Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 10

by Hiro Ainana

General Erthal seemed to be taking the bait.

  Were the Fireworks scrolls popular in Labyrinth City now, too?

  “Why, thanks to his cooking and overall character serving as a balm on our people, the clashes between our political factions in my lord’s territory have simmered down. One hardly ever hears of assassinations and other such violence.”

  Wait, I’m a balm now?

  If there were assassinations in the peaceful duchy, maybe it had something to do with the demon lord–worshipping cult Wings of Freedom?

  “If cooking is enough to change such things, I would have him do something about Marquis Ashinen, too.”

  “You might be surprised. He even repaired the friendship between Marquis Lloyd and Count Hohen.”

  “What?! Those two? But they fought like cats and dogs!”

  I had heard rumors that the gourmet-loving noble pair hadn’t gotten along well before, too.

  As long as I’d personally known them, they’d seemed like the closest of friends, so it didn’t make much sense to me.

  “By the by, is that the Magic Sword I asked about? Let me see it at once.”

  “You may look but nothing more. It’s on loan from His Majesty the duke, after all.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  General Erthal drew the Magic Sword Akatsuki with the expression of a child who’d received a new toy.

  “What a beautiful sword.”

  It was a blue steel blade, plated with mithril. If I remembered right, I’d made it while messing around with my “Metalworking” skill.

  “Is it a mithril blade?”

  “No, according to Sir Ipasa, it lacks the unique weight variation of a mithril sword.”

  “Just plating, then…”

  That was a name I hadn’t heard in a while. Sir Ipasa was Marquis Lloyd’s son, an imperial knight of the Ougoch Duchy whom I’d befriended in our travels from the Muno Barony to the old capital.

  “…This is incredible. I’ve never seen a magic blade that produces ‘Spellblade’ so easily.”

  General Erthal produced a red light around the Magic Sword.

  “I should love to fight even one strong monster with such a wonderful sword as this…”

  “My apologies, but I’m afraid I don’t have the authority to permit that. You’ll have to ask Duke Ougoch directly at the kingdom meeting on the dawn of the new year.”

  General Erthal’s face fell at Viscount Siemmen’s words.

  “Our factions are different, after all. I suppose I shall have to give up… Hmm? Sir Pendragon, is that sword of Elder Dohal’s make?”

  When his eyes fell on the fairy sword at my waist, the spark of excitement reappeared in his eyes.

  “Yes, it is a mithril sword Elder Dohal was generous enough to forge for me.”

  Since Trazayuya seemed to be a famous name in Labyrinth City, I decided not to mention that the sword was called the Fairy Sword Trazayuya.

  He clearly wanted to touch the fairy sword, so I handed it over to the general.

  “Oh-ho, a fine sword worthy of Elder Dohal’s seal. And a beautiful one, at that. It might even surpass that Magic Sword.”

  The general produced “Spellblade” on the fairy sword and gave it a light swing.

  “However, a mithril sword chooses its wielder.”

  As he said that, I noticed that General Erthal’s sword was also a mithril sword made by Elder Dohal, even if it didn’t have his seal.

  “A mithril blade is light without magic, but if one lacks the strength, it is impossible to swing it while putting enough magic into it to produce ‘Spellblade.’ And it gets heavier when it is supplied with more magic, so it is quite difficult to use.”

  That made sense. Even with my “One-Handed Sword” skill maxed out, it took a while to get used to using my fairy sword.

  “In the hands of a master swordsman who can use a mithril blade properly, this sword would likely be stronger than the other.”

  With that, General Erthal put the fairy sword back in its sheath.

  “However, if one can use ‘Spellblade,’ the Magic Sword would be the better choice. Its magic circuits are almost too perfect. I would recommend such a sword for anyone. If we had such a blade in large quantities, the Shiga Kingdom could fight even a demon lord’s army.”

  I was grateful for the compliment to my sword, but I wished he wouldn’t say such ominous things. What if a demon lord’s army really did attack?

  Although that was probably unlikely, since I defeated the Golden Boar Lord under the old capital, so another demon lord shouldn’t appear for sixty-six years.

  “Have I displeased you? If you have the skills to wield this mithril sword, then you would be more than a match for the duke’s Magic Sword. You’ll have to study hard.”

  “I will. Thank you for the advice.”

  Finally, the general added, “Lesser men would be sorely tempted to steal such a sword. Be careful not to let too many people see it.”

  Just as he was handing my fairy sword back to me, the door opened without even a knock.

  “We brought you some food, General.”

  “It’s from the gifts the viscount brought you.”

  The foxfolk soldier and the man he’d called “Captain” in the labyrinth entered. Surprisingly, the captain seemed to be the number-two man in the labyrinth army.

  The plate was filled with some of the snacks I’d brought to go with the sweet wine.

  Behind them, I saw underlings pushing wagons loaded with food and casks. Judging by the fact that they’d prepared enough for everyone, they seemed fully intent on drinking in the middle of the day.

  “…You two, eh?”

  “I’m the poison tester, so I have to taste everything first.”

  “Don’t you have the ‘Analyze’ skill? Just looking at my cup should be plenty.”

  “Not a chance, Captain!”

  These two were as entertaining as ever.

  “Very well. We can’t well drink all those casks with just the three of us here anyway. You two can join us if you’ll stop the comedy act.”

  At that, the captain and the foxfolk officer looked so happy, they almost flung their plates in the air.

  I guess General Erthal was friendlier than he looked.

  “This must be Zetts County red wine and this Eluette Marquisate fruit wine. But what is this clear liquor here?”

  “I don’t know, either. It’s a gift from Sir Pendragon.”

  Both of the men turned to look at me.

  “It’s rum from the Lalagi Kingdom called Paradise and liqueur from the Ishrallie Kingdom called Calm Seas. Both have a light sweetness and are easy to drink—”

  “Paradise from Lalagi, you say?”

  General Erthal jumped up in surprise, then picked up the bottle of Paradise rum.

  Somehow, it vividly reminded me of events that happened in the Kingdom of Sorcery Lalagi.

  “But it is said that this liquor never leaves the Lalagi Kingdom.”

  I could understand why people would think that.

  The Kingdom of Sorcery was practically a gathering of alcohol-loving nobles, so they probably refused to export good liquor.

  “The Ishrallie Kingdom is famous for the Heaven’s Teardrop gems, but I’ve never seen this liquor before. And this red wine is in a different bottle—is it not also from Zetts County?”

  “No, that’s called ‘fairy wine’…”

  “What?! The drink of the elves that the guildmaster is always bragging about?!”

  Guildmaster? The head of the explorers’ guild, perhaps? Fairy wine must not be as rare in Labyrinth City as it is in Lalagi.

  When Viscount Siemmen looked envious, I whispered to him that I would send him some of the same later.

  “Now then, a toast to our friendship, Sir Pendragon and Viscount Siemmen!”

  General Erthal’s toast launched something of a drinking party.

  The captain and the foxfolk officer joined in, too, of course.

  “Ok
ay, no poison in this one.”

  “You didn’t really need to drink it to figure that out, did you?”

  “That’s not true, Captain. Even ‘Analyze’ isn’t perfect, you know.”

  The foxfolk man was right: If you used a recognition-inhibiting item higher than the observer’s “Analyze” skill, the latter wouldn’t work.

  “It’s even mentioned in the tales of the great ancestral king. When King Sharik the Second took over the throne and the ancestral king traveled the world, there was word of a mysterious skill that even the original Yamato stone couldn’t identify.”

  “That’s just made-up nonsense that some writer added on later.”

  The captain smacked the foxfolk officer on the head. Talk about workplace harassment.

  However, the foxfolk man just kept talking. What a tough guy.

  “What about the green greater hell demon that appears in history books, then? He fooled a Yamato stone and infiltrated the ancestral king’s army, then made an assassination attempt, didn’t he?”

  “I’ve heard about that one. But the ancestral king saw through him, right?”

  The phrase “green greater hell demon” made me think of the green-clad noble who said “indeed” a lot—Counselor Poputema—but my AR display said he was human.

  If the ancestral king Yamato, who was a hero, could see through it, then surely my Menu and “Search Entire Map” couldn’t be fooled, since they picked up information even Arisa’s “Analyze” skill didn’t.

  Unless Yamato figured it out using something other than the “Analyze” skill, of course.

  I doubted that anyone, legendary king or no, would have such a convenient, omnipotent skill short of a manga or light novel protagonist.

  “Hmm. I thought I’d tasted all the delicacies of this world, but this is truly delicious.”

  General Erthal complimented the food I brought.

  To go with the sweet wine, I’d made all sorts of canapés, three varieties of deep-fried gyoza, and of course pizza and fried orange chicken.

  Not many people were eating the pizza, probably because it was unfamiliar to them, but the fried foods and canapés were rapidly disappearing.

  “I’ve never seen such golden food.”

  “It’s known as ‘fried gyoza.’ Try it with this sauce here, if you please.”

  Viscount Siemmen was surprised by the fried gyoza, which had entered my cooking lineup in the old capital, so I offered him the gyoza sauce.

  “I’ve never had anything this tasty! They don’t call this guy the ‘miracle chef’ for nothing. Hey, Captain, don’t hog all the fried goodness!”

  “Quiet, you. Why don’t you stick to the moldy cheese or the toasted jerky?”

  “That’s mean, Captain.”

  Moldy?

  “Hmph, that’s supposed to be moldy! Here I thought I’d be kind enough to offer the famous cheese of the Nolork Kingdom…”

  “Might I try a little?”

  “S-Sir Pendragon, I wouldn’t if I were you…”

  Viscount Siemmen tried to warn me off, but it just looked like normal Camembert cheese to me.

  The smell was the same, too, and as for the taste…

  “…This is delicious. What an excellent cheese.”

  “Indeed. Nobles from the Nolork Kingdom brought it, along with this one.”

  His mood improving, General Erthal produced another cheese.

  This one was just a normal kind.

  “Mozzarella, is it? This is delicious, too.”

  “‘Mosserella’? This one is from the Garleon Alliance. They only called it ‘white cheese,’ so I did not know it was called ‘mosserella.’”

  At this rate, the name “mosserella” was going to stick. To hopefully avoid this, I quickly said I’d confused it with a similar cheese.

  The mozzarella-like “white cheese” was sold elsewhere in the city, he informed me, so I got a simple letter of introduction with which I could buy first-rate white cheese.

  The Camembert-like cheese was delivered only on the side, along with “Nolork thorn” shipments, and the general didn’t know when they would next get more.

  I must have looked disappointed, because General Erthal offered to share half of his with me. I would have to make some kind of Camembert-based dish for him as thanks, along with a portion of the other liquor I had in reserve.

  “This wine is delicious.”

  There’s nothing like the combination of good cheese and good wine.

  General Erthal continued to offer me more of his treasured varieties of cheese, along with equally treasured wines.

  “Duke Vistall’s red wine is the best in the Shiga Kingdom. Unlike Lessau County’s bland red wine, it has a luxurious scent and depth of flavor.”

  Come on—you don’t need to diss another place’s wine like that.

  I seemed to remember it being a delicious, full-bodied red wine in its own right.

  Keeping my complaints to myself, I sampled a glass or two of Zetts County white wine and rosé. Both were great beginner wines, easy to drink, if not too memorable.

  Thus, we wound up enjoying the liquor and snacks together until noon like old drinking buddies.

  Viscount Siemmen enjoyed liquor, too, but he seemed to be a bit of a lightweight, crashing not long into the proceedings.

  According to one of his vassals, this was nothing out of the ordinary for him, so it wouldn’t affect the evening’s banquet.

  “What in the world is that?”

  In the weed-filled field that was next to our new house, some colorful cabbages were growing.

  …No. They were children’s heads.

  It looked like something out of a horror movie at first, but they did indeed have bodies attached.

  I didn’t think they were playing hide-and-seek among the weeds, so what exactly were those kids doing?

  I thanked the vassal of Viscount Siemmen who’d brought me home by carriage, then entered the house.

  “I’m back.”

  “Welcome home, master.”

  Arisa was the first to greet me.

  According to my map, the beastfolk girls were cleaning the gutters, Lulu and Nana were sorting the pantry, and Mia was looking after the sick children.

  “Do you have any idea what those kids outside are doing?”

  “Ah, they heard about the food last night, so they’re waiting around in hopes that there might be work today, too.”

  So it was something like the bag-carrier kids who waited by the labyrinth entrance, then.

  “They haven’t come asking for work themselves?”

  “They did, but Liza said us slaves couldn’t hire them of our own accord or we’d inconvenience our master.”

  Oh right. I’d pretty much forgotten about it lately, but the girls aside from Nana and Mia were technically still my slaves.

  Lulu and Arisa were bound by Geis, so I couldn’t free them, but I would gladly free the beastfolk girls from slavery anytime if they wished it.

  “I see. In that case…”

  I decided to hire the kids for jobs like weeding the empty plots of land, disposing of garbage, cleaning the ditches along the road, checking the ditches’ covers, and so on.

  Just as I’d made up my mind, Nana came rushing over to me, looking strangely excited.

  Of course, her face was still as expressionless as ever, but the way her hands were flailing about conveyed her feelings quite clearly.

  “Master! The empty plot has become a field of larvae, I report!”

  She must have seen the kids outside on her way back from the pantry.

  I took Arisa and Nana with me to hire the kids for the aforementioned jobs.

  “…First, please cut the weeds on the empty plots, then dispose of the garbage. I’ll hire all of you, so make sure you work hard and listen to instructions from Nana and Arisa here.”

  “““Yes, sir!””” the kids chorused.

  Like the day before, I was paying them only with food and a cop
per coin each, but that was enough to send up a chorus of cheers from the children.

  I left Nana in charge of supervising them, then went to go help Tama and Pochi.

  Mia was to stay in touch with Lulu and keep watching the sick kids.

  I asked Lulu to prepare both the children’s food and the pastries I would bring to the banquet tonight.

  Then I took Liza and Arisa with me to greet our new neighbors.

  “Goodness! You bought that cursed mansion? You’ve been fooled, my boy. If you know any nobles or government officials, you’d better go to the viceroy’s office and complain. You three can stay here for the night if you have nowhere else to go.”

  The owner of the first house we stopped at gravely tried to convince us not to move in.

  He explained that from the time of the incident to around ten years ago, people had constantly been tricked into moving into the place, only to meet unnatural deaths or to flee under formidable curses.

  Ten years ago was when the explorers’ guild bought the whole place up, putting a stop to such occurrences.

  “I pass by that place from time to time, and it always leaves me feeling sick. Lots of little birds and bugs die just by getting too close, you know!”

  The man’s wife was quick to warn us, too.

  “I appreciate your concern, truly. But I had a highly respected saint dispel the curse, so it’s all right now.”

  “But no one’s ever been able to—”

  “Besides, we spent the night in the mansion last night safely, and not one of the kids we hired for odd jobs has gotten sick.”

  “…Really?”

  Thanks to my “Negotiation” and “Fabrication” skills firing on all cylinders, I was able to reassure the neighbor and his wife.

  I did have the Saint title, so technically it wasn’t a lie.

  After sealing the deal by giving them a basket of assorted honey pastries, I moved on to the next house.

  After that, we went to quite a few more houses. All of them either reacted the same way as the first place or shut the door as soon as I said where I had moved in.

  At least most of them fell in the former category.

  Before heading to the ranches, I went around to the local farms and bought some fresh produce. In one case, I even got talked into signing up for a regular delivery.

  We’d be away from the mansion more often than not, but I paid for several months in advance, and I requested that they leave the produce by the front door, so it shouldn’t be a problem.