Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

—— The Cheerful Murders Incident No. 6

“I am Cheerful Swordsman Nanako!”

“I am Cheerful Philosopher Suika!”

The two voices were in harmony. The harmony between the sweet and brave voice of the young girl and the soprano of a boy about to break his voice pierced through the night as they confronted the followers of Darkness.

“We are!”

“We are!”

The two suddenly turned around and drew their weapons.

“We are cruel fighters who show no mercy to monsters! We will conquer you! Don’t think we’re stubborn and na?ve! We are also known as ‘The Cheerful Murders’! We will vanquish you in 170 seconds!”

“Don’t be stupid! This isn’t a game for children!”

The heavily armoured monsters displayed no fear or apprehension as they called out to the two mages.

“How old are you? Why are you still wearing a full suit of tight armour? Do you have strange intentions towards Nanako?”

The dry monotone of the eleven-year-old tortured the spirit of the monster, who recoiled as if hurt. With a flutter in his heart, the boy turned and asked expressionlessly, “Nanako-chan, should I not have said that in such a grown up manner?”

To begin with, the suits of armour were not made of metal but were formed out of living organisms that resemble ants. They conform to the body shape and are hence very tight. When irritated, they produce formic acid. Upon seeing the powerful solvent, the two immediately leapt into the air just as the ground beneath their feet dissolved.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s that strange liquid oozing out of your mouth?!”

Despite that she had said such an impertinent thing, she was still surprised by the sudden attack. Moreover, the checkered miniskirt, which she had hitherto paid no heed, twisted and fell off.

“Na-Na-Nanako-chan.”

With puppy-like eyes, the young boy who was her partner looked up at her. He felt a tightness in his chest, a mixture of sweetness, and at the same time, extreme embarrassment.

———— The Mansion in the Village of Wintering, in the Room

Flip.

The Demon King: “…”

The Hero: “…”

Flip flip.

The Demon King: “Heh… This is the really intense part.”

The Hero: “Really?!”

The Demon King: “Yeah, this is dangerous. To think that such a wonderful scene would exist in the six volume series.”

The Hero: “…Hoho.”

The Demon King: “But this is completely unreasonable!”

Shuts book!

The Hero: “What’s wrong, Demon King?”

The Demon King: “I want to complain against the author! This main character is eleven years old, right?! Eleven years old means she’s one year younger than the Little Maid Sister!”

The Hero: “Mm, yeah? Thereabouts…”

The Demon King: “In that case, what’s with this happy, heart-racing scene! Even if it’s coincidental, those lips, that… Hehhhh! I want to complain!”

The Hero: “?”

The Demon King: “In this world, there exists two people who are far more mature, but why is it that such wonderful acts of coincidence only occur in the destinies of people like them? They should apologise to the ladies and gentlemen who don’t have this privilege!”

The Hero: “Calm down.”

The Demon King: “…I am calm.”

The Hero: “Really.”

Flips pages.

The Demon King: “Hero.”

The Hero: “?”

The Demon King: “Take the book.”

The Hero: “Got it.”

The Demon King: “…Ahem.”

The Hero: “?”

The Demon King: “How do you feel?”

The Hero: “Normal.”

The Demon King: “R-really?” Trembling.

The Hero: “What’s wrong?”

The Demon King: “Nothing. Open it halfway.”

The Hero: “It’s slightly off, though.”

The Demon King nods.

The Hero: “?”

The Demon King coughs.

The Hero: “What’s up?”

The Demon King: “Nothing.”

The Hero: “Really?”

The Demon King: “Hero. Touch my ear.”

The Hero: “?” Reaches over.

The Demon King: “Mmm.” Flinches.

The Hero: “…Uhhh.”

(The Demon King is being so evasive, something has got to be going on.)

The Demon King: “…”

The Hero: “Umm, Demon King.”

The Demon King: “?”

The Hero: “About the Female Paladin, I accepted her pledge.”

The Demon King: “You said that before. That’s fine.”

The Hero: “Y-yeah. But, your ear… it’s very… cute?”

The Demon King: “What are you saying? It’s not even the least bit related.”

The Hero: (…I failed. I am so useless. I guess the Way of Bounciness can’t open the gate to a girl’s heart after all.)

The Demon King: “Mmm.”

The Hero: “Hope you’re feeling better, Demon King.”

The Demon King: “There was never anything wrong about the way I was feeling.”

The Hero: “I see…”

The Demon King: “Touch my ear again.”

The Hero: “Yeah…”

The Demon King: “Mmm.”

The Hero: “Uhh.”

The Demon King: “Again.”

The Hero rubs.

The Demon King yawns.

The Hero: “Umm, Demon King?”

The Demon King: “…?”

The Hero: “You look sleepy.”

The Demon King: “I’m not sleepy at all.”

The Hero: “I see…”

Knock knock.

The Chief Maid: “Your Majesty. I’ve made some custard.”

Sets down.

The Demon King: “Really! Looks delicious. Let’s eat.”

The Hero: “Yeah.”

The Chief Maid: “Hero, has something happened?”

——— The City of Reeds, Outside the Market

～?～～?

Disciple Bard: “～～? Spring is coming, rejoice, rejoice. Let us escape from the horror of the harsh winter. ? Let the spirits of spring sing, let the birds in the woods pray. ?”

Female Citizen: “What a beautiful voice…”

Disciple Bard: (Extend my voice… Let the sounds harmonise. I’m singing! I’m singing!)

Citizen: “Amazing!”

Disciple Bard: “～～? Receiving the laugh of the blessed sun, the flowers bloom. The west wind bears the sweet scent of wheat, the original love of man. The scent of the love song. ? The rabbits in the forest are singing, the nightingales chirping. The flowers blossom as the forest explodes with life, and the girls dance the joyous dance of spring.”

Female Citizen: “What a musician!”

Farmer: “Heyhey! Give me half a bag of barley!”

Farmer’s Daughter: “Thank you very much.”

Citizen: “Right! Give me a bag of ginseng!”

Farmer’s Daughter: “Yes!”

Disciple Bard: “Thank you!”

Female Citizen: “No, no, it’s been a long time since I was last able to listen to such beautiful music.”

Rich Citizen: “Well, you would be really high profile musician if you performed in a palace somewhere.”

Disciple Bard: “No, no, performing on the streets like this is my favourite thing to do.”

Citizen: “Please come again, we’ll be waiting.”

Farmer’s Daughter: “Thank you.～?”

—.

Disciple Bard: “Looks like you were real busy!”

Farmer: “No, no, it was nothing. I should be thanking you!”

Farmer’s Daughter: “We sold a lot more than we usually do!”

Disciple Bard: “Great!” Smiles.

Farmer: “Thank you very much! This is just a little bit!”

Disciple Bard: “It’s alright, it’s alright! You really don’t have to! You’ve already given me some delicious bread!”

Farmer: “But…”

Farmer’s Daughter: “Here. Have some more bread then.”

Disciple Bard: “…I’d love to. Thank you! See you again!”

Farmer’s Daughter: “Let’s play the flute together again!”

Disciple Bard: “The next time we meet.～?”

- The City of the Gate, the Chambers of Commerce of the Union

The Young Merchant: “Good work.”

Shrewd Accountant: “Good work… Have some cold safflower tea*.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Thank you.”

The Young Merchant: “How was the Conference?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “As expected, we couldn’t settle anything right away, but I feel like we might be on to something.”

The Young Merchant: “Do you think it will pass?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “I believe so.”

The Young Merchant: “If this plan doesn’t go through, trade and a whole bunch of other things will be very difficult. First the roads, then the irrigation channels and dikes.”

Shrewd Accountant: “You’ve really planned quite far ahead.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “It’s because there aren’t a lot of opportunities for business here in the Subterranean World.”

-

Explanation

Safflower: The flower is also used as red dye. It originally blooms yellow but the petals slowly turn red. The petals can be dried and brewed into a tonic. The resultant tonic can be dried to a powder and consumed.

-

The Young Merchant: “More importantly, the lack of a medium of exchange* is a real problem.”

Shrewd Accountant: “Yeah.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Medium of exchange?”

The Young Merchant: “The theory is simple. For example, let’s say somebody has two units of salt and someone else has two units of meat. If they were to exchange one unit of their goods, they would both have the same amount of salt and meat. Then they would both be able to eat and live happily. In this way, as long as they’re just exchanging goods, they wouldn’t have a need for currency. The Subterranean World does use currency but trading with gold bullion or barter is more popular. In other words, the large scale exchange of goods is usually carried out by Khans and leaders through barter. It would be difficult to create a system with a medium of exchange in this case.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “I see.”

The Young Merchant: “However, we are merchants, so currency is to our advantage. We would be able to buy and sell goods in a much more flexible manner. It would also help to create new jobs.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “That is something I observed in the Surface World. Currency and money can often be bad things. However, when using a medium of exchange, good transfers can be done quicker. Money moves much easier than agreements between governments and Tribes so things are much easier. Movement is freer and as the currency is more divisible, small purchases can be made, making society safer and decreasing the chance of violence.”

Shrewd Accountant: “…Hmm.”

The Young Merchant: “And loans will increase too.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Is that part of the plan?”

The Young Merchant: “This time, we have put an extraordinary amount of effort into it, but loans are a type of money borrowing. Loans are basically an officialised way of saying, ‘I’ll pay you back in something later on, so give me some money first.’”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Is that how we get a medium of exchange?”

The Young Merchant: “Let’s have a simple example. Let’s assume there’s a debt contract which says, ‘Lend me a hundred gold pieces and I’ll pay you back a hundred gold pieces.’ If you could sign this contract without much difficulty, it would be the same as acquiring a hundred gold pieces, right? To the other party, this would also be the same as receiving a piece of paper worth a hundred gold pieces in future, right? Here, if you add it up, you’ve got two hundred gold pieces, right? You’ve theoretically increased the amount of money.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “In that case, I think that’s an untruthful system. To begin with, the whole system relies on the hundred gold pieces being paid back after a definite amount of time and hence disappearing. How can you say that the amount of money has increased?”

The Young Merchant: “That is true, but perhaps you have seen my little trick with the wheat before? If you can get your hands on a large sum of money, then there are many opportunities for business. I could turn the hundred gold coins into a hundred and fifty gold coins. If I do that, I have effectively created fifty gold coins at no cost to myself. Wouldn’t you call that profitable?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “I suppose that’s true.”

The Young Merchant: “That is the power of currency. Currency is basically the exchange of trust for capital. It seems that there are no banks in the Demon World yet. I have made a proposal to the Demon King and it seems like we should plan for the future by getting more involved in the City of the Gate and massing our capital here.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “…”

The Young Merchant: “Don’t look at me like that. I have no intention on harming this city or the Demon people or the Demon world. To begin with, this isn’t something you can win or lose. By making the Union richer, nobody loses anything.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “I’ll trust you on that.”

The Young Merchant: “Thank you.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Can I take it that you intend to use the trust of the City of the Gate, the Tribe of the Gate, and the daughter of the Khan of Dragons, that is to say, me, in exchange for capital?”

The Young Merchant: “…Well…”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “It is as you said, ‘Money used as wealth is completely different from money used as a tool. The latter has the name of the merchant riding on it.’”

The Young Merchant: “Yes. I did say that.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “In that case, I want to know precisely what you intend to do with the wealth which you will be obtaining from using my trust. Is that alright? It is my trust after all.”

The Young Merchant: “Of course it is.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “I’ll be looking forward to that, then.”

The Young Merchant: “My, my.”

Shrewd Accountant: “Hahaha. You seem so troubled.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “If I let you loose, you’d probably tear down the name of the Tribe of the Fire Dragons.”

The Young Merchant: “Well, in that case, I’d better start planning… Hmm.”

Shrewd Accountant: “Yeah, come. I have prepared it all. Paper, pen, ink, and many pots of hot tea. We will use the data gathered by milady here. The employees have all gone home so it would be faster if the two of us worked through it.”

The Young Merchant: “Is that so? Very good.”

Shrewd Accountant: “Leave it to me.”

Walks off and closes the door.

The Fire Dragon Lady: “…”

The Young Merchant: “Hmm.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Merchant.”

The Young Merchant: “Yes?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “…”

The Young Merchant: “What is it?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “—Let’s say I was captured by a fearsome enemy and I wouldn’t live to see the dawn of the morrow, what would you do?”

The Young Merchant: “Nothing.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “…”

The Young Merchant: “That was a joke… I would save you of course?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “So you would save me.”

The Young Merchant: “…Is that a hard question from a newcomer?”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Maybe.”

The Young Merchant: “…”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “…”

The Young Merchant: “I wouldn’t save you just for the sake of saving you.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Eh?”

The Young Merchant: “A merchant never does anything without profit.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “…”

The Young Merchant: “However, you have given me many opportunities and learn very quickly. You are cool under pressure and very fair. I couldn’t ask for a better business partner.”

The Fire Dragon Lady: “Then… for life?”

The Young Merchant: “Haven’t I said this before? The merchant’s battle lasts forever.”

——— The Kingdom of the Lake, a Guesthouse in a Small City

Rain splashing.

Disciple Bard: “What a heavy rain… I can’t see anything in this weather. So spring is the season for rain over here… That being said, despite being spring, it’s quite cold…”

Drip, drip…

Disciple Bard: (Hmm. So that’s how it is. — I’ve heard a lot about this Holy Relic but I don’t know anything conclusive about it…)

Disciple Bard: “Hmm, it’s really tough when you don’t know anybody from around here. What should I do?”

Rain pouring.

Disciple Bard: (…I’ve still got some travel money but it’s limited. Hmm, the Kingdom of the Lake sure is huge, I should head over to the capital. If there’re lots of people there, I should be able to make some money. It wouldn’t be bad if I could get hired at a large inn somewhere for a month or so. I could pick up some new rumours too…)

Knock knock.

Disciple Bard: “Hello?”

Innkeeper: “I’m terribly sorry.”

Disciple Bard: “What’s wrong?”

Innkeeper: “The ships have been unable to leave the ports because of this horrible storm. Many guests who left in the afternoon have come back and hence we do not have enough rooms. Would it be alright for you to share rooms?”

Disciple Bard: “Share rooms?”

Innkeeper: “Yes, you would be sharing with a woman of course. I would only allow men to share rooms with men. I’ll do my best to cater to any needs you have, do tell me if you would like to change rooms.”

Disciple Bard: “Of course it’s alright.” Smiles.

Elder Sister Maid: “I apologise.”

Disciple Bard: “No, no, I apologise. I’m quite wet though, I’d like to change out of these clothes as soon as I can.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ahh, of course. Please come in.”

Innkeeper: “Then, I have had someone bring towels and hot water. Thank you for agreeing to this arrangement.”

Disciple Bard: “Sure.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you for your kind understanding.”

Disciple Bard: “How should I address you?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I am the Elder Sister Maid. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Here, you should get dressed.”

Disciple Bard: “I am the Disciple Bard. As you can see, I’m a travelling bard. So you’re a traveller too. How nice.”

Rain pouring.

Disciple Bard: “What a heavy rain.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah… Umm, would you like some tea?”

Disciple Bard: “Eh? Yeah. That would be great, thank you.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’ll pour you some, then.”

Disciple Bard: “But there’s nothing here, is there?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’ve got some tea and a few cups… though they’re made of brass.”

Disciple Bard: “Wow… Amazing. You look like such a lady yet you seem accustomed to travel.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’m not a lady. I’m the daughter of a farming family in the South.”

Tea pouring…

Disciple Bard: “Mmm… It’s warm.”

Elder Sister Maid: “It’s great that they provided hot water.” Smiles.

Disciple Bard: “Ahh, I’ve got some hard-baked cookies.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Is it alright?”

Disciple Bard: “Sure, take half.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you.”

Rain pouring.

Disciple Bard: “So where are you going?”

Elder Sister Maid: “For the time being, to the City of the Lake.”

Disciple Bard: “Why? It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’m heading to peruse the library of the Holy Order of the Lake. I’ve got a few things which are on my mind… That being said, I’m currently on a tour of the various Kingdoms.”

Innkeeper: “Wow!”

Elder Sister Maid: “I realised that there are a lot of things that I need to see. But it’s really quite tiring to just fly out of one’s own country like that.”

Disciple Bard: “Yeah, it is… Things are expensive and it can get quite dangerous. The further North you go, the harsher things seem to be.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah…”

Disciple Bard: “Where I come from, even in times of war, people don’t really die of starvation… so it was really quite a shock when I witnessed it for myself.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I see… Where are you from?”

Disciple Bard: “Ahh. Hehehe. A very long way away.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I see.”

Rain pouring.

Disciple Bard: “Hey.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah?”

Disciple Bard: “When you say library, would it be about the Spirit of Light?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah. I hear the Holy Order keeps records about all kinds of things related to the Spirit.”

Disciple Bard: “Do you think I could go with you?”

Elder Sister Maid: “?”

Disciple Bard: “Actually I’m currently in the process of writing a poem and a play. Of course, I’ve been practicing my instruments and reading up on stage directions. But I’m trying to incorporate them into one thing… On my journeys, I’ve developed an interest in this rumour about a Holy Relic.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Is that so?”

Disciple Bard: “When you are writing poetry, it’s not good to force things. But I thought that since I developed this on my own… Nah, it’s really hard to explain.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Sure.”

Disciple Bard: “Eh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Let’s go together.” Smiles.

Disciple Bard: “Really? Well… I’m a traveller, and this is just something I said, so is it really alright for you to trust me so simply, what if I involved your young self into some kind trouble?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Humans are involved in all sorts of trouble from the day they are born.”

Disciple Bard: “I see. — Hmm, that’s nice way of saying it. Let me write that down.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Hahaha.” 𝒇𝑟e𝙚𝑤𝙚𝐛𝗻𝐨ν𝚎𝘭.c𝐨m

Disciple Bard: “Eh? Ahh. Sorry, sorry, I obsess over my work.”

Elder Sister Maid: “That’s all right, it’s much more fun with two people after all.”

- The Kingdom of Mist, a Lord’s Manor

Steward: “Heh! Hehh!”

Obese Nobleman: “Wh-wh-what nonsense is this!”

Young Maid: “Ah.”

Obese Nobleman: “Those fools in the Church! What are they doing!”

Steward: “What is going on?”

Obese Nobleman: “!” Crumples up and throws paper.

Steward: “This is…”

Obese Nobleman: “How did the Wheat Futures Contracts end up in the hands of the Church! Now there’s no way I can renege on this agreement! That damn fool!”

Runs in.

Attendant: “My Lord! There’s trouble!”

Obese Nobleman: “What? What is it!”

Attendant: “A Collector for the Church has appeared in the city and the neighbouring villages!”

Obese Nobleman: “Collector…?”

Attendant: “They’ve been collecting large amounts of wheat and taking it with them!”

Slams table.

Young Maid: “Ahh!”

Obese Nobleman: “That damn Church, this is what they were after… At first I thought they were just colluding with the merchants but it seems their aim was to cut off power from us noblemen.”

Steward: “What will we do?”

Obese Nobleman: “We have money! Open discussions with the Church. We’ll buy back those Wheat Future Certificates. Get me some ink and vellum!”

Steward: “Yes!”

Obese Nobleman: “Ugh. What an embarrassment. What makes the Church think they have authority over a proud family like ours which has ruled this land for eight generations?! Do they take us for petty merchant nobles!”

Attendant: “Umm.”

Obese Nobleman: “Keep a look out for that Attendant! Even if he asks for one grain of wheat, make sure you stop him! No, that won’t do. Stall him. But do it politely.”

Attendant: “How could I—”

Steward: “Go now! If you want to keep your head, you’d better work like your life depends on it!”

Attendant: “Y-y-yes!”

Obese Nobleman: “This… this won’t do.”

———— The Citadel of Banshees, the Green Study

Banshee Ninja: “—No change from before.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Hmm.”

Banshee Minister: “The issue runs much deeper than we had thought.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “It’s because the conflict was extended, eh? The dissatisfactions and wants of the people are smouldering.”

Banshee Minister: “Yeah.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “The blood of the Demon Race.”

Banshee Minister: “Please stop saying such terrible things.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “It would be burning if there was an objective but until then, the things we have lost and our dissatisfactions are smouldering. This is how it is like for us. I can imagine the blood of the Tribe of the Fang must be boiling by now.”

Banshee Minister: “Then there must be some kind of other objective involved.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “—”

Banshee Minister: “From our perspective, the proposal by the Khan of the Gate is not a bad thing.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “That may be so, but we should also consider if this will pointlessly aggravate the Demons of the Pale.”

Banshee Minister: “It should be fine if we pick a good place.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Place, huh.”

Banshee Minister: “This transit pass idea is an interesting attempt.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Oh?”

Banshee Minister: “Having carefully examined the plan, it seems to me that having separate transit passes for each of the Nine Roads would be better.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Ho.”

Banshee Minister: “For example, even if only those merchants that used the roads leading to the City of Giants could purchase the passes, the Banshee lands would still become richer. In other words, merchants will require the passes. The more merchants require the passes, the more passes we can sell, and the faster the job will be completed.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Hmm.”

Banshee Minister: “Also, we should consider sending out our young men and soldiers to work on building roads outside of the Banshee territories. If you’re worried about the battle with the Demons of the Pale, then we should send them as far away as possible first, perhaps to the lands of the Automatons. We Banshees are relatively advanced in water treatment and irrigation techniques. I would think that any country would welcome our engineers.”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “…Hmm.”

Banshee Minister: “What do you think?”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Call the Chief Engineer. He is most familiar with the engineers of the land. Have him set up hundred men construction teams and wait for my instructions. I will deliberate with the council and see just what price the technology of the Banshees can fetch.”

Banshee Minister: “Shall we draft mercenaries?”

The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “How repulsive. No, we’ll just rely on the people. It’s time to show the Demon World the power of the Banshees.”

———— The Kingdom of the Lake, the Empty Library

Creaking staircase.

Templar Librarian: “Here we are.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you very much.” 𝑓𝓇𝑒𝑒𝚠e𝘣𝓷𝘰ѵe𝑙.com

Disciple Bard: “Thank you.”

Templar Librarian: “This library is filled with ancient texts. To ensure their preservation, please do not expose them to direct light.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Understood.”

Disciple Bard: “What a mountain of texts!”

Templar Librarian: “If you intend to peruse the texts, please bring them to the Preservation Room. I will bring some hot tea. Please convey my greetings to the Grandmaster.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I will.”

Templar Librarian: “In that case…”

Creaking staircase.

Disciple Bard: “Wow, you’re pretty amazing.”

Elder Sister Maid: “What do you mean?”

Disciple Bard: “The Grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Lake is a pretty impressive person, right? To think that you managed to obtain a reference letter from her.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I knew her well. And even if the Female Paladin is an amazing person, that doesn’t make me amazing by extension.”

Disciple Bard: “That’s true.”

Elder Sister Maid: “How many do you think there are?”

Disciple Bard: “Two? Three hundred? There are lots of scrolls.”

Elder Sister Maid: “They sure look ancient.”

Disciple Bard: “My goal is to research the Holy Relic, but what about you? It’ll probably be more efficient if we tried to help each other out.”

Elder Sister Maid: “That’s true.”

Disciple Bard: “So what are you looking for?”

Rifling through texts.

Elder Sister Maid: “Umm, I’m not sure.”

Disciple Bard: “Eh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’m not sure how to say this, but probably the Genesis? I’m looking for extremely ancient texts. As you know, this place probably has the oldest texts, so that’s why I’m here… I’m not interested in the ancientness of the text but I’m trying to figure out a new start, so I want to know what things were like at the very beginning.”

Rifling through books.

Disciple Bard: “Hmm, there sure are many things.”

Elder Sister Maid: “They aren’t very well organised.”

Brushing off dust.

Disciple Bard: “What’s this? It’s much finer than vellum.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I wonder why?”

Dust butts.

Disciple Bard: “Well?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Hmm, the Holy Relic, and other things…”

Disciple Bard: “I’ve got some children’s stories and some wheat harvest statistics.”

Flips pages.

Elder Sister Maid: “How valuable.”

Disciple Bard: “Yeah. — Ahh, this is a compendium of hymns. It’s my first time seeing something like this, but… I don’t know the melodies.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Is it old?”

Disciple Bard: “What do you think?”

Elder Sister Maid: “This is really old too.”

Disciple Bard: “What?”

Elder Sister Maid: “It’s a very old legend. The Spirit… of the Earth?”

Disciple Bard: “Eh? Could I take a look?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah, sure.”

Passes book.

Disciple Bard: “…Hmm.”

The Poem of the Destroyed Vellum.

Once, there was a paradise awash with light.

This was the land that the Spirits had lost.

Five stars shone bright above this land: forest, water, earth, gold, and fire. They lived long lives of strife, their age seven to the power of seven to the power of seven again.

A girl was born amidst the flames. She was born with an invisible diadem shining brilliantly on her forehead. From a young age, her infinite charity shone towards every existence in this world.

A boy was born on the ground. The holy child of a woman from a different world and a different spirit. He would purge the world of the black evil it had become corrupted with.

As their fingertips made contact, curling and joining, the promise of their youth burned in their chests. Under the cover of large wings, hope and the now liberated name of sin merged with their spirits.

With the destruction of the World of Spirits, paradise was lost.

However, the charity of the young girl continued to shine upon the world. Under the feet of those who knew the name of sin.

Elder Sister Maid: “A story about Spirits…? This is my first time seeing one.”

Disciple Bard: “This is… five families?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Eh?”

Disciple Bard: “This is about the five families of Spirits. I’ve never seen anything this ancient.”

Elder Sister Maid: “What do you mean?”

Disciple Bard: “In the De… I mean, in my hometown. Umm. Everyone lives on the earth. How should I say this… Well, it’s a legend. They say we are descended from five families of Spirits that existed a very long time ago when the world was just beginning. For example, my family is said to have descended from the Spirits of the Forest. I’m not sure how true this is, though? There aren’t a lot of people who earnestly believe in this. But it seems there’s some truth in this.”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

Disciple Bard: “But, what is this doing here…”

Elder Sister Maid: “The Holy Church of Light…”

Disciple Bard: “Eh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “The Holy Church. Their Headquarters come under the protection of the Primarch, they say that there are even more ancient documents lying hidden in the underground vaults under the Grand Cathedral.”

Disciple Bard: “Eh? Eh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Shall we go there?”

Disciple Bard: “Do you mean you have a letter of referral for that place as well?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Nope.”

Disciple Bard: “Can we get in?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Not normally.”

Disciple Bard: “What should we do?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Either way, the Grand Cathedral is in the Holy Imperial City, at the heart of the Holy Empire. If you’re looking for rumours, or anything else really, that’s one place we should not avoid.”

Disciple Bard: “I see…”

Elder Sister Maid: “I was going to go alone anyway.”

Disciple Bard: “Well, I’ve already boarded this ship. Let’s go. Let’s go. I’m sure there’ll be more detailed documents regarding the Holy Relic. I’m really quite interested now.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Alright. Thank you.” Smiles.

- The Citadel of Fiends, the Orchard of Fruits

Cat-Eyed Courier: “Khan! Khan!”

The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “What is it?”

Cat-Eyed Courier: “The Pale are on the move!”

The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “!”

Cat-Eyed Courier: “Roughly twenty five thousand strong! Not the whole race but quite a few households have been mobilised for war. It’s not as fast as when they were going back but they’re proceeding at an alarming speed. The lands of the Demons of the Pale are still a mystery to us so we discovered them too late. By the time we noticed, they were already at the border.”

The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “Fine! Where are they going? The lands of the Banshees? The wilderness? The mountain ranges of the Dragons? Or could their aim possibly be the City of the Gate?!”

Cat-Eyed Courier: “None of them!”

The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “What!”

Cat-Eyed Courier: “The destination of the Demons of the Pale is Gate itself! In other words, the place we call the Portal!”

The Chieftain of the Tattooed: “…”

Cat-Eyed Courier: “The Human World!”

—— The Kingdom of White Night, the Palace of Frozen Chalk

The King of White Night: “Haaah?! Haaaa!”

Retinue: “Protect His Majesty the King!”

Human Soldier: “Aghhhh!”

Human Soldier: “Down with the Demons!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Hmph. What are you doing? Do you think you can protect your King by doing that?”

Magic swirling.

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Did that hit you?”

The King of White Night: “Ahhh! Ahhhhh!”

General of the Pale: “Hahaha. I am going to throttle you until you cry like a pig.”

The King of White Night: “Ahhhhhhh! My arm!”

Human Soldier: “Your Majesty!”

Human Soldier: “Damn you!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “…Curse of Bonds.”

Magic swirls.

Human Soldier: “…!”

Retinue: “…!”

General of the Pale: “How funny. These pathetic fools think they can stop me with just their hands? The insects. So that’s all that humans can amount to!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Hahahaha!”

The King of White Night: “S-stop. Just what do you damn Demons want!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Stop talking. It is an embarrassment to be spoken to by the likes of you.”

The King of White Night: “I am the King of this country… Agh!”

Human Soldier: “…!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Oh, and your hand? Won’t you have bad balance with just one hand? I see, so Humans can have things like Kings. That’s nice to know.”

Magic throbbing.

The King of White Night: “—!—! Aghhh!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Hahahaha! Now you’ve got double the weight on you! That’s a good expression, Your Majesty… Just like a worm.”

General of the Pale: “Ahahahaha!”

The King of White Night: “—!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “You seem to have turned quite pale. Shall we warm you up? Not to worry… Burning Phosphorus of Hell.”

The King of White Night: “—! Aghh! Agghhhhhhh!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Very good, Your Majesty. I like that dance you’ve got there. You look just like a jumping bean!”

Door opens.

Cavalryman of the Pale: “General! We have swept the city clean of any resistance!”

General of the Pale: “Continue to send out suppression forces throughout the city! Draft the humans for construction. After that, take them as slaves and take all their valuables. I will not tolerate resistance. It’s the death sentence for them all!”

Cavalryman of the Pale: “Yes!”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Hmm.”

General of the Pale: “What is it, Your Majesty?”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “How boring. Humans are so weak after all.”

General of the Pale: “Well, that’s because we carried out a surprise attack on the weakest part of the Human World.”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “Hmm. That’s true… This is the Human World. There’s game everywhere. First we’ll establish a foothold, and then who knows where that will lead us.”

General of the Pale: “Yes.”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “With whom were they collaborating again?”

General of the Pale: “The largest Tribe in the Surface World, the Holy Empire, and an organisation called the Church.”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “For now, send out a standard unit to ambush them. If we kill them, things should get really interesting.”

General of the Pale: “Yes.”

Sigiled King of the Pale: “The country next door is the Kingdom of Metal, right? We should secure that country and after that move on to attack the rest.”

General of the Pale: “A brilliant plan.”

- The Kingdom of Oak, the Farmlands along the Road

Disciple Bard: “…How tough.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah.”

Chirp! Chirp!

Disciple Bard: “So many crows. That’s…”

Elder Sister Maid: “A cremation.”

Disciple Bard: “Eh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “There isn’t an obituarian* standing around so it’s probably a serf… Only the family members are present.”

Disciple Bard: “Serf?”

Elder Sister Maid: “They’re peasants who live a life of agriculture, almost like slaves.”

Disciple Bard: “There are slaves in this world?!”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes… We saw a lot of people working in the villages and fields as we passed by, right? There are lesser settlements in the North so you may not have noticed.”

Disciple Bard: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Don’t get angry, Miss Bard.”

Disciple Bard: “Why…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Even if you get angry, you can’t save those people. We can’t make anybody happy.”

Disciple Bard: “But—”

Elder Sister Maid: “Don’t get angry.”

Disciple Bard: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “I was born to a family of serfs, I am a serf.”

Disciple Bard: “Eh?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I escaped with my sister, by luck… By some incredible miracle, we were found by our Mistress. We worked at the home of our Mistress, and she also taught us to read and do arithmetic. Our birth was truly sad. Neither our father nor our grandfather even had names. The names which we now have were given to us by our Mistress.”

Disciple Bard: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “I know that you are angry on my behalf and on the behalf of everyone else. Why don’t you stop being angry? I am happy that you are, not a lot of people know about us… that serfs are slaves, or how horrible this is. But I’ve been a slave since I was born. Many of us don’t know anything outside of it.”

Disciple Bard: “That can’t be…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Well, it’s the truth.”

Disciple Bard: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Don’t cry.”

Disciple Bard: “Yeah…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ms. Bard.”

Disciple Bard: “…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Let’s sing as we walk. Teach me a cool song.”

-

Explanation

Obituarian: In medieval times, they would stand at street corners and call out the names of the dead to give notice, as well as provide funeral services. More recently, the jobs have been divided, with obituaries appearing in newspapers, and morticians selling funeral services and caskets.

-

Disciple Bard: “…Why?”

Elder Sister Maid: “It’s quite special that I could travel with you. I thought I should at least learn one song. Moreover, those people have nothing to look forward to in their days. So don’t sing a sad song, sing something robust.”

Disciple Bard: “Yeah…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Rather than being angry, give them a song… as a present.”

Disciple Bard: “I understand. — This a song that the Fang… a war-like people from the wilderness, sing when they drink. They’re quite violent, but emotions can run high when this song is being sung.

Empty your glass, o men of the wilds.

Run through the crimson earth.

Now, my pride, my honour, under the blue sky, charge with your spear.

Spring has come, bringing its sweet fragrance.

The flowers are red, the leaves are green. The sky climbs high and pure.

You can rest when you’re in the palace in the sky. So, dry that cup of wine with almonds, for the girl with black hair that you love, with flowers sewn to her dress—”

Elder Sister Maid: “The flowers are red, the leaves are green—”

Disciple Bard: “Yeah.”

Elder Sister Maid: “What a splendid song. I love it very much. To think there could be something so beautiful on this earth.”

Disciple Bard: “This is the kind of song that can make a grown man cry when he’s drunk.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Hahahaha.”

Disciple Bard: “It’s spring.”

Elder Sister Maid: “This is a fairly poor area. Spring is usually the time for the wheat harvest but this year, even though the harvest hasn’t been bad, due to various reasons, the price of wheat has been dropping. At least now, because it’s spring, at the very worst, people can go into the forest to pick mushrooms, or wild herbs, cabbages, or ginseng, or even beans. However, because they cannot preserve the food, they may have to starve later. This can last until autumn but when the snow builds up, that’s when people start dying of hunger.”

Disciple Bard: “…That sounds tough.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah.”

Disciple Bard: “Why is it so tough?”

Elder Sister Maid: “…”

Disciple Bard: (Why do I feel such a tightness in my chest… Even though these people are humans… Even though they aren’t friends of us Demons…)

Elder Sister Maid: “We can already see the city gate.”

- The Kingdom of Oak, the City along the Road

Gatekeeper: “Don’t make any trouble.”

Disciple Bard: “Yes, of course.” Smiles.

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you.”

Walking on…

Elder Sister Maid shudders.

Disciple Bard: “What is it?”

Elder Sister Maid: “No, it’s at times like this that I feel you’ve been travelling for really long.”

Disciple Bard: “Ah, that. I don’t know very much about this place but bards like us travel a lot. If you don’t travel, you can’t really get inspiration. So I suppose I am used to it.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I see.”

Disciple Bard: “Shall we stay in the city tonight?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Umm. It’s still afternoon. I was thinking of making some money first, but…”

Disciple Bard: “What will you do?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I was thinking of being a scribe.”

Disciple Bard: “A scribe?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, writing on behalf of other people… There aren’t a lot of people who know how to write. Apart from writing words, I also help to conduct negotiations.”

Disciple Bard: “Negotiations?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yeah, a scribe usually writes letters or books but sometimes I also write things which ordinary people don’t deal with on a daily basis. For example, when people have requests they want to convey to the Lords, of course I help in drafting the official letters which they send, but apart from just the writing, sometimes they also bring me along for the official negotiations. Sometimes, I also have to read the replies of old women who have written letters to their sonsdispatched far away within the army. Sometimes, I also help in writing romantic love letters too.”

Disciple Bard: “Love letters! I think I should be rather good at those!”

Elder Sister Maid: “Then perhaps we can write those together.”

Disciple Bard: “Indeed! It seems to me that being a scribe needs quite a lot of different expertise, doesn’t it? You know quite a lot, then.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I suppose so. I realised that on my travels.”

Disciple Bard: “I see, it’s good that you can. So what will you do now?”

Elder Sister Maid: “I’m going to look for a church, and start from there… Ahh, there’s one. Looks like a good-sized church.”

Disciple Bard: “It’s not very big, though?”

Elder Sister Maid: “If it’s too big, then I would have to compete with all the other scribe in the city. I think that one is just the right size.”

Disciple Bard: “Hmm.”

Knock, knock.

Elder Sister Maid: “Excuse me, are you from the Church?”

Priest: “Yes, I am.”

Elder Sister Maid: “I am a travelling scholar. I would like to pray at the church and also make some money for my travels, I was hoping to be allowed to work here as a scribe at least for tonight. This is my companion, a travelling bard.”

The Disciple Bard bows.

Priest: “Two beautiful, young ladies. I understand. The home of the Spirit is open to you both.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you very much. This is just a little bit, but I hope it can help to express some of my gratitude.”

Coins jingle…

Priest: “Thank you. Much appreciated! There is an old but sturdy wooden table over there where you may do your work.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you.”

Priest: “Miss…”

Disciple Bard: “Yes?”

Priest: “I have never seen such a colour of hair before. May I inquire where…”

Elder Sister Maid: “She comes from a place very far to the Northeast. They’re a people who love to sing and dance in the forests… The Dryad people, if I’m not wrong?”

The Disciple Bard nods.

Priest: “I see…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Having come from very far away, we believers are like lost sheep. The charity of the Spirit is always shown to travellers like ourselves.”

Priest: “…Well, very good. Please work hard.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Thank you very much.”

Walks away.

Disciple Bard: “Hey, umm…”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes?”

Disciple Bard: “You were really smooth back there. Are you some kind of nobility?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ahh… One of my brothers was a real alcoholic. He taught this to me.”

Disciple Bard: “Brothers?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Yes, my Mistress kept a few apprentices in the manor and taught them different things. I came to know them as my brothers.”

Disciple Bard: “I see… That seems very familiar.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Does it?”

Disciple Bard: “And that thing about the Dryads just now…”

Elder Sister Maid: “In any case, we seem to have lied. I should really go and apologise to the Spirit later. But it seems they’re the kind of people who judge based on where you come from and not on who you are. Surely the Spirit will be understanding. Your hair is a splendid shade of autumn orange, it’s really long and gorgeous and very exotic looking. He must have been surprised by it, don’t worry too much.”

Disciple Bard: “Umm. Don’t tell me…”

Old Woman: “Can I get someone to write this for me?”

Elder Sister Maid: “Ah. A customer.”

Disciple Bard: “What should I do?”

Elder Sister Maid: “You could go get customers. You should play some quiet, relaxing music to calm everybody down.”

Disciple Bard: “Understood.”

Elder Sister Maid: “Let’s get to work!”

———— The Construction Works at the Portal

Disciple Engineer: “How is it?”

Fiend Builder: “No problems up to number six!”

Labourer: “Bridge number seven is slightly damaged.”

Giant Builder: “The stone bridge… has crumbled…”

Disciple Engineer: “Is anybody injured?”

Fiend Builder: “They’re resting at the dormitories but apart from a few knocks and some minor cuts, it seems everybody is fine.”

Labourer: “Thank the Spirit.”

Giant Builder: “Yeah…”

Disciple Engineer: “It’s great that we were informed quickly by the Fairies.”

Fiend Builder: “The bridges are fine but the venue is all messed up.”

Labourer: “This wasn’t designed for such a large army to pass through.”

Giant Builder: “We’re… still not… finished.”

Disciple Engineer: “Alright! Let’s pack up!”

Fiend Builder: “Eh?”

Labourer: “But the sun is still high up in the sky?!”

Disciple Engineer: “We’ll continue tomorrow. I’m sure this news must have reached the city by now. The Middle Aged Merchant should know about it. Let’s go have a meal. Don’t let our spirits be dampened!”

Fiend Builder: “Yes.”

Disciple Engineer: “Return to the dormitories. Let’s have dinner outside today. Make some potato soup and have a huge hotpot. Make sure to add lots of meat and vegetables. Today I’m buying three drinks for everybody!”

Labourer: “Ohh! How generous, my Lord!”

Giant Builder: “Got it… Thank you!”

Disciple Engineer: “Alright, leave everything you can’t carry by hand. I’m going to go see the injured people.”

Fiend Builder: “Understood!”

Labourer: “Let’s go!”

Giant Builder: “Then… I’ll carry the carriage.”

Walks off.

Disciple Engineer: (Alright… I can’t let them get disheartened, we’ve still got work to do. Take a break and everything will start again tomorrow. We’ve got to finish those stone bridges… but the Demons of the Pale are headed to the surface… Hey, Disciple Bard. What are you doing now? Are you alright? Don’t go crazy. I hope you find what you were looking for…)

- The Winter Palace, the Study

The Lone Winter King: “What?! In just one night…”

Seneschal: “That can’t be…”

Messenger: “My Lord, the City of White Night has fallen.”

The Lone Winter King: “I know it has. You may go.”

Messenger: “Yes!”

Runs off.

The Lone Winter King: “…”

Seneschal: “Your Majesty, I will make contact with the Kingdom of Metal and the Kingdom of Ice. We will defend the Tripartite Union.”

The Lone Winter King: “Too late.”

Seneschal: “Eh?”

The Lone Winter King: “Attendant! Get a fast horse!”

Attendant: “Yes!”

The Lone Winter King: “Send a messenger to the Village of Wintering! Tell the Scholar that the Kingdom of White Night has fallen to the Demons. She should understand, go now!”

The Lone Winter King: “Seneschal!”

Seneschal: “Yes!”

The Lone Winter King: “I will lead 150 cavalrymen. We will first go to the Palace of metal. The Headquarters of the Tripartite Union is moved to the Kingdom of Metal. Under these circumstances, if we don’t keep a sufficient distance between the frontline and the headquarters, we will certainly perish. We cannot afford to lose any time. Prepare to reinforce our allies, reorganise the city watch, reduce the guard to its minimum. I want a force of 1,500 infantry men prepared.”

Seneschal: “Yes!”

The Lone Winter King: “Once you’ve prepared the force, march them to the Kingdom of Metal. How long will that take?”

Seneschal: “We will be able to move in three days.”

The Lone Winter King: “Hurry it up. It’s still spring so keep the equipment light. Leave all supply* matters to the Disciple Merchant. Have the soldiers take the minimum amount of grain with them to the Kingdom of Metal. Make sure that you organise a few cavalry units as scouting units.”

Seneschal: “Understood!”

The Lone Winter King: “I will be heading to the Kingdom of Metal. Make sure we stay in contact!”

Seneschal: “Yes!”

Attendant: “Understood!”

The Lone Winter King: “Demons… Just what does this all mean.”

-

Explanation

Supply: In the military, this refers to the provision of food and ammunition to the frontlines. In order for these to be done, militaries must devote a significant amount of manpower to creating supply units.

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