“Anyway, excuse me for a moment.”
“Whoa!?”
“Huh!?”
I often hear that raising children is tough.
I also often hear that it’s good if the child doesn’t require much attention.
However, I also hear that the more foolish a child is, the cuter they are.
Therefore, if you ask me whether they become enemies in my eyes just because they attacked me, I would answer no.
So, to what category do these toddlers in front of me belong in my imagination?
It’s no use pondering for an answer to such a useless question.
The fact is, staying here any longer will definitely make me late.
I should change the venue and hurry to work to avoid being late.
The two girls who started arguing are still talking about their future plans…
“You should apologize~”
“B-but, they’re scary!”
I wonder where their courage to attack me went, and I also wonder if it’s scary to be scolded by teachers or parents.
I decided that continuing to engage in that exchange would be a waste of time.
I considered leaving them there and going to work alone, but it was obvious that it would cause trouble later.
Besides, our company doesn’t have a lost and found for children, so I picked them both up and took them with me.
As I passed by colleagues, I received warm glances asking what kind of trouble I had gotten into this time, and I arrived at the First Division.
“Good morning… Section Chief, is it again? Keiri-san will scold you.”
“Ah, sorry. It might be again. I’ll be using the conference room. Ask Keiri-san about the schedule. If anyone who needs me visits, just let them in.”
“Yes.”
“And could you make me some cocoa or something while you’re at it?”
“Understood.”
As I stepped onto the floor, I asked the nearby Harpy receptionist to make me some cocoa and then moved to the small conference room.
The fact that people say “again” makes me feel a little indignant, as if my actions are always attracting trouble.
However, I can’t deny it.
The truth is that the two beings flanking me right now confirm those words.
“All right, so? Why did you attack me? I’m afraid I don’t recall doing anything that would make children like you hold a grudge.”
I don’t think they introduced themselves as Saml and Yaml, but since they called each other that, it must be their names.
If so, I should know someone with such a name.
But, unfortunately, that person is not in my circle of acquaintances.
So the grudge angle is out.
In that case, it should be resolved through a relatively amicable discussion.
I seem to recall today is the day Kaido and Minami are supposed to come, so I’ll make a plan to pawn them off to those two as a last resort, but first, I need to ask what I need to ask.
Since there are two of them, I’ll ask the girl in white, who was called Saml, first.
She was the one who attacked me, and somehow, the girl called Yaml felt more like she was dragged into it, so it would probably be faster to ask her.
“Because I wanted to fight you!!”
Oh, I thought the grudge angle was out, but perhaps there’s a possibility I didn’t want to consider?
Are they like Instructor Kio with that appearance?
Their future looks rather uncertain with that line.
Battle junkies are only acceptable in two-dimensional worlds… Well, I suppose this company is like a materialized two-dimensional world in some ways.
“I see. Then, instead of such a surprise attack, wouldn’t it have been better to challenge me to a mock battle head-on?”
“Because it’s cooler that way!!”
“What do you mean, ‘cooler’?”
And their way of speaking is indeed childlike.
It’s not the way adults explain things, but rather words driven by childish emotions.
They don’t hide anything, but it seems difficult to get to the root cause by asking.
I can sort of agree that coolness doesn’t need a reason, but I’ll ignore that for now.
“You see, I thought that was the best way for me to make a cool entrance!!”
“By the way, why did you think that?”
“When I was waiting here, someone on the ‘television’ box said so!!”
This is it.
They are easily influenced, aren’t they?
Pure and innocent.
Straightforward, and therefore easily influenced.
However, thanks to that, a glimmer of hope for resolving the current situation has appeared.
“You said you were waiting, but don’t you need to go back there?”
“Ugh.”
The fact that there’s a waiting area means there must be a guardian or companion who came with them.
In that case, this child’s actions were completely unilateral.
No, even before that, it means there was someone who provided me with information.
They actually came to fight me.
And they knew I had fought the Hero possessed by a god.
It’s hard to imagine from the way they’re staring intently at the cup of cocoa, avoiding reality, but are they quite the information brokers?
Though I half-jokingly asked Keiri-san about a lost and found for children, I’m starting to think it might be better to make an announcement over the intercom to find their guardian, including confirming information.
Even though I was attacked, it was easily dealt with.
Since they clearly look like they’re from the Temple, I can’t just ignore them.
In that case, I should take the initiative.
“What do you think? Yaml?”
“What do you mean, what do I think? Even if you ask, the sister is definitely mad.”
“She is, isn’t she?”
However, I don’t think they will easily go back to their guardian.
In that case, it’s not a bad idea to have the guardian come to us.
I can’t keep these children with me indefinitely either.
So, as I was about to silently use telepathic communication to ask Keiri-san to connect me with the Temple official, a telepathic call came in.
“What is it, Evia?”
The sender was Evia.
I thought she had already left for work early in the morning, but it seems she hadn’t departed yet.
“It’s not ‘what is it.’ You’ve gotten mixed up in trouble again.”
And she sounded a little angry.
I didn’t do anything on my own initiative, and I thought I had handled it appropriately, but it seems my performance wasn’t up to par.
“I didn’t get involved with them.”
“I mean, don’t attract trouble.”
I think that’s an unreasonable request, but I can’t help but chuckle at Evia’s characteristic reasoning.
I glance at the two children in front of me. They are whispering to each other and don’t seem to be paying attention to me.
In that case, I should decide how to handle these two while I have the chance.
“So, what should I do? Evia, you contacted me, so I assume you have instructions?”
“Don’t you already know?”
I think “I don’t know,” but I don’t say it out loud.
Evia’s usual approach is to simply report if she needs confirmation.
However, the fact that she contacted me directly means she wants me to do something.
“The person next to me is being noisy. I’ve sent them over to quiet things down.”
“Sent them over? Who exactly?”
“Well, I suppose it’s about time you knew too.”
And knowing Evia, I’m sure more trouble is coming after this.
As if wishing me good luck, she ended the call, saying I should just discuss it with the person who arrives.
“Hm?”
And indeed, a few seconds later, I sense a presence rushing towards me at full speed.
“Ah!”
The girls also turned pale upon sensing the presence.
They started trembling uncontrollably, and I could tell that the person coming was the woman called Sister.
“You two!! What do you think you’re doing, acting on your own!!”
The door burst open with a loud bang, and a girl with short, golden hair, dressed in a white sister’s habit, appeared.
Another girl?
Does the Temple only have boys and girls? I wonder.
And the look in her eyes is terrible.
Is she really a clergywoman? If she changed her clothes, a spiked bat would suit her.
“I told you to be quiet!! I brought you here for my own future learning, and you’ve gone and caused trouble for others!! How do you intend to make amends for this?!”
Yeah, she really could wear a special attack uniform.
Ignoring my presence and that of Dan, the Sister placed her legs on the desk, glared down at Saml and Yaml, who were now like frogs staring at a snake.
They clasped each other’s hands, on the verge of tears, trembling uncontrollably.
It is good to reprimand and correct wrongdoings, but I wish it could be done away from prying eyes.
“Excuse me, can I have a moment?”
“Huh? Ah, um, well, ah, I seem to have lost my composure slightly. Oh, my.”
However, I can’t just stand by and watch forever.
Mustering my courage, I spoke to her. As expected, she glared at me, but she seemed not to have noticed my presence until then. She then put on a hasty act, as if finally recognizing me.
“Um, please forget what just happened. I was just worried about these children, so I got a little carried away. Yes, please keep this confidential, yes, confidential.”
She probably said it twice because it was important.
Well, it’s easy for anyone to put on an act.
I have no intention of dwelling on it.
So, please don’t rely on physical means to silence me.
It’s obvious you’re aiming at the side of my head with killing intent.
“Well, I don’t mind that, but I do need an explanation as to why I was attacked, so I would appreciate it if you would clarify that.”
So, while maintaining my defensive posture, I finally have someone who can explain properly.
Seizing this opportunity, I request an explanation.
Smiling professionally, I ask questions in a business-like tone.
“According to what the children told me, it was because they wanted to fight me, but that’s all I could get as an overview.”
“Oh, dear. Is that so? These children.”
The Sister, seemingly convinced by my explanation, glared at the two again, causing them to shrink back. Then, she straightened her posture and slowly bowed her head.
“Please forgive my late apology. I will speak to them sternly later. Yes, I will discipline them properly, so please grant us your forgiveness. I am nothing but grateful to Jiro-sama for engaging in a battle with these children without causing them any injury.”
I wonder if she knows my name, and then I thought, of course.
I’m not being arrogant about becoming famous.
I suspect that the Sister is not the source of information for the two cowering children.
“Did I introduce myself?”
“I have heard of you. You are the human who repelled the Hero sent by the Sun God. As a fellow ‘human,’ I am proud of you.”
“…I see.”
And then, I realized something here.
All three of them are human.
Although their hair color and other aspects differ, when it comes to species, they are human.
Not Dark Elves, demons, or Beastkin.
They are genuine humans.
I spoke to them quite casually, but on that continent where humans often hold grudges against each other, they are rather rare beings.
“However, knowing and introducing oneself are different. So once again, I am Jiro Tanaka, a Dungeon Tester at this company.”
I introduced myself, while hiding my surprise that she belonged to a temple that enshrines the god most worshipped by the Demon Lord’s Army.
“Thank you for your polite introduction. I am Sanary. I have no family name. I am a Sister serving Luina. Come, you two, introduce yourselves.”
“I am Samluriara!”
“I’m Yamlmia!”
I thought it was quite a roundabout self-introduction, but this finally led to us recognizing each other.
“So, to ask again, why did you want to fight me? If I may say so, I believe there are others in the Demon Lord’s Army who are stronger than me.”
Thinking that we can finally move forward with the conversation, I asked.
I was the one attacked.
I want to know the reason in as much detail as possible.
Because something like this might happen again in the future.
I want to take countermeasures if I can.
“Yes, that’s right. But, for a truly regrettable reason, I apologize, but I believe it’s just like this child explained – they simply wanted to fight for no particular reason.”
“For no particular reason?”
“Yes, when I explained your exploits to her, she became interested in how strong you are. She’s done this a few times in the past… She even challenged the Oni King once.”
“…How should I put this? You have my sympathies. I’m glad you’re unharmed.”
“Thank you for your concern. I truly was prepared to give my life that time.”
However, even that seems difficult.
It appears this child is the type to act on instinct, and with such individuals, the situation can change depending on their mood.
Therefore, there’s nothing I can do to prepare.
I feel sorry for the Sister who has been entrusted with supervising this child.
“By the way, this is just a curious question, but how am I perceived out there?”
So, to change the atmosphere a bit, I decided to ask about the rumors surrounding me.
It was a question out of curiosity.
Yes, purely out of curiosity.
“One of the rumors is that you cut down the Hero’s Holy Sword, and not content with that, you severed their limbs, crushed their head, and still not satisfied, you stomped on the dying Hero and let out a triumphant laugh.”
“That’s a lie, except for a part of it.”
However, the rumors had become much worse than I thought.
What a terrible defamation.
A word for today:
The telephone game is a test of memory, but rumors are told in an amusing way.
Thank you for your usual feedback and for pointing out typos.
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*The first volume of the novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and supplemented from the version posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters.
We hope you will also consider purchasing the new releases!
Thank you for your continued support of this work.
