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Chapter 9, “I Like to Touch this Hair”
—– The Village of Wintering, Late Summer, the Diary of the Little Maid Sister
Summer is about to end. It has been half a year since the Hero came back.
The Mistress has been constantly in high spirits. The Paladin comes every day. Even when there are no swordsmans.h.i.+p lessons, she still manages to come up with some reason to come over. Sis has to make lunch for six people every day, so when it rains and it seems like the Paladin wouldn’t be coming over, it’s really a headache for her. Because that means I’ll get really fat.
The Chief Maid left on a trip for a bit, and when she came back she was really angry. I’m sorry for skipping school. But, I really can’t skip cleaning!
Moreover, I learnt a lot of names of flowers this year. I also learnt how to bake bread. Today I made the bento for the Hero. He goes somewhere different every day, but he always comes back late in the evening.
Today he went hunting for boars to make boar hotpot. Good job, Hero!
—– The Village of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, Training at the Backyard
The Female Paladin: “Slow! Raise your arms higher!”
Lousy Soldier: “Yes, ma’am!” Swings sword
Lousy Knight: “Yes, ma’am!” Swings sword
The Female Paladin: “Wrong, hold the s.h.i.+eld properly. Don’t expose your throat! Don’t drop your posture! Stab hard and fast for the centre of the ma.s.s! If you expose your weak points, you will die on the field!”
Lousy Soldier: “Y, yah!” Swings sword
Lousy Knight: “Take, this!” Swings sword
The Hero: “Wrong!! It’s more like this…… Swing here, then here! Then here!”
Disciple n.o.bleman: “Hah!” Swings sword
Disciple Soldier: “Haiya!” Swings sword
The Hero: “Not bad, move your leg a bit further back!”
Disciple n.o.bleman: “Like, like this?” Shuffles
Disciple Soldier: “You’re finally getting it.” Swings sword
Disciple n.o.bleman: “So, like this?” Swings sword
Disciple Soldier: “That’s it!” Swings sword
The Hero: “See, you can do it if you try. Now another 3,000 swings!”
Disciple n.o.bleman: “Whaaat!?”
Disciple Soldier: “Wh, what!?”
The Female Paladin: “Alright, stop! Run five laps around the lake!”
Lousy Soldier: “Y, yes, ma’am!”
Lousy Knight: “F, five!?”
The Female Paladin: “It’s pointless if you’re not tired out. On the battlefield, running away only happens after a fair deal of fighting, doesn’t it? In other words, you’ll be as tired as you are now, and if your legs can’t move it’s really a life-or-death situation. Now hurry up and get going!”
Lousy Soldier & Lousy Knight: “Y, yes, ma’am!”
The Hero: “Alright then, you guys go as well. Don’t lose out.”
Disciple n.o.bleman: “Huh!?”
Disciple Soldier: “Yes!”
The Hero: “Wait, you guys take these sacks of potatoes with you too!”
Disciple n.o.bleman: “What!? Why!? That’s insane!”
The Hero: “If you’re fleeing and you see a little kid, you’ve got to carry the kid with you and run, right? That’s what it means to be a Hero.”
Disciple n.o.bleman sobs
Disciple Soldier: “Un, understood! Let’s go!”
Disciple n.o.bleman: “Ahhhhh!”
The Hero: “Ah–! What strapping young men! How refres.h.i.+ng!”
The Female Paladin: “They don’t exercise nearly enough.”
The Hero: “That’s not true, someone else tires them out when she teaches them.”
The Female Paladin: “You’re about there yourself, you bully.”
The Hero: “Really? I guess so.”
The Female Paladin: “They’re going to die eventually.”
The Hero: “It’s alright, it’s alright. It’s a real learning experience if you die halfway!”
The Female Paladin: “Really now……”
The Hero: “Whew, it’s so hot.” Throws armour off
The Female Paladin: “Don’t throw of your armour. It’s disgraceful.”
The Hero: “You’re so strict…… Fine. Is this okay?” Lays it down gingerly
The Female Paladin: “Yeah, it’s a weapon for protecting your life. Treat it with some dignity.”
The Hero: “Hot–. I’m going to go take a bath by the well.”
The Female Paladin: “Oh, really?”
The Hero walks off
The Female Paladin walks off as well
The Hero: “Hm?”
The Female Paladin: “What’s wrong?”
The Hero: “Why are you following me?”
The Female Paladin: “It’s too hot, I need to take a bath too.”
The Hero: “Is that so.”
The Female Paladin: “Mmm.”
The Hero: “Alright, shall we? Ngg!” Cranks pump
The Female Paladin: “Ohh. Good work! This pump thing is really convenient.”
The Hero: “Really…… Have we got enough water?”
Water gushes out
The Female Paladin: “Ahh, that feels great! I’m all rested up.”
The Hero: “Alright…… Let’s go, let’s go!”
Water gushes out
The Female Paladin: “Ahh, how cooling! So relaxing! Again!”
The Hero: “You’re really enjoying yourself! ……Okay, here we go again.”
The Female Paladin: “You’re a really good guy.”
Water gushes out
The Female Paladin: “Fuu, a bath after all this training is the best.”
The Hero: “Indeed!”
The Female Paladin: “Then, one more please.”
The Hero: “Leave it to me…… Hang on a bit, it’s midsummer and I’m standing here covered in sweat for you!”
The Female Paladin: “You’re a guy and still you’re so hung up on the little things.”
The Hero: “This bath was my idea!”
The Female Paladin: “Here, a wet towel.”
The Hero: “Nice! It feels great! Like h.e.l.l it does!” Annoyed
The Female Paladin: “No choice then. I’ll have to draw the water. Let’s switch.”
The Hero: “Alright!”
The Female Paladin: “Let’s go then.” Stands up
The Hero: “……!?”
The Female Paladin: “What?”
The Hero: “H, h, h, hey!”
The Female Paladin: “Don’t make such a slimy face.”
The Hero: “Hey, wh, what. Why do you just have a towel on?”
The Female Paladin: “I was bathing, wasn’t I? Ahh, what’s wrong? Hey, Hero. My b.r.e.a.s.t.s are completely hidden when I’m wearing this towel, that’s the size they are, is this some kind of joke!? You and Grandpa, always making me feel like I’m nothing! I’m going to cut you up!”
The Hero: “It’s all white, it’s all white”
The Female Paladin: “Hey, hurry up and get down there.”
The Hero: “Y, yeah.” Trembles
The Female Paladin: “d.a.m.nit. Now he’s reduced to a muttering mess. Let’s go. Hero, the water’s coming—“
The Hero: “Y, yeah.”
The Female Paladin: “Alright! ……. Ngg”
The Hero: “It’s coming—“
Water gushes out
The Female Paladin: “Wash your hair as well…… Oof.”
The Hero: “I’m not a kid!”
Water gushes out
The Female Paladin: “Hey, Hero.”
The Hero: “?”
The Female Paladin: “I’ll lend this to you. It’s soap we made at the Holy Order.”
The Hero: “Ohh, thanks.”
The Female Paladin: “Watch out it’s slippery.”
Water gushes out
The Hero: “Ahhh, I’m all washed up!”
The Female Paladin: “Me too.”
The Hero: “……! …….!” Jumps around
The Female Paladin: “What’s wrong? Did you get possessed?”
The Hero: “There’s water in my ear.”
The Female Paladin: “You’re such a kid. Here, use this towel.”
The Hero: “Ohh, thanks.”
The Female Paladin: “Rub it in properly, your hair’s all fluffy after all. It absorbs a lot of water, and probably a lot of sweat as well.”
The Hero: “Understood.” Rubs hair with towel
The Female Paladin: “Did you bring a comb?”
The Hero: “The Demon King does it for me. I don’t have one myself.”
The Female Paladin: “Is that so……”
The Hero: “Hah!” Sits down
The Female Paladin: “What’s wrong?”
The Hero: “Just felt like taking a seat.”
The Female Paladin: “Ahh, what a nice wind……” Wind blows
The Hero: “This country is really the best at the end of Summer.”
The Female Paladin: “Yeah, and the chestnuts will be great this time of the year.”
Gra.s.s sways as wind blows……
The Hero: “……”
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Female Paladin: “It would be nice if it was like this forever.”
The Hero: “Yeah—“
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Hero: “……”
Gra.s.s sways as wind blows……
The Female Paladin: “It can’t though.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Female Paladin: “If two of your wives are living together, then they’ll compete to see who gets to be the first wife—“
The Hero: “Even within the Demon World, it’s hard to say when it’ll achieve peace. Though it’s time for us to move—“
The Hero and the Female Paladin: “Eh?”
The Female Paladin: “Ah, ahh! That’s right! Up to now, the war has been a stalemate, but obviously we don’t want it to remain a stalemate.”
The Hero: “That’s true.”
The Female Paladin: “…… What a problem.”
The Hero: “Hm?”
The Female Paladin: “I’ve been thinking.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Female Paladin: “That old Archer, me, you…… and that annoyingly well-endowed Demon King. If we formed a party and attacked all those generals and fortresses, if we could completely destroy the military power, wouldn’t that put an end to the war?”
The Hero: “Ahh. Well.”
The Female Paladin: “No?”
The Hero: “It’s hard to say.”
The Female Paladin: “The Demon King is an ally of mankind, right?”
The Hero: “That’s not entirely accurate.”
The Female Paladin: “Really?”
The Hero: “The Demon King is trying to achieve an end to the war which is neither a victory nor a defeat. That’s why I don’t think she’d agree to a proposal that involves such annihilation.”
The Female Paladin: “Is that so.”
The Hero: “She intends to save the Demon Race as well in her way.”
The Female Paladin: “Is that…… so?”
The Hero: “Probably.”
The Female Paladin: “How odd.”
The Hero: “I don’t think so. I think this is much better.”
The Female Paladin: “Really?”
The Hero: “You and I are definitely strong…… The Mage who went to the Cosmic Library as well. I’m fairly certain we can take down any enemy. However, taking down enemies and protecting our friends may seem the same, but are completely different. It’s good and all for us to take down the entire Demon Army, but if we’re not around and the Demon Army were to launch a counter-attack, who would defend the people then?”
The Female Paladin: “That’s the responsibility of the Holy Crusaders and the rest of the Human Army.”
The Hero: “Do you think that will solve things?”
The Female Paladin: “I’m sure of it.”
The Hero: “Moreover, what will we do after we purge all the Demon extremists?”
The Female Paladin: “Eh?” Stunned
The Hero: “If we destroy the fortresses and the army, there’ll be a ma.s.sive number of Demons left, right? There are Demons who didn’t take part in the war, or Demons who are neutral. If humans were to completely obliterate the Demon Army, that would leave the Demons defenceless. That would mean each of the Demon Races would be failed states. — And then, what will we do?”
The Female Paladin: “Th, that’s……”
The Hero: “Will we hunt them? Will we make them slaves? Or will we do what the Demon King said…… Colonise?”
The Female Paladin: “What do you mean?”
The Hero: “ ‘The practice of invading someone else’s land and exploiting their resources for oneself.’ That.“
The Female Paladin: “That’s. There’s no way Humans would”
The Hero: “That’s what I said too.”
The Female Paladin: “!”
The Hero: “I couldn’t continue either. In any case, can you begin to understand the anger faced by the Demons who are taken as slaves from the Humans? There will be countless retaliations against the Humans and the seeds will just be sown for this world to explode into violence again.”
The Female Paladin: “That’s……”
The Hero: “Let’s a.s.sume the Demons manage to kill of the bulk of the Human Army and advance into the Human World, breaking up the Southern United Kingdoms and conquering the Holy City. Every human, down to the last one, is conquered by the Demons. In every part of the world, humans are treated like cattle. Through the sweltering hot Summer, through the freezing Winter, they have to continue on in a state of hunger and misery. What would you do then?”
The Female Paladin: “Until my life is gone, I will kill the Demons!”
The Hero: “There you go, what’s the difference?”
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Hero: “In this case, what’s the difference between this and another world war? How would the five or six of us be able to put an end to it? The world would continue in misery until it ended, wouldn’t it?
The Demon King is weak. Even though she’s the Demon King, she makes me laugh. If we were to fight one-on-one, well…… She’s the same as the Lone Winter King I suppose. I guess that King’s a bit more headstrong. But, it’s about the same. Whether it’s you or Granpda, I doubt there would be a problem defeating either of them.”
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Hero: “But, from the beginning, she’s…… Already noticed that there was such a solution. It would not be difficult to end this war through a show of extreme force. But, there would be no way to put out the flames of war.”
The Female Paladin flinches
The Hero: “She’s quite amazing. Of course she has a stupendous knowledge, but her ability to make considerations is amazing.”
The Female Paladin: “That’s why……”
The Hero: “?”
The Female Paladin: “That’s why you……”
The Hero: “Yeah?”
The Female Paladin: (Love her……?)
The Hero: “Yep. That’s why we’re comrades.”
The Female Paladin: “……”
Gra.s.s sways as wind blows……
The Hero: “On another note—“
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Hero: “You’re pretty amazing yourself—“
The Female Paladin: “Eh?”
The Hero: “You became the Grandmaster of the Holy Order after you came back from the Demon World, right? You helped to raise the living standards for the poor farmers, and other good things, even though just a year before, you were slicing Boar Demons to 3cm slices!”
The Female Paladin: “That’s because you brought it back!”
The Hero: “But, still, amazing.” Distant smile
The Hero: “All of you were amazing. I was surprised, shocked even. Every day we ate our fill, and I was always luckily enough to have such warm people by my side. I was happy.”
The Female Paladin: “There was no outcome to that.”
The Hero: “Really? But, still—Heh.”
The Female Paladin: “……”
Gra.s.s sways as wind blows
The Hero: “All I know how to do is destroy things, so the two of you were…… No, everyone was…… Wonderful.”
—- The Village of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, Bathroom
Door opens
The Hero: “Heyyyy!”
The Demon King: “Hi, is training over?”
The Hero: “It’s over, it just finished.”
The Demon King: “Good job!”
The Hero: “Are you taking a break as well?”
The Demon King: “Mmm, the negotiations over the proposal have concluded.”
Little Maid Sister: “The Mistress has been all jittery and excited over your coming back home, Hero!”
The Demon King: “What are you saying, what are you saying” Squeezes cheeks
Little Maid Sister: “Boohoo. I’m…… Sowwy……”
The Hero: “Ah, what good friends you are.”
Little Maid Sister coughs
The Demon King: “It’s because she said something unnecessary.”
Little Maid Sister: “Alright, please take a seat. I’ll bring some orange water in a while.”
The Demon King: “What’s that?”
The Hero: “Is it cold?”
Little Maid Sister: “It’s water cooled in bottles in the well ♪ I came up with it myself!”
The Demon King: “Well, well.”
The Hero: “It’s delicious!”
Little Maid Sister: “Thanks ♪”
The Demon King: “This is…… Carbon Dioxide?”
Little Maid Sister: “I learnt it from the mistress, so I wanted to put it to some use!”
The Demon King: “You’re still too young to be a brewer.”
The Hero: “It’s bubbly and delicious. The sweetness of the honey goes great with it too.”
Little Maid Sister: “Thanks ♪”
The Demon King: “That girl is probably going to be a great chef some day.”
The Hero: “Heh? That glutton?”
The Demon King: “An excellent chef has to be someone who knows how to appreciate food.”
The Hero: “Really?”
Little Maid Sister: “Chef?”
The Demon King: “Someone who cooks great food.”
Little Maid Sister: “That sounds wonderful ♪”
The Hero: “Wow, there are flowers in it too.”
The Demon King: “Amazing!”
The Hero: “This is so good it really makes me want to drool.”
Little Maid Sister: “I’ve got to go tell sis!”
The Hero: “What about?”
Little Maid Sister: “I’ve become a chef! I’m going to make a feast every single day!”
The Hero: “I think you’ve misunderstood something!”
Little Maid Sister: “I’m going!”
Door slams shut! Little Maid Sister runs off!
The Demon King: “How boisterous.”
The Hero: “Yeah, but she seems happy.”
The Demon King: “?”
The Hero: “AT the beginning, she was always hiding behind her sister.”
The Demon King: “Yeah, but she still had a lot to say.”
The Hero: “ ‘The girl wearing spectacles is evil’, right?”
The Demon King: “Ahh, that’s right. The Chief Maid really surprised me!”
The Hero: “Really?”
The Demon King: “Yeah, what did she say after that. ‘An existence where you don’t take charge of your existence is just that of an insect.’ That’s what she said.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Demon King: “On a side note.”
The Hero: “?”
The Demon King: “What’s up with you?”
The Hero: “What do you mean?”
The Demon King: “You’re so unkempt.”
The Hero: “What?”
The Demon King: “You’re terrible. I’ll comb it for you.”
The Hero: “Oh, my hair. It’s fine isn’t it.”
The Demon King: “It’s not fine. Take care of yourself more.”
The Hero: “Hehe.”
The Demon King brushes the Hero’s hair
The Demon King: “It’s all fluffy.”
The Hero: “You’ve really brushed it.”
The Demon King: “Of course. It’s my hobby after all.”
The Hero: “Why…… How troublesome.”
The Demon King: “It’s good. But, it would be nice if you let your fringe grow out. Why don’t you?”
The Hero: “Hmm—It’ll be troublesome if it gets in my eyes during battles.”
The Demon King: “Tomorrow…… That’s happening right?”
The Hero: “Yeah, the Committee for the City of the Gate.”
The Demon King: “Are you going?”
The Hero: “Yeah. Of course. I’ll be going as the Black Knight, representing the name of the Demon King.”
The Demon King: “That’s the way it is.”
The Hero: “Is something bad about that?”
Brushes hair
The Demon King: “Nothing bad per se, but the Fire Dragon Lord.”
The Hero: “Ahh, him? It’s true that when I first met him, he was a stubborn old fool just as they say, but recently he’s become more cooperative? Especially when his daughter was made the representative for Outskirts Demons at the Committee for the City of the Gate, he didn’t make one complaint.”
The Demon King: “Yeah, that’s the heart of the problem.”
The Hero: “?”
The Demon King: “Ahh. Ahem, ahem. When the Committee is over, you’ll come straight back?”
The Hero: “No, this time it seems they’re having some Ennichi celebrations on the streets.”
The Demon King: “Ennichi?”
The Hero: “It’s some kind of Eastern festival. The East Fortress Commander suggested it.”
The Demon King: “Hmm.”
The Hero: “It seems there’ll be lots of free, cheap and special food to eat and the night will be lit up with lanterns. After that, there’ll be a band to play music.”
The Demon King: “The goal is for interaction?”
The Hero: “Yeah, relations are still tense between the human merchants and the Demons. In this way, the merchants will get to interact with the Demons while having fun.”
The Demon King: “Do you understand the feeling of being conquered and colonised?”
The Hero: “Yeah, I experienced it myself.”
The Demon King: “What an unfortunate example. The administration of the Human Holy Crusaders wasn’t just bad, it can be said to have been a disaster.”
The Hero: “The Merchants don’t discriminate so heavily against the Demons and there are people like the East Fortress Commander who treat them fairly.”
The Demon King: “Though he needs to calm down a little.”
The Hero: “Well, he’s done his best. Now I’ll be the representative of the Demon King. As long as I stand glowering from the balcony, I’m sure the members of the Committee will behave themselves like good children.”
The Demon King: “Hmm, is that so…… That being said, what’s the topic for discussion?”
The Hero: “There has been a proposal for the construction of a hospital to help treat injuries and boost healthcare and hygiene.”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Explanation
Ennichi: A special day where people go to s.h.i.+nto temples to pray. A lot less common nowadays, it was also a day for people to throw festivals and set up stalls selling food and games.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
The Demon King: “Ohh, a good viewpoint.”
The Hero: “It was proposed by the Fire Dragon Lady. It’s not going to be a charitable mission but the Fire Dragon Race has already proposed to put up half the funding as well as tools and building materials. This job will require a large labour force, so there have been a lot of poor Demons flooding the streets, it’s not a very nice thing to say, but it’s creating a very bad vibe in the area.”
The Demon King: “Public good, eh? It will be interesting to watch what the economic result will be.”
The Hero: “Anyway, it seems all of us will be heading to the Ennichi festival, the Fire Dragon Lady mentioned something about Apple Candy, so I’ll be back home late.”
The Demon King: “—“
The Hero: “Showing my face and helping the residents to relax more is also one of my responsibilities.”
The Demon King: “—“
—— The Winter Palace, the Study with a Mountain of Books
Lone Winter King: “It’s this bad?”
Butler: “Young man, are you alright?”
Lone Winter King: “Bring me a strong iced wine—- No, alcohol is suicide. Bring me some tea. Make it really strong.”
Butler: “Yes.”
Seneschal: “Your Majesty, while we prepare for the next group.”
Lone Winter King: “I, I understand. Five minutes, let me rest for five minutes.”
Butler: “Young man, here’s your tea.”
Lone Winter King: “This is really hard work.”
Butler: “Indeed it is. As it should be.”
Gulps down tea
Lone Winter King: “Can we speed up the deliberations?”
Butler: “Nope, the very nature of deliberations are slow.”
Lone Winter King: “But at the present state…….”
Butler: “Yes, but it really can’t be helped.”
Lone Winter King: “Don’t tell me because of that Tripart.i.te Agreement, the number of reports, pet.i.tions and appeals have acc.u.mulated to this extent!”
Butler: “It was beyond our expectations.”
Lone Winter King: “To begin with, have we not already split tax collection into Spring and Autumn and gotten the landlords to move the goods to warehouses in the cities?”
Butler: “Indeed.”
Lone Winter King: “Munic.i.p.ally, we’ve already issued the decree to abolish serfdom and settled the issue of nutrition in the army. So why is the workload still increasing!?”
Butler: “With the route through the Southern Artic Ocean open, we’ve got port docking permits. We’ve got tax invoices from merchants, applications for migration…… It’s probably impossible for you to handle everything by yourself, your majesty.”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Explanation
Public Good: A good or service provided by the government or other bodies such as roads or bridges that the entirety of society will be able to benefit from, which is paid for by public money. In more developed and urbanised countries like j.a.pan, this is needed a lot less, but in places like the Demon World, it is utterly necessary for development to take place.
Docking Permits: Ports must set a limit on the number of s.h.i.+ps which are allowed to enter to prevent congestion. For this reason, docking permits can become very expensive.
Immigration: At present, migration is no longer a particularly special occurrence. There were also many migrants in the Middle Ages and before that. It has been said that the true story of the 1284 Pied Piper of Hamelin was that the community migrated to the East.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Lone Winter King: “That’s right, where’s the rest of my officers? Don’t I have Tax Officers?
Butler: “The system collapsed after an intense week and people moved to other jobs. To begin with, tax collection is a family business. That’s why we should have a dedicated civil service like the larger Kingdoms in the Central Continent.
Seneschal: “Umm, Your Majesty? It’s time for the next delegation of merchants. May I send them in?”
Lone Winter King: “Yeah, there’s no choice, come in!”
Disciple Merchant: “Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty!”
Bows
Lone Winter King: “Ohh, glad you could make it, Merchant.”
Disciple Merchant: “What a splendid study.”
Butler: “This?”
Seneschal: “I’ll look in the mountain. Is it this?”
Lone Winter King: “Or is it this? That’s not right!”
Disciple Merchant: “What are you looking for?
Lone Winter King: “Oh, sorry. You’re here to trade in herring, right? We’ve received the certificate you sent us, and it’s here somewhere…… There’s also the issue of this month’s tax. I’m sorry, everything is everywhere.”
Merchant: “Oh if you’re looking for that.” Rumrages through mountain
Pulls out paper
Disciple Merchant: “Here it is. This is the letter of introduction I submitted earlier…… and the tax is”
Pulls out paper
Disciple Merchant: “Noted in this slip here.”
Pulls out paper
Disciple Merchant: “These are the permit applications. This month’s is all tied up here, it’s just a few sheets but it’s quite messy.”
Lone Winter King: “Ohh! Good job! You’ve saved us a lot of time.”
Butler: “Every day is a battle in here.”
Seneschal: “Always a pointless battle. A battle of attrition so to speak.”
Lone Winter King: “So, Merchant. About the herring.”
Disciple Merchant: “I’m afraid you have it all mixed up. I’m the third son of a merchant family, the one who does the herring transactions is the second son, and the one who sits on the Merchant’s Union and handles the finances is the eldest son, I do not have anything to do. In other words, I am jobless.”
Lone Winter King: “Hmm, that’s a problem. Then, what have you come to my Palace for?”
Disciple Merchant: “This Letter of Introduction……”
His education is complete. Please use him for any work you find necessary, he is highly capable.
—- Crimson
Lone Winter King: “……”
Disciple Merchant: “If the Palace is willing to lend me a small s.h.i.+p, I believe I can be useful in trading or in gathering economic intelligence. I am, after all, the son of a merchant family.”
Lone Winter King: “Hmm. You’ve come to the right place. Ahahaha.”
Butler: “This country always welcomes promising young people.”
Disciple Merchant: “Eh? Why are you all so happy?”
Lone Winter King: “Hahaha! Don’t worry about all the small things! Ahahaha!”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Explanation
Tax Collector: This can be split into levying (the act of deciding who the tax burden goes to) and collection (the act of physically collecting taxes). The former is usually done by a higher-level official. Naturally, a fair degree of power is endowed to tax collectors to fulfil their duties.
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—- City of the Gate, A Large Boulevard during Ennichi
The Hero: “Heh, it’s fairly exciting out here.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Yeah, everything’s going according to plan, this is a good start.”
The Hero: “What a nice smell.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “That’s roast pork. Heh, how nostalgic. Hey, Black Knight. Let’s buy some.”
The Hero: “Oh, let’s, let’s!”
East Fortress Base Commander: “And some cold ale too.”
Human Merchant: “Welcome!”
The Hero: “Give me four slices of that wonderful smelling pork.”
Human Merchant: “Coming up! That’ll be two silver pieces!”
The Hero: “Can you really sell things for that price?”
Human Merchant: “For today’s festival, the City’s Merchant’s a.s.sociation is absorbing half of all prices. We’re also going to have a big dance later on!”
The Hero: “Really–. That’s a really wonderful smell!”
Human Merchant: “That’s right. This roast pork is marinated in secret spices from the Kingdom of the Dunes. Bro, you’ve really bought something good!”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Give me two flagons of ale!”
Demon Merchant: “Hey, aren’t you the East Fortress Base Commander?”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Ahh, sorry for bothering you.”
Demon Merchant: “No, no, not at all. Two flagons? I’m cooling them right now, give me just a moment.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Thanks…… So how is everything?”
Demon Merchant: “Quite prosperous. I think the militia ruffians aren’t taking to the streets just for today. It’s such a happy festival.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “That would be nice.”
Demon Merchant: “Somehow, it’s best when we’re not fighting. I’m really sorry for this whole war. Whether you’re being burnt out of your home or chased from place to place, it’s a tough life, isn’t it?”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Yeah, I promise I’ll do my best to make sure such a thing doesn’t happen around here.”
Demon Merchant: “Hahahaha! The promises of a Human…… But, it’s the Commander, after all! In this City, perhaps you may keep your word. Here, two flagons! It’s cold!”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Ohh, just put it down here.”
The Hero: “Commander, I’ve got it!”
East Fortress Base Commander: “I’ve got the ale here too.”
The Hero: “Eat up, eat up.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Alright. Wow! It’s delicious!”
The Hero: “To drink this in this volcano-like heat is really refres.h.i.+ng!”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Cold ale really hits the spot! It’s the best! Oi, this is what I call food!”
Fire Dragon Lady: “So you guys were here.”
Demon Girl: “Ah, umm…… G, g, good afternoon.”
The Hero: “Ah—“
East Fortress Base Commander: “We went out for a bit.”
Fire Dragon Lady: “What do you mean? I told you, this observation is our public duty. And to think the two of you were slacking off here.”
The Hero: “W, we weren’t really slacking off.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Yeah? I’m here to get stuff for my subordinates.”
The Hero: “I…… don’t have any subordinates……”
Demon Girl: “S, sorry……”
Fire Dragon Lady: “You should feel ashamed about yourself, it’s too late to find an excuse. Sir Black Knight!”
The Hero: “Y, yes?”
Fire Dragon Lady: “I am your wife. What kind of att.i.tude are you showing me? Even though I’m a Fire Dragon, I feel like crying a whole river right now.”
The Hero: “You’re not my wife. That’s just something that old Lord guy said……”
Fire Dragon Lady: “No matter how you try to coax me out of it, my heart, my body, everything of me belongs to you.”
The Hero: “No it doesn’t. We don’t have that kind of relations.h.i.+p.”
Demon Girl: “I, I, I’m sorry.”
The Hero: “No, none of this is your fault.”
Demon Girl: “No, umm…… I told her…… that the Black Knight went out…… I’m…… Sorry.”
The Hero: “Well, no matter what we do, we would have been found out eventually.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “That being said, aren’t you a little overdressed?”
Fire Dragon Lady: “Of course…… That’s because you said, ‘Ennichi is a day even the poorest peasant will dress up’, didn’t you?”
The Hero: “But isn’t that a little too little cloth?”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Hahaha! Haven’t I said this before? No matter where you go, you’ll find that people from the East all dress like this, it’s so incredibly hot after all……”
Fire Dragon Lady: “I had to rush it out. It takes too long to sew.”
The Hero: “I think……”
Demon Girl: “Oh no, everyone’s…… Looking…… Here……”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Ohh, the Demon girls are really quite cute.”
Fire Dragon Lady: “It took me very long to get this girl to wear what she’s wearing now. She’s very troublesome.”
Demon Girl: “I, I’m sorry…… Sorry.”
Fire Dragon Lady: “No, no, it’s okay.”
Demon Girl flinches
Fire Dragon Lady: “It’s just that, even though you’re from a lower cla.s.s than me, at the very least, a girl should care about how she looks. A Demon who’s yet to be married needs to show off her skin from time to time!”
Demon Girl: “That’s a Fire Dragon custom…… It’s embarra.s.sing……”
Fire Dragon Lady: “It’s a Demon thing.”
Demon Girl: “Ah, ahhchoo!”
The Hero: “Ohh— Roast potatoes, even in a place like this.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “That’s a local delicacy.”
The Hero: “Oh right, I forgot it came from the Demon World.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Eat up! Eat up! It’s delicious!”
Fire Dragon Lady: “Husband?”
The Hero: “Delicious, the b.u.t.ter is great.”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Right? It’s the rock salt.”
Fire Dragon Lady: “Husband!!”
The Hero: “Yes!?”
Fire Dragon Lady: “How is it?”
The Hero: “How? It’s a great Ennichi festival.”
Fire Dragon Lady: “How?” Snorts fire
Demon Girl: “I, I, I’m sorry, Black Knight.”
The Hero: “This is a really delicious potato, isn’t it?”
Fire Dragon Lady: “How, is, it!?” Snorts fire
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Explanation
Rock Salt: Salt which is mined as opposed to dried from seawater in salt flats. Seas may have receded from ancient times, or mountains may have moved due to tectonic s.h.i.+fts, resulting in mineral deposits of salt inland. These are abundant in many places throughout the world.
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East Fortress Base Commander: (Small voice) “Hey, she’s talking about that.”
The Hero: (Small voice) “What?”
East Fortress Base Commander: (Small voice) “Compliment her clothing.”
Fire Dragon Lady fumes
The Hero: “Ah—, yeah! It really suits you! You’ve got a great sense of style, and your idea of mixing international fas.h.i.+ons is really splendid! ……It’s a bit revealing, but that’s alright, it’s a festival, after all!”
East Fortress Base Commander: “Hey, that’s going a bit too far.”
Fire Dragon Lady: “R, r, really!? Husband! I’m the luckiest girl in the world!”
—- The Village of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, the Study
The Demon King: “Hmm……”
The Chief Maid: “If you include this month, that’s twice already. The rumblings have really gotten bigger.”
The Demon King: “And the intervals have gotten shorter as well.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes, I believe we’re at the limit……”
The Demon King: “How much time do we have left?”
The Chief Maid: “It’s better if we get it over with as soon as we can, but I would say…… about a week.”
The Demon King: “Alright, in a week then.”
The Chief Maid: “…… I will do my best.”
The Demon King: “No, it’s been nearly two days. We’ve done a good job of holding it, it’s nearly time for that day.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes.”
The Demon King: “Prepare my sleeping quarters at the Palace of Death.”
The Chief Maid: “Understood.”
The Demon King: “We’ve got to hurry up and conclude our work in the Human World.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes.”
The Demon King: “Don’t make such a face.”
The Chief Maid: “……”
The Demon King: “We’ll go back soon. We’ll meet again soon.”
—- The Kingdom of Metal, on a Hill outside the City
The Demon King, the Hero and Elder Sister Maid teleport in
The Demon King: “The air is really moist here.”
Elder Sister Maid: “My head is still throbbing……”
The Demon King: “Are you alright.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Y, yes……”
The Demon King: “Don’t push yourself. Take deep breaths.”
The Hero: “Now that I think about it, that was your first time teleporting.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, it was, enlightening…… I’m alright.”
The Demon King: “It’s just motion sickness, it can’t be helped.”
The Hero: “Just take your time and you’ll recover.”
The three walk through the gra.s.s
The Demon King: “It should be about 20 minutes to the city.”
The Hero: “Indeed.”
Elder Sister Maid: “So that’s the Capital of the Kingdom of Metal, how ma.s.sive!”
The Demon King: “Hmm, there’s lots of smoke issuing from it, huh? Looks like there are a lot of factories down there.”
The Hero: “That being said, what are we here for today?”
The Demon King: “Yeah, it seems that the prototype of the machine I asked them to construct is finished.”
The Hero: “So we’re here to look at it? With the Elder Sister Maid?”
The Demon King: “She’s taught me a lot during my work with her. She’s much more capable than any n.o.bleman or merchant.”
Elder Sister Maid: “That’s an exaggeration.”
The Demon King: “Alright, shall we go into the city?”
Right Gate Guard: “Stop!”
Left Gate Guard: “Where do you come from, are you mercahnts?”
The Demon King: “I am the Scholar from the Kingdom of Winter. This is my Identification.”
Right Gate Guard: “The Royal Seal of the Kingdom of Winter! Please, come right in!”
The Demon King: “Ident.i.ties are such useful things.”
The Hero: “I’m thankful we managed to avoid trouble there.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Amazing! Are all the houses built from stone?”
The Demon King: “Hey, hey, it’s dangerous to walk around looking upwards.”
The Hero: “Well, where to?”
Elder Sister Maid: “Where?”
The Demon King: “Hmm, I don’t know.”
The Hero: “What, how useless. Show me the letter.”
The Demon King: “Here.” Unfolds letter
The Hero: “Ahh, this is the Craftsmen Quarter by the River.”
Elder Sister Maid: “You know this place well!”
The Hero: “I’m sort of a vagabond, I have to memorise all kinds of cities in order to not get lost, navigation is kind of my strong suit.”
Elder Sister Maid: “What an amazing ability.”
The Demon King: “That’s because he’s mine. Shall we go?”
The Hero: “Yes, yes.”
The Demon King: “Hoho, so this is the Kingdom of Steel. That workshop seems to be making silverware?”
The Hero: “You’re very interested.”
The Demon King: “This is my first time actually being here.”
The Hero: “What sort of workshop are we headed to? A munitions workshop? Or an agricultural implements workshop?”
The Demon King: “The workshop specialises in Copper Casting, but it’s neither munitions nor agricultural implements we are here for. You mentioned something about education before right?”
The Hero: “Yeah, I did.”
Elder Sister Maid: “?”
The Demon King: “I was thinking that education should really play a much bigger role in this world.”
The Hero: “…… Hmm.”
The Demon King: “The true expanse of the world is so big, none can guess at its size. Humans, as beings which possess knowledge, seek to try to gain more practical and theoretical knowledge. They are trying to understand more about the world around them”
The Hero: “That’s what you think. But you seem to be convinced that your methods are correct, and that you are always right.”
Elder Sister Maid: “……”
The Demon King: “In order to wrestle with this darkness, knowledge is important. Well, that’s one level of education. Perhaps a more important reason for having education is the reality of not having an education and the denying of understanding to those who have no education.”
The Hero: “Huh? That’s a bit too complicated for me.”
Elder Sister Maid: “I agree.”
The Demon King: “Elder Sister Maid, do you understand?”
Elder Sister Maid: “Yes. That’s…… For example, serfs, who have little education, and hence little knowledge, are unable to comprehend that there exists a better world. That is why they will always be in poverty.”
The Hero: “But surely they can see that the landlords live a better life than they do.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, but they cannot see what they should be doing. Or rather, they cannot see that it is possible to do things this way to get better results.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “……”
Elder Sister Maid: “This is a very unfortunate thing, to not know your place in the world and who you could be…… No, one would not even know whether one was happy. —- That’s why I can really understand what the Mistress is saying.”
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Explanation
Casting: Metal is heated to its melting point and then poured into a mould such that when the metal cools it will take the shape of the mould. If one is able to increase the temperatures involved as much as possible, costs can be lowered during large scale production.
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The Hero: “Is that so……”
The Demon King: “An so, for such an important thing like education, there’s a noticeable flaw in it. Do you know what it is?”
The Hero: “What is it?”
Elder Sister Maid: “I don’t understand……”
The Demon King: “That is that the speed of learning is too slow. For one person to transmit knowledge to another person, a significant amount of time is required. Moreover, there are limits to the number of people you can transmit knowledge to at one time. If it continued to be that one teacher could only accept one student at a time, even if one spent his whole life doing this, the sum of human knowledge would never increase.”
The Hero: “Ahh, I understand what you mean.”
Elder Sister Maid: “But, knowledge is such a precious thing, so there’s really no choice. The more I learn from the Mistress, the more I don’t feel like I can catch up……”
The Demon King: “That’s a system which you have convinced yourself to believe. Whoever decided that just because knowledge is precious, learning has to be difficult?”
The Hero: “Is that so?”
—– The Kingdom of Metal, the Craftsmen Quarter, in a Large Workshop
Opens door
Chief Craftsman: “Ahh, the Scholar! You must be tired from your long journey!”
The Demon King: “Thank you for all your help, Chief Craftsman.”
Chief Craftsman: “No, no! It is truly everybody’s pleasure to be able to receive such interesting a.s.signments even at such an age.”
Elder Sister Maid: “What a huge workshop!”
Chief Craftsman: “Ahh, it’s dangerous to walk around like that, young lady.”
Steam hisses out of a vent
Chief Craftsman: “There’s steam shooting out of everywhere. It’s important to cool down the molten metal.”
Elder Sister Maid: “Y, yes.” Scared
Chief Craftsman: “Well then, you must be tired. I’ll get you some tea, so how about we head to the back……”
The Demon King: “No, that’s quite alright. Above all, I’d like to see the prototype.”
Chief Craftsman: “Ahahaha. Your eagerness hasn’t changed since we last talked in the Kingdom of Winter! In that case, please come over here. We’ve designed a special warehouse.”
Churnm, churn, churn, churn
The Demon King: “So this is it!”
The Hero: “It’s ma.s.sive!”
Elder Sister Maid: “Is this a……? It looks like a Thres.h.i.+ng Machine, but it’s so much bigger……”
Chief Craftsman: “It’s meant to be a temporary structure, so we had to make it bigger. It was originally a rather small machine. But once we made it bigger, it functions fairly well as a warehouse.”
The Hero: “Warehouse?”
Chief Craftsman: “Come in.”
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Explanation
Thres.h.i.+ng Machine: A machine which is used to separate the edible part of the grain from the chaff that surrounds it in cereal crops like barley or rice. In the process of separating the chaff, there is the opportunity to remove the chaff as well. Some thres.h.i.+ng machines work as combine harvesters, harvesting, thres.h.i.+ng and separating the chaff at the same time.
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Clank, clank, clank……
Elder Sister Maid: “What a lot of drawers and cupboards.”
Chief Craftsman: “This is what’s inside.” Opens drawer
The Hero: “Are these stamps?”
Elder Sister Maid: “Or seals?”
Chief Craftsman: “Yeah, they are called Printing Types.”
The Demon King: “This is our new weapon.”
Chief Craftsman: “We call it the Moveable Type Printing Press.”
—– The Village of Wintering, the Mansion of the Demon King, Late at Night in the Corridors
The Female Paladin: “……” Shocked
The Demon King: “……” Shocked
The Female Paladin: “W, why, a, are you here?”
The Demon King: “That’s my line.”
The Female Paladin: “No, where’s the washroom?”
The Demon King: “It’s in the opposite end of the corridor.”
The Female Paladin: “So why are you over here?”
The Demon King: “Th, that’s…… Umm”
The Female Paladin: “That’s?”
The Demon King: “Hey, what’s that! Your s.h.i.+mmering, white nightgown! Isn’t that s, s, silk!? What a luxurious item!”
The Female Paladin: “It’s fine isn’t it? People should be allowed to wear what they want!”
The Demon King: “That sort of thing is not fine!”
The Female Paladin: “In that case, why are you hugging a pillow?”
The Demon King: “…… That’s”
The Female Paladin: “Are you trying to sneak into this door?”
The Demon King: “Nothing of the sort.”
The Female Paladin: “Are you intending to go to the Hero’s room this time at night?”
The Demon King: “N, n, no! I’m going for some night tea.”
The Female Paladin: “If that’s the case, then I’m going for some night tea as well.”
The Demon King: “In what world does a woman wear a silk nightgown to go to a man’s room for some night tea! Stupid!”
The Female Paladin: “Don’t lecture me when you’re on your way to drink tea while hugging a pillow!”
The Demon King: “Mm, look here Female Paladin.”
The Female Paladin: “What?”
The Demon King: “I thought that you were my only friend in the Human World……”
The Female Paladin: “…… That’s right, Demon King.”
The Demon King: “That’s why you should get out of my sight right now.”
The Female Paladin: “That’s not possible.”
The Demon King: “Come again later. I have something important to talk to him about.”
The Female Paladin: “I have something important to talk to him about too.”
The Demon King: “Like what?”
The Female Paladin: “Like this!” Unfurls handkerchief
The Demon King: “What’s that? “I promise to be forever faithful to my love”? Isn’t this a woman’s handkerchief…… Eh? Ehh!?”
The Female Paladin: “That’s right. It belongs to that Fire Dragon Lady. I’m being worked to the death here, but I still want to go and grind this person to dust.” Cracks knuckles
The Demon King: “Definitely……” Cracks knuckles
The Female Paladin: “And that is why I will not back down tonight. My sword hungers for a divine ma.s.sacre!”
The Demon King: “What kind of issue is that! For the remaining fe
