"We're back..." (Reina)
"We're back..." (Pauline)
"We're back..." (Mavis)
"..." (Mile)
They had finally returned to the royal capital of Kingdom of Tils.
"Tired……" (All of them)
The reason why Mile and her party looked exhausted was not because they were tired from walking. On their way home from the battlefield, everyone they met spoke to them, asked for handshakes and autographs, ripped off parts of their clothes as souvenirs, and tried to pull out their hair... Everyone was already worn out, both physically and mentally. ...And their clothes too...
"The most terrifying monsters are humans..." (Mavis)
"Who's to say..." (Reina)
"......" (Mile + Pauline)
Mile and Pauline no longer had the energy to intervene. The two were impressed by Reina, who, even though she was exhausted, continued to comment on Mavis's words.
Even if they tried to avoid people who would get involved with them, the road was packed with retreating volunteers, military forces, mercenaries, and hunters. And, they couldn't just treat the people who had risked their lives to come to their aid with disrespect. So, even though their faces were distorted, the four of them put on stiff smiles and desperately endured.
At night, they decided to stray far from the road and camp in the forest, but they were annoyed by the large number of people following them. Of course, the tent was wrapped in a barrier and soundproofing field, but in that state, no matter how perfect the protection, they still didn't feel like using the bathroom or toilet, so it was an extremely tough situation.
"...Hey, there's no way this situation will continue even after we get back, right?" (Mavis)
And then Mavis asked—A question that should never be asked...
"Giii..." (x3)
"Gi?" (Mavis)
"Gyaaaaaah~~!!" (x3)
"Don't listen!" (Reina)
"Don't say that!" (Pauline)
Reina and Pauline yelled at Mavis for asking the forbidden question. Mile was pale and frozen.
"Anyway, let's go to the inn!"
If they went to a guild branch, the party would probably start and they wouldn't be able to escape. Now that they were exhausted, they wanted to take a rest. Those who did not know the speed at which Crimson Vow moved would have thought that it would be several days before Crimson Vow would return to the royal capital, since it was obvious that the four girls, especially Pauline, were significantly inferior in physical strength. So, if they could reach the inn without being seen, they should be able to take a breather before showing up at the guild branch.
And at the guild branch, they didn't talk about their own achievements, but explained that it was all thanks to the military, hunters, mercenaries, ancient dragons, other races, and volunteer troops from each country. That's what Mile and her companions thought, but...
"We've been waiting for you, sensei! We'll start writing right away! First, there's the war chronicle that describes what happened this time. After that, there's the daily life stories 'Angel-sama Diary', 'Good Luck, Familiar Angel', as well as 'Introduction to Annihilation Magic', 'Light Magic That You Can Use Too', 'How to Deal with Ancient Dragons', and so on. We have booked inscribers. Everyone is waiting with shining eyes to be able to scribe your work!"
"Melsachs-san..." (Mile)
Yes, the person waiting for me in front of the inn was the young manager of Orphis Publishing, the publisher of Mile's... no, Miami Satodelle-sensei's book. With a bit of a skill...
Melsachs had been aware of Mile and her companions' unusually fast movement speed for some time, as they continued to exchange letters and manuscripts even while she was traveling—This was because Mile would let him know her plans to stay at the town and the length of her stay.
And because Melsachs was a knowledgeable and insightful man, he accurately predicted what kind of situation Crimson Vow would find itself in on the return journey, and figured that Mile and her companions would return at full speed without making detours or staying anywhere else, and from that he calculated the expected date of return. And so, he had been staking out the area in front of the inn since morning. Also, from Mile's current position, it was easy to understand why the scribes were turning down all other work in order to wait for Mile's manuscript, "Angel-sama."
(I guess I should start distributing what I've written first, rather than waiting until I've finished a whole book's worth of manuscript...) (Mile)
If he had to wait until he finished writing one book, he would have no work as a scribe in the meantime and would have no income. That would be impossible to live on—It would be especially tough for those with families. No, it was up to them to turn down other work and wait for work from Mile... Satodelle, and it was nothing that Mile should be concerned about.
However, inscribers were indispensable people for the publication of her book, and Mile was not the kind of person who could treat them carelessly.
"Uuuh... For now, I'll do my best to deal with the first book..." (Mile)
There was no other way to reply from Mile.
And when they entered the inn, Lenny-chan greeted them with a smile.
"Thank you for your hard work, big sisters!" (Lenny)
"Are you coming back from prison?"
"You two did a great job, sisters. In particular, what was that final special move called when you received the divine power sent by the Goddess in the heavens and slammed it into the enemy's base... Ah, I think it was 'Death Raptor'!" (Lenny)
"……Eh?" (All CV)
How did Lenny-chan know so much about this? No one other than Mile and her companions had returned to the royal capital yet. The military moved slowly, and ordinary people were not accustomed to traveling long distances. The mercenaries and hunters were drinking and getting drunk in the towns they visited along the way, moving at the pace of an ant—The bars in each town were treating the participants in the decisive battle to food and drinks at prices that didn't even consider profit, and they were very popular with the ladies, so there was no way that anyone would miss this once in a lifetime opportunity that would likely never come again. But how did Lenny-chan know this?—And she said it as if she had seen and heard it with her own eyes and ears...
"It was amazing. I don't think I'll ever forget the bravery of all of you..." (Lenny)
"Eh?" (x1)
"Huh?" (x2)
"Whaaaaat?" (All CV)
"Le-Lenny-chan, what on earth is that..." (Mile)
Mile asked timidly...
"Of course, I was watching with bated breath from start to finish! After all, it was the most glorious sight of sisters ever! The images of the battle projected in the sky and the sounds that flowed through the air are all engraved into my soul! Just like everyone else around the world!" (Lenny)
"Gi..." (Mile)
"Gi?" (Lenny)
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!"" (All CV)
(Nano-chan! You did it!) (Mile)
[......] (Nano)
(Hey, answer meeeee!!) (Mile)
Speaking of which, there was Wonder Trio...
It seemed that they had just finished healing the injured and was taking a break when they were suddenly attacked by Princess Morena, captured, and taken to Kingdom of Brandell. Apparently, the members of the female guard squad were glaring at them[1] with eyes that looked as if they were about to attack and kill at any moment.
Well, they were the ones who caused the female guard squad, made up of noble ladies, to end up in a dangerous battlefield where lives were at stake; what should have been a simple game of knights within the royal palace, but she was the one responsible for this. So it was only natural that they would resent them[2] after coming close to death...
Translation Note
[1] Not sure the target was Morena or the Wonder Trio.
[2] Not sure who resent whom, Morena resent the Wonder Trio, the female guards resent Morena, or the female guards resent the Wonder Trio. The subject and the object are omitted in the raw. The most probable one is the latter.