Author's Note
They're finally mentioned in the main story.
As I was getting ready, noon approached in the blink of an eye.
The knights rode wyverns, but the six of us did not. Of course, I rode the Sky Dragon Blue, Sakura rode Leaf, and Mio rode Mikazuki. Maria, Sera, and Dora each choose people to ride from the Dragonnewt chefs.
As an aside, Dora wanted to fly using her own [Flying] skill. However, this time I decided to reject it because she was accompanying us as a knight, in other words, as a human being. So, reluctantly and with a very unhappy look on her face, she ended up mounting another Dragonnewt.
As an aside, this time, unusually, there was no fuss over Sera's weight. It's always heavy and a bit of extra work, so this time I prepared it in advance. Of course, I just had Sakura use her [Magic Creation] to create a spell to reduce the weight—Ah, its name was [Float]. With this magic, Sera was also able to ride a normal Dragonnewt. I should also add that it was also was also well received by the Tyrannosaurus Tiramisu, which had the same problem. This time, Tiramisu finally made it onto the second floor (which was off-limits). Don't cry tears of joy... If I had known it would be like this, I should have made it sooner. I regret it...
The 80 wyverns and the Dragonnewts that the six of us would be riding were ready and were now gathered at the training grounds on the Eldia side. From here we planned to head towards the Gallant Mountain, on the border with the Eldia Kingdom. Furthermore, 20 wyverns were staying behind in Kastal as a defensive force.
"Well then, I wish you good luck -noja." (Sakuya)
"Please leave it to us." (Jin)
Sakuya encouraged us in an exaggerated tone. The future of Kastal depended on this operation, so the Queen herself had come to see us off.
Although it was true that the future of Kastal depended on it, that didn't mean that a surprise attack on a route across the Gallant Mountain was essential. We could have just launched a counterattack from Lilarca, down the same path we had taken before. This plan to go down the Gallant Mountain was thought up by Sakuya and proposed to me because this plan would cause the least amount of damage to civilians. As I said before, this was a plan I was planning that would cause minimal damage to the citizens of Eldia.
I didn't want to harm ordinary civilians, but we also had no reason (due to wartime) to put up with something unpleasant being done to us. To begin with, I had no good feelings towards Eldia, so I would be even more sensitive than usual to any hostile actions. Of course, Maria would also react sensitively, and I couldn't even read Sakura's feelings. Fearing our actions, Sakuya managed to convince us of the plan we were planning, "Cross the Gallant Mountain and launch a surprise attack on the Royal Capital."
If this were against demons it would be one thing, but the enemy was the human nation that summoned heroes. Sakuya had given up on stopping all of my actions, but considering her future rule, she decided it would be better to avoid unnecessary deaths, so she put her own life on the line to stop me. As for how I put myself out there specifically—well, let's leave that aside for now.
With Sakuya seeing us off, we took off from the Kastal Royal Castle and decided to take a route that connected the royal capitals of Eldia and Kastal in a straight line.
It might be one thing in an era where aerial combat was commonplace, but in a world where the concept of aerial combat didn't even exist, I thought that caution against moving in a straight line through the air would be minimal. There may be some among Hero who had Blessing similar to [Flying], but these too did not pose much of a threat. The ones we needed to be wary of weren't the Knights, the royal family, or even the heroes—No, I guess that falls under Heroes for now?
Since the wyverns' speed was limited, we moved slower than usual. Still, we reached the Gallant Mountain many times faster than we could have done by horseback.
(Don't forget to check the map) (Jin)
(Hey, Master. Aren't you being a bit too cautious?) (Mio)
After receiving my instructions, Mio replied with a puzzled look. Since we were in flight, it's only natural that we were using telepathy. There were dragon knights around too.
(No matter how cautious we are, it's not enough. There's a good chance that he's over there.) (Jin)
(Who is that guy?) (Mio)
(If possible, I don't want to talk about him...) (Jin)
(Hmm? That reaction... Could it be that you're the acquaintance you mentioned during the Man-Eater battle?) (Mio)
Seeing my reaction, Mio arrived at the correct answer.
(…You have good intuition, Mio. You got it right. Or rather, you remembered well.) (Jin)
(It was strange that Master had such a displeased look on his face. It made an impression on me.) (Mio)
(I remember it because it's Jin-sama.) (Maria)
(I somehow feel like I remember it.) (Sera)
(?) (Dora)
Yeah, I guess Dora doesn't remember.
(Oh, I remember now... Now that I think of it, you did say something like that, right...? What kind of acquaintance does Jin-kun have to have to have a reaction like that...?) (Sakura)
If possible, I didn't want to talk about him. But it's not like we could keep our mouths shut forever. Now that we were heading towards Eldia, a clash with him was inevitable.
(I can't keep quiet forever. ...His name is Akihito Orihara, and in a word, he's my... fan.) (Jin)
(He is... your fan...?) (Sakura)
(Another confusing relationship...) (Mio)
I said in one word, but I didn't think that fully explained it. To explain the whole relationship between him and me, it would take up more than an entire paperback book. I needed to summarize it as briefly as possible.
(He thinks I'm the protagonist of a story or something.) (Jin)
(Considering how convenient Master is, isn't that understandable?) (Mio)
Mio began to show understanding of my thinking.
(And so, he turns against me to make the story more interesting.) (Jin)
(Yeah, I don't understand.) (Mio)
Mio gave up on understanding of my thinking.
(He's a fan of the story, but one of the strange things about him is that he wants to make changes to it. For example, he'll take his favorite manga, set himself as the enemy, and make changes to it on his own. And he won't do it as a derivative work, he'll go to the author's house and directly edit the manuscript.) (Jin)
(That's, a terrible person.... He may be a fan, but it would be unbearable for the protagonist and the author to be stalked by someone like that.)
(I completely agree. And that main character is me. The worst part is that he was transferred to this world just like me. Of course, unlike me, he is officially a Hero.) (Jin)
With this trend in mind, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think that he wouldn't be hostile when I invaded Eldia. He would probably take advantage of the situation and become hostile towards me.
(I see, that's certainly something to be wary of. But isn't it something that the current Master can defeat? I mean, there's nothing particularly special about him, he's just a regular Hero, right?) (Mio)
(I have one question. Do you think that someone I'm this wary of is an ordinary Hero?) (Jin)
(Is that wrong…?) (Sakura)
Sakura asked anxiously. Just knowing that I was this wary of someone like that was probably enough to make me feel uneasy. Maria's eyes were also filled with vigilance.
(Ah, I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'm sure he'll be something that stands out from the ordinary Hero. After all...) (Jin)
At that moment, I sensed an enemy attack.
"[Flying Slash]!"
—BOOM!!!—
Maria and Sera, who had also sensed the attack, unleashed [Flying Slash] together, neutralizing the extremely thick laser that was approaching at high speed. They wouldn't accept any criticism about the fact that they were able to cancel out the laser with a slash. Sakura, Mio, and Dora also seemed to have detected the attack, but when they saw us moving to intercept it, they only readied their weapons.
The dragon knights following behind were also panicking, so I gave a signal to descend to the ground.
(What was that just now...? Where did the attack come from? There's nothing on the map...) (Mio)
As we descended to the ground, Mio thought about the source of the attack, but that had been decided from the beginning.
(The map only shows the immediate area. There's no way it can detect lasers coming from beyond that.) (Jin)
(Could that be?! That laser just came from two areas away?!) (Mio)
(There's no doubt about that. There's no sign of an attack being launched on the map either...) (Jin)
If preparations for an attack had begun, there was no way Alta would miss it.
[Yes. There were no signs of aggression up to the immediate area.] (Alta)
If it's Area 2, that would be at least 30km away from here, so this is astonishingly precise shooting. Well, even if it hits, it doesn't do much damage... Huh? Even if it hit, it wouldn't do much damage, so why did we intercept it? It was simple. Even if the six of us were safe, there was no guarantee that the wyverns and the knights would be safe. We shouldn't take careless damage in the air.
As we landed on the mountain range, Gilbert came to ask us a question.
"Jean-dono, what was that attack just now?!" (Gilbert)
"It was probably an attack by the Hero's Blessing. I don't know the reason, but I think it's safe to say that our actions were leaked." (Jin)
"That can't be true...! Are you saying there is a traitor in our country!?" (Gilbert)
"The possibility is not zero, but I think it is extremely low. If there was a traitor, there's no way he would have launched an attack of that magnitude. He would have prepared a more reliable way to inflict damage on us." (Jin)
As I said before, an attack of that magnitude wouldn't do much damage even if it hit. If it had hit the dragon knights, there was a chance they would have fallen, but it would still be far from being wiped out. If there was a traitor and that was all he could do with the most effective initial surprise attack, then he didn't pose much of a threat. If it were me, I would choose a more effective attack.
…If anything, I couldn't help but felt that that attack was a message directed at me. The reason was that a super long distance attack from outside the map recognition was one of the tactics that could be effective against me. Even with the laser we just used, it would have had a higher chance of hitting its target and would have been more powerful if we had gotten closer. Despite this, they chose to attack from a very long distance. As if they knew that firing at close range would expose them. It was as if they were asserting that it was a countermeasure against me.
Ah, not there. They're not there.
"I see... However, it remains true that it's dangerous to continue on like this. We'll be a target if we continue like this." (Gilbert)
"No, let's keep going." (Jin)
"Why?!" (Gilbert)
Gilbert was surprised and shouted loudly.
"If it's only to this extent, then there won't be any problems. Besides, I had considered the possibility that the information might have been leaked to the enemy from the beginning. It's not a problem that requires us to change our strategy now." (Jin)
"Why?!" (Gilbert)
It was true that we anticipated the possibility of information being leaked. To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say that they might be preparing something. After all, it took us three days to prepare the wyverns. If they had launched an attack on the same day, the reaction would probably have been weaker. Well, I understood the situation when I went sightseeing in Izumo Kingdom, so I guess it's not something I should be saying.
"If it's an attack of that magnitude, we can intercept it no matter how many times it comes, and we can even handle attacks of even greater magnitude. Even if the entire Eldian Army, including the heroes, were waiting for us beyond the Gallant Mountain, we would break through and attack and destroy the royal capital." (Jin)
Even if they were lying in wait, once the decision to destroy them had been made there would be no change of plans.
"Can you really say that with that much confidence...? Can I believe you...?" (Gilbert)
"Leave it to me. I will definitely end this battle with victory." (Jin)
"...Understood. Let's keep going." (Gilbert)
He told the dragon knights that attacks could come at any time from here, then made careful preparations and took off to the sky again. Considering the trajectory of the laser earlier, we decided it would be better to fly relatively low, so we continued on along the edge of the Gallant Mountain.
After the first shot, we crossed the area without any laser attacks. There, I was able to confirm on the map that the Heroes, who had attacked us, were staying in a village near Gallant Mountain. Ah, if you're in a village the area changes... I see...
Rima Yaguchi (Lv27)
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Race: Human (Otherworlder)
Skill: [Poison Resistance]
Blessing: [Mystic Mist]
Title: Transferee, Hero of Another World
[Mystic Mist]
Generates a mist that causes status abnormalities such as status reduction, poison, and paralysis. The effect and range are inversely proportional.
Yu Asaga (Lv33)
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Race: Human (Otherworlder)
Skill: [Light Magic Lv1]
Blessing: [Glory Ray]
Title: Transferee, Hero of another world
[Glory Ray]
It can collect and reflect sunlight. It can also be charged and released by being exposed to sunlight for a long period of time.
Eri Takato (Lv34)
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Race: Human (Otherworlder)
Skill: [Sword Mastery Lv2]
Blessing: [Rakshasa Sword (Slaughter Slayer)]
Title: Transferee, Hero of another world
[Rakshasa Sword (Slaughter Slayer)]
In exchange for going berserk for a certain period of time, the user's physical abilities increase significantly, allowing them to slash just by touching the body.
Apparently, they were a group of three female students. Hmm? I feel like I've seen these names somewhere before...
"Huh?!" (Jin)
As I was trying to recall my memories, Sakura's face, flying beside me, changed color.
(Sakura, what's wrong?) (Jin)
(Nothing… nothing…) (Sakura)
(You're not acting like nothing's wrong, are you?) (Jin)
It was obvious that Sakura's face had turned pale.
(Sakura, are you okay?) (Dora)
(Yes, Dora-chan, thank you... I'm really fine...) (Sakura)
She gave a forced smile to worried Dora, but no matter how I looked at it, she didn't look like she's okay. Even when talking about past trauma, she probably wouldn't look this terrible. There, the thread of memory connected. ...Could that be?!
(I thought I'd seen this trio somewhere before; are they the ones who were involved with Sakura at the royal castle?) (Jin)
(...Yes. These three girls are the ones who bullied me the most...) (Sakura)
I asked with confidence, and Sakura reluctantly but clearly nodded.
(I thought so…) (Jin)
I thought I'd seen that name somewhere before. In the royal castle, I frequently checked the status of people I was interested in. I guess she remained in the back of my memory because she was next to me when I found Sakura.
(So, these are the people who have done the things that Sakura-sama sometimes talks about with a gloomy look on their face, right?) (Sera)
(That's what it comes down to. Just hearing about this kind of bullying makes you feel bad. ...So, Master, what are you going to do?) (Mio)
(If Jin-sama and Sakura-sama want, I'll cut them off for you. What do you think?) (Maria)
The three of them had been listening to Sakura's sickening tale of bullying, just hearing snippets of it made their stomachs churn, and they looked at Sakura with concern and asked me. Even though their face showed concern for Sakura, her anger and inability to forgive the Heroes could be seen. Of course, I was also in full unpleasant mode.
(No matter how you look at it, this is definitely not a friendly opponent. Looking at their Blessing, there's no doubt that those are the heroes who attacked us earlier, so there's no choice but to defeat them...) (Jin)
(……………………) (Sakura)
Sakura listened to me in silence. Her face was pale, but her expression was very serious.
(No......, but this time it's a different story. As you can see, those Heroes were enemies of Sakura's. I think it's up to Sakura to decide what to do with them.) (Jin)
(I decide...? Jin-kun, what do you mean...?) (Sakura)
Sakura tilted her head as if she didn't understand what I meant.
(What do you want to do with them, Sakura? What do you want us to do? Tell us. Do you want to kill them brutally? Do you want nothing to do with them? Do you want to let them go? If that's what Sakura wants, I'd bend my principles to make it happen.) (Jin)
(……………………) (Sakura)
Normally, I didn't show any mercy to my enemies, and even if I did kill someone, I tried to do so with as little suffering as possible. However, I was going to make an exception this time. If that's what Sakura wanted, I was willing to let those Heroes go and not kill them, but on the other hand, I was also willing to inflict the greatest pain on them, slowly torturing them to death.
The reason why I suddenly brought this up was because it had been quite a while since we came to this world, and I thought it was about time for Sakura to get over the trauma of her previous world. Sakura had started to smile a lot more since hanging out with us, but the trauma and effects of the bullying she experienced in the past still surfaced sometimes. If she was happy now, there was no point in being tied to the past. You should get over it. The presence of bullies wasn't worth Sakura's gloomy face.
To achieve this, I thought it would be a good opportunity to confront the bullies who were a symbol of past trauma. I had always hoped that I would have the opportunity. Dealing with unrelated heroes like Kusakabe and Sano would not lead to a fundamental solution. It would undoubtedly be painful, but once Sakura faced those who actually bullied her, it would be a turning point no matter what the outcome. Once she reached a turning point, she would look less gloomy than before... probably.
By some coincidence, the trio who had been bullying Sakura had been isolated from the heroes' group and were now hostile towards us, so an opportunity like this would not come around very often. Yeah, let's stop pretending we don't notice. There's no way it's a coincidence!!! This has definitely been their doing.... I didn't like going along with it when it's all been set up, but I had no choice but to go along with it this time. No matter how you look at it, the impact on Sakura's mental health was too great.
(……………………) (Sakura)
Sakura was thinking for a while, then began to speak with her head down.
(I've been thinking about it, but what do I want to do...? No matter how hard I search, I can't find the answer...) (Sakura)
(So, what should we do? If we don't want to even think about those Heroes, should we really have Maria kill them in an instant? Of course, that's fine.) (Jin)
(Leave it to us) (Maria)
"Not thinking" was a dividing line, but it was not a very neat ending. This was the route that was most likely to have a negative impact of all we could imagine. Although I hoped she wouldn't choose that route, I didn't deny it and asked Sakura.
(No, that's not it... Jin-kun, can you let me talk to them...?) (Sakura)
(What do you mean?) (Jin)
I was a little surprised by what Sakura had to say.
(I can't sort out my feelings... I feel resentment, and I want to forget. But I'm also scared... I can't sort out what I should choose, what I want to choose... That's why... I want to meet them just once and face my true feelings...) (Sakura)
(Are you okay?) (Jin)
Certainly, 'Talk to the Heroes' was also an option. If things went well, it could also be a route that allowed her to completely overcome the past. However, there was no doubt that this was also the greatest burden.
(To be honest, I don't have much confidence... But, if I miss this chance, I don't think I'll ever have another chance to face my past with them... So, please...!) (Sakura)
I was sure it was highly unlikely that a similar opportunity would come along again—especially since it was the situation they set up. And if Sakura said she wanted to choose what she wanted to do for herself, I had no reason to stop her, and I had no intention of letting anyone got in her way.
(Okay. I'll leave it to Sakura to decide what to do with those Heroes. So, should we go with you? Or should Sakura go alone? Of course, take Tamo-san with you, but...) (Jin)
If Sakura wanted to go and meet them alone, I think that's fine, even though they had some misgivings.
I didn't know if it's a good thing or not, but the village where the Heroes were located was a little off our route. I could change course a little, or go and meet them by myself. It really was everything I could ask for.
(I'm a little scared to go alone... But we're going to Eldia now, and I can't just waste time here... So, I'm going to go alone...) (Sakura)
(In that case, I will accompany you, Sakura-sama.) (Sera)
Before Sakura could finish speaking, Sera offered to accompany her.
(As for me, I have confidence in both my defensive and annihilation abilities, so I will have no problem guarding Sakura-sama and, depending on the outcome, defeating the heroes!) (Sera)
(Sera-chan... Is that okay...?) (Sakura)
(Of course. I will definitely protect Sakura-sama) (Sera)
Certainly, I could safely leave Sakura's guarding up to Sera. In terms of simple defensive power, Dora equipped with a shield was not match for them, but this time, she needed a mental guard as well. In that respect, it would be a bit tough for Dora. Mio couldn't make up for Sakura's shortcomings, and Maria or I might overdo it.
(Is that okay with you, Sera? There will be fighting on the royal side from now on, so you won't be short of opportunities to show your skills.) (Jin)
(Master, even I know the time and the place. There's no way I can leave Sakura-sama alone in this state. An escort is essential.) (Sera)
When I asked Sera jokingly, who was looking for a show-off, she replied with a bit of sulkiness.
(Okay. Then, Sera, please guard Sakura.) (Jin)
(Sera-chan, I'll be in your care) (Sakura)
(Understood.) (Sera)
As we talked, the village where the Heroes were living came closer.
"Haa!" (Sera)
When we got close enough, the laser was fired again, so Sera intercepted it with [Flying Slash]. It seemed that the laser from earlier had been building up quite a bit, and its power had obviously weakened. If it was this weak, even if it had hit the dragon knights directly, they would likely be unharmed. But they still attacked. I didn't like being attacked even if it didn't cause damage.
It's about time to go our separate ways with Sakura and her group. I gave a signal to the dragon knights following behind to split up.
(Sakura, do your best) (Jin)
(Yes……!) (Sakura)
Sakura got on Leaf and Sera on a Dragonnewt moved off to the side.
Considering their personality, it's unlikely that they would attack Sakura directly. They were basically only interested in me. I was not happy about that at all— Well, thanks to that, I don't have to feel uneasy about letting Sakura and the others act separately. ...I can't really be grateful, can I? No, I can't.
Even after we parted ways with Sakura and her group, we continued our flight.
Even though we were matching the speed of the wyvern, we were still moving much faster than if we were to take a detour on horseback. We would arrive at the royal capital in about 30 minutes.
Since that bully, the laser attack from the Heroes, there hadn't been any attacks on us. When I checked the status of those heroes, I looked at the village and saw that there was no fighting force other than the heroes. Similarly, there were no fighting forces at all in the villages along the way.
Was Eldia Kingdom aware of our intrusion? Or was this just their own decision? Either way, there was no doubt that having them on the enemy side meant we couldn't let our guard down. Checking the map was essential, but we would also need to sharpen the other senses.
As we were about to reach the royal capital, we decided to take a break. The Dragon Knights had only been riding the Wyverns for three days now. Long hours of flight would be a big burden. We landed in a not-so-large forest, being careful not to let our mounts be seen.
The monsters in the vicinity were low level, so if we intimidated them a little, they wouldn't attack. The Dragon Knights were keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area, but it's actually a waste of time. Sorry.
"Will Sakura-sama be okay?" (Mio)
"She has Sera-chan, so I don't think they'll be injured or anything..." (Maria)
Both Mio and Maria seemed worried about Sakura. Of course, I was not completely without worries, but I had confidence that Sakura would be fine as it was this time.
"Hey, Master, what do you think?" (Mio)
"If I really want to, I could ask Alta how Sakura is doing..." (Jin)
I could also see the map information for Sakura, so I could see that her HP hadn't decreased. However, I couldn't see her mental state on the map, so the quickest way was to ask Alta, who knew her at the visual information level, for help.
"Well, I don't like peeking when I'm not asked. I guess it's best not to worry about it unless Sakura-sama gets really weird." (Maria)
"That's true. But judging by Sakura's condition, I don't think it will be that bad. Well, if I really think that Sakura is in trouble, I'll put off going to the Eldia Castle and head to Sakura's place." (Mio)
"That's right. Let's do that. Well, it's done. I'll go distribute some food to the knights, okay?" (Maria)
"I will be there." (Mio)
Mio and Maria, who had been cooking while chatting up until then, began distributing the sandwiches they had prepared as snacks to the Dragon Knights. Ah, needless to say, I didn't do anything. It's not a valuable asset. By the way, recently, Dora had also started helping with cooking. She was still humming as she stirred the soup.
...It's extremely uncomfortable. Damn it. Usually it's just Sakura and I who are left out of the cooking team, so it's still better than that, but I never thought that pushing Sakura to act separately from me would result in problems like this... No, I know that this is the correct way to use a slave, but...
Gilbert and the knights received the sandwiches and soup that Mio's group had made and were amazed at how delicious they were. The food served at the Kastal Royal Castle seemed to have improved thanks to the training of the maids had received, but it's still nowhere near the Mio's level. I could see that their attitude towards Mio and Maria had become more polite than their attitude towards me. I'm the leader, but... This is the strength of someone who controls their stomach...
And so, I had to strengthen my pressure on the monsters in the vicinity. Attracted by the smell of cooking, the monsters began to approach despite my light pressure.
After having a light snack and taking a sufficient rest, we decided to fly again towards the royal capital of Eldia. The dragon knights could not help but feel their tension rising, as they would soon be fighting the Eldia Kingdom's Army and the Heroes, who had sided with the kingdom. This was only natural, as the outcome of this battle would determine the future of Kastal.
After flying for a while, we finally arrived at the map adjacent to the royal capital of Eldia Kingdom.
"This is……" (Jin)
When I checked the state of the Royal Capital Zelgadia on the map, I couldn't hide my surprise.
"The royal capital is in a state of ruin...?" (Jin)
Author's Note
I haven't written about Sakura's side of things yet.
Sakura and her group will be explained this later in the story.
If there is a lot of interest at that point, I might write it...?
As an aside, the three bullies have a hidden rule in their names.
Revised on 2017-07-09:
The reading of Takato (高遠)[1] has been changed from "Takatou" (たかとう) to "Takatoo" (たかとお).
Translation Note
[1] Probably there's a few differences in Japanese, but not much when converted to English. Example: Tokyo is originally spelled Toukyo, but the long vocals are ignored in English.