Kansutoppu Chapter 82 (Patreon)

Chapter 82 The Land of the Rising Sun, Part 2

-Azuma Kaito Grand Miko Shrine-

About 30 minutes from the town of Tsukuba. Even if I carried Roel on my back and ran as fast as I could, it would still take 30 minutes. I was told that it would take a week to get there if I walked normally, but that's about the same as long as I don't get lost.

Above all, I was thankful that there were no strange places like the Kizel Valley. The road from the town of Tsukiba to Kai was well-marked and well signposted, though of course I could not have read it if Roel had not been there.

Normally, I would have enjoyed the trip by leisurely walking, but the boat ride took too long, so I decided to cut it down considerably. We were here at the request of the king, so it was not the time to take too much time for sightseeing.

As the innkeeper lady had said, there were really no demons. On the contrary, I saw people walking leisurely and alone. It is more fitting to say that there were no demons in this place to begin with, rather than that there are no more demons thanks to Daigami-sama. Is this a country protected by the power of God, after all?

"It's a boring place here, too."

"Ryua-chan always think that way, especially when things don't interest you..."

It was not the time for sightseeing, but Roel insisted, so we decided to pay our respects.

It is a strange building with red columns, white walls, and a large tiled roof. Roel told me that it was called Torii, or a gateway.

Roel informed me that if people offered prayers here, and would get some good luck, in other words, something good. I interpreted this as a way to thank the gods and ask for something. I wondered what the people who were praying there were asking for. I wonder if they are asking to become rich.

"It seems like there are a lot of male-female combinations..."

That's right. After all, this is the place with the greatest blessing for matchmaking."

As Roel blurted, an old man wearing a long, black hat approached her. I wondered what kind of person he was, but I put it to myself that he probably lived in this place called the shrine.

I was more interested in the word "karma".

"What's an enmusubi?"

"Unmarried people ask Daigami-sama to help them find partners. As an example: two people who are on good terms will eventually get married, give birth to a healthy child, and raise a happy family. Spring will come to those whose love has so far been fruitless. It may be hard to believe for those from other countries, but this is also a blessing of Daigami-sama."

I see, so that's how it works. Then it's even more out of the question for us. After all, we are both girls. But for some reason, Roel was listening intently to what I had to say. Because we are girls, you know. It has nothing to do with us. What's wrong?

"Well then, shall we pay our respects?"

"Well, we're girls, but..."

"Oh, come on."

At times like this, Roel pulls at you like when you find a line at a good restaurant. I was reminded once again that when you reach level 60, you have a certain amount of power. Even when I was about to fall, he didn't seem to want to let go of my wrist.

When I reached the front of the shrine, the person in front of me had just finished praying. I put my hands together, closed my eyes, and just sat there for a while, wondering if that was okay. I wondered if God would really understand something like that.

"...Ryua-chan, thank you."

"Yes, what happened out of the blue?"

"Nothing! Come on!"

"Whoa! Why are you sticking to me?"

Roel was so happy that she put her arm around me and started to walk away. It was just like we were really lovers just now.

"I'm hungry. Oh yeah, you know that gyuudon we had at Pablo's restaurant, right? That's food that originated in this country."

"Come to think of it, you mentioned something like that before. Are you going to eat it? I hope they don't give us the cold shoulder again..."

"Don't worry. Because we're interested in Daigami-sama!"

"Oh, is that so…"

Roel squeezes my small arms. It's a little ticklish and warm, but somehow strangely embarrassing. Come to think of it, I didn't care about that kind of thing when I was little. I wonder why I'm thinking about it now.

"Oh, by the way? That's what we were talking about, wasn't it...?"

It was the old man from earlier who muttered so clearly behind me. I turned around at the sound of his voice and found him gritting his teeth and clutching the black hat he was wearing with all his strength in his hands. His wrinkled face was even more wrinkled, and his eyes were wide open as he looked at us clearly.

"Speaking of which..."

Roel was in such a good mood that she was humming a tune and was completely oblivious to the old man's condition.

When we turned around to go back to town after passing through the shrine gate, he was still in the same position, staring at us.

It was only here that I regretted what I had done. What the king and Kirkton had was true. What was trivial to me may probably be unforgivable to those people.

The old man never came after us, but he was most likely still standing there, long after we were out of sight. I felt that way.

-Azuma Kaito Restaurant Tarafuku-tei

Just like at the inn, I didn't get a good look when I entered, but my attitude changed when I praised Mr. Daigami. I was hoping that maybe they would give me a free meal, but as expected, they did not. However, I have a lot of money, and I am not troubled by it at the moment.

Unlike Pablo's or the one in the castle town, this restaurant is generally small. There are only about five tables and not many people.

***

What those people were eating was somewhat unusual. Two of them were slurping something thin like pasta in a black soup. It didn't look delicious, but seeing that they were drinking all the soup, I wondered if it was actually tasty.

"This is the real place! Even the meat is different! I wonder if the sauce they use when they cook it is different?"

I wondered if it was not a popular restaurant, but the taste was outrageously good.

"Did you like it? Beef bowls are based on dishes that came from other continents, you know.

Well, it's hard to find a restaurant that uses quality meat as much as we do. It's all thanks to the blessings of Daigami-sama. Oh, may business be prosperous again next year..."

The shopkeeper suddenly puts his hands together and closes his eyes. Just like we did at the shrine. I'm not convinced that thanks to Daigami-sama, we can eat delicious gyuudon. If God is willing to go to such lengths, why are people like the ones who tricked us yesterday so unconcerned?

If there are no demons, then people like that must disappear too.

"Thanks for the food! I wondered what would happen at first, but it's a nice country."

"For Roel a good country would be anywhere she could eat good food... you said the same thing during the Wizard Kingdom festivities."

"Ryua-chan, there are places in the world where people are chewing grass because they don't even have anything to eat, let alone a good meal. That's why it's natural to be thankful for food."

"Well, yeah..."

I don't think I'm going off on some tangent, but I'm not that wrong.

When I was in the cave of the abyss, I used to roast the demons I killed and eat them, but there were many that I couldn't eat because they were so bad. If that was all, there were even things that made me physically ill, so I had a hard time.

When I think about it, it seems normal to be able to eat decent food, and in fact, I think I am blessed.

"I admire your enthusiasm, but you can't go to Mt. Daigami to pray. It's surrounded by steep mountains, and it's not a place for normal people to go near. There are people who risk their lives to go there a few times a year, but most of them have really lost their lives. For ordinary people like us, the view from the top is enough."

The top of the Mountain of the Great Gods as seen from the window of Tarafuku-tei. Even from here, one can see only the tip of the summit. Even if there are no demons, there must be many wild animals. Even a bear is enough of a threat to those who cannot fight.

In addition, the road to the mountain is covered with deep forest. I was worried about whether I could make it up there without getting lost. I had plenty of food prepared, but if push came to shove, I would have to dash up there.

"Well, now that we've eaten, it's time to go."

"You two, get back there! Get to your ropes!"

Several more boisterous people entered the room. Unlike the people who came in yesterday, they were dressed nicely. I was most impressed by their hair, which looked like a horse's tail growing out of their heads.

They were wearing flat red armor that looked like boards laminated together, and swords at their waists. It looked less defensive than the armor I know, but that might make it easier to move around in. This is not the time to be relaxed. What is it with these people?

"This is Samurai-sama...how do you do?"

"Shopkeeper, get out of there. The girls here are suspected of insulting and disrespecting Daigami-sama."

"What? What?

The expression of the shopkeeper, who had looked so kind, changed drastically. As if he were looking at something dirty, he frowned and scuttled away to get closer to the "Samurai" people.

"Oh, um, you can't insult us Daigami-sama..."

"Shut up! Do not speak that name lightly! We have already heard of your rampage at the Grand Miko Shrine!"

"Ah..."

I knew it. That old man reported it to these people. I've been put in this situation because of something I said in poor taste. What should I do? Roel was doing an impressive job, but now it's all ruined because of me. No good, I'm really no good. Even if I can fight, I can't do anything else well.

I've been relying on Roel for everything except fighting, even cooking and reading and writing, and sometimes I feel bad for relying on him, but I'm grateful to him. And yet, here we are.

"Roel...me."

"You can't get caught, can you, Ryua-chan?"

"Eh...um, yeah."

"We have many things we need to do. I hoped so, even at the Grand Miko Shrine. Do you want to end up like this, Ryua-chan?"

"...Roel."

Maybe Roel knew it was because of something I said that was unnecessary. But she didn't blame me. She was encouraging me, nothing more.

"Roel, hey."

"Oh, okay."

As I bent down, Roel hugged me and pulled me onto her back. The Samurais watched us with their swords at the ready, not understanding the significance of our actions.

"Let's not do anything strange!"

****

"Let's go, Roel!"

I ran through the samurai. After I passed through, the Samurais kept their swords at the ready as well. Just as I thought I had Roel on my back, they suddenly disappeared. The samurai must have frozen for just a moment. And right after that, they realized I was gone. Then came the commotion.

No matter what I did or looked around, I was no longer there. By the time those people finally realized what had happened, I was already running through Kaito toward the exit.

At least I'm not working out in such a way that they can catch me. From the looks of it, I'm about as strong as the soldiers of Avangard. I wanted to see them because they seemed to have an unusual fighting style from that stance, but I didn't have time for that.

"Ryua-chan, are you going to continue to Mountain of the Great Gods?"

Yes, it is Mt. Daigami over there that we should be aiming for now.

I understand how invaluable the existence of Daigami-sama is to the people of this country. But we cannot stop. I, or rather, we, must move forward.

Dear Mr. Daigami, Sennenso. No matter what the circumstances, we can't turn back now. I'm sorry to the people of this country and to Mr. Daigami, but I won't let them get in my way.

"It leads to the mountain from there, doesn't it?"

"Dear Daigami, please give me a thousand-year weed!"

Muttering an impossible request, I jumped into the thick forest of trees.

-Azuma Kaito Tarafuku-tei-

"It's gone! They're gone!

"Shut up, shopkeeper!"

Yes, sir.

I was fooling around with the idea that they were children. Some kind of sorcery, the girls vanished from the scene instantly. No, perhaps we just couldn't catch them. We are fierce warriors who have won many battles. We have always taken pride in our ability to keep up with all comers.

But now, we have been played by a child from a foreign country. This is a blunder, no matter who sees it. I am prepared to accept any punishment. But first, I want to be satisfied.

Who are those girls? Are they from the country of Avangard, which we visited a few years ago? If so, their target is millennium grass. We can't just leave them out in the open like that. We must protect that millennium grass, which we had finally been able to hide from many eyes.

Not only that, but Mt. Daigami has even more secrets. If those men are still alive, it would be very troublesome if they come in contact with our daughters. No, no, no.

You let them escape.

The presence is so transparent that it is as if the air has begun to speak. You can only notice it when you hear the voice of the demon. Is it one demon or two? It's the same as that time. Just as they had buried the foreigner in the darkness a few years ago, the demons have come to carry it out this time.

"Demons..."

"The Samurais have a heavy burden to bear. If they had fought, their heads would surely have been blown off."

"They are monsters. Even demons have a hard time dealing with them.

The masks of demons and purple and black attire. No one has ever seen the true faces of the three demons wearing red, blue, and yellow masks. In battle, even the slightest change in facial expression can be fatal. They would never do anything that would put them disadvantaged in a fight. Therefore, although I have heard that they have the masks of demons, they are nothing but genuine demons in my opinion.

Legends of demons have been handed down since ancient times. An evil demon that eats people. Perhaps it is the human beings with both ferocity and ugliness that have become folklore and remain in the present. Yes, just like them.

"Red devil, did you see it?"

"That thing is fast. But it's not a problem."

"Huh...I'm counting on you."

"Let's go after them, Souki Souki."

They, too, disappeared from the scene. All that was left was the shopkeeper, who was bowled over by us dumb samurai with our dumb faces down. If that girl is the son of a demon, the only one who can take her on is the demon.

-Shin's Report-

Shinrepo! Fukkatsu!

Azuma! It's Azuma!

Sorry for the "chonmage" guys slipping up and cutting off!

Sushi! Tempura! Domburi! Mikamansai! I don't want to eat anymore!

The beef dumplings looked delicious.

I was going to snatch it, but I didn't want to get caught and have it torn off, so I decided not to.

Enmusubi Pilgrimage at the Shrine

I knew there was something fishy about those two before, but I knew it.

What a mess!

And then Ryua's stunt made me a pinch all at once!

She's a fool, she's a fool, she's a fool!

The mountain is where you'll end up when you're attacked by a bunch of crazy guys with the devil's mask on their heads

But I don't care much for those big boys

Where is there a way to make you happy when you can't make me happy, when I can't make you happy?

Anyway, it's a joke!

you idiot!

I'm sure Maou will praise me for this!