Chapter 164 – Back to the Capital
Next day.
As it was the last day in my hometown, I went around the outside even more diligently.
It was because there were still a lot of people I couldn’t meet because of the short schedule of 3 nights and 4 days.
I knew that if I searched for it on my own, it wouldn’t end in time, so I called guys of a similar age to me to Timine’s Bar and gave them a big treat.
Certainly, there was no easier way to call people out than a free meal.
Of course, among them was Helen, whom I had met yesterday.
Thud!
“Waaaaa! It’s amazing! Kaldrash!”
“Brother! Cool!”
As I held onto the table, showing off the skill of making bombangju that I had learned in my previous life after a long time, Helen, who was standing in a corner, waved at me with an uneasy expression.
“Drink! Drink!”
I gestured casually and offered drinks to the guys around me, and I approached Helen, wondering what was going on.
Then Helen asked me with a serious expression, even though it was her drinking party.
“Is the story you heard yesterday true?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“That you are the guardian dog of that demon lord, Patrasche.”
“Ah~ that’s it?”
I waved my hand as if it didn’t matter.
“Of course it’s a lie.”
As I said that, I showed the business card I took out of my wallet.
“I’m a wizard who’s popular in the capital. We’ve met once in relation to work. That’s what I was talking about. Those who originally parasitize on power are weak against greater power.”
“…Yes?”
Only then did Helen’s hard expression lighten slightly.
Apparently, he was quite worried about what I said yesterday.
She and I are obviously childhood friends, but the reason her husband died was because she was forcibly conscripted to fight against the demons.
It was no different from the culprit that her life started to get twisted, so I couldn’t help it even if I thought badly about her demons.
Hearing my answer, Helen ran her palm over her face and said,
“I’m sorry. I must have been too sensitive. I was trying to help you.”
“No, that could be enough. I heard her husband died in the man-horse war.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
I shook hands with Helen, who smiled awkwardly.
It’s uncomfortable to lie unintentionally, but there are some truths in the world that are better off not knowing.
“Come to think of it, I can’t see the wives.”
“Ah, I didn’t call on purpose. Everyone was going to ask a lot of questions.”
“I thought about it. The other guys were secretly waiting for it anyway.”
Helen said it like her joke and she tapped me on the shoulder, she hesitated a little, then she asked.
“The day you left town, what would have happened if I had caught you?”
I know it’s a meaningless story, but I got along with it.
“I see. Didn’t I marry you and inherit your father’s shop?”
“Huh, because you’re a bit smarter.”
“It’s not like me, but it’s really good. The merchant industry has lost valuable talent.”
When I said it like a joke, Helen nodded her head in agreement.
“Really, I think so.”
“We can’t help what has already happened. So, shake off the wounds of the past. For yourself and for the sake of your children who will grow up in the future.”
Then Helen, who heard me, looked at me with a bitter smile on her lips.
“I’ve changed like this, but Carl, you haven’t changed at all.”
I shrugged.
“It’s not like that at all? Maybe what you don’t know about has changed tremendously. Humans are just like that.”
People always change.
Whether it is an external factor or an internal factor, there is no one person who is consistently the same from beginning to end.
Just as the hero who initially went out to subdue the demon king with a pure heart was corrupted by lust, life is that a novice who left the village to become a big person in the past is now a pawn of the demon king’s army.
I said while holding the beer mug Timmy gave me at the counter.
“Cheers to the bright future ahead.”
Then Helen slammed her own glass into her face, which reminded her of the freshness of her old days.
Now that she’s gained weight, she’s become a complete neighborhood aunt, but this guy’s smile is still pretty.
***
After lunch with my peers in the village, I decided to return to the capital with my wives waiting at home.
Hee hee!
“Yes, yes.”
I stroked the golden-furred horse that clung to it in a friendly way.
This is Gold Roger, the son of Gold Run, the horse I rode before. He resembled my father, and was big and strong, so he was well suited to pulling a carriage.
“Go up carefully. Kaldrash.”
“Yes. I’ll call you when I get to the capital.”
I have no particular complaints about this world, but if there is one thing that bothers me, it is the lack of a phone.
If you want to contact people who are far away from each other, unless you are a wizard, there was no way other than letters.
‘Old reincarnated guy, don’t make useless things, lay down some phone infrastructure.’
In case someone wasn’t from Japan, the country of otaku, he made a bunch of maniacs like hypnotic magic in a Japanese sword and died.
Although he complained in frustration, he already knew that with the current level of magic engineering, it would be a long way from making a phone that is at a level similar to that of modern times.
I don’t know what would happen if it was an Elf with extremely developed magic, or a Dwarf kingdom with extremely developed science.
“Father, I owe you a lot.”
“I’ll come back next time.”
“That…It was fine.”
These were the words of Vanessa, Ozma, and Dorothea in turn.
Surprisingly, Dorothea said good-bye in an ordinary way.
That guy knew how to respect adults.
“No, I’m not the only one attacking adults?!”
Relieved by Dorothea’s sulking and angry appearance, I looked at her stepmother one last time.
“I…”
Then her stepmother was startled and straightened her back.
“Yes. Please tell me.”
I said scratching my cheek.
“It’s nothing special, I’m asking you to take good care of your father. He looks very stiff on the outside, but he’s a delicate man when you get to know him.”
Then her step-mom gave her a laugh and nodded her head.
“I already know.”
“Then, you can leave it with peace of mind.”
After saying that and smiling, I got on the carriage first.
Then, one by one, the others took their seats in the empty seats in the carriage.
The only driver seat is Vanessa, as always.
Rattle!
Soon after, the carriage slowly began to roll.
Waiting for the right timing, I threw my upper body out the window and shouted abruptly.
“Dad! I know it’s good to have a new wife, but do it in moderation! Your bones are raw!”
Then his father ran to him, his face red.
“Everyone in town listens! You crazy bastard!”
Fearing that my father would hit me, I hurried back into the carriage and knocked on the wall.
“Vanessa! Let’s go full speed to the capital!”
***
Smart!
“Demon King, the invited guest has arrived.”
“Come in.”
Awesome!
When Seneca, the butler with permission from the demon king, opened the door to the office, a blue-haired woman wearing an eastern continental long robe strode into the room.
“It’s been a while. Demon Lord.”
“Yes, did you solve the problem you went to. Gabriel.”
“Of course. What do you see me as?”
A woman with sparse blue hair, yellow eyes unique to reptiles, and shark-like teeth, the Demonic Dragon General Gabriel smiled as she answered.
“Dwarves have been good friends of dragons since ancient times. Even more so, I, the Dragon Lord, went to visit them, so I had to raise my hands and run out.”
Demon King Nero heard that and said as if he was dumbfounded.
“I don’t know when dragons and dwarves started being friends.”
“Gyahahaha, put those little things aside.”
Her words, which would have shed tears of blood had they heard the dwarves who had stolen her jewels from her, Gabriel changed her subject.
“What did you call me for?”
Then, the demon king Nero laughed and took out a letter he had put on the desk in her office.
“I want you to pass this on.”
“…You want me to be a mail carrier?”
When Gabriel narrowed his brows in displeasure, Demon King Nero nodded his head and confidently explained.
“Gabriel, who boasts the fastest speed in the Demon King Army, it’s something that can’t be done without you. And you can’t just rot away precious power forever.”
Hearing his words, Gabriel tilted his head.
“Precious power?”
“You’re talking about Lord Patrasche.”
The moment he heard that, Gabriel’s face, which had been filled with dissatisfaction just before, suddenly straightened.
“Patrasch!”
Demon King Nero explained this mission with a wry smile at her rapidly changing mood.
“Originally, I was going to leave it there until Oz is completely stable, but this time, intelligence came in that the elves of the Great Forest had begun to move in earnest. I want you to come here with Sir Patrasche as soon as possible.”
Hearing the demon king’s request, Gabriel nodded his head excitedly like a puppy on a snowy day.
“If it’s a request like that, of course I should do it! I’m not going to stay like this, I’ll go right now!”
“Ah, Sir Patrasche is on vacation…”
Bang!
Demon King Nero, who had been staring vaguely at the back of Gabriel, who had run away before he knew it, sat down at her desk again and began to savor the scent of black tea with dignity.
‘Have a hard time. Kaldrash.’
