Yari no Yuusha no Yarinaoshi (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Avoiding War 

Trash, the crimson swine, Itsuki, and the rest of the Melromarc soldiers were glaring at us. 
So now what? 
I had exposed their outrageous scheme, but if I didn’t act carefully, this situation could lead to a war. 
I supposed we were right back where we started. 
“Father, there’s no need to sigh anymore!” I declared. “You’re no longer alone! Even if the whole world turns against you, I, Motoyasu Kitamura, will stand by your side!” 
“K-Kitamura?” 
I helped Father up and turned back to Trash with a furious stare. 
“You vile scum!” 
Meanwhile, in the background Ren was trying to slip out of the room. 
“Ren! Whose side are you on?” Itsuki called. 
“I just said that there is some truth to Motoyasu’s reasoning, that’s all,” Ren said evasively. “Even though Myne is the princess, we can’t believe her based on verbal testimony alone. Because of what happened yesterday with the companions, it’s also easy to believe that they had the cards stacked against Naofumi from the start.” 
Father stared at both of us, dumbfounded. 
“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Ren said. “I’m not saying that Naofumi’s innocent either. But still, there’s been the rumor circulating that the Shield Hero is weak, and every time Motoyasu tries to do something nice for Naofumi, a bunch of soldiers try to stop him. That’s definitely suspicious.” 
Trash growled and the crimson swine spat a stream of squeals and oinks, pointing at Father all the while. She was talking to Ren and Itsuki. She seemed to be making some sort of entreaty. Itsuki continued to glare furiously at Father, while Ren watched the scene from a cool distance. 
“I didn’t do any of it!” Father cried. 
“Whoever’s telling the truth, there’s not enough proof to punish Naofumi,” Ren said. “If you want attention, look for it elsewhere. This is a waste of my time.” Ren turned around and started to exit. “And don’t even think about calling me back here for anything else like this.” 
Ren’s companions hurried out after him. 
While Ren hadn’t passed judgment one way or the other, I suspected he knew who was truly guilty here. It was a good sign, but I also suspected there could be danger. Perhaps Ren was at risk of an assassination attempt now. 
Well, I figured Ren would turn out fine. 
“Oink oink oink oink!” 
The crimson swine was screaming at the top of her lungs. Now that things hadn’t gone her way, she was showing her true character! 
An ugly character indeed. 
I couldn’t bear to let Father gaze upon such a loathsome sight for much longer. 
“Wait!” shouted Trash. Should I just kill him? “The Shield Hero is not yet cleared of these charges!” 
“Don’t listen to me—why don’t you just listen to Ren, I say!” I proclaimed. “There’s not enough evidence to punish Father, and that’s the end of it. And if you don’t let it be . . . I’ll spread the word about Melromarc’s unjust behavior to other lands.” 
Trash made a fist and ground his teeth. That finally shut him up. 
“Father, let’s leave here at once. There’s no point in saying anything else.” 
I took Father’s hand and we left the throne room. 
All the way through the castle, soldiers watched us unpleasantly, but when I returned their gaze, they quickly broke eye contact. I exhaled as we finally made it outside the castle. 
“Um . . . Thanks for saving me, Kitamura,” Father said. “No, Motoyasu.” 
“It’s nothing at all,” I declared. “I believe you, Father.” 
“Yeah.” Father sighed. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t even have anything to drink yesterday. I just went to sleep in our room.” 
I was talking with Father in a wide field in the castle town. He was still in his long underwear since all his equipment had been stolen. Hadn’t that happened before as well? 
Simply holding a shield made your life more dangerous in Melromarc, I say! 
“Motoyasu?” 
“I’d like to speak with you alone,” I informed Father. 
“Huh? Well, that’s fine, but this fight isn’t just about me.” 
“You’re right, Father. You have me as well!” I proclaimed. “Next up, clothes.” In order to make him appear weak, I thought it would be best for Father to wear cheap clothes for the time being. 
“Where are we going?” Father asked. 
“We’re going to buy clothes! Oh, and don’t worry about paying, because I have the money for it!” 
“No, I’m fine with money,” Father said. 
Oho? Did Father still have some money this time? 
Father showed me the backside of his shield and withdrew silver coins from a small compartment. 
I recalled that in the first go-around Father had hidden some coins in the back of his shield too. Father’s peerless genius brought tears to my very eyes! 
“Uh, Motoyasu. Why are you crying?” 
“It’s hard to explain,” I sobbed. “Well then, let’s go! Let’s buy you some armor!” 
“Let’s do it.” 
We went to the weapon shop that Father had visited in a previous go-around. It was open early in the morning. Once we had gone inside, the conversation went pretty much the same way it did before. The old weapon shop owner believed Father when he explained how he hadn’t done anything wrong. 
“All right, kid, so what do you want?” 
“Before that,” I said, “do you mind if I have a word with Father in the back of the shop?” 
“Huh? Yeah, sure.” 
The old guy led us to the back room, where a chair was prepared. 
“When you’re done talking, come back to the shop and buy something,” he said and tactfully closed the door behind him as he left. 
“What is it, Motoyasu?” 
“There are several things I’d like to tell you about,” I announced. “Things like weapon power-ups in addition to our current situation and how to move forward.” 
“Uh, sure.” 
“First, I have something very important to tell you.” 
“What is it? All that talk about the time loop . . . I mean, it was just hard to believe so suddenly.” 
“It’s true, I say!” 
“Well, in that case, explain to me why they made such a ridiculous false accusation against me!?” Father raised his voice practically to the point of shouting! What a righteous rage! Very well, I’d calm him down. 
“I’m so sorry about everything that happened to you, Father,” I said. “In the previous time loop, I explained it to you right after we were summoned—this country would try to spring a trap for you and drive you out, penniless. Melromarc believes that the shield hero is the enemy of the state.” 
“What?” 
Father looked taken aback. Now that I thought about it, Father didn’t know yet about how Melromarc discriminated against demi-humans. So he also didn’t know about how demi-humans worship the shield hero. 
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier!” 
“In the first go-around, I believed the crimson swine,” I informed him. “They punished you and drove you out of the castle. The soldiers were on the brink of killing you.” 
“I see.” Father nodded. “So you were looking out for me this time. Even when I didn’t have any companions, you tried to give me one of yours. You tried to tell me about the weapon power-ups and how to get stronger too. So there was a reason why you reacted so strongly to the women trying to talk to you.” 
Father continued to put his genius on display. He had guessed the entire truth from what I had told him! But what did he mean by ‘women’? 
“Are you talking about the pigs?” 
“You keep calling them pigs.” 
“Because they’re pigs, I say! They’re creatures that think of nothing but themselves and how to use other people to their own advantage.” 
“Uh . . . right. So you call women pigs. I think I get it. And so?” 
“In the previous go-around, they sent assassins after you. For that reason, we went to a country of demi-humans called Siltvelt, where they worship the shield hero, and they welcomed us in.” 
I went on to explain in detail everything that happened to us in the last go-around—about how we got past the fortress at the border, defeated Melromarc’s assassins, and were attacked again at the town on the way. 
“So what happened to me after we made it to Siltvelt? Did I try to get revenge on Melromarc?” 
“Of course not, Father. Since we were safe there and people believed us, you let it be.” 
Father nodded. “That’s crazy. Well, I guess even now I don’t really want anything to do with that royal family. It might be better to just let it be.” 
“The very first time the time loop reset, I also tried to protect you. That time I sent you off to Siltvelt by yourself, but . . .” I explained how most likely Father had been killed at the Melromarc border. Father understood what had happened at once. 
“That makes sense. This is a tough situation.” He paused. “So we made it all the way to Siltvelt last time, right?” 
“That’s right.” 
“So why didn’t you tell—actually, why did you tell me all those weird things?” 
“What do you mean by weird things, Father?” 
“About my husband and the bird child and all that.” 
I bowed my head in shame. “Before the time loop reset, I did terrible things,” I whispered. Yes, no matter how many times I apologized, my sins would never be erased. 
“Uh, Motoyasu?” 
“When they successfully launched their false accusation against you in the first go-around . . . I was there alongside the crimson swine, where Itsuki stood today.” 
Father looked taken aback. 
“After that, you were penniless, without a single friend, driven out of the castle. But with your tireless will, you managed to prove your innocence and destroy Trash and this country’s foul religion!” 
“Whoa, slow down a second!” Father said. “You’re not even answering my question!” 
“In your broken-hearted state, you tried to sleep with a man, but he ran away from you,” I gasped. 
“And my daughter?” 
“You purchased her from a monster trainer and raised a glorious filolial, none other than Filo-tan, I say!” My voice quaked as I spoke and glistening tears dripped from my cheeks. 
Father’s shock was visible. “Not even a real child!? A monster trainer—that means she’s just a pet! You gave me the complete wrong idea about all this!” 
A pet? Filo-tan, a pet? 
The image of Filo-tan with a collar around her neck floated into my mind. I started shivering violently at the very thought! 

“All right, I understand. In that case . . . Motoyasu, I want you to remember something if the time loop resets again.” 
“What is it, Father?” 
“When I’m first summoned here, I’m still a normal person, so don’t tell me all that weird stuff. I won’t believe you even if I want to. Part of me won’t trust you.” 
“Of course!” I declared. “I understand, Father!” 
So what he meant was that if I told him the part about sleeping with a man, then he wouldn’t believe me. Naturally! 
Of course, in the case of filolials, I should still tell him everything. 
“You’d be better off telling me that I adopted someone that was important to you, or something like that. I’d believe you, then,” he said. 
What impeccable advice! If I explained that Filo-tan was adopted, then he would believe me! Since Filo-tan is not a pet. 
I, Motoyasu Kitamura, seared Father’s words into my soul! 
“So? Did I miss your explanation about why Melromarc set up this whole false accusation against me?” Father asked. 
“That’s what you told me in the future!” I proclaimed. “You told me to make my knowledge of the future useful!” 
“Uh . . .” Father blinked. “You’re still not—okay, so why did I tell you that?” 
“Because you went to Siltvelt, there ended up being a lot of wars, and so we weren’t able to properly focus on defeating the waves of destruction,” I told him. 
“I thought I didn’t care about getting revenge.” 
“Yes! But . . .” I explained to Father about all the problems that happened to us in Siltvelt: Takt, the Claw Hero, and the fox beast that impersonated him, then the war with Shieldfreeden and Melromarc. 
“So that sort of large-scale war ended up happening all because I went to Siltvelt.” Father shook his head, seemingly at a loss for words at the size of the problem. 
“Well, shall we get going?” I asked him. “This time we’ll make things go smoothly, I promise, Father!” 
This time I’d eliminate Takt and all of his remnants in one fell swoop, I say. 
Then there would be no war! 
It was a bullet-proof plan that used my knowledge of the past, like Father asked me to. Right? “Well, I agree that because we have your knowledge, things might go more smoothly than last time, but . . .” Father trailed off and he frowned. “No, I think you’re right. If we can avoid causing any problems for the first three months or so, it will make a big difference. We just need to avoid any slipups. I wasn’t summoned here to fight in wars, after all.” 
“Yes, Father!” 
“We’ll do our best to avoid any war,” Father said. “I have no doubt that you did actually come from the future, Motoyasu.” 
“I, Motoyasu Kitamura, will do anything that you ask of me, Father!” 
“So what do we do now? You want to stay with me in Melromarc and prevent the loop from resetting again, right?” he asked. 
“That’s exactly right!” 
Father sat down in the chair and stretched his legs. “So in about three months, I’ll finally get a chance to see that king and Myne, who put me through all that. No choice but to wait for our chance, I suppose.” 
“Yes, Father. You told me in the future to not try to solve problems with my strength alone.” 
“Got it. So until then, I have to do my best to get stronger,” Father said. 
“It would be best to train unnoticed,” I informed him. “Ah, of course, let me teach you about the power-up methods!” 
And that’s when I heard a crackling sound coming from inside my shirt. I pulled out the filolial egg. Yuki and Kou were about to hatch! 
“Uh, Motoyasu, did you buy filolials with your provisions?” 
“Of course I did!” 
The eggs cracked and Yuki and Kou peeped their faces out of the eggshells. 
“Chirp!” 
“Wow, they’re adorable!” 
The filolials jumped into the palm of my hand and scrambled up my arm as Father watched them. 
“So you’re raising those monsters that pull the carriages here,” Father said. He looked at the filolials with an expression of wonder. I supposed he didn’t know anything about filolials, so there was nothing I could do about it. Filolials are wondrous creatures, after all. 
Which is why I won’t ever stop raising them! 
“Did you already decide on their names?” Father asked. 
“I did. You named them in the last go-around.” 
“Really? What are their names?” 
“Do you want to try to guess? By the way, their names aren’t ‘White,’ ‘Yellow,’ or ‘Chick.’ The white one is female and the yellow one is male.” 
Father watched Yuki and Kou chirp and jump around. 
“Well, the white one is as white as snow, so let’s use the Japanese word for snow and name her ‘Yuki.’ And the Japanese character for yellow can be read as ‘Kou,’ so let’s go with that.” 
“Amazing! You guessed right!” 
“Really? I wasn’t sure about it, but that’s good to hear. Even something like this must have to do with the way the time loop works, I suppose,” he pondered. 
“Chirp!” 
Yuki and Kou continued to hop around cheerfully. 
“All right then. So now I should give you the filolial guardian that I registered to you, Father.” I took out the filolial egg that had not yet been incubated and showed it to Father. 
“This is Sakura. I haven’t imprinted her egg with a monster seal yet.” 
“You’re giving it to me?” 
“Sakura was very attached to you, Father. I wanted to make you her master so you could become stronger together!” 
I gave Father the egg. 
“Do you know how to register the egg?” I asked him. 
“I mark the imprinted seal with my blood, right?” 
“That is correct. Even if you have no other companions, she will be a perfect partner for you.” 
Father borrowed one of the knives in the back room, made a small cut on his finger, and completed the monster seal. 
“So what should we do next?” Father asked. 
“Well, in the first go-around, you . . .” I trailed off. What had Father been up to in the first go-around? 
I knew that he purchased big sis and leveled up little by little, but had there been something else? 
“Motoyasu?” 
I remembered that he brought slaves with him and started peddling goods and medicine, if I wasn’t mistaken. 
“Before the first time loop, you made money by peddling goods,” I informed him. 
“Peddling goods? Like, going around and selling stuff?” 
“Exactly. I remember that you took Filo-tan with you and went from place to place selling. That was back when I was always chasing around pigs.” 
Even now I could still remember my stupidity. As soon as Filo-tan saw my face, she raised her voice into a furious rage and sent me flying with a mighty kick. 
But that pain was what had connected me with Filo-tan, I say! I explained what happened to Father. 
“Uh, isn’t that crazy? She sent you flying? You seem happy about it,” he said. 
“That was Filo-tan’s rebuke of love,” I moaned. 
“Hey, Motoyasu! Wake up!” Father shouted. 
“Chirp!” 
“It’s no good. He’s totally lost in thought.” Father sighed. 
Filo-tan. 
Where could you possibly be? 
I vowed to find Filo-tan and bring her back to me. With all my heart! 
“So peddling, huh? I have no idea what we would be selling, but since I was penniless, I probably needed some way to get money. How did I do it?” Father wondered aloud. 
Father appeared to be thinking about it. 
“You sold prescription medicine, I say!” I proclaimed. 
“Ah!” Father yelped. “Don’t disappear and come back all of a sudden like that!” Father had been playing with Yuki and Kou, letting them climb onto his shoulder. 
“So medicine? Did I know all about that back then?” 
“I know that for a fact,” I declared. “You made medicine and sold it.” 
“If this were a game, I might be able to make some medicine. But right now I don’t think I’d be able to do it properly.” 
“With your weapon’s mixing skill, it’s highly possible,” I said. “But I think you were making it even without using that skill.” 
When you really think about it, Father had so many talents. Of course, there was his excellent cooking, the fact that he was beloved by everyone he met, and his knowledge of medicine too! 
“Hmm. Okay. If I can make it with my shield skill, I’ll try that. But I don’t know what medicine they have here, so we need to go visit a pharmacy. If I don’t know what to mix, I can’t use the mixing ability, after all.” 
Now that he mentioned it, Father’s shield would have reset with the time loop, unlike my spear. So in order for Father to remember the mixing skill, we would need to defeat some monsters first. 
I looked up the recipe for the mixing skill in my weapon book. 
Found it! It looked like we’d be able to gather it from monsters nearby. 
“Okay, so once we get my equipment,” Father said, “we’ll go to get the mixing skill and then start peddling. Sounds like we have a plan.” 
“We’ll also need to get someone to help us sell when we actually start peddling.” 
“Yeah, I guess so,” Father said. “If the shield hero is the enemy of the state, then people won’t want to buy medicine from him. Now that I think about it, Motoyasu . . .” 
“What is it, Father?” 
Father glanced at me cautiously. Did I do something strange? 
“This seems like a big problem. How do we get someone to help us sell? We can’t afford to be betrayed again, for one. And it seems dangerous to get anyone from Siltvelt to help us. And if we leave it to someone we don’t know, they might steal from us.” 
I nodded. Father was right. 
“In that case,” I said, “we’ll just use a slave!”