Grimoire x Reverse ~Reincarnated Demon Romance Tale~ Volume 3 Chapter 18

Volume 3 Chapter 18

Merrick III [All the RPG stories I heard are flags][1]

{General POV}

Crane Fafnir is the Child of the G.o.d of Light. The Kamiko of Light.

A boy who lived as the son of a farmer in the Southern countryside of the Professor Country. Two years ago he suddenly inherited the blessing of the G.o.d of Light, and was raised as the trump card of his country. It's been a while since he went on a journey. After all this time he had returned to his homeland chasing a girl named Justa, and he had learned a lot of new things.

Many strong people appeared before Crane. Because of that, his current motivation to quickly catch up to those strong people had drastically increased.

First there was "Braument" who they had encountered on the Wagonless Road. Although Crane was unable to grasp the full movements of his steel threads, he was seriously thinking of how to defeat the demon next time. With [Explosive Rod] it was possible to repel the steel threads. The remaining issue was how to damage the main body.

Then there was someone who seemed to be his overwhelmingly stronger superior, Veloce Vie Atmosphere. She was called "Imperator" and was supposedly higher than even the Four Heavenly Demon Lords. A ridiculous girl who truly showed how far they had to go before the defeat of the Demon King was in the realm of possibility, and the difference between her and the Four Heavenly Demon Lords was clear.

However, Yatano Fuso ArcLight who fought against her seemed to be more than her equal. The 3rd Seat of the Imperial Magic Librarians, she was leagues above the previously defeated Grendel. She had the kind of power that he had no idea how to defeat, but if she is ranked third, then there must be a victory somewhere.

There was also the enigmatic Shuten who simply appeared in the middle of the battle with Braument. An overwhelmingly strong man that could counter an Ancient Spell simply by swinging that giant axe. In addition to his unfathomable power, there were frightening rumors about him being a unique variant of Oni that was "One step higher" that made his existence even scarier.[2] However, to Crane, his existence was like that of a cheerful older brother, despite them being different races.

Shuten's companion Hiragi was also quite strong as a supporting role and contributed to the protection of the group. Even against her, Crane was not sure if he could win as he was now.

And he could not forget one other person. He possessed an aura that was equal to or possibly stronger than Shuten, but hid it while visiting the Professor Country. It was a young man who had a fierce rivalry with Shuten, who was the subject of his hatred, and who he would "absolutely slaughter." Their antagonism is deep-rooted, but they seem to acknowledge each other's strength.

There are many different kinds of strong people in the world. Among them, Crane is the strongest of the Professor Country…however, it is unknown how much training is needed until he can become one of the strongest in the world just like his predecessor of the Kamiko of Light.

However, he was not going to give up.

He also wanted to be in that place where only the strong can stand. Beyond that, he also had his mission to defeat the Demon King, who could not be defeated without enough ability. So, he could not lose. Those were his feelings as he trained that morning.

Lowering his center of gravity, he polished the weight of the blow towards perfection. By doing so, he can deal with most attacks, and even counter attack his opponent's intricate spell with a single movement. He visualized Shuten's single swing of his great axe, breaking the steel threads attacking from all directions. That was what Crane was aiming for.

"…Sigh." (Crane)

"Don't sigh like that so early in the morning." (Rudius)

The voice caused Crane to pause the movements of his staff he was practicing in the courtyard of the inn.

"Good Morning Rudy" (Crane)

"Yeah" (Rudius)

Looking over, he saw Rudius was carrying a brand new sword, rather than his previously broken blade.

"What sword is this?" (Crane)

“I borrowed it as a subst.i.tute while my own is being reforged." (Rudius)

"I see" (Crane)

Rudius was Rudius, and he soon joined in the light exercises to practice his own discipline. While hardly convinced that Crane had been struggling with his training before, he eventually tore his eyes away from Crane's techniques.

"By the way did you talk to Justa, Rudy?" (Crane)

"A little bit…She said she would accompany us for a little while, so I'm not too worried." (Rudius)

"Well, that's good, because you did wake up late." (Crane)

When Justa eventually woke up she was calmer than Crane thought she would be, as he didn't know how she would react if she thought she had been captured. She then finally explained her circ.u.mstances and told them that she was part of a group wanting the "rescue of the Republic," but it seemed that now she did not know what to do. She had decided to accompany the party for a while, as long as they did not report her to the officials of the Adventurers a.s.sociation who were looking for her.

Rudius had briefly awakened from the group talking quietly, and with an exhausted expression, he told Justa that he would "listen to the details tomorrow" and had quickly fallen back unconscious. So, they had not been able to have a proper conversation with each other at the time.

“This morning, by the time I woke up, you were gone. Where did you go?" (Crane)

"I was talking to Shuten." (Rudius)

"With Mr. Shuten?"

While shaking his blade, Rudius nods. "…we can still become stronger."

"Oh….Yeah, if we do our best, we can also meet Shuten's expectations!" (Crane)

"…What expectations?" (Rudius)

"Surely Shuten also lived while being oppressed by the Demon King's Army even though he is a demon. There must be a reason why he cannot fight with the Demon King even though he has become strong. So, he is relying on us. We will just have to work even harder!" (Crane)

"That's a setting that is jumping to some ridiculous conclusions." (Rudius)

"Is it wrong?" (Crane)

"I have no idea." Rudius sighed at Crane's blank look.

Sometimes, this was just the way he was.

Rudius knew that the boy named Crane Fafnir had a hard-working and optimistic personality. Crane was healthy physically and mentally. He is also loyal to the Temple of Light, dedicated, clever, doesn't discriminate against the weak, and considerate. He was certainly a favored child who was raised as the pillar of the Professor Country. He would not forget his grat.i.tude to Crane that he held close to his heart.

However, if there is only one flaw, you could say that he is naive, and frequently misunderstands because of his a.s.sumptions. The tough job of holding him back and clearing things up often fell to Rudius or Haruna. In some ways this was part of what made him charming, but Rudius found it rather immature of him.

"But doesn't it seem likely? Even though he is so strong he has not aligned with the Demon King's Army, and he has helped us despite knowing we are the Kamiko of Light and the Prince of the Kingdom." (Crane)

"…No, well, that might be it." (Rudius)

When he thought of Shuten, he could only think the Oni was completely different from regular demons. The demons who could be found in or around towns were usually weak individuals or clans. For them there was no benefit to joining the Demon King's Army, and most humans were able to view them without fear. These kind of demons could also sometimes be seen in the city interacting with others.

Other demons who could be considered strong would join the Demon King's Army, and would repeatedly fight and slaughter. Some of these soldiers sought to satisfy their desires for conquest while others simply enjoyed the thrill of battle.

There were a few strange ones who made their home in a secluded place, while others even made a demon city, but there are none who would help the wandering Kamiko of Light like Shuten had.

"Shuten must have his own circ.u.mstances. When I first spoke with him face-to-face he joked that we were brothers, but…I think he does kind of give off the atmosphere of an older brother." (Crane)[3]

"What is that guy really thinking …?" (Rudius)

"But, it's cool. He always has something to say even while fighting, and smiles at every challenge…then there is also Yatano and Veloce…It seems that there is some kind of connection between these strong people. We will eventually have to fight the unknown in a place we are unfamiliar with…we must not lose!" (Crane)

“Is that how it is?" (Rudius)

"I do not mean to say that Shuten is my older brother, but there is the sense of wanting to catch up to him…I also admire Desiree who can stand on the same stage. I will have to work hard." (Crane)

That irritating part of Crane that would believe in himself despite being faced with the facts, was deeply rooted in his personality. Though at the same time it could be considered a negative, it was also what had brought Rudius over to his side.

Towards Crane who had made a clear goal for himself, Rudius chuckled. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, as he was swept up in nostalgia.

"What's wrong, Rudy?" (Crane)

"No, I just get concerned when you have such a clear goal." (Rudius)

"…Oh, are you remembering that time in the Kingdom?" (Crane)

The reason why Rudius became a member of Crane's party; it was because he wanted to defeat Crane, no matter how many times he had to challenge him.

At that time, Rudius who had no rival he could challenge who was the same age as him because he was the Prince, had the sudden fortunate encounter with Crane at the Temple of Light. They battled over and over again, solved a situation in the Kingdom together, and after being continuously defeated by Crane, Rudius decided to accompany Crane on his quest. He always won against Rudius, but it was Crane's spirit that Rudius truly admired. No matter how many times Crane failed, the fire in his eyes would never disappear. Instead, he would

but on the contrary he would put his all into it and try again.

When he remembered those moments, Rudius could not help but smile at the nostalgia of it.

"Hey, Crane?" (Rudius)

"Hmm?" (Crane)

As he swung his staff in the movements of [Explosive Rod] but without actually casting it, Crane looked towards Rudius.

"Shuten was saying…" (Rudius)

Rudius stabbed his sword into the ground, then looked into the sky with his arms folded. That is, he was trying to remember the wording.

[Well, originally you were not even supposed to hit a enormous obstacle such as Veloce right now. There should still have been a grace-period where you would have the time to become stronger. Oh yeah…if you have some extra time, go to the Giant Wall dungeon in the east of the Princ.i.p.ality. If you hunt a monster called Tebenne, you can get surprisingly strong quickly.] (Shuten)

Yesterday's conversation floated to the forefront of Rudius' mind. In the east of the Princ.i.p.ality, surely there was something there that they could use to become stronger.

"In the eastern dungeon of the Princ.i.p.ality, Giant Wall, he said that just by hunting a monster called Tebenne, we could become stronger." (Rudius)

"Oh…then, we have to go." (Crane

"However-" (Rudius)

Crane tilted his head to Rudius who held up a cautionary finger.

"What?" (Crane)

"Justa may be reluctant to go to the Princ.i.p.ality…Also, there's one more thing." (Rudius)

Certainly, since Justa was Wanted in the Princ.i.p.ality, there was no way she would want to go there. However, he could not predict the other point Rudius would mention.

"It seems the Demon King's Army is about to invade the Holy Capitol City Eden." (Rudius)

It was understandable if one thought carefully. After all, why was at least one of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords in such a place? Why was Shuten here?

In his situation where his hometown is in danger, Crane narrowed his eyes and glared at the sky.

Translator Notes

RPGで聞いた話は全部フラグ – I'm not quite sure how to phrase this sentence So basically, Shuten is a higher species of Oni compared to others – according to rumors, which may be referring to the original 'Shuten.' This sentence also seems to strongly suggest that Shuten (or the type of Oni he is) has some kind of unknown unique ability as well. Crane's referring to Volume 3 chapter 9