Chapter 42

I visited the captain after a long absence.

No, I recently was busy with territory reform. They are almost ready to use personal portable weapons. Throw, then take cover; other than grenades.

No, even if I say they’re able to use them, that’s just saying they can “shoot now”, their hit rate is bad.

The materials from those dragons seem to have sold well. It seems the scales and meat were sold to each country equally for the sake of fairness. A certain amount each to prevent monopoly.

Of course, at a very expensive price.

The parts for the countries that complained that it was expensive were sold to other countries or big companies at an auction. Demon…….

And having secured the rights to all discoveries, inventions, new products etc. derived from the dragon materials research. They have definitely become rich.

“…No, it’ll be made public? Of course, the miss has a share as well?”

The captain explains in a hurry, to the suspicious Mitsuha.

“So, will your men keep working as mercenaries?”

“Yes, we don’t have any other skills. The money will be divided even if we break up, we don’t have anything else to do, so it’ll soon run out anyway, or we could become penniless after being attacked or cheated. If that’s the case, it’s safer to keep together as mercenaries. Those who’ll pick a fight with us have to go through all of us.

However, it’s appreciated that we won’t have to take any risky and dangerous requests for a while out of a need for money. In the first place, we don’t feel like receiving any battle jobs for the time being”

Yeah, you wouldn’t want to face death for money if you already have plenty of money, that’s normal.

“Oh, yeah, remember how I told you I’m managing a Viscounty, can I count on you guys if some bandits come?”

“Ahh, the story’s different if it’s a request of the miss, although even if the opponents don’t have firearms there is still the possibility of dying, well, if they die from that, they were guys that’ll die that easily. Even if it is voluntary, probably everyone will participate”

“Ah~, it’s not like the enemy is coming so I won’t need it like before….”

Yes, that would be an excessive force.

“Oh, are you aware of any wooden, man-powered ships using a dozen or so people?”

I thought that if it’s a country around here and not Japan, there might still be wooden and not mechanically powered ships…

“…….Is that a galley ship? Does the miss’ place still uses slaves?”

As if in surprise, the captain rounded his eyes.

Is it no good?

Well, I don’t have any special training today. Maybe I’ll buy some tanks or self-propelled autocannons if I earn a lot of money,. God, I’m counting on you ok.

(tl note: God is the name of the mercenary’s half-track with the 20mm autocannon)

The 5.56mm weapons on light armored mobile cars and so on are too weak. Infantry battle vehicles that can load 20-millimeter auto-cannons…, wait, what is the Yamano Viscounty going to fight!?

…Let’s return for today.

Oh, before that, I’m going shopping in the city.

No, I don’t only shop in Japan, but also in this country’s city.

Generally, they offer a lot more things than in Japan and they’re cheaper. The number of stores I’m familiar with has increased. I get bonuses and candy as well.

……I know that they think I’m a 10 to 12 years old child!

“Miss, are you going out to the city?”

“Yes, I’m going shopping”

The captain whispered in a quiet voice and said.

“…Recently, some suspicious people have been wandering around. Maybe intelligence agents from some country or something.”

“What is their purpose?”

“Probably, the method of going back and forth to another world. Also, resources and technologies that are not here. Before, one of my idiots posted some photos on our homepage, and this time the gold coins that we got which we converted in large quantities as a reward from princess, we had also converted some in the past. If the pros are serious about it, they’ll soon know that princess’ teleportation isn’t a one-time thing”

“Regardless of resources, technology? From a world of swords, bow, and arrows?”

“There are, you know, like magic, and magic, and magic…….”

“Ah……”

I see, another world’s interests, I guess they are thinking that if they manage this well they’ll be able to put their troops on another world. Like getting a vast amount of land in exchange for 24 dollars worth of junk, or exchanging disposable lighters for diamond ores……

But my teleportation is neither something scientific nor a magic dimensional tunnel. Even if someone captures and orders me to teleport, I might only teleport myself at the time of teleporting, or leave all their equipment and clothing behind and teleport to the top of a high mountain and then teleport just myself away, it could be anything.

In any case, it’s one thing if they try to kill me with a single shot, but I can escape at any time by teleporting if they don’t so there’s nothing people who aren’t trying to kill me can do. Even if they make me suddenly fall asleep using drugs, they’ll need to let me regain consciousness in order to interrogate me.

I can escape by teleporting if I’m in a conscious state for several seconds. In other words, interrogation is impossible. As long as I do not go out of my way to let them.

When escaping, it might be fun to go together with all the building’s pillars.

Besides, they believe that I’m a person from that world for now and I have no important family or relatives who can be taken hostage even if my real name is gets found out. If that uncle’s family gets taken as hostages, I would have a nice laugh…

Anyway, it’s nothing serious.

“I understand, it’s not a big problem, but combine my name with the explanation from now on, because it doesn’t seem like a good thing to spread “mana(my real name)” to odd groups”

(tl note: 真名 seems to translate to real name but is pronounce mana. That joke doesn’t work in English as far as I know.)

“O, Oh……”

The captain is confused from a suspicious term such as mana appearing. Later ask some members who are Japanimation manias.

The members sent me to the city with a car. Seems like there was some conflict over who’ll bring me. …Have my popular period(モテ期) finally come?

(jisho note: モテ期(Moteki): period (of life) when one is enjoying more romantic attention than usual)

I can go to the city with continuous teleportation, but there’s always the possibility of being witnessed at the moment of appearing and it’s better to go at a speed of 70 miles per hour for about 30 minutes while talking about the world.

Ah, it’s 70 mph nonstop on a road with no signal lights each second, so it’s about 50 kilometers away from the city. The base of a private mercenary group can’t be too close to a city.

When I got to the town and they let me down, the members simply went home. They know that I’ll return by teleporting after shopping.

Speaking of which, there’s this thing where everyone thinks that I “can return from anywhere when returning, but will only appear at the mercenary group’s base when I come to this world.” Perhaps, they think that I can be anywhere when teleporting but it’s necessary to set something like a marker at the destination. For example, like it’s set at the mercenary group’s base. Well, that’s fine, though. Let them think what they think. It might become a safety valve for something.

And while I was buying food like normal, I was called by someone I didn’t know.

“Excuse me miss. Could I have a bit of your time?”

Blond hair and blue eyes, height about 180 cm, somewhat taller than the average Westerner too. From my height, I have to look up. A calm feeling uncle in the middle of his 30s, wearing a dark suit. There are two younger people behind him. Everyone is in black suits. Is there such a rule?

“Yes, what is it?”

Knowledge of Russian and Chinese floats to the top of my head. Russian is complete, Chinese is somewhat inferior.

Yes, this person studied English and Chinese and mastered them, his mother tongue is Russian.

Of course, my reply was returned in English, which was the language he spoke.

“I’d like to talk a little, is that OK?”

“Eh, ehh, well, if it’s only for a bit……”

At Mitsuha’s reply, a joyful look appeared on the men faces.

“Then, let’s talk while eating somewhere… we’ll drive you somewhere so please get in……”

Looking further back, a black car is parked behind them. As expected, there aren’t any girls who’ll get in a car with 3 suspicious men plus driver without any protection. Are they making light of me, thinking I’m from another world anyway?

“No, no, I was taught in this world that I shouldn’t follow any strangers or ride in the car of any stranger…”

The men scold their eyebrows. They were likely thinking “who was it that taught her something unnecessary.”

“So it’s okay if we talk while drinking tea at that shop”

The men reluctantly nod at Mitsuha’s words. Then they followed Mitsuha who started walking. Perhaps they originally intended to make light contact and not suddenly abduct her.

“Here, this is…”

The 3 men flinch.

Out of place.

They were ridiculously out of place

The people that had taken most of the seats in the shop were all young female customers except for themselves. Wherein 3 men in black suits.

Were already conspicuous.

A sweet specialty shop popular among young women in this town.

Of course, I chose this shop on purpose. You can’t make any funny moves if you attract so much attention. Fuhaha……..

I picked a table close to the wall and sat down with the wall behind me.

Normally you should avoid the seats where you can’t escape from. Especially if you’re solicited by a former classmate who you haven’t met in a few years and a stranger in a pyramid scheme or religion.

However, it doesn’t matter to me now. I have teleportation too but that is because it’s “this shop”.

Anyway, I asked the waitress who came to pick up an order for the cake set. The men ordered coffee, coffee, and chocolate banana cream sundae, the other two glare at the last person.

Mhm mhm, you wanted to eat here but couldn’t enter this store alone right, please eat as much as you want…

“So, what did you want to talk about…?”

On purpose, I said in a slightly louder voice.

Yes, in order to inform customers and store clerks in the shop, that they are not my acquaintances, but “suspicious men who are cornering a girl who doesn’t know them”.

Instantly effective, a group of women around the age of 20 is watching with scary faces. And a group of schoolgirls that glance this way is taking out cell phones from their bags.

The men are not aware of them because they at the back of the shop and facing Mitsuha towards the wall side. Just as keikakued….

(translator’s note: keikaku means “plan”)

While seeming uncomfortable, the oldest man began talking in a low volume.

“I’ll get straight to the point, you are a princess from another world, are not you?”

Yes, fastball, straight in the middle!

“Eh, well … how did you know?”

“Oh, as I expected, our country really wants to create diplomatic relations with your highness’ country…… we can also support you in the war against the Demon Army, through dispatching military personnel!”

Mhm mhm, use some reason to let the military enter then force the rest of the way, huh…

But, what did they intend to do if they become isolated in another world? If supply and maintenance can’t continue, modern weapons soon become useless. Besides, no matter how powerful the weapons you possess, if the enemy is all around you, you get random night attacks every night to keep you from sleeping at all or someone sneaking in to poison your food and water, in the first place I think they’ll dry up right away if they’re stopped from securing food and water locally….

“No, it’s already over because of the heroes from this world. …. After that is only around cleaning up the remnants of the enemy army that had parted from their main forces. If it’s that much then rather than depending on other worlds, it’s a task we should undertake ourselves… ”

“Eh”, the men show an expression like they didn’t expect that.

(tl note: there seems to be a joke where 男達(Otoko-tachi) is used to refer to the men. It can be used for “knight in shining armor” and “ruffians who act under the pretense of being chivalrous”)

“Wh, but a dragon might attack again …”

“No, the old dragons originally only appear once in a few hundred years. Grown dragons are gentle and intelligent creatures, only rarely does a dragon child or immature dragon come and act mischievous”(ごく稀に子竜や若い竜がヤンチャしに来るだけだそうです)

A scholar explained that afterward.

“Huh……”

At this time, the orders came.

Mitsuha who raised her line of sight to see the waitresses, almost spit unintentionally.

There were foreign contamination at several places inside the shop filled with young women.

As if they had arranged beforehand, men in dark inconspicuous suits approached from several different spots. The plain suits that shouldn’t be very noticeable stood out tremendously here.

Because most seats were taken, the different groups were forced to share tables, they seem quite anxious. Well yeah, it wouldn’t do for them to share a table with young girls…

The waitress also seems dumbfounded when she turned her eyes toward the men and notice them too.

“But, if the negotiation doesn’t progress here and now, the agents from other countries will swarm as soon as we break up with the princess,” they thought, and as soon as the waitress leaves the order they stop eyeballing the around them and continue to talk.

“However, in consideration of your country, having a diplomatic relationship with our country…”

“В родине лояльность”

“””Huh?”””

At Mitsuha’s sudden words, the 3 people stare at Mitsuha with startled faces.

“It’s said that the great hero of my country who saved my great-grandfather’s life ‘Hero Ivanov’ often uttered these words, they seem to be words with a meaning similar to loyalty to the country …”

The 3 people are stunned.

And their cheeks gradually turn red.

“That, that is! Someone from our country!!!”

Those loud voices gather the gazes of the people in the shop.

Mhm mhm, this just got interesting.