“Aah, sorry ’bout this, but...”
“Yes. I understand fully. It is preferred if I do not inform them that you handled this matter, correct?”
“Yeah.”
After Felmenia properly surmised what Suimei meant with his brief words, Suimei nodded back to her as she immediately sprang into action.
“Acknowledged. As you wish, Suimei-dono.”
With that, Felmenia’s expression changed to a commanding one in an instant, and she dealt with the soldiers who came running over.
“Good work.”
“White Flame-sama! Um, just what is this disastrous scene?”
“Well, just a moment ago, Sebastian-dono went mad and caused a disturbance. I have handled things here.”
Felmenia gave a brief explanation without any unnecessary information. It seemed that she would be able to deal with this appropriately. One of the soldiers then suddenly looked over towards Suimei.
“That is, if I’m not mistaken, Hero-sama’s...”
“Ah, yes. Suimei-dono happened to be in the area by chance. That is all he had to do with this.”
“Is that so?”
“Sebastian-dono is lying on the floor over there. Since we do not know if he will attempt anything further when he wakes, seize him now while you have the chance.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Sorry about this.”
It turned out that Felmenia was rather capable. She promptly put an end to the exact conversation Suimei was trying to avoid, and skillfully glossed over it as she changed the subject. There was hardly a shadow of the clumsy and incompetent girl he’d seen in her before. He honestly had trouble processing the disparity, but if this was how she normally carried herself in public, he could understand why the people all saw her as collected and talented.
Finishing her conversation with the soldiers, Felmenia once more turned towards Suimei. She’d returned to the normal personality he expected to see from her. The change was serious enough that he had to wonder where that gallant woman dealing with the soldiers just now had gone. Indeed, she was now blushing again full force.
“Was that to your liking?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Felmenia tottered over towards him full of smiles and joy. She was acting like some kind of puppy who had gotten emotionally attached. Looking at her, Suimei could practically see a puppy wagging its tail and waiting for praise from its master as she stood in front of him expectantly. Suimei spoke to her with bewilderment mixed into his voice.
“Thank you, ummm... Menia?”
“Y-You are very welcome!”
Just what had her in such high spirits? The moment he thanked her, Felmenia hopped about as she spun in a circle. Her behavior only served to further Suimei’s bewilderment.
After that, the arrest of Court Mage Sebastian Kran was completed without a hitch. Felmenia’s mood, however, stayed girlish and giddy.
“What the hell’s with her?”
It seemed this young man could no longer speak ill of Reiji in this regard.
★
The Kingdom of Astel, in front of the grand gates of Royal Castle Camellia.
There stood ranks of the kingdom’s soldiers, a band, and groups of first-class knights to the front and rear. And in the midst of it all, a carriage carrying Reiji, Mizuki, and Titania appeared.
The moment they passed through the gates, they would be going out to meet the people of the royal capital of Metel for the first time. This would be the first leg of their journey. They were about to take their first steps towards the subjugation of the Demon Lord with their grand unveiling parade in town, and Suimei was none too happy about it.
“So it’s finally come, huh?”
Just as Suimei said, the time had finally come. The day that they would depart on their quest. After the parade, Reiji would immediately leave on his journey with Mizuki and several of the knights. And as the hour approached, there was no helping the regret that showed on Suimei’s face.
Reiji, however, looked cheerful. Was he that hopeful about his upcoming journey? Or was he just hiding his nerves behind a smile? It wasn’t clear which it was, but he maintained his happy visage as he turned to Suimei.
“We’re off.”
“Don’t treat it so lightly, damn it.”
Suimei’s regretful gaze changed to a suspicious one as he spoke, but Reiji’s expression became extremely serious as he denied the accusation.
“I’m not treating it lightly. Even I’ve thought this through, you know? About how my answer that day was no mistake.”
“No, it was definitely a mistake. No matter how you look at it, it was a mistake. How many times do I have to say it for you to get it? Seriously.”
Even if Reiji said such a thing with a far-off look in his eyes, Suimei wouldn’t allow himself to get swept up in the emotional atmosphere of it all. He spat some typical quip back at Reiji, but for some reason, Titania brought both her hands before her chest and clasped them together.
“Suimei-sama...”
She was the princess of the Kingdom of Astel. It was natural for her to have complex feelings towards such negative statements. She supported the subjugation, but even if it wasn’t exactly the same as the king’s, she must also have felt some guilt about her role in getting the hero involved. Her eyes turned sorrowful and her shoulders trembled. Reiji lightly patted them to try and disperse her anxiety, but turned to Suimei and made his intentions clear.
“Nah, you’re wrong, Suimei. Whether I go or not, the fact remains that the demon armies are advancing into human territory. Those of us who can’t return home have nowhere to run. I realized that whether I go to fight now or not, the day will come when we have to face the Demon Lord anyway. I can’t say for sure when, but that’s why I want to use this chance. If I fight against various enemies and grow stronger now, whether the time to take a stand comes sooner or later, I’ll be all the more ready for it when it does arrive. Obviously, that’s assuming we’re keeping the goal of defeating the Demon Lord in sight though.”
Reiji let his honest thoughts on the matter spill out. Despite his outrageous insistence on participating in the subjugation, in the end, he seemed to have thought out something of a plan for the future.
Suimei couldn’t say that Reiji’s outlook was bad. If they assumed that a standoff with the Demon Lord was inevitable, then his approach wasn’t a bad one. Suimei did his best to stifle his usual snark and continue the conversation.
“You don’t think that if you run away, someday someone else will come along and defeat them?”
“I can’t count on things progressing so conveniently. Sure, it’s a possibility. But if I bank on that assumption and it ends up being a bust, we’re all gonna die.”
It was good not to be optimistic, but...
“You always just pitch straight forward and slam into your problems, huh?”
“Is that bad?”
“I don’t hate it, but just this time around, I don’t think it would kill you to reel it in. This isn’t anything like those delinquents and biker gangs in the neighborhood.”
Suimei was talking about their past together. In their everyday lives, Suimei somehow or other always ended up playing sidekick to Reiji’s superhero, and they’d tussled with all sorts of people because of it.
In the end, Reiji’s physical strength and good heart always managed to find a way to resolve things, but this time around was completely different. Their opponents weren’t even human; they were demons. The chances of them having the will of neighborhood bullies was predictably low. Yet Reiji spoke with confidence.
“Yeah, but you know, I’m not either now.”
“...Seriously, you always have the last word, don’t you?”
“Hahaha.”
Seeing Suimei’s tired expression, Reiji let out a good laugh. Did he find this kind of exchange between trusted friends to be that fun? Suimei certainly didn’t hate it either. And after having heard Reiji out, Suimei gave his repl
y.
“I get what you’re thinking. If you’re not going out there to die, but so that you can survive, I have nothing to say. It’s just... Don’t do anything stupid.”
Suimei could understand his thought process. Even if it was reckless, it wasn’t just recklessness. If he was doing what he thought he had to in order to survive, then he would by using his head more than normal. But even so, Suimei had to throw in a reminder. When he did, Reiji gave him a somewhat serious expression.
“It’s alright. From here, we’re going to head straight for the heart of the Demon Lord’s territory and—”
“Hey.”
“Hahaha, I’m kidding. First and foremost, I have to get stronger. Like I said, yeah?”
As Suimei interrupted him with a tired voice, Reiji laughed it off. With such a serious topic, how was it he could still throw a joke in the conversational gears like that? Reiji probably was anxious in his own way. If he was too tense all the time, it would be hard on him, so he was likely blowing off stress wherever he could. That’s why he wanted to laugh away the tension in these lighthearted moments.
Suimei couldn’t really find fault in him for that. How could he? Reiji was being pressured from every direction just by being the hero. This was his way of resisting the intense pressure those fetters created. That’s why Suimei said what he needed to next in a whisper that only Reiji could hear.
“If you think it’s getting bad, take Mizuki and run away to find somewhere to hide, okay? Just ’cause you became a hero isn’t a guarantee you’ll be able to conveniently defeat your enemy like in some manga or novel, you got it?”
“I got it. But I want to do everything that I can.”
“How stubborn.”
Seeing that he wouldn’t yield, Suimei let out an exasperated sigh. This time, Reiji changed the subject entirely and turned the questioning on Suimei.
“But I’m surprised you got out safely, Suimei.”
“Hmm?”
“You know, that thing that happened earlier... That.”
Seeing that Suimei couldn’t figure it out from Reiji’s vague phrasing, Mizuki managed to guess what he was implying and spoke up.
“Ah, that thing where one of the court mages went on a rampage in the ritual chamber?”
“Mm. I heard you were a bystander, right?”
Reiji was talking about the time Suimei carried out his revenge on Court Mage Sebastian Kran. At the time, Reiji and Mizuki were out of the castle, so they had only heard about what happened after the fact.
“Well, yeah. Though I wasn’t really all that close to the action.”
“But you got dragged into it, right?”
“Well, more or less.”
As Suimei gave Reiji nothing but vague responses, Mizuki spoke up like it was too much for her to take.
“When I came back with Reiji-kun and Tia, a whole section of the castle was obliterated. We heard a court mage went on a rampage, and there was a rumor of a giant monster appearing. It was all so surprising...”
After they returned from their little excursion, they’d heard all the gossip about what had gone down, but not the truth of it. In fact, Suimei had made arrangements to make sure that was the case long before they even went out. After being invited on their little field trip the other day, he consulted the king and Felmenia, and they decided to settle things while the three of them were away from the castle. Granted, no one had expected an apparition to appear.
“It’s really good no one was hurt.”
Seeing Reiji’s relieved expression, Suimei replied with a quip.
“No one except the ritual chamber.”
“As long as you’re safe, Suimei, that’s all that matters.”
“I’m surprised you can spout such embarrassing crap with a straight face.”
Reiji’s concern for his safety and the delighted smile on his face were both genuine. And precisely because of that, they both made his embarrassing talk that much harder to listen to. While Suimei was thinking that, Titania called out to him apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Suimei-sama. The people of the castle have caused you so much trouble.”
“No, in the end, Meni... I mean Stingray-san ended up saving me, so there’s no need for you to lower your head, princess.”
Titania let out a sigh of relief as he said that. It was perhaps to be expected, but both she and the king were feeling guilty about an awful lot. As she ruminated on that, Reiji spoke up in a delighted voice.
“That’s our Sensei. Like I thought, she’s amazing.”
Nodding repeatedly, he sounded almost boastful. Did he have that much faith in his teacher? He seemed to have a deep admiration for her, if not an outright fancy for her, but...
“Don’t you think so too, Suimei?”
“Hmm?”
“About Sensei. Don’t you think she’s amazing?”
“Ah, yeah, sure. You’re right.”
“Right?”
Reiji had gotten unusually adamant about getting Suimei to agree with him. What about Felmenia had struck him so?
Aaah...
Suimei then realized the heart of the matter. Thinking about it, he was quite sure his friend had a weakness for women with large breasts. When it came to the subtleties of women’s hearts, he was devastatingly thick, but he certainly had a healthy appetite for their company.
The slight tinge of pink in his cheeks was more than enough to prove he was attracted to her. It was true that Felmenia was quite well endowed in contrast to her height. That wasn’t all there was either, but in any case, it was fundamentally about the breasts for him. And Suimei wasn’t the only one who’d arrived at that conclusion.
“Augh, is Felmenia-san also a rival...?”
“White Flame-dono is a formidable adversary, Mizuki. She has that beautiful silver hair as well as her cold and beautiful face. Felmenia is equipped with many weapons.”
Mizuki turned her back to Reiji and was on the verge of tears, but Titania burned with a competitive spirit at the thought of adding a new rival.
“It’s not fair... It’s the jiggle...”
“Grr, if I had that, even Reiji-sama would immediately...”
The girls both aggrievedly put their hands to their own chests. Giving them a sidelong glance, Reiji seemed eager to move on to another topic.
“What are you going to do from here, Suimei?”
“Hmm? I’m thinking of leaving the castle.”
“Oh...?”
This was the first Reiji had heard of it. Suimei had never mentioned his plans to him before. The same went for Mizuki and Titania, who were both also giving him puzzled expressions. The one to step forward as the representative of the group was Mizuki, and she questioned Suimei with a surprised and worried tone.
“Suimei-kun, what are you gonna do after leaving the castle?”
“No, I don’t really have any goals. I’m just going to live outside the castle.”
Suimei told a barefaced lie with a serious face. Reiji made a slightly tense expression as he asked him for details.
“What about living expenses?”
“I’ll find a job or something and figure it out one way or another.”
After Suimei replied to Reiji, this time it was Titania who had a suggestion for him.
“Suimei-sama. If you were to remain within the castle, my father would guarantee your livelihood. I do not believe that there is any need for you to leave in haste, is there?”
“That may be true, but even so, I want to go.”
“Why is that? No matter how good public order is in the royal capital compared to other cities, you come from another world and have neither the knowledge of this land nor the divine protection of the hero summoning... It is difficult to say that life outside the castle will be safe for you. I cannot see any advantage to leaving...”
Certainly, nothing Titania said was wrong. She was operating under the assumption that Suimei had no talent and no power, and her suggestions were very reason
able, however mistaken.
“No, it’s just... I will say this knowing full well that it is discourteous to you, but I feel ill at ease within the castle.”
“Ah...”
An awkward expression. With just that, she seemed to have figured it out. Apparently the rumors about Suimei had reached even Titania’s ears. Realizing the meaning behind his words, she fell silent and protested no more. It was Reiji who then got worked up, and made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
“Want me to go say something?”
Just what was he thinking? It couldn’t be that he planned to find each and every one of the people who were spreading rumors and ask them to stop... could it? That was far too unreasonable, though it was proof of how great a guy Reiji was.
“No, it’s fine. What are you gonna do by making a mess of everything right as you leave? It’ll only complicate things, so give it a rest.”
“Hmm, but you know...”
“It’s fine. I have a good plan for how to handle things.”
Mizuki questioned him in a doubtful tone on that note.
“A plan? What are you gonna do about money?”
“I’m gonna sell my textbooks and other stuff that I don’t need.”
“Can you even sell those? Aren’t they all written in Japanese?”
“Someone curious will buy them. All I have to do is exaggerate a bit.”
“Is that okay?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Really?”
“Really. At the very least, I have a plan from here.”
Hearing that, Mizuki made a complex expression. She was likely unconvinced. If he had studied magic, combat, and general knowledge together with them, she probably wouldn’t have been so nervous—but little did she know that Suimei had in fact acquired all the necessary knowledge on his own. Of course she was worried.
So Suimei decided to try and sweep it all under the rug. He tried changing the subject with Mizuki, who still had a stiff expression on her face.
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 1 Page 22