn, we immediately dived onto the bed.
It's simpler compared to the inn at Avangard, and in the walls. there is something like a stain.
But still, the scenery from the window is nice. We can view the harbour covered in darkness to some extent.
「According to the employee here, it seems that the Wizard Kingdom is being attacked by monsters….I wonder what we should do?」
「If that’s the case, then if I defeat that monster, won’t they let us come in? I’ll do something about it.」
「But we don’t even know what kind of monster it is, you know?」
「Let’s check up on it at the guild in the harbour. There might be a subjugation quest for it.」
「Fue~, Ryua-chan, you sure have gotten strong. Compared to when we first met, you are totally different.」
Roel is grinning. It was as if I was a kid. They were those kind of eyes.
And then she suddenly jumped onto my bed and hugged me. (9: sir! our yuri sensor has detected something! It's a surprise hug! Sir, it's immense!!!!!! We need back up!!)
「Eii!」
「Fuuah!? Just what are you doing!?」
「Mimicking that girl.」
「That girl, you mean Pratyu? You don’t have to do it, something like that.」
「But…but….」
Just like that, Roel was lost for words. I was pushed down. In this state, there was silence, and then Roel suddenly separated from me. (9: sensing! i am sensing it!! UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!)
「Ryua-chan, you need to go to the bath.」
「Ah, now that you mention it, I swam in the sea, so I wonder if I stink.」
「Then let’s go.」
Entering together….she couldn't be saying that the both of us should enter at the same time, could she?! I saw it earlier, but the tub was not that wide.
She forcibly pulled me into the bathroom. Being pulled by the flow, I took off my clothes and bathed in the hot water.
My back, washed by Roel, is strangely ticklish. Just what is with her today?
She can be said to be in a good mood, but more than that, she somehow seems like she's desperate.
Roel’s hand on my back had stretched to my armpits and even reached to my front. Scrubbing and washing it. (9: *nosebleed* roel is being bold today)
It's good that she properly washed from my chest to my stomach, but somehow, it feels weird. I don’t know what kind of weird it is, but it's embarrassing, and at the same time, I feel impatient.
「G-eez that’s fine already. I can wash myself?」(9:nooooooooo, you should have just let her continue and then go to the next stage!!)
「Ah….you’re right. Sorry.」
Coming back to her senses, Roel was visibly feeling down. I kinda felt guilty, so this time I washed Roel’s back.
「Ryua-chan……」
「Yeah?」
「Nothing. Tomorrow, let’s do our best, okay. I heard you can go to the Wizard Kingdom by just taking the highway. We shouldn’t get lost. Can’t you see the castle on top of that tall mountain? That is the Wizard Kingdom.」
Looking that way….A fortress on a mountain. No, to be exact, it might be a castle.
It's a high place that you can even see from here, so it stands out.
I heard that it was attacked, but if it's like that, isn’t it because of its appearance? Even more important…who would attack it?
「Ryua-chan, that tickles.」
「Ah, sorry.」
Before I noticed it, I had absentmindedly washed Roel’s back. Was it really that ticklish, Roel’s face was flushed red?
Getting out of bath, it seems that the exhaustion had piled up, so tonight, without eating anything, we slept soundly.
「Excuse me, is this machine broken?」
Roel asked the guild employee a lot of times.
Surely, as even I can’t believe it, but Roal and I formed a party, and the fights up until now…the enemies that I have defeated seemed to be quite strong, so this might not be a strange thing.
「This is not broken. Well then, I am busy, so…」
In a hurry, the guild employee left us, but he was obviously surprised by our levels.
Now that I think about it, I wonder when the last time we checked our levels was. Many things happened….I have forgotten when.
「Oh! So both of you came here too! What a coincidence.」
Saying that from a nearby machine, Bortom appeared.
「We too seemed to be trained by that life and death struggle! I increased my level by 1 ! Hahahahahahaha!」
【Bortom Lv: 31 Class: Heavy Lancer A class】
【Silva Lv: 25 Class: Archer B class】
【Zizinia Lv: 26 Class: Wizard B class】
「Uumu, recently the young ones sure are amazing. We will slowly be overtaken.」
「As the era advances, the generations change too. Someone with inborn talent is natural. We can’t do anything about it. Beside it's not like we're always fighting.」
These people, who had the air of being veterans, before I was even born, they had been adventurers.
Thinking like that, they should know many things that I don’t know. It's the same with Gantetsu-san too, but someday I’d like to listen to them chat leisurely. Somehow there is still so many things that I don’t know.
「Un? Now that I think about it, how high are your levels?」
「I am getting curious too, with that much strength, you both probably have high levels. If you can do it, would you show it to us?」
With the piercing interest of the three, we showed them our adventurer cards, and I noticed that their expressions had frozen over with envy.
Not being able to accept reality, they didn't know how to react.
Towards the three, we too also don’t know how to react.
But even I can’t believe Roel’s level.
No, I know that I’m not in a position to say that to her.
【Ryua Lv: 999 Class: Fighter B class】
【Roel Lv: 51 Class: Healer B class】
「Ha-haha…..Just as I thought, the recent young ones really are skillful…..」
Of the three of them, I didn’t know which said that. It was that much of a silent whisper.
Now then, let's carry out our goal here.