WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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Chapter 263: Nice to Meet You (1)
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When people thought of the continent's east, two places came to mind: Runtel Kingdom, famous for magic, and Cesar Duchy, famous for Sorcery.
Thanks to those two highly developed nations, people considered the east a fairly pleasant place to live.
But the reality was different.
Aside from those two nations, the smaller countries were nearly as chaotic as the continent's south, while an even larger expanse of land teemed with dangerous monsters.
Gavir Forest, located southeast of Cesar Duchy, was one such place.
The weather was sweltering and humid, and the trees were so dense that the sky could not be seen.
There were bloodsucking insects capable of draining a bucketful of blood from a person, poisonous plants that caused seizures at the slightest touch, and horrifying monsters that fed on such things.
"Don't enter Gavir Forest. A demon lives there."
"Even for a fortune beyond measure, I would never enter Gavir Forest."
Even renowned guides said such things, making Gavir Forest a veritable paradise for monsters.
The "real" demon that had begun a new life there was dissatisfied with that.
Thunk!
Splat!
Thunk!
Splat!
With an oversized cleaver, the demon severed a goblin's limbs and lopped off its head. Then it threw the torso, fresh blood still flowing from it, onto a hook.
There was no grand reason for it. The demon simply did it because it was fun.
But that enjoyment only lasted until a week ago. After slaughtering hundreds, perhaps thousands, of monsters, the demon came to one realization.
It wanted to experience more varied emotions.
'I need humans.'
That was why the demon intended to leave its nest and head outside the forest.
Had things proceeded normally, it would have experienced all the intense pleasure it desired.
At least until just before a demon subjugation force from the Holy Kingdom found it.
"Whew, what a relief. What a relief! You haven't started causing trouble yet!"
"......?"
For that reason, encountering a jester at the entrance to Gavir Forest could only be called a misfortune for the demon.
"Good, good. It isn't quite the Ancient Forest of the south, but it is perfect for hiding. There are plenty of others who can cause trouble without you. There is no reason for you to lend a hand too..."
Whooosh!
The demon did not wait for the jester to finish speaking. It immediately swung down its beloved oversized cleaver.
Normally, it would not have done such a thing.
To savor the traces of humanity, human emotions, and human fear that remained only in distant memories, the demon would have acted with more restraint.
In other words, the demon had sensed something unusual about the jester.
That instinct was correct.
But attacking the jester had been the wrong move.
The jester smiled faintly, raised a bony arm, and blocked the attack.
Clang!
Then, with the other hand, the jester made a motion as though pressing down on empty air.
Splat!
"Mm, mm. This should be enough to recover somewhat."
The jester climbed atop the fallen demon's body.
Though its head was gone, the corpse twitched intermittently. However, when the jester stroked its stomach, the twitching soon stopped.
Zzzk. As the demonic aura was absorbed, the enormous body shrank, and the severely damaged mask regained its original shape.
The Jester Demon had been focused on recovering its strength when a letter fluttered down from the sky, bringing it back to its senses.
"...Hm!"
The Jester Demon looked surprised.
The letter's contents differed from what it had expected.
It had expected a scolding for making a wager with The Reincarnated One without consulting anyone, but the Priest had delivered entirely different news instead.
"A demonoid stronger than a demon..."
Anyone else would have laughed scornfully.
A human who had made a pact with a demon and accepted demonic aura was on an entirely different level from a demon that was evil incarnate from birth.
To bridge that gap, a human would need transcendent power of their own. Yet beings like that usually possessed egos too strong to fall for a demon's whispers.
But...
'I've already seen something similar, so perhaps it isn't entirely impossible.'
The Grand Mage of Runtel.
The Jester Demon did not know how the Priest intended to bring such an immensely prideful person to submission, but it let the matter go.
The Priest was one step ahead in matters of the heart. That was why the Jester Demon had accepted the Priest's proposal in the first place.
"...Hm. Hm."
Crunch! Crunch!
As the Jester Demon carved up the corpse with a cleaver as large as its own body, it let out a strange groan.
Its mood was still poor.
While waiting for the time of reunion, the Jester Demon slipped deeper into Gavir Forest.
* * *
"Thank you, Master Airen Farreira! Baron Harun Farreira! Ah, and Lady Kiril Farreira as well, of course. Because of you, I am so, so...!"
The banquet ended safely.
As the Farreira family left the royal castle, the King of Hale personally came to see them off.
The king had always been warm and affectionate, so that alone was nothing unusual. However, the emotion visible in the king's face and eyes was far from ordinary.
It could hardly have been otherwise.
They had salvaged the banquet that had nearly ended in complete disaster, preserved the king's dignity, and, beyond that, upheld the kingdom's prestige.
"Whew, the words won't come out properly. Forgive me. Just seeing all of you makes my emotions well up and fills me with pride..."
"Your Majesty's kindness leaves me at a loss for how to respond."
"Ha ha, what a shame. If only I had a lovely daughter, I would have at least asked whether she might become Master Farreira's bride..."
"Ha ha... I am grateful for the sentiment alone."
At Baron Harun Farreira's courteous response, the king smacked his lips.
The king truly regretted it. Part of the king wanted to get to work that very day, have a daughter, and then pester Master Farreira into promising the unborn girl to him.
Of course, the king knew how absurd that thought was and did not say it aloud.
Still, there was one consolation. Master Farreira had rejected every subtle marriage proposal that had come from Sonan and Köln Kingdom.
Any other kingdom might have been one thing, but forming ties with either of those two kingdoms would have been difficult to accept.
Whatever else happened, the Four Kingdoms were eternal rivals.
"Oh dear, I have kept you far too long. Forgive me."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. Please do not say such things..."
"Whew. Let me say it once more, thank you. Truly, thank you. Even if I had to empty my personal coffers, I would erect a statue of you, Master Farreira, right in the center of the castle..."
"...That is enough, Your Majesty."
The Queen stopped the king, who continued trying to prolong the conversation despite saying the king would stop, and the Farreira family barely managed to leave the royal castle.
Listening to the regular rhythm of hoofbeats, father, son, and daughter spent a quiet moment together.
But that silence did not last forever.
"Son."
"Yes."
"You already have someone you like?"
"...Yes."
"Could it be someone I know... someone from the renowned House Lindsay... is it her?"
"......"
After remaining silent for a long while, Airen finally nodded.
It was strange.
Ever since he took up his own sword, Airen had never been embarrassed about expressing his feelings to others.
No, even when he had first set out on the journey to find his sword, he had never been embarrassed about it.
Yet now, he was embarrassed.
He wanted to conceal them. He wanted to hide them, even though there was nothing wrong or twisted about his feelings.
'Why is that?'
'He is still young in this regard.'
Unlike Airen, who was confused by his own feelings, Harun felt a familiar warmth well up in him for the first time in a long while upon hearing his son's story.
In truth, Harun had recently felt a significant disconnect between the Airen before him and the son Harun remembered.
The image of his son in Harun's mind was that of a young, fragile boy who needed to be handled carefully and guided.
Even after Airen safely graduated from Krono Fencing Hall and distinguished himself during the Demonoid Subjugation Campaign, that image had not changed.
But after Airen returned to House Farreira from his two-year journey, more precisely, after he showed his sword during the swordsmanship masterclass, Harun realized that his son had stepped beyond Harun's protection and become someone far greater than Harun himself.
It was not that Harun disliked it. He was proud and pleased.
Still, when Harun thought of how Airen had become someone completely beyond reach, when he remembered that heroic figure at the hunting tournament... he could not deny feeling a faint loneliness as well.
'There is still something this old father can help with.'
Harun smiled faintly.
He could not even remember the last time words like romance and confession had crossed his mind.
Still, Harun would likely be more experienced with such feelings and actions than a son encountering them for the first time.
Especially considering Airen's somewhat reserved nature.
Having finished that thought, the baron looked at Kiril.
Kiril looked back, wearing an expression that said she had no idea what was happening.
Seeing that expression, Harun spoke.
"Daughter."
"Yes."
"Could you step outside for a moment?"
"Wait, why?"
"With you here, it will be difficult for Airen to speak."
"Wait, what? I can't stay, but Dad can? I can give good relationship advice too, you know."
"Can you say that when you have no romantic experience of your own?"
"Uh, um... That is true."
Kiril stammered.
Kiril also felt uncomfortable discussing her love life with her father.
Just as Airen was young, Kiril was young too.
At a loss for words, Kiril grumbled but quietly stepped out of the carriage.
Though the carriage was moving, no one worried about a Sorcerer like Kiril.
Before long, Harun spoke again with a smile inside the carriage, where only the two remained.
"If there is something you want to say, say it. If not, you do not have to. Still, I am curious. How did you come to have those feelings, and what kind of person did you come to like..."
"......"
"Would you like a drink?"
"No, I am fine."
Airen shook his head.
It did not mean he did not want to talk. He simply did not intend to rely on alcohol.
In truth, Airen had felt stifled ever since becoming aware of those feelings.
He was impatient and burning with emotion, wanting to reveal what was inside to someone, anyone. He simply did not want to tell just anyone.
In that regard, there was no one more reassuring or dependable than his father.
Before long, Airen began speaking about Illia.
"So, um..."
Airen had never been particularly eloquent, but he was even more at a loss for words that day.
Trying to express something that could not be described clearly, he could not help hesitating again and again.
It was far more difficult than discussing swordsmanship before so many people. Sweat continually poured down Airen's forehead.
Through that process, Airen realized that he liked Illia even more than expected.
"Hm, mm."
The son's feelings reached the father as well.
An image of Illia Lindsay gradually began to take shape in Harun's mind.
Not merely as the sword prodigy who had shaken the continent, but as an attractive woman who had captured Airen's heart.
'She sounds like a good girl.'
Harun wanted to see Illia in person. He wanted to sit across from her and have even a brief conversation.
Of course, Harun had no intention of interfering in his son's love life, but a father's curiosity could not be helped.
Having thought that far, Harun shook his head.
It was a little ridiculous.
They had not been together for long.
No, it was not even that. They were not together at all. Airen simply had one-sided feelings for Illia. That meant he could be rejected.
And yet Harun was already thinking of meeting the girl in person.
It was practically...
'It feels like I've already arranged a formal meeting between the families after their engagement, doesn't it?'
Calm down. Stay calm.
Harun muttered inwardly.
Listening to the story, Harun had become more excited than Airen. He needed to calm down a little.
Just then, the estate was nearly in sight.
After passing through the territory's gates and seeing the lord's manor draw closer, Harun nodded.
After discussing it thoroughly with his wife, he would think about what advice might help Airen.
Harun was thinking that as he stepped down from the carriage and began walking.
"Airen!"
"......?"
"......?"
A voice unfamiliar to Harun.
But one that was extremely familiar to Airen and Kiril.
The moment the two recognized the voice, they looked bewildered. Then the person who had called Airen's name came racing over at a terrifying speed.
She wrapped her arms tightly around Airen.
"Airen."
"H-huh?"
"I missed you. Really..."
"Uh, yeah, me too...?"
An attitude, tone, and manner of speaking completely unlike usual.
And a faint scent of alcohol.
Airen stood awkwardly in place after seeing Illia Lindsay's flushed face.
"Ah, am I too late...?"
"Too late, Brett."
Brett Lloyd and Lulu appeared a beat later, both wearing grave expressions.
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