The post-processing of this incident was completed much faster than I had imagined, to an almost astonishingly swift degree, thanks to the support from headquarters and the Demon Lord’s Army’s central command.
Thanks to that, the Tester project was able to resume without issue.
Although there were voices of concern from the Testers when it resumed, they are accustomed to switching their mindset to overcome any danger. I simply explained that disturbances are commonplace in this world, and they understood the difference in public safety between Japan and this side. They were motivated by the thought that they couldn’t progress if they gave up for something like this, and they challenged the Spirit Forest once more.
There were troubles, but their figures challenging the Spirit Forest again in search of new encounters—whether they’ve become thicker-skinned or tougher—will likely be a point of evaluation.
Watching their retreating figures, I had been thinking the same thing ever since that day.
It wasn’t whether this project would end safely, but about the words Muil-san had said that day.
Muil-san’s words indicated that this commotion was not yet over.
Though it bothered me, dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything.
Work doesn’t progress if you get stuck in worries.
With the post-processing going smoothly and the project restarted, I shouldn’t have been worrying this much.
After all, I had achieved my objective for this project.
“The outside world is boring.”
“To say that while draining my magic power like that.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s common sense for us to use the contractor’s magic power when manifesting.”
Having achieved my objective, I was basically on standby in a place with a good view, ready to quickly support the Testers if anything happened.
As if my worries were trivial, the Spirit Forest, illuminated faintly by the full moon, presented a fantastical spectacle.
“Oh, this is Valse, the Spirit of Time and Space. What a powerful spirit.”
“My, my, don’t stare so much? It makes me shy.”
“Hahaha! And even more approachable! My son-in-law, you’ve contracted with a good spirit!!”
And I wasn’t the only one here.
One was Muil-san, who remained youthful and didn’t look like an old man despite being elderly today.
The other was Valse-san, a spirit with an unparalleled, powerful ability despite an otherwise ordinary appearance that could be mistaken for a neighborhood auntie sipping tea while floating in the air without a snake.
Muil-san, the guide, was continuing to assist me, and during that time, he expressed a desire to meet Valse-san, so I had summoned her.
I performed the summoning procedure etched in my mind and successfully manifested her.
At first, Muil-san knelt and bowed his head, intending to treat her with great respect. However, Valse-san, who manifested with a teacup in hand, said that minimal courtesy was sufficient, and now they interact with a sense of distance akin to tea-drinking companions.
Even though my magic power was being continuously drained in this space, I was refining my magic power as training and supplying it.
And then.
“Hey, Masaru~ Isn’t this meat pretty much done?”
“Wait a little longer, it’s still undercooked. Eat the onion I grilled first.”
“Here, here, this way~”
“Let’s go! I’m gonna get some!”
“Amī, are you alright?”
“Hahaha, I think I danced a little too much and got sore muscles.”
Behind me, those heartless individuals I’d left my surveillance duties to my senpai were having a BBQ.
“The children behind us are quite individualistic, aren’t they?”
“Indeed. It’s lively around my son-in-law.”
“From what I hear, it’s all very positive feedback, but for someone who knows the facts, I can’t honestly rejoice.”
As I turned and looked at the scene behind me, the two next to me offered positive evaluations, but I couldn’t help but give a wry smile at their assessment, seeing the faces of those who were merrily enjoying themselves as if on a sightseeing trip.
Katsu, who had already taken his usual spot in front of the griddle, accurately gauged the cooking of the meat and vegetables and plated them. He was truly a barbecue master.
Occasionally, he would bring a plate of fruit he had plated to his forehead and place it near the mouth of Aoi, a blue frog-like spirit, who would then extend its long tongue to eat it. Minami, holding a plate as if about to devour the griddle in front of her, waited impatiently for the meat to cook. Her face was slack, as if about to drool, and she reached for a piece of meat, only to have her hand slapped. Instead, she grudgingly ate the onion on her plate. Yura, a cloud-like spirit, floated leisurely above, as if inhaling the barbecue smoke.
A little distance away, on a bench that had been set up, Kitamiya was trying to engage Snow, a white cat lying on the table, with a cat teaser. However, the white kitten, a snow spirit, was merely batting away the teaser with its front paws, making it unclear who was playing with whom. But perhaps Kitamiya was satisfied with this, as his expression, usually reserved, had softened to an extent that suggested he found even her indifferent attitude endearing.
Kaido, covered in wounds all over his body, sat obediently at her feet. He showed a wooden branch decorated with red flames flickering behind him to a spirit resembling a Shiba Inu, instructing it to retrieve it. Just two or three days prior, Kaido had suffered so many bites to his head, hands, and feet that it seemed there were no unbitten areas. However, he had ultimately won through perseverance and established a master-subordinate relationship. The tossed branch, a form of communication between master and subordinate, was caught in mid-air. But the moment Hayate, the fire spirit, caught it in its mouth, it burst into flames. Panicked, it brought the burning branch back to its master, but it was charred to charcoal. Kaido then petted the dejected spirit, which had drooped its ears, to comfort it.
And finally, Amelia, the energetic one, was lying on her back on a bench separate from Kitamiya’s, healing her body. She wasn’t injured or sick. In her excitement from forming a contract with a spirit, she had danced non-stop for three days straight, playing with her contracted spirit, Win, a small animal with light green fur that was a cross between a squirrel and a cat. As a result, her entire body was sore from muscle pain, leaving her unable to move. Her contracted spirit, however, seemed tougher than Amelia and was still energetically flying around her.
Seeing such a peaceful scene, I let out a wry smile and turned my gaze back. Normally, I would join them, but I wasn’t in the mood.
“… ”
“Son-in-law.”
It felt like I was running away from my work, but for now, I wanted to use that as an excuse, masking my lack of desire to play and dedicating myself to my duties.
“? What is it?”
Muil-san called out to me quietly and gently.
“Are you still thinking about what I said the other day?”
“… It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t.”
I offered a wry smile to my step-grandfather, who had hit the nail on the head, and confessed my current feelings without trying to hide them. I heard from Keiri-san that the man in question had been safely escorted to headquarters. From there, a specialized team prepared by the supervisor wouldhandle it. I heard they would start with thorough treatment and equipment investigation, but I wonder how much information they will be able to obtain. In the process, the magic sword incident in the dungeon will likely come to an end. However, it won’t lead to a fundamental solution. I hadn’t expected everything to be resolved by this incident in the first place, and I hadn’t planned for it.
…
The problem hasn’t been solved, but it has improved. However, with a lingering nebulous feeling in my heart, I can’t say it was for the best. I know I’m not omnipotent, nor am I a genius. Still, I feel there were points in this project where I could have done better, and seeing the appearance of that man who was relieved in a frantic manner made me feel that way. He was probably a fellow Tester, a Japanese person who was about to be forgotten due to the magic sword. I understand that this feeling comes from arrogant pity. This might be hypocrisy.
… Hmm?
However, I feel like something is fundamentally different. As I was overwhelmed by emotions I couldn’t pinpoint, I felt a sensation from my brow, pulling me away from my thoughts.
“You have wrinkles on your brow~ Can’t you relax your shoulders a little, my contractor? Here, I made you some tea, so drink up.”
As if wanting to erase the unpleasant sight and delving too deeply into hypotheticals, my forehead was gently, yet firmly, pressed. The person responsible for this offered me a teacup with the attitude of an aunt taking care of a relative’s child to solve their worries. It was the same tea that was served when I made my contract. The sweet aroma was somehow comforting, and as I gently sipped the tea, a sense of余裕was born, making me feel foolish for overthinking.
“Ho ho ho, my son-in-law tends to overthink things, doesn’t he?”
“Perhaps so. I understand I don’t need to bear everything, but I end up doing so.”
“And that’s alright, isn’t it? Because you’re human.”
Even though my reason knew it wasn’t my responsibility, a part of my heart felt guilty. Was I regretting that?
“Valse-san.”
“Worry about it. That’s the duty of humans, those who live finite lives, isn’t it? It’s alright to stop, and it’s alright if you can think of walking again.”
The fact that my forehead was pressed again probably meant my brow was furrowed again. Or perhaps, as the words suggested, it meant I should ponder and digest it properly. The two elders, speaking gently and as if breaking it down, explained the current situation slowly, as if I hadn’t spoken anything at all, and my mind and heart began to sort themselves out.
“Sorry, you helped me.”
In the most peaceful atmosphere I’d experienced recently, I quietly expressed my gratitude.
“It’s nothing, I just had some tea with you.”
“Yes, I was just passing the time on a boring afternoon.”
While acknowledging my feelings, they said they were just taking care of me. With this feeling, I thought I might be able to look at myself from a different perspective. Nodding slowly to the two, I closed my eyes, and I could still clearly recall that moment. But this time, I could see that scene from a step back.
“It’s off, it’s off, it’s off!”
That man’s expression, a mixture of joy and relief, was a chaotic disturbance of emotions. Every time I recalled that face, I felt guilty. But as I calmly re-examined my emotions, I understood what I felt besides guilt. It was irritation.
“… Kuta.”
“Oh.”
“Ho.”
A smile curved my lips, though to the people next to me, it seemed to urge me forward as if to push me along.
“I see, so I was irritated.”
That man was a vanguard sent to disrupt our workplace. Whatever his intentions, there was someone who elevated that man as our enemy. Ah, that means.
“Ah, that’s right, I can’t allow this kind of method to be recognized.”
“It seems my son-in-law has broken through.”
“He seems to have. I think that’s more manly, and I like it.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“It’s no problem for this old man if it’s resolved within you.”
“Yes, the other children might be a little more troublesome.”
It was equivalent to my territory being stomped all over. Furthermore, the opponent had quite the taste, as they didn’t get their own hands dirty, but instead procured those who would dirty their hands from among us. Ah, I see, I see. So that’s how it is. I remember this feeling. It’s the same as when the supervisor evoked my deepest emotions. This feeling is anger. In Japan, among the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, it is the most shunned and the most familiar emotion. I had mistakenly thought the nebulous feeling came from guilt, from thinking I could have done better and had failed, but it seems to be different.
I glanced back again at my companions, who were enjoying themselves peacefully. Seeing that scene confirmed this emotion.
“It feels good to know what needs to be done.”
Indeed, as I declared this, they smiled, as only those who have lived long can, telling me to do my best.
“Yes, I’ll make sure the one who caused this incident this time regrets giving me a challenge.”
Ah, it’s a simple answer. If only the one who had that crazed smile had been one of my companions. And then, chastising my immaturity for being relieved that the victim wasn’t a companion, the anxiety about future challenges, and the anger that arises when one’s place is defiled—all these emotions mixed together and were spinning in vain. I now understood. And my inner haze, with its direction set, cleared. Ah, whoever you are, if the day comes when I settle the score.
“I won’t show any mercy.”
Today’s word:
To say it was good because nothing happened is merely hindsight.
This story has become considerably longer than I had anticipated, so I’d like to take a break here and conclude this chapter. Accordingly, I have slightly changed the title of this chapter. The new chapter will begin next time. I ask for your continued support in this work.
*The serialization of the first volume has been decided, and it will be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
The release date is scheduled for October 18, 2018.
The content includes revisions and additions to the material posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, with an additional unpublished interlude.
I ask for your continued support for the book as well.
