Chapter 23: A Talk with a Hero

Author: Kurohitsuji
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2086fk/24/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

At the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Kuku… yo, ‘Night-Sakura Fantasy.'”
“I’ll kill you.”

The Second Glad Subjugation War, now open.
Liza, don’t stop me, I’ll put a round through that half-laughing old man.

“Don’t get so mad. I warned you.”
“Guh. But I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t think.”

I just took a request. How did it actually come to this.

“I mean, normally you’d take it as an honor.”
“A town girl doesn’t need an epithet.”

I mean, what even is a town girl with an epithet.
I genuinely don’t get it.

“If you stopped calling yourself a town girl, that’d solve it, wouldn’t it?”
“This is a point I can’t give up.”
“That so. Well, I don’t care either way, but ‘Night-Sakura Fantasy’ has a visitor.”
“What now… what kind of mess?”
“That. That.”

He points behind me; I look back.
Toward the back, an androgynous black-haired beauty in an oversized white coat is waving happily.
Ahaha. Black hair. I’ve been seeing a lot of that lately.

“…Hey, that black hair, which Hero is that?”
“Ryugeji Makoto. Came to see you, apparently.”
“Eh. No way, that pretty one?”

I look again; this time they’re waving both hands like mad. Cute.
That’s not the point.
I’d been imagining more of a Glad type.
I didn’t think someone that cute would show up.

“Heeey. How long are you going to leave me?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll be right there.”

They’re pouting. Cute.
I wonder. Are Heroes all beautiful.
Everyone I’ve met so far is beautiful.
They’re excellent as things to look at, but the trouble is they become a pain the moment you get involved.

“Sorry to keep you. I’m Ouka. Are you Ryugeji Makoto?”
“Yep. You’re Kaede’s new victim?”
“…Eeh, well, yes.”

Victim. Yeah, I am a victim, aren’t I.
I mean, even their companions think so.

“If it weren’t for that, she’d be a good kid, though.”
“I’ve never met her, but… I sort of get it.”

Heroes seem like they have a lot of strong quirks.

“So, you had something you wanted to ask?”
“Yes. About the ring, and the handguns.”
“Hnn… about that. It’ll take a while, so shall we talk in back. Glad, the back free?”
“Ah, use it as you like.”
“They said. Shall we.”

They take my hand and trot off.
I follow, led by the hand.
How old is this person, by the way.
They look younger than me, even.

○○○○○○○○

And so. Hero-sama, on the sofa.
The moment we reach the reception room, they flop onto the sofa and roll.
On their back, stretching.
This person is like a cat.

“So. The ring and the handguns, right?”
“Yes. I heard from Glad that you were the one who sent them.”

Straight to the point. Fast, which helps, but sudden again.

“Well, I was only asked by Arei, so I don’t know the detailed circumstances.
Just, as for that ring-type interface machine and the handgun-type devices, the owner is you.”

The Hero tells me in an easy tone.
Again, they don’t seem to know the details.

“Uh. Then, as far as you know is fine, please tell me.”
“Even if you say that. What I know is that the former knight-captain apparently brought you, and that they apparently brought the ring and the handguns with them at the time. About that much.”
“The former knight-captain.”

The war with the demonfolk that ended three years ago through the Ten Heroes’ deeds.
The former knight-captain should have been someone who died in that war.

I see, I thought.
I’d assumed Ryugeji Makoto was the previous Master, but that former knight-captain is probably Ring’s previous Master.
If so, I can understand why Ring’s search came back location unknown.

And in the end, the letter’s intent is still unknown.
What is my fate.

“From my side, see, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Eh, what is it?”
“I heard from Tsukasa. Installing optimal combat records, was it.”
“Yes. That’s what I heard from Ring… the ring. That I can fight because of that.”
“What I find strange is that nobody questions it.”

The Hero grins.

“Just loading combat records doesn’t mean you can copy the actions, right?”

That’s what they declared.

“…Eh?”
“For example. If you loaded records of Tsukasa’s combat, could you punch the ground and split it?”
“…No, I don’t think I could.”
“Right. To reproduce it you’d need enough physical performance—muscle, stamina, that sort of thing.”
“That’s…”

That’s right. Even if you know how to cook, that doesn’t give you the muscle to swing a heavy pot.
Even if you understand how to move the body, the body shouldn’t keep up.
Kicking a person and leaping, somersaulting, running low to the ground—you shouldn’t be able to.

Why can I reproduce combat action.

“Ah. You hadn’t noticed yourself, maybe.”
“…Yes. I realized it for the first time just now.”
“Well, in you it’s something that’s obvious you can do, so you wouldn’t normally think about it, would you?”

Ryugeji Makoto laughs, ke-ke-ke.
It isn’t that much of a laughing matter.
In the end this just made me understand even less.
Black hair, black eyes, too much mana, and no control to go with it.
On top of that, unnaturally high physical ability.

What am I.

“Well, it’s that, right. If you want the details, you find Arei.”
“Katsuragi Arei?”

One of the Ten Heroes. Katsuragi Arei of “Gale Lightning.”
He isn’t drawn much in the picture books so I don’t know him well, but that’s the weakest Hero, the one with that insane aerial mobility.

“That’s the one. He’s the one who asked me to send the letter, and the one who had dealings with the former knight-captain.
If anyone knows something, it’d only be Arei, I think.”

I see. So if I catch Katsuragi Arei, this time I’ll get an answer.

“But he’s missing right now, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He’s probably off helping someone somewhere.”
“I see…”

Well, I’ll take it as one step forward.
The next step is endlessly far, though.

“First you should talk to Kanon, shouldn’t you? She’s a pro at finding Arei.”
“Katsuragi Kanon?”
“That’s the one. She isn’t his little sister for show.”
“I see… I’ll try that.”

Anyway I have a course of action together.
I’ll talk with Katsuragi Kanon properly once.
Talking with that beautiful woman sounds fun, too.

“…Hmm. You really are interesting.”
“Eh, haa. Thank you?”
“No hesitation in how you act. Like Arei. I like that.”
“Uh… thank you very much.”
“Yep. Do your best, ‘Night-Sakura Fantasy.'”

They wave and leave, see you.
I have a strong impression I was talked at one-sidedly, but I’m glad I got to ask various things.
I understand even less what I am, but… I’ll think about it another time.

Anyway. First I have to go to the royal castle.
Mainly to search for Katsuragi Arei, and to get the epithet retracted.