“Honestly, what am I going to do about this situation…?”
As I offered a strained smile to the townsfolk who continued to call me the “Submerged Prince” as if nothing had happened, I was at a loss.
While I was happy to be welcomed, there were too many people for me to return to the mansion. Moreover, as time went on, I felt the distance between us and the townsfolk was shrinking. If all these people were to rush us, I couldn’t afford to just smile.
Just then, the crowd parted, and I saw knights emerging from the back. I thought I was saved, wondering if they were here to summon me to the castle by order of the King, but…
“We’ve found you, Princess!”
“…Ugh.”
Their target was Maki. Maki, the person in question, openly conveyed her dismay.
“We received a report from Mitsuki-sama. What were you thinking, sneaking out of the castle to defeat the Demon Lord?! The King is furious! Come, we’re leaving immediately!!”
“Eh, eh? So, Soma—!”
She pleaded for help with a pathetic look, but it was entirely her own fault. Even in the world of “Nekoneko,” which was generally laid-back and carefree, a princess going out without permission to defeat the Demon Lord was unprecedented.
“Go get properly scolded!”
“Soma, you traitor—!!”
I waved goodbye with a smile as Maki was dragged away. Then, from behind me, another insidious hand reached out…
“Yo, ‘Submerged Prince’!”
“Raiden! You’re back to normal!”
The one who called out to me was Raiden, who had apparently joined Alex’s party. He should have been under the “Demon King’s Blessing,” but it seemed to have been safely removed.
“Yeah. Thanks to you. I just got back, so I don’t quite realize it, but it looks like I owe them. Them too.”
Raiden said, scratching his head, gesturing towards Sahzan.
“I, I wasn’t indebted to them at all! Rather, with my great magic, I mowed down enemies left and right…”
“No, Sahzan was truly helpful. We were able to defeat the Demon Lord thanks to Sahzan’s magic.”
While it was frustrating to let Sahzan get too carried away, it was true that he was helpful.
“Yo-you…”
At my words, Sahzan’s eyes widened behind his mask as he looked at me. Feeling embarrassed by his gaze, I hastily added,
“W-well, you caused me a lot of trouble too.”
Raiden narrowed his eyes at our interaction and chuckled.
“Is that so? …It seems I really owe them quite a bit for everything.”
He grinned, grabbed Sahzan by the scruff of his neck, and pulled him along.
“I’m going to take this guy back for now, is that okay?”
“Yeah. …Ah, but, there’s still something I need him to do, so later.”
“Understood. We’re usually at a place called ‘Golden Idiot Pub.’ We’ll probably be in this town for a while, so come visit.”
“Don’t just decide about me while ignoring me!”
With him shouting amidst their bickering, Sahzan disappeared into the crowd with Raiden. Suddenly, only Ringo, Mitsuki, and Ena remained beside me. The onlookers were continuously increasing in number, making it impossible to even walk normally.
Some might say it’s a hero’s duty to deal with the masses, but for someone with my inherently solitary nature, it was a bit much. I didn’t want to be crushed by this many people, and if that happened, Ena might start saying things like “The city is scary…” and develop a trauma.
While forcing a smile at the townsfolk, I quietly asked Mitsuki.
“Hey. Why is everyone aware of us? Honestly, I can’t handle this many people.”
Mitsuki turned only her cat ears towards me and replied after a moment of thought.
“After my report, the King widely announced the fact that we defeated the Demon Lord. Given the topic, it likely spread throughout the town in no time.”
Even so, the rumors seemed to spread remarkably fast. It made me wonder if there was someone instigating it, but…
“Huh? Submerged Big Bro, what’s wrong~?”
…It’s probably not good to blame everything on Poison-tan. As I desperately tried to ignore both my internal fantasies and the voice speaking right in front of me, Mitsuki approached and whispered in my ear.
“What shall we do? It seems that not only you but also I have had our faces memorized.”
Mitsuki was famous to begin with, and I had become known by name and face when I was put on the wanted list by the Knights’ Order before. Conversely, Ringo, who had been kept out of the public eye as a bug character, or Ena, who wasn’t even one of the members who defeated the Demon Lord, could probably walk alone without issue…
“…Hm?”
“W-what is it?”
“…No, it’s impossible.”
Seeing Ringo with a blank expression and Ena already looking somewhat timid, I shook my head. Firstly, Ringo was one thing, but I was worried if Ena could reach the mansion alone. And it would be troublesome if she went alone again and pulled something strange. I turned back to Mitsuki.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll each take one person with us. Mitsuki, Ena…”
I started to say “take her with you,” but then I remembered what had just happened. If I entrusted Ena to Mitsuki here, it felt like Ena’s trauma would only increase. I rephrased.
“I’ll take Ena, can you handle Ringo?”
“Who do you think I am?”
When I asked, Mitsuki proudly perked up her cat ears.
“You’re right, that was a foolish question.”
There was no way Mitsuki couldn’t break free from this level of crowd. And Ringo, even if Mitsuki handled her a bit roughly, she probably wouldn’t be fazed. We had spent a long time together. I had that much trust in them. Satisfied on my own, I approached Ena and turned my back to her.
“There’s no time. Get on.”
“G-get on…?”
Ena looked hesitant, but I urged her on.
“Come on, quickly.”
“Y-yes!”
I felt Ena’s weight on my back. I was a little nervous about carrying a girl on my back, but Ena was just as I expected her to be—a safe and ordinary train ride. Feeling the smooth mithril armor on my back, I nodded to myself.
“A-aren’t I heavy?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Compared to Sahzan… Ah, maybe Sahzan was a little lighter.”
“It’s the difference in equipment!”
While exchanging such foolish banter, my mind was already planning our escape. Based on my experience with Sahzan, carrying someone on my back would slightly reduce my agility due to a slight weight penalty. It wasn’t a speed reduction that would make further adjustments impossible, but I didn’t want to use Skill Cancel in this state if I wanted to retain the feel of the almost-perfected triple-speed Skill Cancel. That meant our mobility would drop considerably…
(Well, I can manage.)
I quickly reached a conclusion and started moving. Running in the opposite direction of the crowd, I swiftly finished the incantation…
“High Jump!”
“E-ehk!”
With High Jump, I leaped into the air. Once I was higher than the rooftops…
“Guh!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
The Air Hammer I had booked was activated. It propelled my body forward, along with Ena on my back.
“Oof.”
With a solid thud, my feet landed on the rooftop. I had misjudged the timing of the Air Hammer slightly and jumped a little too high, but it seemed to have worked out somehow. The townsfolk looked up at us, who had suddenly appeared on the rooftop, in astonishment. Among them was a young girl who didn’t lose her relaxed smile, but I averted my gaze from her and called out to the remaining two.
“Alright Mitsuki! I’ll leave Ringo to you!”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
“…Soma too, be careful.”
Nodding at their words, I then spoke to Ena on my back.
“Alright, I’m going, don’t bite your tongue.”
“Huh? Aaahhh!!”
Feeling Ena’s hands tighten around my neck, I began to sprint at full speed on the rooftop.
“High Step!”
I ran across the rooftops, sometimes using Step, sometimes High Step, to leap across gaps between roofs, and when it wasn’t enough, I’d add an Air Hammer to traverse the air. I had the layout of the Capital City’s buildings memorized. I crossed the city, running over rooftops without any hesitation, moving from one to another. Ena, who had been crying out things like “I’m going to fall! fall! fall!” and “So fast! so fast… Hii!!” and “I’m going to die! I’m going to die! Let me down!!” initially, had completely adapted by the time we reached the city center. Whether due to nervousness or perhaps she was clinging to me tightly, the excess tension had left her, and instead of her face pressing into my shoulder, she let out sighs of “Hafu, hafuuu.” She had even closed her eyes, seeming quite relaxed. However, it was a shame to miss the wonderful scenery just because she was relaxed.
“Ena, can you see that?”
When I stopped and asked her, Ena slowly opened her eyes.
“W-what is it? I’m not scared of the Magic-Sealed Ship anymore… Ah, is this…?”
“Yeah. That’s the center of the Capital City.”
There, side by side, stood two colossal buildings. One was, as you know, the Royal Castle. The other was the center of religion in this country, the Great Cathedral. They were built at roughly the same size, with the Royal Castle to the south and the Cathedral to the north, as it was called. Checking the map, the Cathedral was technically in the very center of the city, but we wouldn’t quibble over such details. Regardless, there was no doubt that those two structures were the symbolic buildings of this city. Seeing such a sight, I was once again reminded that I had been thrown into a fantasy world.
“Ah, I saw that in a guidebook! It’s amazing, it’s really so big…!”
Ena exclaimed excitedly. Her statement was extremely naive, but it didn’t matter as long as we were just making noise on the rooftop. I decided to stop for a while and let Ena enjoy the view. We quietly gazed at the sky, colored by the setting sun, and the buildings below.
“That castle and that cathedral are certainly amazing… But Soma-san, you are amazing too. You somehow ended up with friends like Hisame-san and the Princess, defeated the Demon Lord, and are now admired by so many people…”
Ena said, lowering her head. I asked her,
“Ena, are you still planning to stay in the Capital City?”
“Yes. My mother’s illness has been cured, and I believe I’ve gained enough strength to manage here myself. Soma-san might tell me to return to Ramur, but…”
At her words, I pondered. Previously, I had abandoned Ena in Ramur because it was dangerous. I didn’t regret that choice. At that point in time, it was a reasonable decision. But now, there was no Demon Lord left in this world. It could be said that the greatest crisis in this world had been overcome. With the Demon Lord defeated, there were only one, or two, or three, or four… well, a handful of incidents left for me, a player, to resolve that would be problematic if left unattended. In that case…
“No, I welcome it. If Ena doesn’t mind, you’re welcome to live in that mansion.”
“R-really?”
“Of course, but on the condition that I’ll have you stay behind when we go somewhere dangerous after assessing your abilities.”
“Y-yes! Thank you!!”
Ena’s exaggerated joy threw me off balance. I ended up saying something I didn’t need to.
“I-I mean, I wouldn’t abandon someone I’ve already married…”
As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I had just decided not to bring up this topic until tomorrow night’s explanation, but I had already broken my own rule. I still hadn’t clearly explained why I proposed to Ena. I felt like cursing my own carelessness.
“Ah, ugh…”
Whether it was embarrassment, Ena’s face turned bright red, and she fell silent. The conversation had been going so smoothly, but I had messed it up. Why had I deliberately stepped on a visible landmine? As I fretted alone, Ena finally said in a voice barely audible, like a mosquito’s whine,
“Th-then, can I, stay at Soma-san’s house?”
“Ah, yes. Leave it to me!”
I deliberately answered in a loud voice, as if to shake off all sorts of things. Ena’s flushed face brightened. The mansion had plenty of rooms anyway. Ena was such a good child to be so happy about something like that, I thought, nodding to myself…
“Th-then… I may be clumsy, but please, take care of me forever!!”
…Huh? At her continued words, my movements stopped. I had only intended to agree to her lodging, but it felt like we had just entered into a different kind of contract…
“I, living with Soma-san, it feels like a dream! Ah, that’s right! There’s something I want to give Soma-san…”
I instinctively felt that continuing this conversation was not a good idea, so I started moving as if to distract from it.
“O-okay! Shall we head straight home then?”
“Eh? Eeh!? A-are we really going like this again?!”
At the same time, the subtle atmosphere from before vanished, and Ena cried out in a frightened voice. I thought to myself that it was cowardly, but I ran with it.
“It’s impossible. They’ve completely memorized my face if I get off here, they’ll surround me again.”
“Th-that’s, but, like, disguising yourself with magic or items…”
“Ah. There are items like that, but… it’s only effective on the person you touched…”
In this game, there was an item called “Transformation Glasses,” which had the effect of transforming into the person you touched at the time of use. There were probably some in stock at the item shop, and the ones obtained when I purchased the item shop would be in my bag. However, even that was more of a defective item. It only changed appearances, not body size, so transforming into someone of a different physique would result in oddities. At least in the game, using the Transformation Glasses didn’t lead to significant changes in events. Frankly, there were no events or AI compatible with the Transformation Glasses, so everyone reacted the same way as before the transformation. With NPCs now acting as normal humans, I couldn’t definitively say it wouldn’t work, but it would be disastrous if we were discovered and surrounded. Besides, the only person nearby who might be able to help me transform without suspicion is Ena next to me. It would be strange if two identical people walked side-by-side, and cross-dressing, even with magic, was not good for one’s mental health.
“Yeah, it’s really impossible. So, let’s hurry up and go.”
“E-err, if that’s the case, then… the, roof! If you keep moving so roughly, the roof will break! So, more smoothly…”
As Ena reluctantly resisted, I readjusted her on my back, took a light run-up towards the edge of the roof, and exclaimed,
“Too bad! Most of the Capital City’s roofs are made of magic metal, so they won’t break just by stepping on them!”
“Waaaaaah!! Stupid Capital City!!!”
We then raced across the sky of the Capital City.
“I-ouch…”
I landed in the mansion’s garden, clutching my cheek.
“A-are you alright? I-I’m sorry, it’s because I was thrashing around…”
Ena, who had dismounted from my back, immediately moved to the front of me, looking on the verge of tears.
“No, I was a bit carried away too, so it was an accident.”
My impression that Ena had gotten used to it midway must have been a delusion. When I resumed moving, Ena started screaming again, and when I used Shukuchi to traverse the rooftops somewhat roughly as a way to cover my embarrassment, Ena, who had reached her limit, thrashed about. This caused my skill to be interrupted, and we fell from the rooftop. Fortunately, I fell underneath, so Ena wasn’t injured, but I did sustain a small injury to my cheek, perhaps from snagging on something along the way. Even with my level approaching 200, I was surprised to be injured like this, but defense doesn’t affect fall damage. This was probably the reason.
“…I’m really, truly sorry.”
Ena bowed deeply once more.
“Ah, I said it’s okay. This can be fixed instantly with a potion.”
As I reached for a healing potion in my bag, Ena, for some reason, stopped me.
“Wait, please.”
“E-Ena?”
Looking into her eyes, I was surprised. Ena was looking at me with an intensity I had never seen before, a gaze filled with strong resolve.
“…Soma-san. If I were to say something like overthrowing this world’s common sense, something that seems utterly preposterous, would you believe me?”
At Ena’s words, I was speechless for a moment. But the answer was already decided.
“Of course… I would.”
I nodded deeply, just once. Ena, who had looked like she was about to cry with a tragic determination, relaxed slightly.
“After parting with Soma-san, I teamed up with a person named Tiel-san and explored various dungeons and fields. Our success was due to my high level and the torch you gave me. But that’s not all.”
At those words, I swallowed. What was Ena trying to say?
“Tiel-san and I discovered a secret that, if revealed, would shake the adventurers of this world, perhaps even change the world itself.”
This world is an unstable blend of game and reality. At the start of the game, right after I was transported to this world, the discrepancy with the game was minimized. However, the differences from the game, the discord with reality, gradually widened that gap. I wouldn’t be surprised by any bizarre results it produced.
“But, is it alright? Such an important matter to tell me…”
When I asked, Ena slowly shook her head.
“It’s because it’s Soma-san that I want to tell you. It’s also thanks to Soma-san that I was able to realize this. Tiel-san and I discussed it, and we concluded that we would have Soma-san decide what to do with this secret.”
As she spoke, Ena took something out of her bag. Her beloved weapon, a wakizashi. She then held the wakizashi she’d taken out, pointing it at me.
“Weapons are objects meant to harm something, and skills are techniques to injure an opponent. That’s the common sense of this world. But, what if there was an exception…?”
“N-no way…”
I couldn’t help but let out a word at the possibility, but Ena didn’t stop. Raising the wakizashi,
“—Please believe me.”
She swung it down in one go.
“Ah, ah…!!”
A red slash extended from the wakizashi and attacked me. However, it didn’t hurt me. Rather, the moment it passed through, the pain in my cheek dissipated…
“It hit me, but it doesn’t hurt, right? This skill, among the many weapon skills, is probably the only one that restores the vitality of the one it hits.”
“Eh, no, that…”
As I hesitated how to respond, Ena desperately pressed on.
“I understand. It’s hard to believe right away even after hearing such a story. But, but, I’m not lying!!”
To Ena, who questioned me with teary eyes, I could only reply,
“Um, sorry. …I already knew that.”
“Huh?”
“Katsujinken Assassin Rage.”
It was one of the most common, basic bug skills known to all “Nekoneko” players.
