Kanna no Kanna Chapter 69.1 Interlude 4

last chap for arc 6 featuring hetare, misaki, ayana n malicious black

100% accuracy and grammatically correct not guaranteed. revisions, corrections and edits are periodically done. only on my site tho. corrections are welcome

obligatory tex mukatsuku!

How to zero out physical loans

oshiete kudasai!

By me… (hereinafter abbreviated)

《i think its the commentator》

Rewinding time to when Kanna was making various kinds of ruckus in the Adventurer’s Guild.

As soon as she returned from Mount Serafide, Philias reported the [Devil’s resurrection] but only to the highest level of personnel within the castle.

The Devil.

An existence that terrorized the kingdom’s capital 300 years ago and the name has since permeated into the lives of the kingdom’s citizen, though in the form of a fairy tale. Accounts of the Devil was also preserved in the kingdom’s official record and if the revival of [that] were to be known, there will be pandemonium.

The [person in question] had already lost her drive for vengeance but the general public had no way of knowing that, hence the decision to keep it confidential except for a select few at the moment.

Philias mobilized a part of her royal guards to form a top-secret Devil tracking unit. Even if the other party harbored no hostility, investigating her movement is a necessary precaution.

The search area was extended to the village at the foot of the sacred mountain but there was no trace of the Devil there. If anything was worth mentioning, there was a little girl staring at the search party with great interest but that was a trivial matter.

Now, we turn to the three heroes who had the tables turned on them by the devil in their first campaign.

Since then, the incident spurred the three to improve themselves via combat training.

By the time a little over than a month had pa.s.sed after they were summoned, if it is limited to only combat capability, theirs has risen to the extent that they are not at all inferior to a B-rank adventurer. If active adventurers who struggled to reach that rank were to hear that speed of progress, it would make them go mad with jealousy. 《review. rword myb.flow grammr》

There is no denying that the three heroes were blessed with a good environment.

A large amount of materials were needed to develop magic tools for Misaki and Yuuzuki. It has to be capable of complementing Misaki’s martial arts and magical apt.i.tude in the entirety while for Yuuzuki, withstanding his excess supply of mana would be the priority focus for development. Fortunately, most of the materials were provided by the castle’s stockpile.

In addition to that, with their authority as the hero, they were able to browse through a vast collection of grimoires kept within the royal castle.

Apart from Misaki who could only utilize and deploy simple magical formations, Yuuzuki and Ayana read the grimoires carefully, absorbing knowledge of various types of magical formation. As a magician, they were already superior than a royal court magician.

But it should be noted that the reason why the three of were able to fully take advantage of their environment was because of their outstanding [talent].

「Now might be the right opportunity………」

The three of them are chatting inside a guestroom for their intended use after they finished training for the day. Ayana breaks a new topic after their conversation came to a halt.

「Opportunity………about leaving this castle? 」

「Yes. More than a month has pa.s.sed since we were summoned to this world. I believe we have acc.u.mulated enough combat power and common sense to become independent. If we stay any longer than this, sentiments and obligations will increase, making it harder to escape. both mentally and physically.」

In response to Misaki’s question, Ayana provides further explanation.

「Is this okay? Even if they’re obliged to provide accommodation after summoning us, we’ve received a lot of favor from the people of this castle and to say that we won’t be returning the favor is………… Besides, it’s not an exaggeration to say that our equipment comes from the tax-payers’ money.」

「That’s true. I was planning to run away from the start but we’d be practically the same as thieves if we just up and leave without doing anything. If we execute it poorly, we could even be wanted for theft.」

Misaki agrees with Yuuzuki’s reasonable view.

The former was mainly driven by emotion while the latter by materialistic viewpoint.

Ayana interjects to explain what she had prepared in antic.i.p.ation of this.

「Anyway, in terms of material, there is no need to worry. Although it is a bit regrettable, I will disa.s.semble all the equipment and development devices I have created up till now and revert it all back to the original [material]. For materials that cannot be reverted back, we will replace it with material from magic beasts we subjugated recently. By doing this, we should be able to zero out loans between us and the people of this castle.」

Following Ayana’s proposal immediately after returning from Mount Serafide, all three of them scoured areas around the royal capital to hunt magic beasts.

The main purpose was to acquire as much real combat experience as possible but it was also for the purpose of ama.s.sing large amount of rare materials that magic beasts would drop. They would reimburse materials that cannot be reverted back by allocating some of those dropped from magic beasts.

「But then, we’ll have no equipment left for a fight, won’t we? Are you really going to start making it from scratch again?」(hetare)

「There is no oversight on my part. I have already set aside a portion of the magic beast materials for our new equipments. Still, it would result in a downgrade of our current equipment but I should be able to adjust it so we can get used to the new equipment immediately.」(ayana)

「Y-You’re as astute as ever, Ayansan.」(hetare)

Her thorough preparation made her two friends slightly taken aback.

「With that said, I am sorry to ask this but can both of you bring me your equipments later? I will start replacing our equipments and disa.s.semble the things I made from this castle’s stockpile so that we can escape at any time.」

By using Ayana’s [Origin] attribute in tandem with alchemy, even alloys made of three or more metal const.i.tuents can be separated with a 100% purity.

「But, if we change our equipment, won’t the others suspect anything?」(hetare)

「It should be fine if we say it’s a new model. I think a little downgrade shouldn’t be too suspicious if we stick to [we’re not used to it yet] as the reason.」(misaki)

「I wonder if such a straightforward excuse could be accepted.」(hetare)

「It will be effective precisely because we will openly declare it.」(misaki)

「I’ll be counting on you then.」(hetare)

According to Ayana’s plan, at the very least, they will be able to zero out material loans. After that, their path will be clear if they can take care of any lingering sentiments.

「B-But I don’t think that the people of this country are planning anything. They are all good-natured people. We don’t have to be in a hurry to run away, don’t we?」(hetare)

「That’s true. At least most of those close to us are good people.」(misaki)

When Yuuzuki tries to interject, Misaki cut him off with her own words.

「Certainly, those maids who took care of us and those soldiers who accompanied our training, whether they are civil servants or military personnels, they are all good people. I won’t deny that.」(misaki)

「Then…」(hetare)

「While that may be true, it doesn’t mean that the whole country is the same.」(misaki)

Of course, in a collective group of people, the whole country’s populace cannot all be good natured. Misaki knew that the higher one’s position is, the more necessary it is to have the capacity for both light and darkness.

There are [two] representative of such quality from among those close to her.

「I’m sure that the citizens in this country are good people. But even after a month of a.s.sociating with Princess Philias of the Royal Family, I still can’t place my trust on her.」(misaki)

「What!? Hasn’t Fii been supporting us ever since the summoning!?」(baka hetare)

「Well of course she would. With such a vague reasoning like [to save this world], she could not afford displeasing us in any way. Therefore, the first cla.s.s hospitality we received, don’t you agree?」(ayana)

A conclusion so far removed from what an adolescent high school girl would reach.

Usually, one would be ecstatic at the high cla.s.s treatment and afterwards, placing full confidence towards Princess Philias and those serving her would not be too much of a surprise. In fact, Yuuzuki is almost convinced of Philias’ trustworthiness by this point of time.

「But I want to believe in her.」(oo baka)

The female camp could only shrug their shoulders and sigh at Yuuzuki’s persistent [protagonist] antics. They feel like a woman who cannot abandon a useless man but there is no romantic feelings involved. Rather, it is their deep sense of camaraderie that prevented them from forsaking him.

Both of them also understand why Yuuzuki felt the way he did. It is hard to believe that Philias, who helped them in various things, would harbor malicious intent but even so, there are too many [mysteries surrounding the princess] and it cannot be brushed off as a [virtuous kind of secret].

『『If only Kanna(kun) is present at times like this.』』

Despite being a hetare, Yuuzuki sometimes shows obstinacy at an odd timing such as this and the person he will absolutely obey is only Kanna. The two girls are simultaneously thinking of said young man whose whereabouts is unknown. Both of them are halfway to seriously considering whether or not to restrain Yuuzuki’s whole body like a caterpillar and kidnap him away when push comes to shove.

A sound of knocking from the door attracted the attention of the three heroes who were absorbed in their conversation.

「Esteemed heroes, Princess Philias calls upon your presence.」

Hearing the summon from a lady attendant on the other side of the door, the heroes put an end to their conversation to comply with it. As they walk out of the room, Misaki and Ayana bear in mind not to show their distrust towards the princess.

Under the guidance of the lady attendant, they arrive at a conference room. Philias was already waiting inside.

「I apologize for interrupting your break.」

Philias dismisses the attendant and invites them to have a seat. A sofa was prepared for each of them.

「So, what do you want to talk about? It couldn’t be for a tea party since you expressly summoned us to the conference room, right?」

For Misaki’s outspoken words, Philias responds with a smile and says…

「There was a lot governmental affairs to be sorted out, true and if possible, I myself would love to have a relaxing tea time with our heroes.」

After the preamble that sounds not unlike an idle complain, Philias tightens her expression and immediately move to the main subject.

「Everyone, do you know about the Diagal Empire?」

「If I remember correctly, it is a nation ruled by the Dragonkin, isn’t it? Their entire territory is a danger zone inhabited by numerous magic beasts. On the other hand, it is also a land rich in natural resources with abundance of raw materials from magic beasts.」(ayana)

「Dragonkin is it……… Along with the Aquafolk, we haven’t met one yet, right?」(misaki)

Aquafolk’s dwelling are confined to the coastline. They would be a rare sight in the landlocked capital of Yulfilia. As for the Dragonkin, they are fewer in number compared to the other races in the first place and most of them reside within the Diagal Empire.

「So, what’s the matter with the Diagal Empire?」(misaki)

「………This is a highly cla.s.sified information. There are reports of the Devil sighted in the empire.」(black)

The three heroes gulp at the revelation.

Even Yuuzuki with his cheat-like light attribute spell [Overdrive] activated, was unilaterally driven out of commission while the combined effort from Misaki and Ayana could not even draw the attention of the devil.

「Is that true?」(ayana)

「A similar person was confirmed in the capital city of Diagal Empire, Draknil. That report was sent by a citizen of this country during his stay there. His reported person greatly resembles the one we had. Surely, it is the devil.」

「That report is very vague, isn’t it?」(ayana)

「To ascertain the truth, he followed after her but he lost sight of her in the crowd.」

Philias exhales slowly to release tension from her body which had acc.u.mulated unnoticed.

「However, that is the only report we have from the recent search effort. We are far too lacking in information to overlook this.」(black)

「Hold on, I have a question. If I’m not mistaken, the travelling distance between Yulphilia’s royal capital and Diagal Empire would’ve taken more than a month using a normal route, wouldn’t it?」

Misaki questions so.

Serafide Mountain is an area that cannot be traversed with an exception for a limited number of people. It takes at least three weeks on a large detour around the mountain to reach the opposite side. From there, one would finally enter the Diagal Empire’s territory after travelling for another two weeks or so.

If one wants to send a letter from this side, it will take more than a month to arrive there. Furthermore, a reply letter would have taken the same amount of time and after receiving the order to search for the Devil, he could not have possibly found a [trace of her] immediately. At least two month would be needed for the search. Thinking about it normally, it would have taken more than three months for any kind of report to arrive.

「We provided those entrusted with the investigation a special magic tool. Using it, it is possible to instantly converse with someone far away for a short period of time.」(black)

「A magic tool for communication, right?」(ayana)

「Correct, Ayansan. However, as this magic tool requires rare materials for its production along with its high difficulty to create, only a limited number could be prepared. The only drawback is it cannot be reused again without filling it with mana for a minimum of 3 days.」

「In other words, you told the [intelligence operative] who are staying in that region about the characteristics of the devil and received a report from said operative that stated he found someone who resembled the aforementioned devil. Is that what happened?」(ayana)

The search area for the investigation team organized by Philias is limited to within the borders of Yulfilia. In that case, the search effort for other regions can only be left to those who are already there.

「By intelligence operative………you mean like those [spies] inside movies?」(dai aho no hetare)

Is there really such a [questionable] role in this country?

The surprised Yuuzuki alternates between looking at Ayana and Philias. By no means would he believe that Philias would dispatch a covert operative to another country. Ayana who could tell just what kind of image of a spy he is thinking of from his expression wants to sigh.

「It is not at all strange if I might add. Even if we have an amicable relationship with another country, it is not a good reason for neglecting information gathering.」(black)

「You do realize that it’s not the kind of spy that flashily does a car chase scenes or the one bombing everything left and right, don’t you? Don’t go believing everything they show you in movies.」(ayana)

Even though he was an excellent student at school, why is that his head is filled with flowers? He is dreaming far too deep in dreamland.

「S-So Fii, this spy of yours found the devil, right? So what should we do?」

Even he could notice the already delicate situation deteriorating even further, so Yuuzuki forcibly steer the conversation back to the devil.

Philias takes a deep breath and then, with a serious expression, says…

「I apologize for the abruptness of it but I ask of everyone to depart for Diagal Empire [early in the morning tomorrow] and ascertain the truth in the report. If it is true that he found the devil, I would like you to confirm her true intention.」

Ayana just barely managed to endure her expression from becoming [sharp]. Looking at the other two, Yuuzuki was surprised, as he usually does but Misaki holds the same feeling as her.

「………It’s certainly abrupt, Fii」

「If I accompany you, we will be able to pa.s.s through Serafide Mountain and a journey that should take more than a month could be reduced to nearly half. However, it will still take around two to three weeks. With every pa.s.sing moments, the likelihood for the devil changing location will increase. Hence my abrupt request but the sooner we depart, the better. I trust Misaki-san should be able to comprehend as much.」

「Well, yeah.」

Fumbling for a bit, Misaki nods in a.s.sent, as calmly as she could while suppressing her bitterness. Ayana on the other hand, stops herself from clicking her tongue through sheer will.

『Dismantling both equipments and development devices will take two days, including adjustments for new magic tools. I do not think I will be able to complete it all in half a day.』(ayana)

Any adjustments for the new equipments (though a degraded copy) could be completed during their travel but the problem lies with the [dismantling]. Many of the equipments used to develop magic tools are too large to be transported and could only be used within the royal castle.

Furthermore, all of the equipments she created so far const.i.tutes a lot of materials made of alloys. It is preferable for Ayana to disa.s.semble all of it in a calm workplace.

『………If we delay the departure without any valid excuse, she will suspect something. No choice then. I will stay up all night to thoroughly dismantle all of the equipments and complete the replacements while on the move.』(ayana)

She is planning a death march but there is no other choice.

After departing from this city, it will be more than a month before she could return. Thus, her determination to burn the midnight oil, forgoing sleep. Her mind is working at full capacity, organizing what needs to be done by tomorrow.

「I understand. Please leave it to me. I will show you my brilliant display of taking down that devil!」(baka hetare)

「As one would expect of my yuushsama!」(scheming black)

……………How did it come to that?

Suddenly, the situation progressed into that direction following a certain person’s disappointing remark in which he uttered after jumping into conclusion, causing the other two reflexively exclaiming in their mind [my brain hurts].

Misaki could no longer persevere at this point, holding her head to endure the headache.

Wasn’t the initial request to verify if the devil is truly in the empire and if she does, they need to ascertain her intention?

Then why did he spout such dangerous lines in line with [subjugation] while being enthusiastic about it?

Yuuzuki clenches his fist while being oddly enthusiastic and Philias’ cheeks reddens with feverish pa.s.sion as she gaze upon him. Outwardly, it is a very picturesque scene but the truth behind it is so disappointing that if it is made into a portrait, even an antique shop would only accept it is dirt cheap.

They are very curious about what kind of unusual conversation could ever sidetrack a search mission and replace it with a [subjugation] task but conversely, they are scared of the answer. It would probably be answered like a third-rate play that they could not even tsukkomi at from the start to finish.

『『If only Kanna(kun) is present at times like this!!』』

Despite being able to read the situation, that young man would have kick its b.u.t.t and ruin the atmosphere by throwing tsukkomi left and right.

Once again, the female heroes’ mind overlap regarding their circ.u.mstance.

Thus, the heroes party will embark on a journey to Diagal Empire.

aho no yuusha

a hidden battle of words between the three. only to be ruined by an idiot. well, they were fighting a losing battle from the start. after all, she is…