Yari no Yuusha no Yarinaoshi (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Trap 

I put on my thinking cap! First, I needed to figure out what to prioritize. I wanted to see Filo-tan again. 
I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to see her. 
“Umm, are you okay?” 
“Me? Why do you ask?” 
I snapped back to reality. Father was peering into my face and speaking to me. 
“I was just wondering because you seemed to be completely out of it. Come on, it looks like they’re taking us somewhere.” 

 

“You’re right. Let’s go, then!” 
“Yeah.” 
I followed Father and we walked toward the throne room. Back to what I was saying. If any of the four holy heroes died, I would loop back in time to my first day here in this world. And I wouldn’t be able to see Filo-tan! 
The first time it happened, I’d saved Father from being framed for rape and then wished him all the best and we parted ways. My goal was to become Filo-tan’s new master, after all. But I ended up looping back in time before I could do that. I was certain the loop had been caused by Father dying sometime after we split up. That meant I had to make sure Father didn’t die. But how was I supposed to do that? 
“Hey.” 
Father gave me a little jab with his elbow. I had gotten lost in thought and hadn’t been listening at all. 
“Huh? What is it?” 
“Your introduction.” 
“Oh. My name is Motoyasu Kitamura. I’m twenty—” 
Things were going pretty much the same as always at this point. I introduced myself just like I had before. But I roared out in anger when Trash purposefully forgot to mention Father’s name. 
“Don’t you forget Father’s name!” I roared. 
“Huh?!” 
Father was standing there dumbstruck. 
“’Father’?!” 
Surely there was no need to continue on with this farce anymore! 
“Come, Father. Let us leave this place at once and begin our journey!” 
Sticking around here would just mean ending up caught in a trap again. I couldn’t stand to see Father suffer anymore! 
“Is ‘Father’ supposed to be referring to me, Motoyasu?” 
“It is, indeed!” 
“Why? And do you mind explaining why you’re so upset?” 
“Sure. I come from the future!” 
“Huh?!” 
“Well, I wasn’t expecting that.” 
Ren and Itsuki were rolling their eyes and mumbling. It seemed like those two were almost guaranteed not to believe me. 
“From the future? I don’t believe that,” said Itsuki. 
“Even though you were just summoned to another world?” I asked. 
“Erm . . .” 
Itsuki’s eyes were roaming as he tried to decide how to respond. Ren was furrowing his brow. 
“Then allow me to explain. This country, Melromarc, secretly plans to persecute Father, the Shield Hero, I say! If things continue unchecked, Father will get caught in their trap and have to endure an utterly terrible experience.” 
My complaint was sincere. Judging by past experience, I was certain that was what would happen if things were left to their natural course. I couldn’t let Father experience something like that again. 
“I can tell you this because I’m stuck in a time loop and keep re-experiencing this timeline!” 
I changed my spear to the Minute Hand of the Dragon and showed it to them. 
“Umm . . . Are you really trying to set me up?” 
Father turned to Trash and asked with a confused look on his face. 
“Do you really expect him to say, ‘Yes, it’s true’?” Ren asked. 
“Well, I guess not, but . . .” 
“Time loops on top of being summoned to another world? That’s just taking things a bit too far. He’s just trying to draw attention to himself, I’m sure,” said Itsuki. 
Father and Ren fell silent. I tried to recall what I’d been thinking when I was first summoned to this world. I’d viewed Father, Ren, and Itsuki as rivals. I was friendly with them, but I considered myself to be the number one hero. In other words, they probably thought I had just come up with an impressive story to make myself stand out, even if it was all lies. 
Trash tried to act unflustered. He puffed his chest up and spoke confidently. 
“That was certainly unexpected. Melromarc will treat all of the heroes hospitably, without discrimination. Please calm down, Spear Hero. I am sure your memories have just been muddled a bit as a result of being summoned.” 
“That makes sense.” 
“Yeah, that’s probably it.” 
“Umm, Motoyasu, it seems like you’ve gotten things mixed up.” 
Even Father, of all people, was doubting my words now. 
“I guarantee he’s lying to you!” 
“Hmm . . . Perhaps we should wait until the Spear Hero calms down before continuing here. I believe that will be best,” Trash suggested. 
The other heroes, including Father, all nodded in response to Trash’s suggestion. But they didn’t seem to fully trust Trash yet, either. It only made sense that he wouldn’t show his true colors in front of four heroes. I’d take this opportunity to do my best to make them believe me. 
“Who knows what to believe?” 
“I’ll prove that you should believe me!” 
“Yeah, you do that.” 
“First, there’s Ren. He comes from a Japan with VRMMOs! And then there’s Itsuki. He . . . Oh, I remember! He was summoned from a Japan where people have psychic abilities!” 
“What about my world?” 
Hm? Had there been anything distinctive about Father’s world? 
“I’m not sure. I only remember the versions of Japan that Ren and Itsuki came from, because they surprised me. I’m guessing there’s nothing out of the ordinary about the Japan you come from. But I do remember overhearing Ren and Itsuki talking about it one time in the future, when you weren’t around. They said it was probably like a world out of a manga about cooking!” 
As far as I knew, it was most likely just a completely ordinary Japan . It was difficult to explain what ordinary meant, though. 
“A world out of a manga about cooking?” 
They probably said that because Father’s cooking skills were so exceptional. It was no surprise that they might think that! 
“That’s interesting. So are there really VRMMOs in your world, Ren?” 
“Why do you ask such an obvious question? Everyone knows there are VRMMOs. Mentioning that proves nothing.” 
“What?!” 
“Huh?!” 
Father’s and Itsuki’s voices cracked when they yelped in surprise. I’d been shocked when I first heard too! 
“We definitely don’t have those!” Father shouted. 
“Yeah, there’s no such thing,” Itsuki agreed. 
“Okay, then. What’s this about psychic abilities, Itsuki?” 
“Is that supposed to mean supernatural powers? Of course, there are people with those.” 
“No there aren’t!” 
“No way!” 
“H-heroes! Please calm down!” 
Trash and his attendants tried to step in. 
“Hmph. I’m starting to think that Motoyasu’s words might have some credibility after all.” 
“You mean what he said about me being set up?” Father asked. 
“It’s true. You’re falsely accused of trying to rape your companion and then stripped of everything you own, I say!” 
“Are you serious?” 
I nodded. Father grew pale and looked over at Trash. 
“Oink!” 
And then, a red pig wearing a dress came out from the rear of the throne room. This was a new development! 
“Oink oink oink. Oink? Oink oink oink oink.” 
“Umm, okay . . .” 
“Uhh, thanks.” 

“Oink oink oink oink.” 
Father and the others suddenly grew timid and bowed to the pig. The red pig. I was certain that was her! 
“That’s the scum responsible for setting you up, I say!” 
I pointed at the crimson swine and she grew teary-eyed. Then she put her hand to her chest and started snorting or something. 
“My ears have no idea what she’s saying!” 
“Huh? You can’t hear her, Motoyasu?” 
“All I hear is a pig squealing, I say! Please tell me what she said, Father.” 
“Umm, could you please stop calling me that? Anyway, she said, ‘It seems the Spear Hero has the ability to foresee the future. Melromarc will do everything it can to back the Shield Hero and ensure that no such thing happens.’” 
That crimson swine! She was lying through her teeth! I wanted to turn her into pork chops right then and there! Pork chops, I say! 
“Oink oink oink oink.” 
“Huh? Umm, okay. I guess that’s fine,” Father said. 
“That’s probably for the best,” Itsuki agreed. 
“What did she say?” 
I gripped my spear tightly and got ready to attack. But fighting in this situation would have been a bit disadvantageous. 
“She said that to make sure I’m not persecuted, they’re going to send me to a country named Siltvelt, where I’ll be welcomed,” Father explained. 
Hmm . . . That actually made sense. Had she had a change of heart? 
“A true princess. In exchange for her graciousness, you can settle down now, Motoyasu. Apparently, you can foresee the future, but it seems your accuracy is lacking,” said Itsuki. 
“You have people with psychic abilities in your world, right, Itsuki? Now I see. Motoyasu must be one of those people,” Ren said. 
“He might be a diviner. They’re usually emotionally unstable. Sometimes their predictions come true, but they often miss the mark,” Itsuki replied. 
“I see. So that’s why he was going on like that,” Father said. 
Father and the others seemed to have made up their minds. They were all nodding. 
“I’m not lying, I say!” 
“Calm down, Motoyasu. It’s not that we don’t believe you. Lower your spear,” Father soothed. 
Hmm . . . If it was Father’s wish, then I had no option but to back off. I cautiously put my spear away. 
“It seems like we should probably start by getting a better understanding of our worlds,” said Ren. 
“You might be right, but it looks like I have to leave the country already,” Father mumbled, as if he were disappointed. 
“Oink oink oink oink.” 
After that, the red pig started squealing again. She seemed to be explaining something. It must have been about status magic. 
“Excuse me, but how are we supposed to evaluate ourselves?” 
“You mean to say that you all haven’t figured it out yet? Didn’t you realize it the moment you arrived here?” said Ren. 
He was acting like he knew everything. He sighed and was about to start explaining. 
“Haven’t you noticed any weird icons hanging out in your peripheral vision? Just focus your mind on those!” 
I cut him off and explained. Ren was standing there dumbstruck. Father paid him no heed and seemed to be busy checking his status instead. 
“Level 1? That makes me nervous.” 
“What is all this?” 
“Oink oink oink oink oiiiink.” 
That crimson swine! I couldn’t understand anything she said! Speak human words, I say! It seemed to be something about how to get stronger. But there were other secrets about how to do that. The power-up methods would be ineffective if they didn’t believe me, though. I would save that talk for Father only. 
“Even if they are legendary weapons, mine is only a shield. Wouldn’t it probably be best if I used a sword or something?” 
Yes! This was my chance to steal the show and explain so that I could gain their trust! Itsuki’s blabbering about psychic this and that had made them think my words were inaccurate. It would be problematic if I didn’t change their minds! 
“Unfortunately, the legendary weapons won’t allow you to use other weapons, I say.” 
“Huh?! Really? Then again, you could just be mistaken, Motoyasu,” Father replied. 
“It’s true. You’ll just have to rely on your companions, Father!” 
“Are we going to form a party? The four of us?” 
“That’s not allowed, either.” 
“Huh?” 
“The legendary weapons interfere with each other and prevent us from gaining experience. We can share the materials used to strengthen them, though!” 
“That sounds like a hassle. But I’m not sure if we can trust — ” Ren started to reply. 
“Exactly. Everything he says sounds so negative. Is this guy really okay?” Itsuki interrupted. 
The crimson swine turned to Father and seemed to be spouting off some kind of explanation. I was getting the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to gain their trust for some reason. The instincts that I’d developed while running through the mountains and fields with the majestic filolials were telling me that the way things were going could end up being very dangerous! 
“Apparently he’s right. I guess that means I’ll just have to find some companions when I get to Siltvelt.” 
“Your reputation seems to be dubious in this country, so that sounds like a good idea,” Itsuki replied. 
“Oink oink oink!” 
“Umm, okay. That’s fine, I guess. Umm, Motoyasu?” 
“What is it?” 
The crimson swine approached Father and said something. He then turned and spoke to me with an embarrassed look on his face. 
“She said the carriage to Siltvelt will be ready for me tomorrow and we should just relax until then.” 
“They’re going to secure some companions for the rest of us, apparently,” Ren added. 
“Hmm . . .” 
It all seemed reasonable. If I could save Father from tragedy without having to kill anyone, that wouldn’t be half bad. 
“Understood,” I said. 
“Very well. We will take each of you to your own private chambers,” announced the minister. 
Oh? We had shared a single room every other time so far. I wondered what had caused things to be different this time. 
“I shan’t leave Father’s side, I say!” 
“Umm, please don’t try to come with me. I can’t help but feel like you’re stalking me or something. It’s kind of scary.” 
There was a clear look of disgust on Father’s face. Had I done something wrong? Maybe I had been acting a bit too familiar with him. When I thought about it, this Father had just met me for the first time. It might not have even been an issue of whether he trusted me or not. 
“You can tell me all about whatever it is later, okay?” 
Father had given me his orders, so there was no arguing. I’d just have to rush to his side should anything happen! 
“Understood. I’ll settle for the room next to Father’s!” 
“V-very well. Prepare the chambers!” barked Trash. 
And so, I ended up staying in the room next to Father’s. 

The sun set. I was waiting in my room and keeping my ears open so that I could respond if anything happened when a soldier came to my door. 
“Your dinner has been prepared, Spear Hero.” 
Oh! I would finally be able to talk to Father! If I didn’t teach Father about the different methods for becoming stronger, he wouldn’t even be able to dream about overcoming what lay ahead. I had to prioritize keeping Father alive over everything else for now. 
I opened the door and looked at the soldier. 
“The other heroes have already gone to eat. Please make haste, Spear Hero.” 
“Understood!” 
I dashed out of my room and started running toward the dining hall. 
“Hey! Hold on!” 
“What is it?” 
“That’s not where they’re eating. Please come with me.” 
Oh? Had the place where we would eat changed? I stopped and spun around. 
“Where are they eating, then?” 
I had been to the castle numerous times in the past, so I was familiar with the layout for the most part. If they just told me where to go, I could get there on my own. 
“This way.” 
That’s all the soldier would say. Ugh. What a pain! I followed the soldier. He took me straight through the castle hall and then stopped just near the entrance of the castle. 
“Please wait here for a moment.” 
“Where are Father and the others?” 
“Heh.” 
Hm? I had a bad feeling about this. I immediately grabbed for my spear, but I suddenly felt like I was floating. By the time I realized what had happened, I had already fallen into a hole that had opened up in the floor.