Manowa Chapter 147

Jiraid Barnes was the son of the Fang Spear Soldier Jinrai Barnes and Head Dragon Miko Cindy Barnes, and he served as the general of the Hyvern army's Flying Dragon division. He came to s.h.i.+rodieh City because he received word that his children would be staying there.

He thought his children would learn the truth from someone else before they reached the capital and would receive a large shock, so early that morning he started riding to s.h.i.+rodieh City on his partner Lightning Dragon Mordo.

Then Jiraid dismounted his beloved dragon and headed to the villa to meet his children, but only his daughter Emily was there. The older brother Lyle was out shopping.

Naturally, Emily wondered why Jiraid was there and asked, but Jiraid told her he would talk when Lyle came back, and he waited nervously as he thought about the contents of what he was going to say after meeting his son and daughter for the first time in a long time.

However, while he was waiting with such thoughts, his son came back with an unknown little girl.

(He picked up such a young child and brought her to this house… is this because of that man's blood?)

A vein was bulging while Jiraid looked at Lyle.

「That's a cute girlfriend. Lyle?」

「Eh, that's wronー」

「Cute? No, no.」

Lyle was fl.u.s.tered, and Kazane was bashful beside him. This shorty was weak against being treated as a girl.

「Is that so? While I have been working hard in public service, you brought such a little girl to treat this place like a love hotel even though your little sister is here; are you fully enjoying your summer romance?」

「Where did that come from, Father!」

It seemed Lyle played the straight man for the Barnes family.

「This girl is involved with me, or perhaps I should say, Emily. We're indebted to her for something yesterday, so I thought I would invite her to lunch.」

「Ah, so that's why.」

「That's right!」

Emily was convinced by her older brother's words, and Kazane affirmed with a peace sign. Although them receiving a gift was concealed. Parents are oversensitive to such things…Lyle thought. Jiraid understood after Lyle's words and Emily and Kazane's response.

「I see. I apologize. To the young lady as well.」

「No no, don't worry about it.」

Kazane replied. Lyle was relieved that the misunderstanding was cleared and faced Jiraid.

「So, it has been a long time, but why did Father come here?」

Lyle looked towards Jiraid, then Emily. However, Emily hadn't heard anything from Jiraid yet, so she shook her head to convey that she didn't know. When Lyle saw that, he once again looked at Jiraid, who finally opened his mouth.

「Your grandfather Jinrai Barnes died. I thought I should tell you myself, so I came to meet you.」

After Jiraid's words, Lyle and Emily opened their eyes wide in shock, but Kazane's thoughts raced. The supposed dead man should be done with morning practice and in the villa 100 meters away at this time of the day. He was probably sipping tea.

「Hey wait, Jinrai-san should still be alive.」

She didn't understand why he would say that, but he should still be living unless he was killed after she saw him that morning...

「Shouldn't outsiders be silent?」

But Jiraid flatly refused Kazane's words. Actually, considering the circ.u.mstances, Jiraid wished Kazane would leave, but his inner thoughts were confused after Kazane's unexpected response. Moreover, because Jiraid didn't directly refute Kazane's words, Lyle and Emily were further confused.

「What do you mean, Father?」

「……Hm.」

Jiraid pondered while looking at Lyle and Emily. Kazane felt like that appearance was similar to Jinrai.

「Certainly, saying that he died may have been a bad way of saying it... but it is certain truth that Jinrai Barnes of the Barnes family has died.」

Those words promoted further confusion in Lyle and the rest instead of stopping it. But Jiraid immediately continued talking.

「In other words, that man is as good as dead. The man named Jinrai is going crazy with women and dragging our Barnes family name through the mud; I cannot permit it.」

「Going crazy with women... what's with that?」

Emily didn't understand the meaning of her father's words and reproachfully raised her voice, but Lyle guessed the meaning. It was probably concerning the rumors about the Demon Killing Princess' party being a harem party.

「Father, are you talking about the rumors of grandfather forming a harem party and indulging in hot springs day after day? Do you really believe such a stupid hoax?」

「It's not stupid nor a rumor. I actually went to ask!」

Jiraid bellowed after Lyle's words.

(Indulging in hot springs with women day after day......)

Kazane nodded from the side; she couldn't really deny that.

「I heard he has taken a woman from his past and a young woman feigning as his disciple as his companions, and he has even involved himself with a n.o.ble girl from somewhere.」

Those are some awful rumors...while thinking that, Kazane continued listening carefully.

「But I also heard that man is particularly influenced by a lascivious s.e.x monster with an awfully infamous reputation in Mins.h.i.+ana named Kazane. That man left mother and I behind to join such a party and repeatedly do lewd activities!」

(Lascivious s.e.x monster? Such harsh words. Harsh, harsh...nn?)

Kazane was listening like it was somebody else's problem, but then she made an「Eh?」face.

「Hey, wait a second!」

Kazane objected at that point with slightly tearful eyes.

(Kazane?)

Lyle looked at her in surprise. It wasn't just that Kazane shouted. He also noticed the names matched.

「Shouldn't outsiders be silent?」

Jiraid once again said coldly to the shouting Kazane. But because of the content of the conversation, Kazane was no longer an outsider, and she wasn't going to withdraw her objection.

「Everyone's Kazane-chan isn't such an awful s.l.u.t. I don't know where the heck you heard that, but she's a popular person in Mins.h.i.+ana.」

「Popular? She's infamous. I hear that Hyvern's Outer hesitates to even say her name.」

Jiraid's reb.u.t.tal was true.

「Nuu, that's a chain of unfortunate misunderstandings. She's really a very good girl. What do you know!」

Jiraid looked at Kazane with an exasperated expression after she spoke.

「I think it can't be helped that you admire the White Party's heroic tale at your age, but you need to separate fact from fiction.」

「What do you mean?」

Kazane looked at Jiraid with a puzzled gaze.

「After all, minstrels make their stories interesting and ignore inconvenient things. Actually, the stories about the old man and wh.o.r.es are tall tales. It's a very different story from『Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale.』」

By the way,『Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale』was a story based on the tall tale Kazane spread in Conrad. So Jiraid's words were not groundless. Adventurers and minstrels generally embellished stories to make them more amusing, so a story changing to make it more popular truly happened.

The problem was that the『Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale』Kazane told at Conrad's tavern was different from the story that was closer to the truth called『Berserk Ogre Subjugation.』When the two were mixed together, a consistent story couldn't be made, which made the truth ambiguous. Naturally, Jiraid had a bad impression of the Ogre Killing Princess, so he supported『Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale.』

Furthermore, the contents of the false story that Kazane told were excessively pa.s.sionate, and when Jiraid heard it he felt「Isn't Jiro such a valiant warrior?」and his colleagues and subordinates shed tears when they heard the story in a tavern. It was a phenomenon unfolding every night in the continent, and right now Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale was reaching pandemic status. Terrifying.

「Who would believe that false story『Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale?』That middle-aged wildly delusional story is absolutely poison.」

The different weight of an author's words… in other words, they weren't deserved. Such a thing was unknown to Jiraid. Therefore, Jiraid couldn't forgive Kazane for making a fool out of his beloved『Jiro-kun's Heroic Tale』and the consequent denial of his hero Jiro. There's no doubt that if Jiro heard about being considered a hero, he would shake his head and turn pale. Or more precisely, that had actually happened when he heard such things, but he was simply misunderstood as a humble man. There was nothing that could be done.

「How dare you. I thought I shouldn't say something like this to a child, but it's unavoidable. I heard. That wh.o.r.e and my father had an orgy with fifty men. It is certain information. There is no mistake.」

「It's full of mistakesーーー!!」

Jiraid was blown away along with those words.

When Kazane's anger reached its peak, Killing Leg: Lv3 finally awakened. Even without the Dragon Ogre Greaves, the increased leg strength from the Pa.s.sive Skill destroyed the entrance of the Barnes family residence and sent Jiraid flying. And that sight entered Jinrai's eyes as he sipped tea on the terrace of Louise's villa.

「My son is flying?」

It was unavoidable that Jinrai doubted his own eyes. Evidently, Jinrai's son was sent flying. Unlike himself, Jiraid Barnes was a splendid son who became a national leader and a good father who looked after his family; that Jiraid Barnes was now dancing in the sky.

Then Jinrai spewed out tea. The tea stalk also danced in the sky.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Magic Swordswoman

t.i.tle: Ogre Killer, Dragon Slayer, High Beast Summoner

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Two Handed Sword『Black Fang』, Adhesion Sword『Gum』, Spell Dagger, Dragonscale Breastplate, Drake Gauntlets, Silver Sheep Clothes, Sylphyn Skirt, Plasma Pants, Dragon Ogre Greaves, Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Heroic Spirit Summoning Ring, Circlet of Wisdom, Aim Bracelet, Magic Acc.u.mulator, White Magic Acc.u.mulator

Level : 30

Health: 107

Magic Power: 181+420

Strength: 52+10

Agility: 43+4

Endurance: 29

Wisdom : 57

Dexterity : 38

Spell : 『Fly』 『Torch』 『Fire』 『Heal』『Firestorm』『Healer Ray』『High Heal』

Skill : 『Warrior's Memory』 『Night Vision』 『Crus.h.i.+ng Blow』 『Dog's Sense of Smell』 『Golem Maker: Lv3』 『Rush』 『Fire Principle: Third Chapter』 『Healing Principle: Fourth Chapter』 『Air Jump: Lv2』 『Killing Leg: Lv3』 『Fear Voice』 『Invisible』 『Tiger Eye』 『Wall Walking』 『Intuition』 『Cheat Death』 『Nimble』『Charge』『Material s.h.i.+eld』『Information Link』『Optical Camouflage』『Dash』『Bloodsucking Blade』『Dragonization』『Regenerate』『Soul Breaking Blade』『Stealthy Placement』『Thunder Chariot』『St.u.r.dy Teeth』『Crystallization』

Kazane:「Killing Leg's Lv2 Pa.s.sive only increases kicking power, but Lv3 increases general leg strength. It feels like my hand-to-hand fighting ability has improved with this, right? By the way, kicking at full power still requires activating the Skill.」

Yumika:「But up until now you haven't trained for that, so will you really be able to do it?」

Kazane:「That is covered thanks to『Nimble』and『Warrior's Memory.』In game terms, similar fighting abilities add a redundant effect, so it feels like they make me generally more capable?」