Chapter Eleven: Volunteer Soldiers
It was a few days after the Demon Dragon joined us.
Going to the place where Glass’s style originated was going to be quite a trip, so we decided to prioritize performing the limit break procedure on the most trustworthy among our companions. We also had to raise the Demon Dragon, meaning we had plenty to keep us busy. The way things worked differed for wild monsters and the Demon Dragon. Suffice it to say, she had to collect a fair volume of experience before she could level up. Even worse, she was a monster from this world and so couldn’t level up using earth crystals. I just wanted to give her a big boost and get it over with.
In regard to our overall levels, L’Arc and the others had reached as high as 135. They were pretty up there. I was currently 110, Raphtalia was 115, and Sadeena and Shildina were 105. By this point, it was getting harder to earn more for all of us. Kizuna and L’Arc had provided details on a super-hard labyrinth packed with powerful monsters, and in consideration of the future, we started to plan a serious expedition.
The Demon Dragon also displayed quite an interest in my fighting style and started asking me questions about it. One of the moments I was quite proud of recently was when I reflected that magic back at Bitch, and the dragon seemed very interested in that moment in particular.
Then there was the subject of what to do next.
Ethnobalt’s ship had been stolen. That meant we had no idea when the enemy might attack. It also meant we had to keep security tight while continuing to work on powering ourselves up, which was not an easy balancing act. To make things even worse, the reduction in the number of the four holy heroes meant the frequency of the waves had greatly increased.
At least the enemy hadn’t chosen to attack at the same time as a wave. Not yet, anyway. If we got lucky and the wave matched up with our world, then our levels would jump up, which was probably the reason why they weren’t risking it, but that being said, none of that would apply if they had been leveling up too. In the worst-case scenario, though, Itsuki and I could return to our own world and then buff up with magic and take care of anyone who came after us.
It would have suited us better if the enemy was a bunch of morons. It was annoying that life never worked out quite so easily. We had no idea how bad it was going to get with the waves, so we had to plan our moves carefully and move to prevent this “fusion of the worlds,” whatever that meant.
Regarding the dragon hourglasses in locations away from human habitation, a force that might be called the “Demon’s Army,” who were subordinates of the Demon Dragon, was apparently taking care of things. I was pretty jealous of that level of control. In our world, that was probably all being handled by Fitoria.
In any case, we were using the Demon Dragon’s limit break to enhance our forces while moving via my teleportation skills toward the place Glass’s style originated. The only baggage we had to take was a mirror, so it was pretty easy. We were working on enhancing our strength as we went.
Itsuki and Rishia were again helping Ethnobalt decipher the ancient texts. It seemed they were close to understanding a passage that had eluded them until now, so they were holed up in the Ancient Labyrinth Library like it was some kind of research laboratory. Itsuki, who was really just helping out the best he could, had reported that they were close to a complete understanding.
On this particular day, I was preparing a meal in the kitchen.
“We have quite a number of volunteer soldiers gathering. How should we handle them?” Glass came and reported to Kizuna and me. The rumors had been spreading fast that we now had access to the legendary limit break.
“How are these rumors spreading?” Kizuna pondered.
“You don’t exactly run a tight ship around here,” I commented. There were concerns about Yomogi and Tsugumi having at least one spy in the ranks, for one thing. “Do you think your allies from when you fought the Demon Dragon will turn up?” I asked.
“I think they will,” Glass conjectured. “We’ve been able to keep the waves under control due to the allies we spread across each region.”
“I wonder how they’ll react when they find out that the same Demon Dragon is now alive again,” I said.
“You never know what’s going to happen in the world,” Kizuna muttered, looking distressed.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that, Kizuna. I thought you could get along with anyone,” I said.
“Just what do you think I am, Naofumi? Honestly?” she asked me. If I had replied honestly with “an airheaded dummy,” she would probably have gotten mad. I wasn’t mocking her when I thought that either. It was great having a hero like Kizuna around. In fact, she was perfectly suited to carrying the expectations of other people.
“Volunteer soldiers, huh? We might have some vanguards of the waves mixed in. Sadeena, Shildina,” I called.
“We know the drill, little Naofumi,” Sadeena confirmed.
“No problem!” Shildina added. The killer whale sisters could—according to them—spot the vanguards, so we’d have them take a look over this fresh crop of volunteers. That said, the word had been spreading to be suspicious of self-styled “geniuses” who had a harem of women. So things depended on whether our enemies were also picking up on that.
If we just started adding people to our forces without checking them out, something like the loss of the scythe could easily happen again.
L’Arc and the others had been using diplomacy to spread information to other nations about people who had been told since they were born that they were geniuses—those like Kyo, Takt, and Seya—and to spread word that they were highly likely to be vanguards of the waves. The other nations had immediately responded, and rarely positively. L’Arc’s nation had gathered quite a bunch of heroes, after all, and so any warnings coming out of here tended to be taken in a cautious, if not downright distrusting, light.
Furthermore, few countries would be willing to easily give up the advantages that having one of these geniuses around could bring them. Of course, we could just leave those types in play and then use whatever drama they stirred up as a reason to go in and intervene. Best-case scenario, we might even lure out those behind all this.
If it could be proven that Sadeena and Shildina really could spot them, then it might be time for a serious hunt for the vanguards of the waves hiding in Kizuna’s world. As for our world . . . something tickled my memory. I kind of recalled a report saying that Takt had been doing something similar. Maybe the vanguards of the waves also had a tendency to fight each other.
We didn’t understand all of that stuff yet . . . but when I looked at Kyo and at Takt, neither of them seemed like the type to cooperate with others. They had both thought they were the best, and both had no time for anyone other than cute girls. Anyone else like themselves, they had considered trash and immediately wanted to kill them. There was no way the vanguards of the waves were going to get along if they all acted like that, even if they were on the same side.
Something was still tickling my memory there . . . I tried to recall it but couldn’t. It didn’t matter at the moment.
In terms of checking the volunteer soldiers, however, everyone was pretty busy with their own work and so we didn’t have many bodies to apply to the task. Itsuki, Rishia, and Ethnobalt weren’t even here; they were off deciphering the ancient texts. If anything happened over there, S’yne had gone with them and would let us know. She hadn’t really wanted to tag along, but she was the one who could move the quickest when it was needed, so she’d been left without much choice.
L’Arc and Therese, meanwhile, had left the nation to attend a council relating to such matters as the Demon Dragon. The Demon Dragon herself was at the dragon hourglass, preparing for the ritual. Some additional materials were apparently required. The exact method probably differed from the one in our world.
That left me, Raphtalia, Raph-chan, Chris, Kizuna, Glass, Sadeena, and Shildina to go look at the volunteers. Filo had gone out on a walk. I’d glimpsed her earlier, walking around the castle moat while humming to herself.
And so we arrived to check out the volunteer soldiers gathered in front of the castle . . .
“Oh my,” Sadeena said at once.
“We’ve definitely got some,” Shildina confirmed, both of the sisters shaking their heads sadly.
“Okay. Point them out,” I said.
“That one there. Then that one behind him. And that one making adjustments to something over there.” One after another, Sadeena reeled them off.
“Guilty until proven innocent is my stance here. They’ve been kind enough to come find us, so let’s set a trap for them. You two sisters had better be right about this,” I said, checking with them.
“Of course we are,” Sadeena replied.
“There’s no doubting it,” Shildina confirmed. They sounded absolutely positive, but I still gave them a bit of a suspicious look. Then I ordered the guards to pick out the ones that had been identified. That was the moment that Raphtalia and Raph-chan pointed at a single spot in the line.
“Hiding right there, it’s—” The moment after Raphtalia drew her katana, however, none other than S’yne’s very own sister suddenly appeared from among the throng, a smile on her face. This was the enemy that all the enhancement cooking and the Demon Dragon had been for. It was all to become strong enough to defeat her. That deadly threat had now just walked up to the castle gates. One of the enemy leaders just sauntered up to our main base! Security around here really was a joke.
“Well, well, well! I’d say I’m impressed, but then again, I expected you to spot me,” she taunted.
“You!” I shouted. If she unleashed her unknown techniques at us again, we would have trouble handling her. She had really picked her spot to strike too—right where our security was weakest.
“As I had heard, Iwatani, your right-hand girl is skilled at detecting subterfuge or impediments to awareness,” S’yne’s sister said as the party she had brought with her spread out into a ring around us. The actual volunteer soldiers realized something was up and backed off. “Nice to see you again, anyway! How have you been? I’m just popping in to have some fun.”
“To have some fun? Are you joking?” I raged.
“Oh, I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m joking . . .” S’yne’s sister replied tauntingly.
“So these are the guys, are they? The ones with the remaining holy weapon and the vassal weapon holders?” said one of her minions. It was a guy standing at S’yne’s sister side, giving off vibes just like Kyo, Takt, Miyaji, and Seya . . . basically a vanguard of the waves in spades. It sounded like he didn’t think much of us either. Why do I feel we’ve just encountered our next enemy of the week?
I was getting a bit sick of this now. They had to have quite a stock of these guys to keep dragging one after the other out like this.
“This is your new boss? Forget him, anyway. Where’s Bitch?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s my boss,” S’yne’s sister replied, furrowing her brow and flicking her hand in a way that this enemy of the week wouldn’t spot. It looked like she wanted me to be quiet. At my question, however, a woman appeared behind Mr. Enemy of the Week.
“You used that name again! I told you, didn’t I? All he does is insult Lady Malty! Unforgiveable!” the woman said.
“He must be really bad for you to say that about him,” Enemy of the Week commented. I’d seen this woman before somewhere, I was sure, but I couldn’t quite place her. I tilted my head to the side, squinting my eyes, and she started to shout at me, anger and disgust on full display.
“I’m a former ally of the Spear Hero! I’m not Elena. I’m the other one!” she shouted. I was still puzzled for a moment, but yes, there had been someone who looked like her, always at Bitch’s side. It did look like her. Okay, mystery solved. I hadn’t even known her name. I just knew her as “Woman B,” someone in the background.
Maybe Elena had been Woman B though. I hadn’t really decided for sure, and by now I had totally forgotten.
“What’s this? You look like you’ve completely forgotten me!” the woman exclaimed.
“What if I tell you that’s exactly what I’ve done?” I said to her.
“What?! If it wasn’t for you, Lady Malty would never have suffered so harshly! You inhuman animal!” the woman shouted.
“Whatever. All I hear from you and Bitch is the howling of defeated dogs. Howl on, dog,” I taunted.
“You fiend! I will purge you, I swear it!” she raged. I simply didn’t care. The more she talked, though, the more fitting the title “Bitch II” seemed to be for her. She’d never really stood out before, perhaps because the real Bitch had always been there.
“You seem to have a real thing for Bitch too. You respect her, do you?” I asked. It came as a bit of a surprise to me that anyone could get along with that shitty bitch. Even Elena had only teamed up with her for her own mutual benefit.
“. . . I do!” Woman B exclaimed. There had been a noticeable pause there though. She needed to think about her answer. She went on. “If only you hadn’t shown up! If only you had never shown up, our happy existence could have continued forever!”
“I’ve heard it all before, honestly. So? Where is the real Bitch?” I asked. She didn’t seem to be here. If she’d been hiding among the volunteers, then I’d been hoping to finish her off for good this time, but I couldn’t see her here. She didn’t seem to be concealing herself among the crowd either.
“She’s recuperating from the terrible wounds you inflicted on her!” Bitch II shouted.
“Recuperating, is it? Sounds like a lovely time. What a shame you didn’t get to ‘recuperate’ with her,” I retorted. My reply seemed to have hit a nerve. Woman B started shaking with anger, her face bright red.
“Silence! You are the one causing all these problems! You are the infection consuming this world!” she shouted.
“Sure you aren’t talking about yourselves there? You are parasites, the trash of this world, latching onto power and feeding from it,” I spat.
“I see again why you were selected as the Mirror Hero,” Glass said, nodding her head. “You are just reflecting what she says back at her.” I could have used some support, not jibes. S’yne’s sister ignored the screeching Woman B and replied.
“Well, well, well,” she said. “Indeed, she has been through a lot and is recuperating at the moment.”
“You’d be better to just chase her off as quickly as you can. To be quite honest, there’s nothing good about her at all. It would greatly benefit the world if you just killed her,” I said, speaking as directly from the heart as I could. Bitch was the woman who really made you feel that there were some people who were just better off dead. There was no way she could possibly bring about anything of benefit to this world.
Then S’yne’s sister gave Woman B a disparaging glance before turning back to us as though nothing had happened.
“We can’t do that. In our illustrious leader’s world, we had the last of the holy weapon holders subdued and held captive. During a wave, however, those blasted terrorists almost destroyed that weapon holder, which meant that world would have been wiped out by the waves. As this was happening, we happened to encounter your little friend and her allies, and they helped turn the situation around in the nick of time. That’s why she’s earned such favor,” S’yne’s sister explained, as heavy with the exposition as ever. The thing that surprised me most about this reveal was that S’yne’s sister’s forces had also faced circumstances that they considered dangerous. I really wished they had just been wiped out. “This was before meeting with you, Iwatani,” S’yne’s sister confirmed. Maybe that was why S’yne’s sister didn’t seem that happy about Bitch and her allies being around and hadn’t been all that cooperative with them during our last encounter.
“What are you talking about?” Enemy of the Week said, glaring at me. Maybe he was feeling a little left out in the cold.
“You’d be better off not to consider these guys your friends,” I warned him. “They specialize in betrayal.”
“Hah, you must be joking! They believe in me, trust me implicitly! They would never do anything like that to me!” he replied.
“Of course we wouldn’t,” S’yne’s sister said slyly.
“Never.” The noisy Woman B now turned on the sexiness, pushing up to Enemy of the Week and placing her arm around him . . . pretty low on his body too. Talk about “sex appeal.” Enemy of the Week was pretending to stay calm, but his eyes were fixed on her tits, and below them. They had him under their thumb, clearly, while he looked like he thought he’d just bagged another chick.
I had to wonder, though, if they didn’t feel depressed at having such a bitch among their allies.
“Little Raphtalia! Show them we’ve got the goods too!” Sadeena shouted.
“That’s right. Give them the works!” Shildina chimed in.
“Ah, well . . . okay,” Raphtalia responded uncertainly. The killer whale sisters continued to rile Raphtalia up, trying to get me to act like them. Now I was starting to feel depressed.
“You’re really draining the tension from this situation!” I chided them.
“Hah. Showing off your harem, are you? Unsightly,” Enemy of the Week said. He was quick to pick up on this, at least, and his eyes were particularly sharp. Like he had a leg to stand on though—he was surrounded by women himself!
“You don’t have to play along, Raphtalia!” I told her. “Make some barbed comment like normal!” Getting hooked into the foolishness of the crazy whale sisters would really harm Raphtalia’s reputation. I had become a bit more tolerant after Atla’s final wish, but I still wasn’t going to play along with all this sexy stuff.
“Okay,” Raphtalia said, looking confused. That just depressed me more.
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