Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Tales of Others (4)
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# 31
4. Tales of Others (4)
#6 Their Circumstances: No. 1000's Circumstances.
Unlike No. 1 and No. 17, No. 1000 had nowhere to go back to.
That meant returning to her daily life where she couldn't eat every day.
Realizing this, No. 1000 despaired.
“Kuung!”
“You don’t even need to make the sound out loud.”
“It’s serious.”
“R-Really?”
As she began pondering with a serious face, No. 17 asked if she wanted to come to her house, but the one who stopped her was Iris, whose face was still pale from the shock she couldn’t shake off.
“Hey, you. Her Highness said she’d take you. Refuse if you want to refuse.”
“Huh?”
“The others have their families, but she specifically said to bring you no matter what. Here.”
She pulled a small box out of a pouch specially ordered from the imperial palace, and when she opened it, steam rose from a steak inside.
“C-Can I eat it?”
“Of course.”
The moment No. 1000, who had swallowed hard at the sight of the perfectly cut steak, put a piece in her mouth.
“…!!!!!!!!!”
In an instant, No. 1000’s face flushed red, and her eyes widened.
Her hands flailed in the air as if she didn’t know what to do with them.
“If I go, I’ll get food like this every day…”
“I’ll go! I’m going! Let’s go!”
And so, No. 1000 became the First Imperial Princess’s trusted servant.
#7 Their Circumstances: No. 17's Circumstances.
“You did it!”
“Good work.”
My family looked at me with warm gazes, and my heart should have warmed… but how should I put it?
Why did it feel like goosebumps were rising?
-Give up, Master. You’ve already adapted to that place.
-N-No! That can’t be!
-Don’t deny it, Master. You’re already acknowledged by this great demon Surt as possessing a soul more wicked and cruel than any demon.
-No! I’m pure…
Suddenly, words failed me. Something inside me was blocking it—this feeling. No. That couldn’t be.
But!
-Come on, Master. Pure… what? So what?
-I’m still pu… Ugh… Th-That can’t be. B-But!
What was this? The will of the world? Or my remaining conscience? Something was stopping me from saying it.
-Ugh… I… can’t… say pure.
I was tainted.
Tainted!
Before going to Howling, I had been purely enjoying learning magic!
This was all the Evil Organization’s fault!
“I believed in you. Among my daughters, you had the talent to adapt best even in Howling.”
“Sis believed in you too. I thought someone wilder than a noble lady… no, someone freer would adapt well there and not turn into a total delinquent… I mean, live well.”
-Master, it seems your family knew your talents well.
-No! Th-That’s my sister lying! She’s jealous because I accomplished a big mission and she’s trying to tear me down!
-She looks too pure for that…
-N-No… It’s a lie…
But the more I heard their praise, the more it sounded like they believed I’d adapt well to the Evil Organization.
And the one person who didn’t say that—my mother.
“Now you just need to get married.”
She said that!
Why did I even go to a place like Howling? To avoid political marriages!
And now marriage right away!
“Mother, I still lack learning.”
“It’s fine. I can teach you bride lessons quickly.”
“N-No, not that kind of learning—I want to learn more magic.”
“Oh?”
I barely convinced my mother, who looked at me with disappointed eyes, and then declared confidently to my father, the family head.
“For my studies, I’ll attend the academy!”
I had endured true hardship.
These people who played in flower gardens laughing ha-ha-ho-ho couldn’t compare!
But at that time, I didn’t know.
That there were beings enduring even greater hardships in academy life.
#8 Their Circumstances: No. 1's Circumstances.
After returning home and receiving a bit of praise from Father, I thought I’d just be forgotten.
Of course, right?
With Mother gone, no patrons. Not old enough either. No recognition?
So naturally, I thought I should live quietly like a dead mouse. My siblings felt sorry for sending a non-threat to Howling, and they were busy with other siblings anyway, too bothered to care about me, so they left me alone.
But…
“H-How dare you block my path with this trash?”
One of the noble heirs visiting the family tried to demolish a street food stall for blocking his carriage, and that’s when I lost my rationality.
“S-Stop that!”
“Shut up! With what? This crap?”
Ah, I wasn’t this kind of guy. Not one to show off, and I thought food was something you could always eat. But!
“The clothes you wear, the food you eat daily! Where do you think that comes from? You freeloaders, throwing tantrums at a place that serves food?! Do you even know the agony of starving to death!”
That’s all I remember.
Apparently, I cursed the noble heir with every insult I knew, beat down his knights trying to stop me by force, and preached for over an hour about how precious and valuable food is.
And thanks to that, I became the most famous among my brothers in our territory!
“Apparently, one of Grand Duke’s sons, Swin, cares so much about us?”
“Yeah, they say he really understands our hunger.”
“I heard he made a huge contribution in the Howling incident. What a great person.”
Whenever three or more territory folk gathered, they sang my praises.
Rumors twisted until it became that I alone confronted the Evil Organization Howling—which had shaken the empire’s history—and single-handedly brought it down with dignity.
Thanks to that, even some nobles started watching me warily, and when my brothers could no longer ignore me.
“Let’s bolt.”
I decided to run away from home.
#9 Their Circumstances: The Captive (Slave) Host's Circumstances
The three kids were taken away by assigned personnel, and I was waiting in Lady Iris’s temporary tent. But…
“H-How… How… How…”
Always so noble and beautiful.
Lady Iris, like a flower atop a cliff among the club’s many ladies, was broken.
Chewing her thumbnail ragged, repeating the same words, she just clutched my collar and circled me.
What kind of being was this First Imperial Princess that instilled such terror in Lady Iris!
“L-Lady Iris?”
“Iris!”
She still nailed that part.
“Lady Iris, someone’s here.”
“Huh?”
Knock knock knock.
Someone was tapping the wooden flap at the entrance of the temporary tent like announcing a visit.
“Magic Division Leader, Legas. We’ll soon hold a meeting with Her Highness via communication orb, so please gather within 10 minutes. Bring that Rain guy too.”
“Understood.”
She sounded like she was calming down, but Lady Iris’s voice was still trembling a lot.
But it wasn’t just Lady Iris—the Magic Division Leader Legas’s voice was laced with deep fear too.
What great demon was the instructor being chased by?!
If a knight order’s vice-leader and the Magic Division Leader—who reigned at the top of the mages even in the empire, the strongest great power—were that terrified, it meant their subordinates were the same!
As I seriously pondered if the instructor needed to be caught by the First Imperial Princess for world peace, Lady Iris let out a big sigh and declared with a confident expression.
“Yeah, the conclusion is suicide!”
The method wasn’t confident at all?!
“L-Lady Iris? Suicide? Why say something like…”
“Rain might not get it, but sometimes for people, a peaceful death is more important than living.”
…I know well.
I know from experience!
Every time I got hit by the bat, I wished it’d be like the other instructors and at least kill me!
“So, Rain… you’ll… come with me, right?”
Huh? Where?
“With you, Rain… I wouldn’t be scared…”
“L-Lady Iris? Please calm down. You’re being very impulsive and thinking dangerous thoughts right now!”
“Yeah. Impulsive. But… Her Highness went to such lengths this time to catch him… and it failed. No good. I messed up.”
Ah, messed up. Her eyes are spinning. Am I dying here?
-Static.
That’s when it happened. A fairly large crystal orb in the corner started making noise.
-St, Static. Zzzt… Ah, st, aah… Zzzt… Ah, ah. Ahem. Is it working?
“Y-Your Highness?!”
A beautiful silver-haired, red-eyed woman who reminded him of Sia smiled faintly in the crystal orb.
-Ah, Iris. Vice-leader of my 3rd Knight Order, whom I trust.
“Y-Yes!”
Unlike the pleasantly smiling First Imperial Princess, Lady Iris froze stiff like a statue hit by a legendary witch’s petrification magic.
-Yes, Iris. My trusted Iris. The Iris I trusted stepped on my foot?
“Eek?!”
The First Imperial Princess smiled even brighter, but that smile—yeah. It probably felt like the smile Yama, king of hell, wore when declaring damnation.
-Our Iris got the Rain she wanted, but I didn’t get Ast after waiting 10 years? Whatever. Honestly, Ast slipped away even when I tried to catch him before.
Watching Lady Iris tremble like a rabbit before a lion, the First Imperial Princess’s smile grew brighter. But the chill creeping over my body only intensified.
-But the Iris I know might suggest dying together with that Rain guy for peace. Was I wrong?
Tremble tremble tremble.
At that moment, my collar started vibrating like it had a vibration function. Of course, it was Lady Iris’s trembling transmitted through the collar in her hand!
“N-No… it’s not…”
-Yeah, right. No way. Escaping via death? I. Wouldn’t. Allow. That. Would. I?
Tremble tremble tremble tremble.
My body started shaking along with my collar.
Ah, partly because Lady Iris’s trembling peaked, but I started shaking too! What was that? She’d revive me with black magic even if I died!
-You’re mine. Even allowing death is my call. You can’t choose that.
“Y-Yes yes yes yes yes!”
-Good. Then let’s start the meeting, so bring that Rain guy out quick.
“Y-Yes!”
Lady Iris dragged my collar in a fluster to a place where hundreds—no, thousands—had gathered. All eyes on me—overwhelming.
I won’t get publicly executed, right?
“Th-That’s?!”
“No way!”
As we headed to Lady Iris’s spot, all gazes converged on one part of me. Specifically, on my side…
“That bat… From As—no, Naruan!”
Yeah, the bat.
Huh. Turns out the bat’s pretty famous. Even the Imperial Army knows it.
“Yes, that’s right.”
The moment I finished speaking, dozens nearby dropped to one knee, bowed their heads, and shouted.
“We greet the Bat’s successor!”
And
-We greet the Bat’s successor!
Excluding Lady Iris and a few others on the wide plain, thousands simultaneously dropped to one knee, bowed, and shouted.
“…Rain? What’s this Bat thing?”
I couldn’t say a word to Lady Iris, who looked baffled beside me.
I thought I knew, but I don’t… Instructor, what the hell did you do to the empire with that bat?
#10 Their Circumstances: A Certain Academy’s Circumstances.
“…This person is really entering our academy?”
“In exchange, the conditions are unprecedented.”
Once debated as 1st or 2nd among the Empire’s Four Great Prestigious Academies, but now so weakened that “Four Great Prestigious” should exclude Yuglasia and call it Three Great Prestigious.
And the current dean of that Yuglasia Academy, an old man, pondered over a single document.
“We’ll accept.”
“Understood.”
But his deliberation didn’t last long.
Yuglasia’s current state was that dire, and the other party’s prestige was dignified enough to overcome it.
“The legendary summoner and researcher, Niserwin. We’ll trust him.”
And so, Yuglasia’s new history began.