“Fuua~, I guess we will say goodbye to this town today huh.”
After I got up, I peeked at the town from the window. Today is the third day since we came to Sarasvadi. As planned, it is now time to go back to Mana.
“Uuhh… Hot…”
Pero woke up but he looked tired. The inn we are staying at didn’t have air conditioning and it was very hot. For Pero, who is covered in fur, the tropical nights must be hell. On the other hand, it was very good for me. It’s very cool to sleep next to my son, who exhales cold air. Pero probably didn’t know that I was secretly sneaking closer to his bed in the middle of the night.
“Good morning-nya!”
It was Lena who opened the door and walked in. Since she is staying at the same inn, we can see the face of this cat girl in the morning. I wonder why she would rather stay at an inn when she could go to her parents’ house though.
“Yeah, good morning. It seems that you stayed with Erna and the others yesterday, but, don’t you have to go back to your parents’ house?”
I sat on a chair in the room and Lena sits on the chair across the table.
“I have a lot of siblings in my house so I can’t sleep well there -nya. Besides, I wanted to spend time with Erna and the others -nya.”
“Then I didn’t have to worry about it. By the way, it’s the first time I’ve heard you have a lot of siblings.”
“I didn’t think there is a need to say it -nya. No one would want to go home and stay there if they have twenty siblings -nya.”
Twenty is certainly a lot. It must be noisy there every day. Still, the reason why she returns to her hometown is probably because Lena is worried about her parents and siblings. She is really good kid.
“Ah- right! The captain has taken care of us so I have to give him a thank you gift. Lena please give it to him.”
I placed a wooden box on the table. There is a large amount of vegetables inside of it. Lena’s eyes sparkled when she saw the vegetables.
“Is this okay-nya? All of them look expensive-nya!”
“You have good eyes. These vegetables are of high quality and were harvested from a certain place. If you were to buy them at the market, it would cost a lot. Well, in our case, it’s as good as free though. If you don’t mind, you can take it.”
“Thank you-nya! Everyone will be happy-nya!”
Lena looks happy. When I looked closely, her tail stands out. Joy is very evident in Lena’s tail. I am basically a dog lover, but I don’t hate cats.
“Don’t look at my tail too much-nya! It’s bad manners to look at a beastman’s tail-nya!”
“Uh-, is that so? Sorry, my bad.”
After Lena pointed it out to me, I was convinced. The tail, which is prone to emotions, is probably a shameful part for beastmen. I guess, if race changes, common sense will also change.
“It’s too hot today.”
“I want to dip in the sea.”
“I agree. I want to take one last swim.”
Erna, Liz, and Freya entered the room. All three of them were already in their bathing suits, and by the third day, they had been sunburned to the color of wheat. Erna, who saw my body, muttered dejectedly,
“Shinichi’s body is weird. Even if you are exposed to too much sunlight, it does not burn at all.”
“Well, I felt pity about that too. I never thought that my race wouldn’t get a tan.”
In fact, I was looking forward to a tan on this vacation. I had planned to get brown muscles like Arnold, but no matter how much I lay on the beach, I couldn’t get sunburn. Perhaps my body is blocking ultraviolet rays. It is sad that the negative effects of evolution were in such point.
“Are you all going home now-nya? Can’t you stay in Sarasvadi longer-nya?”
“I’d like to, but I can’t be away from home for days you see. We’ll be coming back to this town to catch seafood, we will see you soon.”
“I hope so-nya. I hope to see you all again soon-nya.”
Lena hugs the members as she says goodbye. These three days were a lot of fun. I think that was thanks to Lena’s presence as well.
We thanked her and then we left Sarasvadi.
◇◇◇
“Ah, I’m so tired. I’m glad that we’re finally back in Mana.”
Erna said that when Mana finally comes into view in the horizon. Looking at the other three, they don’t say much, perhaps because they are just as tired. That’s how a trip is. You’re fine on the way there, but you’re exhausted on the way back.
“The food in the royal palace was spicy.”
Liz wrinkled her brows, perhaps remembering the food she was treated to. In fact, on the way back, we stopped by at Ganesha, the Beast Capital. There, we met with the Beast King and we stayed overnight at the royal palace. The food they served was as spicy as ever though. Erna and I had eaten it before so we didn’t particularly mind, but the three of them were stunned by the food they were eating for the first time. Moreover, Liz didn’t seem to like spicy food, she ate the food with tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t know Naji’s food are so spicy. I was surprised at first, but once you get used to it, it’s quite addictive.”
“I like Naji’s dishes.”
“Son and the red woman have strange tastes. Something is wrong with you guys.”
Freya and Pero shakes their heads as if reputing Liz’s words. Since she doesn’t like it when it’s too spicy let’s pick a lighter meal. I planned to make dry curry rice tonight but it looks like I’ll have to change my plans.
“By the way, do you think you can make bonito flakes?”
Erna asked me. For the past few days, she has been interested in bonito flakes. Hearing that the food is as hard as wood, her curiosity must be piqued.
“I think we can make it but it will take at least a month though. You can’t make good bonito flakes without a lot of time and effort you see.”
When an average person hears the word bonito flakes, they probably don’t immediately think of how to make it. That’s quite natural though. This is because bonito flakes are hard to imagine from the appearance, and there are a number of work processes.
Boil it first. Then remove the bones and boil again. Then, blue mold is propagated and water is gradually removed. After that, it is smoked many times and the final product is that hard bonito flakes. Although it is easy to buy in modern Japan, it takes a long time and effort.
“Hmm, I don’t really get it but, it’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Bonito flakes are packed with umami. It can’t be bad.”
I’d love to tell her how much Japanese people love bonito flakes. After all, it’s delicious just by putting bonito flakes on rice and pouring soy sauce on it. Oops-, I drooled.
While I was thinking about this, we approached near Mana City. In the meantime, I decided to give instructions to Erna and the others.
“I’m going to Mana. You guys go back to our hideout first.”
“Yes.”
With Erna in the lead, the four of them flew into the Great Dungeon. I descended near the entrance of Mana and walked to the gate as usual.
“Tanaka-san!”
A soldier I knew quickly ran up to me when he saw me. A piece of paper is held in his hand and he looked quite tense.
“What’s the matter? Why are you panicking?”
“Look at this!”
When I received the paper from the soldier, I found that my face was drawn on it, and for some reason, there is also a bounty written on it.
“What the heck is this?”
“You are on a wanted list! Four people, including Tanaka-san, have been given bounties!”
“What!?”
I was shocked. When I checked the wanted list again, it seems that me, Erna, Pero, and Freya are targeted. Moreover, the staggering amount of 1,000 gold coins is placed on our heads.
Is this kingdom so crazy to give billions of yen to a wanted person? Even the protagonist of a certain pirate manga didn’t suddenly have such a prize.
“That wanted list are already scattered throughout the kingdom so we can’t let you inside Mana.”
“What’s the reason? Why is there such a big prize money on the bounty?”
“It’s a crime of subversion. We have received reports that Homeless party are working with other kingdom to assassinate the king and take over the kingdom.”
“That’s impossible! How can I, who has never even met the king assassinate him? There is no reason to take over the kingdom in the first place!”
I, who fought to protect this kingdom is now wanted as terrorist?!! Are they fuckin’ kidding me!?
Sure, I had beaten that general, but I hadn’t done anything bad that would make me a criminal!
I snorted heavily in anger.
“Tanaka-san, please calm down. We and the people of the city do not believe in this case. But for now, it’s better to hide somewhere. Soldiers from the royal capital will probably arrive here soon.”
“Are you saying they are coming to Mana to capture me?”
“Yes, rumor has it that a hero is coming with his troops. Moreover, it is under the pretext of rescuing the sacred beast that the Homeless party have captured.”
“Huh? You mean… it was also said that we captured Pero? Arvish—, that bastard! It looks like he really wants to hunt me down huh.”
Anger inside me burns like a raging fire. I should say, he hoodwinked us. While I was busy making soy sauce and having my leisurely vacation, Arvish seemed to be steadily getting ready for this. Of course, we had countermeasures in place. But this time, they went above and beyond. I wasn’t expecting to become a wanted person. It’s my fault for being lenient to him.
“Understood. We’ll stay quiet and hide in the dungeon first. I want you to tell your Lord to act well.”
“Yes, certainly.”
I decided not to enter the city and return to the dungeon. For now, I have to gather Suketarou and the others and hold an emergency meeting.
This is a war between the kingdom of Logas and the homeless.
◇◇◇
Twenty kilometers from Mana.
About 5,000 soldiers were marching in unison.
“This is spectacular. It feels good to think that damned man will finally be eliminated.”
The general, who looks out from inside the carriage, raises the corners of his mouth and grins. Arvish and Feria, who sat across from him, were silent as they watched the general.
“What’s the matter Arvish-dono? You’ve been silent ever since we left the royal capital, are you nervous?”
“That’s impossible. I’ve trained so far to kill him. I just can’t help but feel joy when I think that the time has finally come.”
“Hahaha, that’s good to hear. If it’s you, the hero who defeated Gaen of the Empire, it would be easy to do that.”
“…..Your Excellency, don’t be too conceited. As I’ve said before, he is in an order of magnitude more capable than others. In addition, it is rumored that he lives inside the great dungeon. Remember, we are in danger of being wiped out before we even reach the Homeless’ hideout.”
“I’m fully aware of that. That is why I’ve been letting my soldiers imitate the adventurers for the past two months.”
Many of the soldiers walking side by side are lightly dressed like adventurers. Their armors were kept to a minimum, and the backpack they carried were bulging. They are an elite group of people who have been carefully trained to dive inside Mohed Great Dungeon.
“With this many soldiers, there won’t be such thing as the most dangerous dungeon or that Shinichi Tanaka guy. Kukuku, I can’t wait to see him cry and scream for help.”
The general took out a portable liquor bottle from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Arvish looked away and looked out the window to keep his eyes on the scenery. He could already see what looked like a city on the horizon, and he knew that they would arrive at Mana in about an hour.
“Your Excellency, after arriving in the city, the movement is as agreed beforehand. Please do not let anyone escape.”
“I know, we will lock down the city as soon as we arrive. In the meantime, Hero-dono will gather information from the adventurers, right?”
“Yes, I want to know as much as I can about their movements.”
“As expected of a hero. He won’t let his guard down against any opponent. The future of this kingdom is secure.”
The general’s laughter echoed in the carriage.
Eventually, the rumbling carriage arrived at Mana with 5,000 soldiers in tow. On this day, the frontier town of Mana was completely blockaded by the royal army.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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