CH 99

Greeting

***---***

In conclusion, Reinhardt went too far.

Knowing that his former Lord Arthur, about whom he had worried for so long, survived and grew up to even be called the Wise King, I think he must have been excited.

[ Good morning! Kent-sama, the construction of the river-wall in Lastock is almost complete, except for the part that will be hardened with earth-attribute magic. Buhahaha, if I'm serious, it's roughly like this, buhahaha, buhahahahaha! ]

The knights and residents of Lastock all worked together, and although they were only able to complete about 30% of the work in three days, it feels like twice as much work was completed in one night.

I'd like to see how Camilla will explain this to the knights.

[ Well, Kent-sama, what shall we do next? ]

[ Hmm ... I'll have Camilla come up with a plan later, so let's continue after that ... By the way, isn't it still early in the morning? ]

[ That's right. However, I wanted to let you know as soon as possible, so I hurried back. ]

[ Yeah, hey, Reinhardt, you're covered in mud ... don't come into the room until you've bathed. ]

[ Understood. Now, let's go take a bath. Buhahahaha ... ]

Yeah, even though it's before dawn, his tension is too high ... I can't keep up.

I'm glad Reinhardt can't speak.

If he talked with that kind of tension, even Meisa-chan, who has trouble waking up, would probably wake up.

For now, let's sleep a while longer.

The next day after recording my classmates' messages, the guild and school are closed on rest day.

However, it seems that many of the shops operate in anticipation of holiday customers, and instead take days off on dark day of the week.

Amanda's cafeteria, where I'm lodging, is open as usual today.

"Hey, Meisa! How long are you going to keep sleeping? You're going to skip breakfast!"

"No ... no, eat ... I'm already up ..."

This morning too, Meisa-chan used me as her pillow and fell asleep until morning.

When I was in Japan, I was pudgy because I didn't train hard, but since I came to Volzard, I've lost some fat and I think I'm too hard to use as a pillow.

When I wake up, almost every morning, I am being used as a pillow.

Well, as long as she doesn't drool, it's fine.

"Good morning, Meisa-chan."

"Hmm ... Kent? Good morning ..."

She returns the greetings occasionally, but she probably doesn't remember.

Come on, let's wake up, finish breakfast, and do our best again today.

"Good morning, Amanda-san."

"Oh, good morning, Kent is busy today too, isn't he?"

"Yes, I'll send them the recording data I took yesterday, and then ...."

"Recording? Data? What is that?"

"Let's see ... well, in my world there is a tool that can record the scenery you see."

"Are you going to draw it on your own?"

"Well ... I think I'll be able to show you the real thing soon, but I can record the movement more faithfully than a picture."

"Does a picture move? It's kind of strange ..."

It's hard to explain a video to someone who hasn't even seen TV or movies.

It's quicker to see the real thing, isn't it?

Let's get a tablet ready for playback.

Before going to the Investigation Headquarters, I will also take videos of the streets of Volzard.

After taking videos of the ramparts and gates from the Devil's Forest side, I'll move to the top of the ramparts.

On rest day, the ramparts is a date spot where couples gather, but it's still early in the morning, so it's not a pink space.

While walking on the ramparts, I filmed the garrison grounds, the guild buildings, and the Lord's mansion.

I wondered if the Prime Minister would see this video, and it's strangely embarrassing to include a narration for explanation.

The number of memory cards taken this time is eight in total.

A video of the ruins of the school building and the royal capital, a total of six filled with videos of everyone's messages, one for each class, and a video of Volzard.

I decided to put them in envelopes with the contents of the videos written on them and submit them.

In one corner of the Investigation Headquarters, there was a battery charger for the video camera.

After setting down the depleted batteries, I walked over to Sudou-san's desk.

"Good morning, Sudou-san, you're working hard even though it's the weekend."

"Hmm? Are you jet lagged, Kokubu-kun, today is Wednesday."

"Ah, I see, the number of days in a week is different between Japan and Volzard."

"Seeing that, it seems that today is a day off in the other world."

"Yes, there are eight days in a week in Volzard, and today is rest day."

"I'm sorry, to make you work on your day off."

"No, I wanted everyone's families to see that everyone is doing well, so these are the memory cards I took videos on."

"Hmm, I guess you've already recorded messages for everyone. No, it's helpful, this is the school building, the royal capital, and Volzard, the city where everyone is staying."

Sudou-san confirmed the writing on the envelopes and nodded.

"It was getting dark at the school building, so if necessary, I'll take a video again in brighter hours."

"Alright, then, let me take a look first."

Sudou-san plugged the memory card into the card reader connected to the computer and opened the recorded file.

I will also look at the computer screen from the side.

"I see, it certainly looks like the school building. But it's a strange sight in the middle of such a wasteland."

"This was taken from a distance, but the ground around there was leveled and the magic circle was drawn."

"Yeah, I see, they destroyed it later."

"Yes, that's right. It seems that this blackish stuff is the wreckage of the magic stones used to draw the magic circle."

After all, the part of the school building was requested to reshoot when it was bright.

And when it came to the scnery of the royal capital, Sudou-san took a deep breath and stared at the screen.

"Well ... this is an amazing view. If it were Earth, it would be a world heritage site."

"Yes, I thought so too when I was filming."

The royal capital of Ardaros was made of the same solidified soil, so it's a spectacular sight with rows of houses with reddish roofs and white walls.

The contrast between the well-organized aristocratic districts and government districts, the complex alleys of the commercial and industrial districts, and the districts where commoners live is also vivid.

"This is probably because the streets are intentionally messy to make it difficult for the enemy to attack."

"Ah, I see ..."

When Sudou-san told me, I realized that there was no straight path to the royal castle, and once you hit the water moat, you have to turn in one direction or the other to get out onto the road that leads to the center.

"This is going to make a big fuss if historians see it. No, this is a good image, you can see at a glance that such a city does not exist on Earth. After all, telephone poles and wires, people's cars are not in the picture."

Sudou-san also confirmed the video of Volzard, and he seemed to have the same impression.

"Then, I will send these videos to the various parties concerned and ask them to check them, and what kind of response will be taken ... If I ask Kokubu-kun to take action, it will be after that is decided."

"Then, before that time, is it okay if I show my face once a day?"

"I'll ask you to do that."

I also asked for a tablet and battery for playback, and returned to Volzard.

I bought some cookies at the Mesudori Pavilion, returned to my lodgings, and changed into the formal wear I bought when I was invited to the dinner party.

I promised to visit Manon's house today.

This is the first time I will have met Manon's mother and her younger brother.

Manon asked me to come over a little before noon, so I moved to the neighborhood of her house by shadow movement and walked from there.

There are no shops or factories in the area where Manon's house is located, so it feels like a so-called ordinary residential area.

As Herman-san, who is rebuilding Marcel-san's shop, said, the buildings in Volzard seem to have a standard height and width, and the houses standing side by side are almost the same size.

For some reason, it reminds me of ready-built houses that went on sale all at once in Tokyo.

Even so, each house has a different color and shape of the roof, outer walls, and window frames, and it seems that they enjoy decorating by making those parts different.

Manon's house is a two-story detached house similar to its surroundings, and it looks twice as large as the ready-made houses in Japan.

The walls are light beige, and the doors and window frames are reddish brown.

The house seems to face south, and there is a balcony on the second floor, where the laundry and futons are dried.

Standing in front of the door, I took two, three deep breaths, and when I reached out to use the knocker, I heard a voice from the balcony.

"Eat this!"

When I turned my eyes reflexively, water from a bucket flew into my field of vision.

I immediately put out a dark shield to prevent the water from covering my head, but it rained down around me and splashed on the bottom of my trousers.

"Wha ... what is that! You're cheating, damnit!"

While unilaterally cursing the dumbfounded me, the green-haired boy who threw water at me disappeared into the back of the balcony.

Perhaps he is Manon's younger brother, Hamill-kun.

I somewhat knew it ... but it seems that he is not as welcoming as I expected.

Even so, I was prepared for this.

You may not be able to forgive me at first, but I will do my best to make you understand that I am serious about my relationship with Manon.

When I made up my mind and used the door knocker, I heard bouncing footsteps.

"Welcome, Kent!"

"Hello, Manon. Sorry to bother you."

"Yeah, come in."

Today's Manon is wearing a dark green loose skirt and a wine-colored blouse making a girly outfit in autumnal shades.

"It suits me ... or not?"

"No, it suits you. It's very cute."

"Ah, thank you ..."

Manon blushed and shyly looked so cute that I wanted to give her a hug, and when I was about to approach her, a woman appeared from behind her.

"Ara, ara, welcome. You must be Kent-kun. Oh dear, Kent-kun is childish, isn't it? It would be better to call you Kent-san."

"Wait, Mom, it's rude to stare at him like that."

"N, nice to meet you, I'm Kent. Um, please enjoy this with everyone."

"Ara, ara, you don't have to worry about that ... I'm Manon's mother, Noela. Nice to meet you ... but Manon always talks about Kent-san, so I don't feel like it's my first time meeting you ..."

"Mom! It's rude to stand and talk like this."

"Ara, ara, well, that's right, come on, come on in ..."

"E, excuse me ..."

Manon's mother, Noela-san, had bright green hair and a chubby petite build that at first glance looks like a baby tanuki.

My first impression is that she seemed like a bright and talkative person.

And there was one boy who was staring at me from the top of the stairs.

Manon looks like her father, and her younger brother, Hamill, looks like her mother.

"Coo, cookies won't deceive me!"

"Hey, Hamill, what are you talking about, come down and say hello."

"Hmph, don't wanna ..."

The appearance of him disappearing looks like a baby tanuki hiding in a burrow.

"I'm sorry Kent, he's really cheeky ..."

"It's okay, maybe he thinks his sister will be taken away."

"I wonder if that's the case ... He always says things like quickly get married."

I was guided to the living room and sat across the table from Noela-san.

Manon was sitting next to me.

Noela-san, she's smiling now, but if she knew I was dating two other girls besides Manon and say I want to marry them, her expression would change completely.(TN:It's not Earth with their ridiculous mindset, Kent...)

But I decided, and it's the path I chose, so I can't help but say it.

"O, once again, I came here today because I want you to acknowledge my relationship with Manon-san, thank you for having me over."

"Ara, ara, how polite, I'm already very much in favor of it."

"Umm, that is ... Actually, besides Manon-san ..."

"I know, Beatrice-chan and Yuika-san, right? I've known Beatrice-chan since she was little, she's adorable, and she's a very well-brought young lady, and Manon always talks about Yuika-san being a wonderful person as well.

"Eh ... I'm thinking of getting married with three people ..."

"Yes, yes, I heard everything from Manon."

I was worried due to my own family environment, but I heard that Manon and Noela are very friendly to each other and can talk about anything.

From the time we met for the first time in the guild class, she was puzzled by the change in her feelings, she became clearly conscious of love and the existence of two rivals, it seems that she listened to everything up until the point where I made the decision.

"You were the gardener's apprentices before, right? She made a big fuss after she came back, saying that her bath was peeped into, and that everything was seen."

"Mom! I told you not to talk about that anymore."

"Ara, ara, I wonder if that was the case ... Ohohoho ..."

It's a secret that I replayed Manon's treasure video that I had saved in my brain while listening to her talking about such a thing.

"Kent-san, I am very grateful to Kent-san."

"Eh, thank you ... I guess?"

"Because ... This kid looked like a boy, and didn't seem to be interested in romance at all ... Well, I don't know if she wants to be an adventurer like my husband, but that's right. I was worried about whether she'll be able to become a wife ..."

"Mom! I told you not to talk about that ..."

"Ara, ara, I wonder if that was the case ... But it's okay, even if you know Manon when she was dressed like that, you still chose her, so it's okay."

"Uh ... that, might be so ..."

Certainly, when I met Manon, I thought she was a handsome boy, but now she's a cute girl, so it's okay.

Hey, Manon-chan, loosening your pursed mouth is highly destructive, so I want you to stop now. I won't be able to stop myself from grinning.

While I was thinking what to do, I saw Hamill peering in from the door behind Noela-san, in the corner of the mirror hanging on the wall.

Manon, who was sitting next to me, didn't seem to have noticed, but Noela-san's eyes occasionally move, so I guess she did.

"Well, let's get ready for lunch. Manon, you're going to make it today, right?"

"Y, yeah, I'll make it ..."

"Hamill, come here for a moment and keep Kent-san company."

"Eeehhh ... why me ..."

"Is it okay if you don't have pocket money next month?"

"Heee ... I understand."

"Well then, Kent-san, please talk to Hamill."

"Y, yes ..."

Eeehhh ... I don't need pocket money, but I guess I can't leave my seat ...

Hamill sat down on the seat diagonally across from me with his head down.

"Umm ... I'm Kent, nice to meet you, Hamill-kun."

"Hmph, I won't give you either my sister of Beatrice-san, you womanizer!"

"Gaaa ..."

Noela-san unexpectedly forgave me, but Hamill seems to strongly oppose it.

What's more, the way he speaks is irritating, isn't it.

"Umm ... Hamill-kun, do you like Beatrice?"(TN:The whole town does, apparently.)

"D, d, d, don't say stupid things. It's not like that, don't be stupid ..."

Well, he's easy to understand ... The baby tanuki's face turns bright red in no time.

This kind of thing makes me want to play around with it a bit.

"That's right, you don't like Beatrice."

"O, of course, are you talking to a woman or something ..."

"I see, I'm relieved to hear that. After all, Beatrice is absolutely in love with me ..."

"Waa ... Th, that's not possible! Don't be stupid!"

Yeah, this time his face is bright red in a different way.

"I thought so too at first, that I was just being teased ..."

"Th, that's right, of course. There's no way Beatrice-san would like you."

"Well, that was, until, Klaus-san invited me to dinner, I got drunk and stayed the night, but when I woke up, I was in the same bed holding Beatrice in my arms ... apparently Beatrice had snuck in during the night ..."

"Th, that's a lie! There's no such thing as that! It's bullshit! By the way, why were you invited?"

Hamill stood up and banged on the table and yelled.

"Eh, because I played the most active part in repelling the latest maximum outbreak, and that's why Klaus-san acknowledges my relationship with Beatrice."

"That's a lie, that's a lie, that's a lie! There's no way you can be active! Don't lie!"

"Yeah, yeah ... I'm not that strong myself, but do you konw what I'm called?"

"Eh ... well, 'Monster User' ..."

I expected that if Manon was talking to Noela-san about everything, Hamill would naturally be listening to various stories, and it was just as I thought.

"Yeah, I'm not that strong, but my genus who work for me are really strong."

"Even so, you're not strong. There's no way Beatrice-san would like you."

"But now, if I'm gone, all my genus will be gone from Volzard, and if that happens, it'll be a problem if another maximum outbreak occurs ... Klaus-san, as the Lord, wants me to stay in town no matter what, even if Beatrice has to sacrifice herself for that purpose ..."

"D, don't joke around ... Even if you're not here, I'll protect Volzard. I'll protect Beatrice-san."

"Hmm, I wonder if you can do it ... It wouldn't be strange if the crisis of a mamimum outbreak occurred even right now. I wonder if Hamill-kun can protect them now ..."

"S, shut up ... I, I ..."

Okay, maybe I overdid it a little. Hamill begins to spill tears.

"K-e-nt ... I wonder why you're making Hamill cry ..."

"Hey ... um, Manon, this is ... I'm sorry."

"Ueeeeee ... Mom, that guy is bullying me ..."

"Kent-san, what is going on?"

She's smiling just like before, but Noela-san's eyes are twitching.

"Um, should I say that it's a misunderstanding, or rather, it's a difference of opinion ..."

"He's mean to me ... I hate him!"

"Kent-san!"

"I'm sorry! I got a little annoyed when I got water dumped on me ... I was immature, I'm sorry."

I lowered my head with the momentum of hitting my head on my knees.

"You got water poured on you? Hamill ... what's going on?"

"Eh ... I, I, don't know anything."

Until now, Hamill, who had been clinging tightly to her, was about to run away, but Noela-san caught him firmly.

"Hamill, did you pour water on Kent-san?"

"Uh ... But, he put out something like a black board ..."

"Hamill!"

"Sorry ..."

After that, Hamill and I listened to Noela-san's sermon for about 30 minutes ...

"What on earth are you doing Kent? You're going to be Hamill's, uh, brother-in-law, so you gotta get along with him."

"Eh ... I see, that's right. Okay, Hamill, you can call me brother-in-law."

"I won't call you that, don't get carried away!"

That's right ... Noela-san was also smiling wryly, but I just wanted to say something.

After the sermon was over, we all had lunch together, and there was pasta, sausages, and other familiar dishes lined up.

There was also a tamagoyaki that was a little out of shape.(TN:Rolled egg omelette.)

"Eh ... tamagoyaki?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't cook it well ... I learned it from Yuika ..."

Halfway through, I stopped hearing Manon's words, and I, who had been staring blankly at the tamagoyaki, suddenly burst into tears.

In my head, many years ago, the scene of the day of the excursion was recalled.

"Kent? Hey, what happened Kent ...?"

"Uuu ... uuuuuuu ..."

My mother was not good at cooking, so grandman usually prepared meals for us.

On the morning of the excursion, my grandmother had a fever and fell asleep, and my mother made a bento for me.(TN:Boxed lunch.)

Even though I was a child, I knew that my mother was not good at cooking, so I remember watching her worriedly as she made the lunch box.

My mother made a distorted rice ball, an octopus shaped sausage, and a slightly deformed tamagoyaki.

"I'm sorry, I can't cook well ... Mom, is not good at cooking ..."

My mother apologized regretfully, but I vividly remembered how happy I was to be able to go on the excursion with the lunch box she made for me.

But my mother isn't here anymore. When I thought that I would never be able to eat my mother's tamagoyaki, which was a little too sweet, I couldn't stop crying.

My mother's death, which had been so unbelievable, suddenly became a reality and weighed down on my heart.

I lost strength in my legs and collapsed on the spot.

"If only I, if I had talked to my mother more ... If I had realized that I could return to Japan sooner ... my mother ... my mother ... Aaaaaaa ..."

"Kent ..."

Even when Manon hugged me, I couldn't stop crying.