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Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (LN) - Volume 22 - Chapter 10




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Chapter Ten: Exclusive Equipment

We decided how best to proceed and worked out a plan for patrols of the sanctuary. That night I was back in the sanctuary with Raphtalia and the others. We were taking a look around at the place but also expecting an infiltration attempt to come at any time. Mamoru had told us of a sightseeing spot—hot springs—that were located nearby. After taking a patrol around, we were going to go and take a bath. After agreeing to make contact by shouting or using magic if anything happened, we all split up to look around. That left me alone with Raphtalia.

“I’m surprised to be here again, even though we are in a different time period,” Raphtalia said.

“Me too,” I replied. I recalled when we had been caught up in the machinations of the Church of the Three Heroes and Fitoria led us here. In the future there was nothing left of the sanctuary but the barest of ruins. In this time, there was a lot more of it remaining. It was mossy and crumbling but still intact. We were standing in a slightly open area, talking, as I considered again that there was no escaping the weathering of time.

“Our village might end up like this one day,” I said.

“I think Q’ten Lo is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to remaining since ancient times,” Raphtalia stated.

“That could be thanks to the protection of the Water Dragon, or the chain of Heavenly Emperors, or maybe something else,” I said. Melty had told me that Siltvelt didn’t emerge from Siltran overnight. The nation created by the first heroes had eventually crumbled. There was no guarantee that our own village would make it into the future. It made me sad to think of that. Maybe the ones who assume the name of god had obtained an eternity that escaped from such degradation, but it felt like their hearts had become corrupted in exchange.

“The God Hunters.” We’d heard a lot about them but had no idea who they really were. They at least seemed to be leaving things around that helped us out.

Then there was 0 territory. I wondered what that was. Something was warning me not to use it too much—like it was something dangerous. Seemed like I’d go to a place I wouldn’t be able to come back from. It had allowed me to save Shadow and his Raph specimen, so that was good . . . but I still needed to be careful with it. It had already reduced my attack by 1, something I couldn’t especially afford. If continuing to use it continued to lower my attack, I could fall to 0.

“It’s important to wish it lasts forever, I guess. But probably a mistake to actually desire eternity,” I said. I thought about Fitoria in the future. She wasn’t immortal, but she didn’t age. The Demon Dragon had told Ethnobalt that he would eventually understand the foolishness of humans. Monsters and humans had a very different mental makeup, but maybe that’s the kind of thing monsters turned into if they lived too long. They were either like Fitoria, unable to hate humans but still kept their distance from them, or the Demon Dragon, who hated humanity and plotted to wipe them out. These two different reactions might be rooted in the same emotion: true eternal life and having the ones who assume the name of god grant that wish.

It reminded me of the famous magical lamp from Arabian Nights. There were other stories with similar devices—things that granted wishes. Thinking about them now, I remembered a few characters who appeared in such stories and chose eternal life. But even if they did, they often ended up regretting that choice; but if such a thing were actually possible . . . maybe the one who chose it would end up seeking entertainment by toying with other worlds. It might be tough to live forever. I’d even heard that death could be a release for such people. Water would stagnate if it didn’t flow . . . just like souls.

They weren’t immortal, but the revived—those under the thumb of the ones who assume the name of god—might be in a similar situation. I wondered if the revived themselves had ever considered the nature of their revival. Some of them probably thought of it as a second life but kept the memories of their first one. If they were going to use those memories and try to live better lives, so be it. But all the revived we had met were not making any such attempts at that. They seized authority and power, living however they pleased, causing hassle for other people and the entire world, and killing anyone who got in their way. They also gathered attractive members of the opposite sex and treated them like personal belongings. Maybe being reborn with your memories intact led to such corruption of the soul.

When I was in Japan, I’d seen plenty of content with being “reborn” as a way to reach other worlds. At the time, I’d thought it might be quite cool . . . but having actually been summoned to another world, I’d gotten caught up in so much crap and been through hell. The idea that a different world would be a friendly place for me was long gone by now. This whole conflict had been kicked off by those who possessed eternal life, which made me think that Holn and her disdain of the concept was the right idea.

I also couldn’t accept that the ones who had caused all this were going to live forever. So many innocent lives had been lost due to the eternal ones who assume the name of god. I could only hope this fight would come to an end back in our time. We had the techniques to hunt these “gods” now, but we still didn’t have a way to resolve the situation. The only thing I could really think of as a vague idea was to get to the world of the ones doing this and stop them from ever being able to do it again. Take the fight to them and wipe them out.

I recalled how Glass came here with similar intentions, seeking to kill the holy weapon heroes that supported this world in order to defend her own. Just killing one of them had the potential to end the world. That might be a better approach than having to wipe out everyone. S’yne’s sister had warned us that the holy and vassal weapons might not always be our allies; this might be one of the reasons. Even that eternal world probably had its own holy weapons, so maybe we could use them to wipe it out. The holy weapons existed to protect the world while also having the role of potentially ending it. Of course, this only applied if the world of the ones who assume the name of god also had holy weapons. I’d not heard anything about them in the Japan I came from, at least. Of course, they might be hidden, or not talked about, just tucked away somewhere . . .

“Mr. Naofumi?” Raphtalia asked.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m here,” I said, coming back to myself. I was here talking to Raphtalia, but I’d wandered off into conjecture without any answers. I need to get my head back in the game. “Even if it isn’t for as long as Q’ten Lo, I want our village to last for as long as possible.”

“Yes, Mr. Naofumi,” Raphtalia agreed. For some reason, that made me think about what she called me.

“Hey, Raphtalia,” I said.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Aren’t we a little past the whole ‘Mr.’ thing by now?” I asked her. It had never really felt especially “fantasy” to me. The fact that other women were constantly coming onto me was probably because Raphtalia and I never seemed to be making any progress. Things actually weren’t proceeding at all, of course. I also didn’t need the heat we’d face if we went recklessly into a sexual relationship. If it was finally proven that I was unable to cause pain, I really had no idea what might happen.

But enough about that.

“I’m not sure,” Raphtalia replied.

“To start with, we used it to make it clear I was in a position above you, correct? But our relationship has moved beyond that now,” I said. This really had been a long time coming. I’d been hoping that Raphtalia would one day stop using “Mr.” on her own accord, but it felt like we’d reached the point I needed to point it out before anything changed. She always gave smart answers when I was playing dumb, like we were in some kind of comedy duo, and if I made a mistake, she was there to put me right. That was why she had my complete trust. And yet she continued to use “Mr.” in front of my name. That was my thinking behind asking her to stop . . . but Raphtalia’s face was starting to blush. Maybe it was embarrassing. It involved calling me by something new, after all.

She was clearly trying, her lips moving slightly . . . “Mr. Naofumi,” she eventually said, unable to overcome the mental block. She tilted her head. “Mr.—” she tried again and made the same mistake. It almost sounded like she thought “Mr.” was a fixed part of my name. “This is harder than I thought,” Raphtalia admitted. She concentrated harder, her face turning redder. I was amazed that embarrassment stopped her from doing this, after all this time. “I’ve been calling you Mr. Naofumi for so long I’m not sure I can stop.” Raphtalia was still embarrassed about it, and it was even starting to rub off on me. I was also aware my thinking was going in a strange direction.

“If we got married . . . would that make you ‘Raphtalia Iwatani’?” I asked.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Raphtalia stammered.

“Maybe ‘Raphtalia Heavenly Emperor Iwatani’?” I said.

“Please, don’t make fun of me!” Raphtalia replied. This felt more like our spot.

“I hope you can drop the ‘Mr.’ one day,” I told her.

“Yes. I’ll do my best . . . Mr. Naofumi, if that’s what you want,” Raphtalia said.

“It’s not about what I want. I want you to want to,” I said. My jokes helped her forget her embarrassment, and she started smiling. “Do you have Japanese surnames here in this world?” I asked her.

“I’ve heard some of them before. They can be used by those with the bloodline of the heroes,” Raphtalia replied. It sounded like there might be a “Suzuki” or a “Sato” running around out there.

“If I needed a name more suited to this world, maybe I could use the ‘Rock Valley’ that I went by in Zeltoble?” I said. That would keep Raphtalia’s name from standing out even if we got married. For some reason I recalled that S’yne’s surname was “Lokk,” which sounded a bit like “rock.” Maybe that was just a coincidence . . . “Ah, that reminds me.” I took Raphtalia’s hand and then placed an accessory onto her arm.

 Shield Hero’s Charm (Raphtalia Exclusive)

 Defense up (high), emergency healing, protect effect up, proof of trust, Heavenly Emperor power boost, enhanced illusion magic

 Spirit seal, all status up (medium)

  Quality: excellent

It was shaped like a rosary of beads that wrapped around her arm. I had used the balloon remnants to make a string and symbolize everything we’d been through together. I’d made the beads from hardened medicine, miraka ore from the Cal Mira islands, materials from the Spirit Tortoise and Phoenix, sakura stone of destiny, and even the leaves Holn had provided. For all of that, it looked like a simple rosary.

I’d also carved a flag into one of the beads. Raphtalia had loved those little flags that always came with the kid’s meal. Flags had a special meaning for Raphtalia, including the flag she saw when we started reviving Lurolona.

That was how I completed this accessory for Raphtalia; the name had come out a little more embarrassing than I might have liked.

“Oh my,” Raphtalia said.

“You wanted something practical,” I said. When I’d asked her what kind of accessory she wanted, she had asked for something practical. That was certainly what this was—even if it was a little embarrassing.

“That’s true, but I’m happy to get a present from you,” Raphtalia replied.

“I’m not sure a rosary is the best gift,” I said.

“Do you think so?” Raphtalia asked.

“Yeah,” I replied. A rosary probably wasn’t the best accessory to give a girl you liked. If anyone else got a rosary at a time like this—a moment they might be expecting something more romantic, like a ring—they’d probably get angry. “Do you like it?” I asked.

“Yes. I’ll treasure it forever,” she replied. She carefully wrapped the rosary around her arm and then gave a nod. She looked so happy looking at the rosary it made me happy too. There were even tears in her eyes. All the effort it took was worth it.

“Just don’t treasure it so much that you don’t even take it into battle,” I told her. Too many gamers hoarded the good stuff and ended up never using it. They’d have a chest packed with full heal items long after defeating the final boss. “Even if it breaks it, I don’t care as long as it saves you. I’ll repair it as many times as it takes. Keep it close to you at all times.”

“I understand. I’ll treasure it all the same,” she told me.

“Next time I’ll make something a little more fashionable,” I said. She wore her miko robes most of the time, so something like a Japanese hair comb would make sense. “A hairpin styled like a leaf might suit you,” I murmured.

“I’m sorry, but . . . after Raph-chan had that leaf on her head, I’d rather avoid the same look,” Raphtalia admitted.

“Oh, that was so cute,” I said, unable to help myself. “Ruft was copying her too.”

“I’m not going to wear anything based on what you just said,” Raphtalia replied, standing her ground.

“I know, I know,” I assured her.

“You’re ruining the mood,” she replied. I wondered why these moments never seemed to last between us—it was me, of course.

In that moment the clouds parted and moonlight shone down onto us. Illuminated with a pale glow, Raphtalia looked even more beautiful than usual. She had started out as a little kid, but now she was a beautiful woman. Her actual age was close to that of Keel and the others, so she was impressive.

“Come then, Mr. Naofumi. Let’s finish our patrol and then head over to these hot springs that Mamoru told us about. I’m sure everyone else had gone on ahead,” Raphtalia said.

“Okay,” I agreed. When we finally arrived close to the hot springs, Raph-chan was there waiting for us, looking up at the moon.

“Raph!” said Raph-chan.

“Hey, Raph-chan,” I said. “How was your patrol?”

“Raph,” replied Raph-chan. It sounded like there wasn’t much to report. Then Raph-chan noticed the rosary on Raphtalia and put her little paws to her mouth theatrically with another “Raph.”

“You don’t do that often,” I commented. “Are you trying to fool around like Keel?”

“Raph,” said Raph-chan, as though she had no idea what I was talking about. She patted her tummy a few times and looked back up at the moon. The setting really suited her: tanuki in moonlight. It was like a painting.

“The moon looks so beautiful it makes me want to throw a harvest festival,” I said. If we got all the Raph species to play their tummy drums together, it would be like something from a Japanese fairy tale. Once the world was at peace, we could call Glass and the others over to our world and have a big moon party.

“Is that something from your world?” Raphtalia asked.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Raph!” said Raph-chan. She incanted some magic and started to glow like a firefly, illuminating the area around us. The effect created a really nice atmosphere. We started to walk again toward the hot springs, which the others were probably already enjoying.

“Looks like these springs have a nice view,” I commented. They were outdoor baths with a stepped layout. There were separate changing rooms for men and women, but that was about it.

“Hey, it’s bubba and Raphtalia!” Keel shouted as she spotted us.

“We were worried something happened,” Fohl said. Ren had already finished bathing and was cooling off, sitting on a rock nearby, while Eclair was bathing next to Melty. Keel and the others were racing around, playing tag or something. Mamoru had said he would probably come by with his party later. Everyone had their weapons close at hand, in case anything kicked off. The whole thing would probably have been a lot more relaxed if it wasn’t for our current situation.

“Come on, Mr. Naofumi. Let’s take a nice bath too,” Raphtalia said.

“Yeah, okay,” I replied. I liked our bath at home, but this was nice as well. There was going to be fighting here one day, but I could pray it wouldn’t start while we were bathing.

Luckily, it didn’t. We enjoyed some relaxing time all together and ended the day well rested.





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