Ryuugoroshi no Sugosuhibi Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Old Hero Visits a Foreign Land!

 

「Isn’t it heavy? Want me to carry some for you?」(???)

 

The man in his early 40’s asked Kousuke for the third time. To that, Kousuke returned the same answer.

 

「I’m not having a tough time so don’t worry about it」(Kousuke)

「Even if you tell me that… I still think it’s too heavy for you」(???)

 

The man’s face twisted as he looked at Kousuke and what he’s carrying behind him.

Everyone else around the two had a similar expression. The only person who was calm was Borudosu.

Kousuke was carrying the heaviest thing alone in the group. He was pulling a fully packed cart that would normally require two horses to pull with an absolutely calm expression. It was a scene a normal person would completely doubt.

The reason why Kousuke is pulling the cart alone is a story from two hours ago.

 

 

On their way back, just three hours away from town, Borudosu and Kousuke saw a gathering of people ahead.

 

「What’s going on here?」(Kousuke)

「Maybe their carts’ wheel broke off?」(Borudosu)

 

They approached the group and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the carts.

The group ran into some bad luck. A mob of monsters attacked them and the horses that were originally pulling the carts are either dead or heavily wounded.

They had some people capable of fighting the monsters, but the enemy was too great in number and they couldn’t protect the horses.

 

「We treated the horses that are still alive, but now we’re stranded because we don’t have enough horses to pull all of the carts. We could manually pull the carts and bring most of them with us, but we would have to leave a few」(???)

「I see. If that’s what happened then we’ll help. Kousuke, think you can pull that cart over there alone?」(Borudosu)

 

Borudosu pointed at the heavily packed luggage cart.

He questioned in a doubtful sounding manner, but he was 100% confident Kousuke could do it.

 

「I won’t know unless I try, but it should be ok, probably」(Kousuke)

「No, that’s impossible! One horse wasn’t enough to pull it and two just barely got it to move!」(???)

「I’ll give it a try at least」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke crouched with his back facing the cart, grabbed the bottom of the cart, and pulled. Just as Borudosu and Kousuke expected, the cart moved.

 

「It’s not heavy so it’s alright. This position is a bit uncomfortable though」(Kousuke)

「Wooow, this is a big surprise! You’re quite strong aren’t you?」(???)

 

The man exclaimed, his face mixed with shock and awe.

 

「I’m just a bit stronger than most」(Kousuke)

「You call that a bit stronger?!」(???)

 

The man brought a rope and ties it to the cart Kousuke’s pulling to act as a handle.

He confirmed the rope won’t unfurl and watched in awe once more at Kousuke’s immense strength pulling the cart.

The group, no longer stranded, proceeded to move towards St. Beria.

Borudosu was also pulling a different cart with a few people, displaying that his strength is also abnormally high. 【TL: Kou-chan’s cheat specs are still higher though. Borudosu, you have my pity~】

Kousuke conversed with the man besides him to learn more about their group as he leisurely pulled the cart.

They were a troupe that does acrobatics to theatrical plays, travelling around various countries on a fixed schedule to perform. This month their destination to perform was St. Beria.

It was a mid-sized troupe with 35 people. The man Kousuke was speaking with is called Randolph, the chairman. Their dream is to perform in a big city and make it big. Randolph’s eyes sparkled brightly as he spoke with Kousuke about it.

 

 

「Thank you so much for your help」(Randolph)

 

Having reached St. Beria, Randolph bowed in grat.i.tude towards Kousuke and Borudosu.

The rest of the troupe members were setting up tents to prepare for the evening.

 

「We were heading the same way so you don’t have to worry about it. Plus, it didn’t really tire me out」(Kousuke)

「Yea, that’s right. Walking back normally would have been the same for us」(Borudosu)

 

The two weren’t lying, neither were tired at all.

 

「You two carried all of that.. I would have preferred to hear you were tired. It makes us feel depressed thinking that we’re very weak」(Randolph)

「To us adventurers, strength is our capital!」(Borudosu) 【TL: Capital –> Fund –> Selling point】

「Even the adventurers I know aren’t unbelievably strong as you two you know? For your a.s.sistance, I’ll have the admission fees waived for you two and your family, friends and lovers. Please come by all means. In addition, I’ll provide the best seats on the house!」(Randolph)

 

The two told Randolph they’ll be looking forward to it and entered the town. They went straight to the guild. They want to hand in the ruin exploration results and begin practicing lock picking.

 

「Welcome back you two. It seems you two returned earlier than expected」(Diane)

 

Diane, who was on break, saw the two as she returned to the guild and called out to them.

 

「We’re back」(Kousuke)

「We’ve returned. We were able to finish quickly since Kousuke carried me and flew over the mountain and river」(Borudosu) 【TL: And you almost c.r.a.pped yourself that time too】

「Ah that’s right, he’s able to use flight magic. Reducing travel time with that is definitely possible」(Diane)

「I can travel even faster next time around with teleportation magic. If a reason for me to go comes up that is」(Kousuke)

「You can use teleportation magic too I see」(Diane)

 

Diane was surprised at Kousuke’s statement.

 

「I learned it recently. It’s short ranged and I can’t bring anyone with me though」(Kousuke)

「But you’re able to make delivery trips to Ricardo correct?」(Diane)

「I’ve already done that before for someone I know」(Kousuke)

「I.. See… You’ve become quite the handy person」(Diane)

「What do you mean by “Handy”?」(Borudosu)

 

Hearing Diane’s muttering, Borudosu chimed in playfully.

 

「Teleportation magic is a very handy. There was currently only one person who could use teleportation magic in this town. Having another one in town would make for a very happy occasion」(Diane)

「The only places I can teleport to at the moment are Ricardo, Zeldan and the Western Hollows though」(Kousuke)

「Just being able to teleport to Ricardo will allow you to complete most delivery requests we receive with ease」(Diane)

 

Requests using teleportation magic were originally monopolized by that one person. Kousuke was initially afraid his presence would cause a disturbance, but heard later that the other individual was already married, had children who grew up and left the home, and had a fortune saved up already. Rather, that person would prefer less requests going to him so he could visit his grandchildren more often.

Of course, Kousuke taking all of the requests would be problematic, but Kousuke has no intention of doing that so there should be no issues at all.

 

Diane’s break ended and the two headed to the reception to turn in the request.

They finished the paperwork and received their reward. When Kousuke received the reward he stared at it with an unconvinced look.

 

「… It was for training but I still got a reward」(Kousuke)

「On the surface it was a request after all, it’s only normal to receive some sort of reward. Keep what you can get for now, thinking like that isn’t too bad right?」(Borudosu)

「Yea, I’ll keep that in mind」(Kousuke)

 

He stowed the money away into his bag and headed to the practice lock area.

The guild limited who was allowed to practice lock picking techniques on site. There’s a possibility that there are those with malicious intent within the crowd so only those who pa.s.s a certain set of criteria may utilize the guild’s lock picking training.

The individual requires the approval of the majority of the guild staff, a recommendation from someone who’s already approved, and a binding contract that would force the person providing the recommendation to be responsible for the applicant in case he/she uses the training for evil. These three conditions must be met.

Borudosu was currently signing that contract.

There were seven locks placed in front of Kousuke by Borudosu with the complexity increasing from right to left.

 

「If you can unlock all seven of these then you’ll be able to open most locks without trouble. Most locks that exist are variants of these seven locks. If you see a lock that isn’t similar to one of these seven locks then it’s probably rigged with magic. There are some uniquely made locks that can’t be picked easily though so it’s best to just make sure there’s no traps on it and bash it open. That’s what I did when I had to deal with one. This is the unique lock by the way」(Borudosu)

 

Borudosu pointed at the lock fourth from the right.

 

「You broke and brought back that lock?」(Kousuke)

「If you bring back a lock with a unique mechanism to the guild, they’ll buy it off you for quite a bit」(Borudosu)

 

The reasons? It’s profitable for the guild and business owners love to see possible improvements to the safety of their possessions.

If it’s brought back to the guild, they’ll replicate it with the help of a locksmith and sell it to business owners. It’s roughly the same if it’s brought to a large business as well.

Most adventurers would elect to hand it into the guild though. The large businesses would only provide monetary rewards while the guild provide money as well as an increase to their adventurer rank.

 

「Let’s practice one at a time, for now just watch」(Borudosu)

 

Borudosu began unlocking the locks one at a time from the easiest to hardest.

The easiest one was opened instantly with just one lock pick while the hardest one took ten minutes and three lock picks to open. Borudosu already practiced using these locks before so he was opening them faster than most would. Despite that, the hardest one still took some time.

 

「…….That about wraps up the demonstration. Start with the easiest one first. You just need to stick this lock pick in and twist a bit to open it. Just keep in mind the position of the lock pick’s tip」(Borudosu)

 

The locks were reset and Borudosu gave Kousuke the keys and lock picks.

 

「Once you put in the lock pick you should be able to tell when to twist when you feel it get stuck a bit. Twist when you do and it should open」(Borudosu)

「Ah, it opened. This one opened too easily, isn’t that a bit unreliable as a lock?」(Kousuke)

「This lock is used to keep a container sealed from leaking. It’s not meant to keep people out」(Borudosu)

 

With the two flinging questions and answers back and forth the lock picking training continued.

After an hour the two stopped talking. During that hour, Kousuke became skilled enough to be able to smoothly open up to the fourth lock. At the pace he was going at, the remaining three locks would be easily opened as well.

 

「I taught you everything I know. You should be able to do it all alone now」(Borudosu)

「Thank you. But what about magic-based locks?」(Kousuke)

「Magic-based locks.. Well it’s pointless to try to unlock them」(Borudosu)

「Why?」(Kousuke)

「Each of them have different conditions to open so the things you learned today won’t help in any way. Most of them do not even have a keyhole. The ones I’ve opened so far I had to sometimes burn it, douse it in water or use an object that the lock was paired with. The only advice I can give you about magic-based locks is to not miss any hints about it. Any information about it in others’ memos or from the condition of the lock can prove to be indispensable. If you want more details just ask someone from the guild, they should have some reference books for it」(Borudosu)

「I’ll take a look some other time then」(Kousuke)

 

The two left the training room and saw Randolph at the counter.

 

「Randolph-san?」(Kousuke)

「Ooh! The two of you were here as well I see!」(Randolph)

「Yes, we had some business to attend to here. Did Randolph-san come here to have a request set up?」(Kousuke)

「Yes, I require some construction a.s.sistance」(Randolph)

「Oh, well, maybe I should accept it then」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke asked the guild receptionist to prepare the paperwork.

 

「I would appreciate the help of someone as strong as you Watase-san, but is that fine?」(Randolph)

「It’s not that different from the usual requests I accept though」(Kousuke)

「Speaking of adventurers, I’ve always thought they would aim for requests with thrills and high rewards. Aren’t these type of requests usually taken by adventurers who lack funds or have too much free time? If you’re short on money I do not mind providing a reward for your previous a.s.sistance」(Randolph)

「This guy tries to avoid dangerous things and always does these types of mundane tasks. Because of that, there’s no one who fully understands his abilities」(Borudosu)

 

The guild is troubled with Kousuke since they cannot tell what his limits are.

 

「Haa… Is that so? If it’s not troublesome for you to accept then I look forward to working with you tomorrow」(Randolph)

 

Randolph lowered his head.

Kousuke also informed Randolph that he plans on bringing Viare along as a volunteer worker.

Noticing Randolph’s confused look, Kousuke explained to him why Viare is coming as a volunteer worker. Borudosu and Kousuke left the guild building after.

 

The following day, Kousuke and Viare headed to where the troupe was camped.

Randolph and his crew were already setting up the stages when they arrived. The two received various tasks and began their work.

Kousuke a.s.sisted with the construction and Viare handled babysitting, cooking and other day-to-day tasks for the troupe’s family. Randolph gave Viare her current tasks because she looked the part and would unlikely make a mistake.

There were other adventurers that accepted this request as well. Around five of them could be seen working alongside the troupe members.

The troupe was planning on doing a play so rather than an encompa.s.sed circus stage, a theater stage was being built.

Before anything else, the theater stage was first completed. The actors immediately began their rehearsals upon its completion.

They weren’t rehearsing to memorize lines since they’ve done that already while travelling. Instead, they were rehearsing the actions on the stage. Randolph could be seen on the side giving directions to the actors.

Kousuke was watching them rehea.r.s.e while hammering stakes into the ground.

Before long, lunchtime came and Viare, who finally got her break, called out to Kousuke.

 

「It’s break time, Kousuke-san」(Viare)

「Roooger that!」(Kousuke)

 

Dropping the stake he had in his hand, Kousuke accepted the invitation.

 

「What’s on the menu today?」(Kousuke)

「Sandwich, ground meat and vegetable soup, and some fruits」(Viare)

 

There were many people crowding the table and already eating lunch.

The two mixed into the crowd to get lunch. The actors stopped their rehearsals as well and joined in.

Randolph approached Kousuke after noticing him.

 

「How’s the food? Does it match your palate?」(Randolph)

「It’s definitely not a local taste. I quite like it」(Kousuke)

 

Most of the sandwiches were prepared with various spices and gave Kousuke an opportunity to try varied, spicy flavors. 【TL: Pretty sure that’s the purpose of spices.. Kou-chan..】

When the spiciness of the sandwiches became too rich, Kousuke ate the mild-flavored soup and fruits to cleanse his palate.

 

「Is that so? Good, good!」(Randolph)

 

Randolph nodded happily as he began eating.

The two began to discuss about the troupe. Kousuke was curious about the play’s story.

 

「”The Bride of Rudbeckia”, are you familiar with this book?」(Randolph)

「AH! I heard about it! It was read to me when I was a child」(Viare)

 

Since Viare seemed to know she began explaining the story to the clueless looking Kousuke.

 

「The story’s about the son and daughter of two n.o.ble houses that had bad blood between each other」(Viare) 【TL: Romulo and Julianne?! If anyone gets this HIGH FIVE since you definitely have no life like me!】

 

Hearing the summary, Kousuke felt the premise of the story was similar to “Romeo and Juliet”.

As he heard more details, he concluded it was only roughly similar. Kousuke wasn’t too familiar with “Romeo and Juliet” so in the end he didn’t care much for the difference. He was just satisfied hearing the summary of it.

 

「Honestly, I wanted to show a more grandiose play for our audience」(Randolph)

「What do you mean by grandiose? Do you mean a more lively story or a more boisterous production?」(Kousuke)

「It would be the production. I would like to do both though」(Randolph)

「Could you give me an example of such story?」(Kousuke)

「Let’s see…… The story about Hero Theclatocs vanquis.h.i.+ng a fire giant is one」(Randolph) 【TL: セクラトクス sekuratokusu.. Sounds like “Secular talks” lol】

「Theclatocs?」(Kousuke)

 

Viare and Randolph showed a shocked expression at Kousuke.

 

「You don’t know? He’s quite a famous figure though」(Viare)

「Well… I’m still in the process of studying various things」(Kousuke)

「I have a copy of the book at home, I’ll lend it to you later」(Viare)

 

Kousuke nodded at Viare’s offer.

 

「The story is about Theclatocs’s journey to vanquish the giant that has been terrorizing the people, as you’ve probably guessed. His journey was a perilous one and his battle with the giant even more, with great flames of explosions spreading everywhere. He barely wins by giving it his all. Something around this」(Viare)

「It sounds like something boys would love to hear」(Kousuke)

「I agree. It’s very popular among the boys. I was hoping our venue could be something original and flashy like that. Sadly, it’s difficult to find something similar」(Randolph)

 

Randolph shook his head “dejectedly”. Seeing no sense of resignation, it’s safe to a.s.sume he was still hoping deep inside himself that it will one day become a reality.

While the three rambled on, the break was over.

The afternoon’s task was to prepare the seating area for the audience by removing the gra.s.s and pebbles. Kousuke kept thinking about Randolph’s hope for a flashy play as he cleared the field non-stop.

『I haven’t seen a play since I was a kid』Kousuke thought while bathing himself in nostalgia. He recalled when his parents took him to a “Hero Show” at an amus.e.m.e.nt park when he was a child. 【TL: Supah pahti! Funtasticu spahkaru! Letsu gooh nambah waan! Image below is not from the book~】

Then he realized something. Why not let them perform a “Hero Show”? It fitted Randolph’s criteria of flashy AND original (for this world). Furthermore, this world has magic that can do all the SFX so it looked possible. He truly wanted to see something like that here. The scene of the hero’s explosive kick floated into his mind and Kousuke became impatient.

 

「Kousuke-san? Why did you stop working?」(Viare)

 

Viare, who was weeding alongside him, asked.

 

「Ah, sorry sorry!」(Kousuke)

「It looked like you were smiling really happily.. Is weeding really fun for you?」(Viare)

「No no! I just thought of something small, that’s all」(Kousuke)

 

Viare tilted her head seeing Kousuke in an unusually good mood.

In the end, Kousuke’s mood was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with happiness even after the work was done.

The ground that was cleared of gra.s.s and stones was raised by a troupe’s mage with the most mana to produce a fan-shaped slope. The slope would be where the audience would be seated.

With everything done, the construction request was complete. Decorations and the likes would be handled by the troupe members later.

The adventurers that helped received the “Proof of Completion” and left.

Viare was ecstatic since she also received a “Proof of Completion”.

 

「Let’s go back Kousuke-san」(Viare)

「I have something to talk about with Randolph-san so I won’t leave yet」(Kousuke)

「Well then, I’ll be heading back first alright?」(Viare)

「Mhmm, see you tomorrow?」(Kousuke)

「Yes」(Viare)

 

Viare bowed and headed back to town… Skipping happily. Receiving a “Proof of Completion” for her hard work, she was obviously elated.

After seeing Viare off until she disappeared past the town’s entrance, Kousuke headed toward Randolph.

 

「Oh, Watase-san? You haven’t left yet?」(Randolph)

「I have a small proposal about an interesting play」(Kousuke)

「A proposal is it」(Randolph)

「I have an idea about a flashy play. Would you like to hear more?」(Kousuke)

「.. Hmm」(Randolph)

 

Randolph was slightly taken aback, thinking there was something hidden in his words.

 

「…… If you want us to pay for the idea, just to remind you, we don’t have much money」(Randolph)

「Pay for the idea? … I didn’t even think of that」(Kousuke)

「Hearing that, it seems you weren’t thinking about getting money out of this」(Randolph)

「That’s right, I was just too excited thinking that I may possibly be able to see this idea with my own eyes. I didn’t even think about money, that’s how excited I was」(Kousuke)

 

Seeing how lightly Kousuke was speaking, Randolph felt that he had no ulterior motives.

 

「…. Please, come with me. Let’s discuss the details in my tent」(Randolph-san)

 

The two sat inside an area in the tent that was seemingly marked off as a paperwork zone.

 

「The proposal Watase-san wishes to share, can you indulge me the details?」(Randolph)

「Where I’m from it’s called a “Hero Show” you see. It’s not about an actual existence from the past, but rather, a fictional hero’s story. His name is “Ride Hero”」(Kousuke) 【TL: The reference is to “Kamen Rider”】

「… I’ve never heard of such a being before」(Randolph)

「I figured」(Kousuke)

 

『If he knew I’d fall off the chair』Kousuke thought.

 

「The story is well-suited for children. The main story is about a hero fighting against an evil organization h.e.l.l bent on world conquest. The story is written so that there’s no need to deeply read into it. That way, all the children would be able to understand. Each part of the story is about 25 minutes long so they won’t get bored and restless either. The climax of each part is when the protagonist transforms and when he uses his signature move」(Kousuke)

「Transform? Like the “Lycanthropy” gift some people have?」(Randolph)【TL: Lycanthropy: The supernatural transformation of a person into a beast】

 

Being unfamiliar with the term, the only thing Randolph could compare it to was the gift “Lycanthropy”. In this world, there were no heroes that would wear an “Enhancement suit” and combat evil.

 

「No, the protagonist was kidnapped by a mysterious person from an evil organization and modified into a monster-like being. Before he was brainwashed, he escaped and decided to use his newly gained power for good」(Kousuke)

 

When “Ride Hero” was televised, it had two story arcs. Kousuke was explaining to Randolph the first arc. To give Randolph a better understanding of “Ride Hero” Kousuke explained everything about him in a way relevant to this world’s common sense.

The first generation of “Ride Hero’s” setting was thoroughly explained so Kousuke began explaining the first story arc. Of course, while trying to omit things that only exist on Earth. The exception was the bike. He thought to replace it with a horse but despite knowing Randolph wouldn’t understand he left that in.

When Kousuke finished explaining the premise Randolph questioned about the requirements of the production and the direction and organization of the story. Fight scenes, explosion scenes, narrator moderated scenes, Kousuke answered to the best of what his memory could recall. Kousuke’s a beginner when it comes to theatrical plays so when Randolph questioned him about the production and direction of the play he had no clear answers. Randolph, being a professional, wanted to hear what Kousuke wished to see with these questions.

 

「It sounds interesting, but there are a few problems with this. You called it “transformation” correct? I still can’t figure out the appearance of the protagonist after transforming and what exactly is a “baiku”? There’s also the issue of expense. Since the story is aimed for the children then there’s the possibility the adults would not be interested, dropping our potential audience count」(Randolph)

「I’ll leave some information about the transformation and bike for you to look over later. As for gathering clients, I have another idea for that. Did you know that having someone attractive appointed for the main and supporting roles draws in customers?」(Kousuke)

「Having a beautiful hostess is commonly used to attract customers, so yes I do know」(Randolph)

 

Randolph thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

 

「… Let’s give this a try. Since it’s only about 25 minutes it’ll be easy to rehea.r.s.e and set up. For now, could you list the necessary props and essentials we would need for this play?」(Randolph)

 

『They’ll definitely need someone to play “Ride Hero”, the monsters, and the evil organization’s henchmen』Kousuke thought.

 

「I wonder if I should draw out those things for him. I hope it comes out well」(Kousuke)

 

He didn’t have to worry about it. Kousuke would rapidly get better with a little practice drawing. It’s not like he needed to draw a masterpiece anyways. He just simply needed to draw the images he has in his head.

Although, Kousuke actually had an easier method of explanation instead of drawing. He didn’t realize this until after he became good at drawing.

He felt a little depressed since he wasted paper, which are expensive in this world. It wasn’t a complete loss though since, at the very least, he became very proficient at drawing.

Incidentally, the paper of this world isn’t made of reeds or other vegetation. It’s produced by the dehydration of a mixture of ocean water and a unique fluid.

 

「Would it be fine to continue the rest of this tomorrow?」(Randolph)

「When do you want me to drop by tomorrow?」(Kousuke)

「I’ll be busy from the morning to afternoon so the evening if you could. By evening I should be in this tent」(Randolph)

「Alright, I’ll try to drop by tomorrow evening then. I’ll stop for today」(Kousuke)

「Yes, thank you for everything today」(Randolph)

 

He led Kousuke out of the tent and returned inside to begin writing down the details of their discussion. He did so for the troupe, but more so because it was a story he’s never heard about despite being well-travelled. The troupe’s income was heavily reliant on stories they learn of during their travel.

 

The following day, Kousuke and Viare completed two requests before Kousuke separated to meet with Randolph. He asked a familiar face among the troupe about Randolph’s location and, once again, ended up in front of the same tent.

 

「Randolph-san, I’ll be intruding」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke spoke from the tent’s entrance and received consent before entering.

After the two greeted each other they continued from where they left off last night.

 

「How’s the progress on the costume designs? The details of the costumes might be difficult, but the basics of it should be done already right?」(Randolph)

「Yes, those are ready」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke brought out the designs and placed them out on the table.

 

「Hou… this is quite..」(Randolph)

 

Randolph leaked an astonished voice seeing the drawings.

In addition to it being splendidly drawn, it provided a detailed drawing of the head, the entire front and back of the body and its lateral views. “Ride Hero’s” design wasn’t the only thing drawn, “Fake Hero’s” design was also there. The mysterious person, Man-Spider and Leopard-Man, four extra character designs were drawn. Even the bike was drawn.

Randolph was shocked at the progress rate in just two days.

 

「This is wonderful! I truly did not expect to be presented something of this caliber!」(Randolph)

「Hearing that, it makes me glad that I placed a great deal of effort」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke happily laughed.

 

「This isn’t the only thing I wanted to show you though」(Kousuke)

 

He teasingly laughed and stood up.

 

「TRANSーFOORM!」(Kousuke) 【TL: -ers, robots in disguise~】

 

Kousuke took up “Ride Hero’s” transformation pose and, after one second, actually transformed into “Ride Hero”.

Randolph’s eyes widened in complete shock at the scene.

 

「Does it match the design?」(Kousuke)

 

He spun on the spot to show every angle of the costume.

Randolph excitedly examined every bit of Kousuke and his costume.

Seeing no flaws, he shook his head in silence. Being able to see the colors for the costume that the drawings lacked, he had no complaints.

 

「That’s a relief. I couldn’t look at the entire thing on me by myself」

「But.. How do you do this? Do you really have a transformation belt? Or did you actually make one!?」(Randolph)

「I used magic. I’m just wearing an illusory costume」(Kousuke)

 

This was the easy to understand method Kousuke had.

When he was placing the final touches to the drawings, he felt that it would be alright as long as the gist of his idea was conveyed. But that was just an a.s.sumption, not reality. While he was pondering how he could display even more details, he remembered that he could use illusion magic.

Since it was technically just a change in appearance, whether a maid or “Ride Hero”, there wasn’t much difference.

Without delay, he used the magic and in one shot was able to reproduce the costume. He had the image clearly in his head since he was recently sketching the idea so there was no chance of it failing.

 

「Magic! I see, with magic! I honestly thought you truly became “Ride Hero” since you took up the transformation pose」(Randolph)

 

Randolph was unable to notice Kousuke simultaneously using magic while posing earlier, which resulted in his earlier misunderstanding.

 

「If the actors learn how to use this type of magic I believe the need for costumes would be removed. Do you think they’ll be able to learn it?」(Kousuke)

 

At this moment, Kousuke doesn’t understand that the nature of his suggestion is fundamentally impossible.

His magic produces a “real” illusion where it tricks all the senses of others. Ordinary people simply cannot use it due to its high requirements. The magic they would be able to use would be illusions with no tangibility.

 

「I’m not certain. Just in case, I prefer having the costumes prepared. So, could you head over to the props department so they could have a good look at your costume? Also, please teach your magic to the head magician of my troupe」(Randolph)

 

Kousuke nodded and dispelled the illusory costume.

The two discussed further about “Ride Hero’s” signature jump kick move, “Ride Kick”. They agreed to use magic that emits a flash and produces an explosive sound the moment the kick lands. A combination of the two would be similar to a stun grenade, but such a magic doesn’t exist. Luckily, it’s reproducible if it’s done separately. The villains exploding from the kick, this effect could be achieved with magic smoke and sound as well it seemed. The abilities of the villains would be managed with magic as well.

Randolph was grinning like a child with a new toy. This play, it might become his ideal play! Unable to contain himself, he was pondering where he should start.

That day, the only thing Kousuke did was a.s.sist the prop department with the costume design.. By being stared at with the illusory costume on.

 

The troupe had other plays to rehea.r.s.e and perform so they couldn’t only focus on the “Hero Show”. Nevertheless, Randolph would use his spare time to make preparations for it.

Even Kousuke would drop by to give some advice in between his requests. The “Hero Show” was slowly taking shape.

When the troupe was ready to perform the “Hero Show”, it was past the originally planned date. It’s already been twenty days since they’ve arrived at St. Beria. The townspeople were confused why the troupe was still around when the original play was already over.

 

「Before this is announced, shall we do a final rehearsal with a small group of outsiders watching us? I want to confirm something with them」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke, who saw the rehearsal of the “Hero Show”, suggested this to further improve it.

He believed that outsiders would have a different opinion of the show compared to those who already saw it.

In Kousuke’s eyes, he felt it was satisfactory already since he saw it numerous times.

 

「Your suggestion is to find problematic points that we may have missed, correct? ……. It makes sense, let’s give it a try」(Randolph)

「Then I’ll bring the children over tomorrow morning」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke, who left the troupe’s premise, headed towards the orphanage.

He met and explained the plan to Wei and it was decided that Wei and Viare would come along with the children the next day.

The next day at the troupe, the children who were brought over were restless as they waited impatiently for the show to start.

The “Hero Show’s” story was when “Ride Hero” saves a group of movers from a monster. 【TL: On the next episode, our hero needs to choose between vanilla and chocolate ice cream! Will he be able to choose in time before his nap time? Find out next time on Dragon Kousuke】

When it finally started, the children’s attention was rapt toward the story being unraveled.  The children were “oo-ing” at arrival of “Ride Hero” on his bike, delivering his signature “Ride Kick” on the monster. The two youngest were latched onto Viare and Wei, startled by the sudden, loud explosion from the kick.

Randolph, who felt that the rehearsal was a success, had his expectations betrayed by the children’s somewhat unimpressed responses.

Randolph consulted with the children to confirm the reason. The children said that the story’s pacing was too abrupt since they had no idea what was going on.

Randolph and his crew knew beforehand the background story of “Ride Hero” so they were able to follow the story. But the children do not know anything about “Ride Hero” so it left them with a murky impression of the protagonist.

 

「Let’s try giving some details about what’s happening by adding a few scenes」(Randolph)

 

At Randolph’s suggestion Kousuke gave a nod.

 

「Right. We ended up cutting a lot out since we already knew about the story, and this was the result」(Kousuke)

「Also, we need to reduce the volume of the explosion a bit. It scared the children more than excited them. We have to properly thank the children for their help. Do you think they’ll be happy if we gave them some treats as a reward?」(Randolph)

「It should be enough」(Kousuke)

 

Thus the troupe took two more days to fix the problems and the “Hero Show” was finally ready.

With the preparations done, the members of the troupes, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence, began advertising the show throughout the town.

Even though everyone was told it was intended for children, many adults came too for the fun of it. The adults probably came because the admission fee was extremely cheap.

Beginning with the introduction of the characters, the play began. The audiences were bewildered at the unusual story, excited at the transformation scene, in awe at the fight scenes, trembling at “Ride Hero’s” predicaments, and raised a commotion when “Ride Kick” was used.

The audience’s applause, after the play was over and the actors lined up for a final bow, was explosive.

With this, Randolph became convinced that the “Hero Show” could be used as one of his main plays.

 

 

「We’ve been under Watase-san’s care constantly these days…」(Randolph)

 

The “Hero Show” was performed for three more days and the Troupe decided to depart to Ricardo.

Randolph had his head lowered to Kousuke, who gave him such a wonderful story.

 

「I just pushed the idea onto you since I wanted to see it myself, there’s really no need for any thanks」(Kousuke)

「I feel like I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for us though! You didn’t just give us one scenario to enact, but multiple ones! How can we ever repay you?」(Randolph)

 

To not forget, the numerous scenarios were recorded and are currently heavily guarded.

Kousuke felt that the ideas he gave him weren’t that big of a deal and being thanked so much by Randolph was making him want to shrink back.

 

「Raise your head, the rest are calling for you. If you don’t then they won’t be able to depart for Ricardo」(Kousuke)

 

Kousuke began lightly pus.h.i.+ng Randolph towards his troupe.

Randolph lowered his head once more before heading towards his troupe.

 

「Let’s meet again one day!」(Kousuke)

 

After saying that, Randolph and the troupe members all waved back and left the town.

 

 

The following day after the troupe departed, there were many children playing in the town square, imitating what they saw.

 

「Transform!」(Child)

 

Seeing the children take the transformation pose, it reminded Kousuke of his childhood.

Running around and playing with his friends, telling his parents about what he did when he got home, getting to eat a delicious home-cooked meal and falling asleep in between his parents.

The memories left him bathed in a nostalgic feel.

Not even his extraordinary power, thrilling moments he will have in this world, and the day his homesickness fades away would make him forget his life on Earth.

 

「I want to see my family again…」(Kousuke)

 

His half hopeful, half resigned muttering was unheard and scattered into the wind. 【TL: Holy, how depressing】