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070 Suppressing
Murderous Intent
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Translator : PolterGlast
Returning from the 7th
floor of the royal capital dungeon, I immediately requested an audience with
Bachus.
"What!?"
Bachus exclaimed, standing up from his chair and lunging at the chunk of metal
known as Gormodia.
"What is this!?
Where did you get it!?" he demanded.
"From the
7th-floor boss room in the dungeon," I replied.
"The 7th
floor!?" he cried.
"I believe it's an
ultra-rare drop item," I stated.
"Mmm-hmm,"
Bachus muttered. His expression suggested he had intended to go retrieve it
himself. Ultra-rare items rarely drop. Moreover, the 7th floor isn't an easy
place to reach, but Bachus could probably do it... A Master Blacksmith Lv36
would have quite high STR and ATK values. Depending on his party members, he
should be able to go.
"The fact that
you brought this to me means..." Bachus began.
"Yes, I wished
for you to forge a sword from it," I confirmed.
"Alright, leave
it to me! Only I can forge this! I'm returning to my territory
immediately!" he roared. No, no, you can't go back now. What did you come
to the capital for?
"Please calm
down. You can't go back right now, can you?" I urged.
"What are you
saying!? Nothing is more important than this, except for liquor!" he
countered. So liquor is more important, huh!?
Bachus was full of
things to retort to, but I somehow managed to calm him down and make him
reconsider. If he left now, I'd probably be subjected to sarcastic remarks from
the Duke. More importantly, Bachus was almost the only noble I could speak with
freely.
In return, I was made
to promise that he would forge a sword from Gormodia as soon as we returned to
his territory. I was going to ask him to do that anyway (laughs).
Since it's a black
metal, I'm sure it'll become a cool-looking sword. I'll look forward to that
time. Come to think of it, I was supposed to receive a demonic sword from the
nation. I'll have to make sure its effects don't overlap with the one I'm
getting.
***
After that, I
continued to loop through the 7th floor to level up and earn money. The total
exchange value of items obtained from the royal capital dungeon slightly
exceeded 20,000,000 Grill. That's over 200,000,000 yen. I planned to use it as
payment when Bachus forged my sword.
Everyone except me
reached Level 40. My Reincarnated Hero, Assassin, and Sword Master jobs all
reached Level 38, my Explorer reached Level 30, and my Enchanter reached Level
35. I could now see the back of Barukan, the Guardian Knight Lv42!
Also, though unrelated
to dungeon exploration, my Heavy Drinker level steadily rose to 15 from
accompanying Bachus in his drinking. It's still not enough, but recently I've
become able to keep up with Bachus's drinking pace just a little. Bachus
doesn't even have the Heavy Drinker job, so how can he drink that much? Should
I call him a true Dwarf? Or is he just an alcoholic old man...?
***
Finally, the day came
for me to receive my reward. It was a magnificent castle, larger than the
Duke's mansion. The Duke's mansion felt like a defensive stronghold, but this
one felt like a symbol of authority.
Each noble was
assigned a room, so I took a nap on Anneliese's lap in between. I had stayed up
late last night accompanying Bachus in his drinking. Moreover, even though
Bachus was also attending the ceremony, he came to my room early in the morning
and rubbed his cheek against the Gormodia. He had been doing that every day
since then. Doesn't he get tired of doing the same thing every day? More
importantly, it's creepy.
I waited for about two
hours. A staff member came to call for me. It was hard to part with the
comforting feel of Anneliese's thigh, but I forced myself to sit up and
stretch.
"Toi-sama. Your
hair is messy," Anneliese observed.
"That's nothing
to worry about," I replied.
"But it's not
good," she insisted. Anneliese gently combed my hair. It had grown quite
long since I was transported to this world and hadn't cut it.
"It's beautiful
silver hair," she commented.
"It's long, so
maybe I should cut it soon," I mused.
"What a
waste," Anneliese said.
"It's getting in
the way."
"It won't be in
the way if you do this," Anneliese said, braiding my silver hair behind my
back. If I were a girl, I'd be delighted, but...
Since Anneliese had
gone to the trouble of braiding it, I decided to attend the ceremony with my
hair as it was.
"Baron Toi
Footscythel's entrance!" A large double door opened with a heavy creak.
Light streamed into my eyes from beyond the door. It was so dazzling that I
instinctively closed my eyes.
It was a luxurious
audience chamber, with numerous chandeliers and lights illuminating it. Since
the light wasn't from candle flames, they must be magic items. I, being a
commoner, couldn't help but wonder how many magic stones were used for all
those chandeliers.
The crimson carpet
seemed to be a tradition in the audience chamber. We advanced across the long,
fluffy carpet. Right behind me were Anneliese and Gandarvan, and behind them,
Rosalina and the others.
Nobles lined both
sides, sizing us up. Those closer to the entrance were Barons, and the closer
to the throne, the higher their rank.
It seemed we had
passed from the Baron area to the Viscount area, where Bachus was. When our
eyes met, he gave me a thumbs-up. He was a truly carefree man.
In the Count's area,
Zaigen's face was also present. His frown lines were as deep as ever.
Barukan was staying
behind this time. Zaigen and Barukan apparently always took turns staying
behind. Thanks to that, I could relax and stretch out. If Barukan was present,
I'd be forced into training, which was a hassle. That Barukan was also a Count.
I thought, with that face? But a noble title has nothing to do with how
intimidating one's face is.
The Duke's figure was
there. Then, I saw an unpleasant sight. The Heroes. The Duke and other nobles
were on the left side of the throne, and the Heroes were on the right. Among
them was Shinji Akaba, who had tormented me in Japan. Seeing their faces made
dark emotions almost burst forth.
It was in the winter
of my first year of high school...
***
It was December,
approaching Christmas. On my way home from school, I stopped by a bookstore. It
was the release day for a manga I loved to read. It wasn't a very large
bookstore, so popular manga often sold out, but the one I loved usually did
too, so I had reserved it.
As I browsed the books
before buying mine, I saw a boy in the same uniform. It was Kota Naeba, a
classmate. He was acting incredibly suspiciously, sweating profusely. He was
sweating so much that even if he had run a little in this weather, he wouldn't
have sweated that much. I was a little curious, so I watched Naeba, and he put
a book into his bag. It was a book he hadn't paid for. In other words,
shoplifting.
I instinctively
grabbed Naeba's arm as he was about to leave.
"Wha!?" I
shook my head, then let go of his arm. Naeba fumbled, took the book out of his
bag, put it back on the shelf, and ran out of the store.
The next time I saw
Naeba, he was being assaulted behind the school building. Yes, it was him.
Eight members of Akaba's group were kicking Naeba, who was cowering like a
turtle.
When I saw something
so sickening, I couldn't help but speak up. It was my bad habit.
"Stop acting like
children," I said.
"Huh? Who are
you?" Hayate Uchida, member number 1 of Akaba's group, glared at me. There
seem to be students like this in every era. I'd seen them in old manga.
"Assault. That's
a serious crime. Stop it," I warned.
"Hmph. Who said
we assaulted anyone? Right, Slowpoke?" Uchida grabbed the assaulted Naeba
by the collar, pulling him up, and asked him.
"N-no
one..." Naeba stammered.
"See?
Hahaha," Uchida sneered. I shook my head and asked Naeba if that was okay,
but he timidly nodded. He must have been scared of Akaba and the others and
couldn't say no. I understood that, but I couldn't intervene further. If he
didn't assert himself, nothing would change.
"Just go
easy," I said, trying to leave, but I was kicked in the back and fell.
After that, Akaba mounted me and punched me. Akaba's group held my arms and
legs down, and I could only take the punches.
I didn't make a sound.
If I did, it would just encourage them. Did they think I'd beg them to stop for
something like this?
The next day, my face
was incredibly swollen. The moment I mentioned Akaba's name, the teacher
swiftly backed away. It was well-known that Akaba's father was a Diet member.
He had caused trouble many times before, and his father had always used his
power to cover it up.
From then on, I was
punched and kicked every day. But I didn't intend to just take it. I was
outnumbered, so I might lose. I would probably lose. But if I stopped
resisting, that would be the end of me. With that thought, no matter how many
times I was hit, I didn't flinch from Akaba and his group.
Even after 10 punches
or 100 kicks, I'd find an opening and punch back. Then I'd get punched again.
It was a cycle. I guess I was doing something foolish. Looking back now, maybe
I just didn't want to be someone who just takes it.
The teacher blamed me
for punching Akaba. Even after seeing the bruises all over my body, he said
nothing. I had never respected him, but from then on, I despised him.
In my second and third
years of high school, Akaba and his group continued to harass me, never tiring
of it. They didn't like that I never begged for mercy, no matter how many times
I was hit.
The harassment wasn't
just physical. My classmates ignored me. Textbooks were torn or lost more than
once or twice. My gym uniform was torn, and dog feces were put in my bag.
Their violence was
commonplace, and the teachers said nothing. One time, I even had to be
hospitalized. The police, notified by the hospital, investigated but quickly
closed the case. It was pressure from his father, the Diet member. Even as a
high school student, I could imagine the police backing down.
When I was summoned, I
refused to be summoned with them. It wasn't because I succumbed to violence.
I'm confident I won't yield to them in this world either. My spirit will never
break. I have no intention of letting it break.
I refused the
summoning because I heard I would be sent to another world as a Hero. The god
said that since I had a powerful job, I could vent all my past frustrations. At
first, I considered it. To make them pay. But I stopped myself. If I gained
power and then beat them up, I would become just like them. So, I refused to be
summoned with them. I didn't want to become that kind of scum.
However... Akaba is
trash, but what's with that criminal record? How many crimes have you
committed?
He had a criminal
record from Japan, but he also had many after being summoned here. It's only
been a few months since he was summoned, so why does he have so much criminal
history...? The country should be managing these guys, so I have no intention
of doing anything specifically, but if he's left alone, he'll eventually commit
murder or other major crimes. Since they summoned him, they should take
responsibility and manage him. If they can't do that, they should at least be
held accountable for what they've done.
***
Seeing Akaba and the
others's faces makes my guts churn, so I'll ignore them, ignore them. Think of
them as scarecrows. I told myself, then stood before the princess, who had
light pink hair like thin sumi ink cherry blossoms, and bowed my head.
"Baron Toi
Footscythel. The demon subjugation is truly a joyous matter. Therefore, I shall
bestow a reward upon you."
A civil servant
brought a tray with a sword in a beautiful bag.
"I bestow upon
you the demonic sword Salman, from the royal treasury."
The nobles stirred.
What's wrong? I wondered, receiving the demonic sword Salman.
"Thank you,"
I said.
It was very light.
Incredibly light for a chunk of metal. Even a two-handed sword made of Mithril,
which is said to be light, weighed several times more than this. Was I being
tricked?
"I bestow a
demonic sword upon Millis-Gandarvan, a retainer of Baron Footscythel."
"Thank you!"
Gandarvan replied. Everyone else also received their rewards.
Basically, Jojok also
received a demonic sword, Lin a demonic spear, Rosalina received good armor
since she didn't use weapons, Anneliese, who became a Sage of Love, and Solidia
received Mithril staffs, and Bath received a Mithril dagger.
Everyone else's
rewards weren't in bags, so why was only mine in a bag? Was it because it was a
particularly good item? I didn't really understand.
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