Arnold: "But to think that they would really demolish the bridge. What the hell is the Demon Lord thinking…?"
Muir: "B-but this way, nobody ended up getting hurt, right?"
Arnold: "Nn~, certainly it’s as Muir says. However, to the Gabranth, it would be as if their Pride was uprooted and denied. I’ll bet that they’d be pissed. Well, I’m also a Gabranth though..."
Hiiro: “I don’t really get it, but if nobody died, then I’d consider it to be a good thing…”
Arnold: "Well, its fine to have those thoughts. But the main problem is for what purpose did the Evila do such a thing? If it was the Humas that broke the bridge then I could sorta understand. If they did so, the Evila wouldn’t be able to cross into the Human Continent so easily. However, right now the Evila are fighting the Gabranth. The Humas have got nothing to do with this.”
Unable to comprehend the Demon Lord’s motive, Muir also tilted her head to the side. Then, as if she suddenly realized something, Muir posed Arnold with a question.
Muir: "Nee, Oji-san. Speaking of which, why doesn’t the Humas destroy their bridge?"
Arnold: "Nn? What’re you talking about?"
Muir: "Hora, didn’t you just tell us? Even though they would be able to prevent the Evila’s advance, why haven’t they destroyed the bridge yet?”
It was exactly as Muir had indicated. Between every two continents lied a single bridge that would connect the two. Obviously, this meant that a bridge existed that joined the Humas continent and the Evila continent.
Being reffered to as the [Schlecken Bridge], both it’s size nor its durability could be compared to the [Gedult Bridge]. It was a structure that even the Humas were able to break if they wanted to.
Arnold: “It’s not that they didn’t want to destroy it, they were not allowed to."
Muir: "......how come?"
Muir tilted her head to the side with a *koku. (TL: Not sure how to translate this. Think of it like a sound effect that indicates confusion. You’ll probably encounter it in anime as wooden block sounds.)
Arnold: "The bridge always has an Evila guard posted there."
Muir: "Ah, is that so?"
Arnold: "Also, it seems that the person protecting the bridge is a troublesome fellow."
Muir: "Troublesome?"
Arnold: "Aa, I’m pretty sure their name was............Iraora?"
Muir: "Is that person strong?"
Arnold: "Aa, they’re ridiculously strong, or so they say. Once, Judom-san also affrimed that."
While overhearing the conversation as if it didn’t concern him, Hiiro narrowed his eyes as he continued walking. If the SSS Ranker Judom Lankars had said so, then this Iraora’s strength was probably the real deal.
To begin with, if they were entrusted with protecting such an important bridge, there is no doubt that they must be a person with substantial abilities.
Arnold: "Moreover, it seems that they used to be a member of the [Cruel Brigade]. They’re probably really strong."
The Demon Lord’s private bodyguards, the [Cruel Brigade], were a squad that consisted of only 6 people. It went without saying that those 6 possessed exceptional strength. Even if you gathered ordinary adventurers in hundreds, they wouldn’t even be called an adversary for such veterans.
Muir: "I see, if such a person was protecting the bridge, it’d be hard to try and destroy it."
Arnold: "Well, even if the bridge was destroyed, the Evila would probably just cross the sea so I doubt it would make a difference..."
In a sea that contained horrifying monsters and treacherous whirlpools, trying to traverse such a location would undoubtedly be perilous. Even so, Arnold assumed that the Evila would cross the sea anyway.
Hiiro: "By the way, where are you planning on going from here?"
Arnold: "Ah? Obviously, I’m headed to the Guild. We got something that we can hand in for some cash, right? You know, like what we got from that damned snake."
Hearing Arnold’s words, Hiiro paused as he suddenly recalled what had happened.
Arnold: "Nn? What’s up, Hiiro?"
Hiiro: "......"
Arnold: "Oi, why’re you looking away?"
Hiiro: "......"
Arnold: "............ you, did get the spoils, right?"
Hiiro: "......"
Arnold: "Yo~sh, yosh, yosh. Let’s calm down a bit. At that time, thanks to the cute and angelic Muir, we were able to successfully kill the Clay Viper, right?”
Hiiro: "......"
Being called cute, Muir became flustered. However, Hiiro remained still as he continued to avert his gaze.
Arnold: "After that, Muir and I exited the [Gree cave] first, leaving you to go and get the spoils, right?"
Hiiro: "......"
Arnold: "You took quite a long time when you were in that cave............ you, what exactly were you doing in that time?"
Hiiro was met with a gaze full of suspicion. As the blistering stare was approaching him, Hiiro reluctantly used a scissors gesture to puncture Arnold in both eyes.
Arnold: "Angyaaaaaaaa!" (TL: Scream of agony.)
Arnold began rolling around on the ground while covering his eyes. Arnold’s sudden strange behavior garnered the attention of all the surrounding people.
Hiiro: "Yosh, let’s go Chibi."
Arnold: "Hold it, kora Ooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Seeing Arnold’s swift recovery, Hiiro was impressed.
Arnold: "Tenmeeeee! How bout you give us an explanation!?" (TL: An elongated ‘Tenmee’ which is a morphed version of ‘Temee’ which roughly translates to ‘You Bastard’.)
As if he was a Yakuza, Arnold glared at Hiiro with bulging eyes. Hiiro considered poking Arnold’s eyes again. However, Arnold was at a fair distance from Hiiro. Whether he consciously took such action due to his previous experience or not remained to be seen. Either way, Hiiro had no choice but to explain what had occurred.
(TL: In regards to the bulging eyes. This would be directly translated as ‘googly eyes’. For those who can’t get a good picture, think as if the eyes are wide open and the irises are small and convulsing wildly. That’s what Arnold is doing.)
Arnold: "Did some weird fellow take all of the snake’s spoils?"
Hiiro: "Aa."
Arnold: "Name?"
Hiiro: "............ no idea."
Arnold: "You forgot, didn’t you."
Hiiro: "I just didn’t have any interest in it."
Hiiro puffed his chest out, as if saying he didn’t do anything bad.
Arnold: "Nn~ But is there such a fellow that’s capable of doing that? In addition, Hiiro was their opponent, you know. In the first place, why the hell would they be gathering the snake’s corpse?”
Hiiro: "-the hell would I know?"
Arnold: “As I thought. What do you think, Muir?”
Muir: "Etto...maybe they want to make them a grave...or something?"
Arnold: "Oo~! As expected of Muir! What an adorable idea!"
Being hugged tightly, Muir painfully struggled slightly. Looking at the two, Hiiro spoke a single word.
Hiiro: "Lolicon."
Arnold: "At least call me Parent Baka you Boke~!" (TL: Boke is a variant of Baka which is usually used by, but not exclusive to, people who speak the Kansai Dialect.)
Arnold roared as if to say ‘How are you going to compensate me if I get another title attached to me?’
Hiiro: "Well, to summarise, what happened to me was basically robbery. I had to give up on collecting the Snake’s loot. Besides, we’re not really in any financial trouble so you don’t really care, right?”
Arnold: "...well, I guess it’s fine. Actually, tell us about stuff like that sooner!I Actually, tell us the moment it happens!"
Arnold was absolutely right. (TL: The kanji for ‘that street’ is used here, yet the content seems to indicate that it meant ‘it was as he said’. As I translate context, I have opted for this translation.)
Arnold: "In any case, let’s go to the guild and redeem the rest of the loot from other monsters.”
The trio carried their legs towards the guild.
The guild was devoid of any adventurers. As expected, it seemed that everyone had been deployed off to the front lines. Seeing Hiiro and company, the staff were completely taken aback. After saying that they had just returned from a journey, the staff were somehow convinced.
As they finished redeeming their spoils, they immediately left the guild.
Hiiro: "What’re we doin next?"
Arnold: "There was another reason why I came to this country, you know."
Hiiro: "Aa, speaking of which, you did mention something like that. That you had plans to go somewhere..."
Arnold: “Ou, I just need to go to the [King’s Tree] for a little bit."
Hiiro: "[King’s Tree]? Do you know somebody from the noble family?"
[King’s Tree] refers to a large tree that houses royalty. Because this country has been built using trees as a base to support life, there are no such houses constructed out of stone like those in the Humas Continent. All of them are built out of trees.
As such, the [King’s Tree] held the same meaning as a King’s castle. It was a place where the Gabranth Royalty resided.
Arnold: "No, no. I’m not going there to see the royal family. I have business with a guy that I know who’s working there. If he found out that I came here and didn’t give them a greeting, it’d turn into a pain in the ass."
Even though Arnold said it would likely be troublesome, the end of his words seemed to bleed with nostalgia. It seemed like he wasn’t all that opposed to meeting them.
At the entrance of the [King’s Tree], two people who looked like soldiers were standing guard. In short, they were gatekeepers.
Arnold: “Excuse me.”
As Arnold called out the them, the two gatekeepers pointed their spears at him, piercing him with their sharp stares. The gatekeepers’ gazes then moved on towards the other two.
Guards: "Who goes there?"
Of course, seeing as this was the King’s residence, they had no choice but to be wary. However, as they were in the middle of a war, they were considerably on edge. It was possible that they had yet to be informed about the war’s conclusion.
Arnold: "I’m nobody suspicious. I just came here because I have something I wanna ask you."
Guard: “Something to ask...... you say?"
As if they were appraising Arnold, they carefully scanned him from head to toe with their stares. After which, a guard opened his mouth.
Guard: "We are currently in a state of emergency. You are aware that we are unable to permit any sort of meetings with the people of [King’s Tree]?"
Arnold: "I’m already aware about the current emergency. However, even if it’s just out here, I was kinda hoping to talk to somebody."
Guard: "......who were you hoping to interview?"
Arnold: "Well, about that..."
As he said that, heavy footsteps carrying a tremendous momentum could be heard from far away. Following which...
Dokka-! (TL: *Thud/Bang/Slam/etc.*)
Arnold: "Gube-!?" (TL: A sound which signifies Arnold receiving a strong impact.)
Arnold suddenly soared due to receiving an impact from someone who had abruptly appeared. He began rolling across the ground with exceptional velocity. It was as if Arnold had been struck by a speeding car. Following this, Arnold’s body had collided with a tree that was up ahead, finally causing him to stop.
Muir: "O-Ojisan!?"
Muir’s eyelid shot open wide as she screamed. The two soldiers were completely stunned, unmoving as if they had their time stopped.
Hiiro: "Did he croak?"
A sinister thought came out of Hiiro’s mouth. However, after sparing a glance at Arnold, his line of sight transferred to the one who had appeared. That person was grinding their teeth, revealing their frustration.
???: “I can’t believe you! How long are you gonna be daze for?! You Ou-Baka Arnold!" (TL: Ou-Baka = Big Idiot.)
From the tobacco held in their lips, smoke rose towards the sky. From what could be observed, this person was a Gabranth woman who seemed to belong to the same race as Arnold. The woman was an astounding beauty and had the same unyielding eyes as Arnold. And yet, her physical stature was very muscular. Furthermore, as the woman wore a Maid Outfit, her figure evoked an extraordinary sense of incongruity.
As Arnold’s consciousness faded, he held his arm as he saw the figure of the woman glaring at him. Arnold answered with a trembling voice.
Arnold: "......Ne...... nee......-chan......" (TL: For those who don’t know, Nee-chan = Big Sister)
As the distance between Arnold and him was substantial, Hiiro was unable to hear what he just said. However, Muir had clearly heard him, alternating her gaze between the two siblings.
Muir: “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhh!?”
...was how Muir expressed her shock. The two soldiers also displayed similar astonishment.
Konjiki no Wordmaster Chapter 48: His Sister, the Maid.
“Let me introduce you. This is my older sister.” (Arnold)
Rubbing his right cheek after getting hit, Arnold introduces the girl.
“Like I’d be satisfied with such an apathetic introduction!” (Sistah)
With a whack on the head, the girl made some distance between her and Arnold.
“T-that hurt!” (Arnold)
“You’re supposed to be an adventurer, aren’t you!? Do you want to get whacked?” (Sister)
Arnold wanted to retort that he had already been whacked, but saying as such would merely make her do it again, so he held back his words.
“U-um…” (Soldier)
The soldier tries to butt in with apologetic expressions. Arnold’s sister raises her hand, and answers them.
“Ah, these kids are fine. This one is my fool of a brother, and the other two seem to be with him. Please let them through.” (Sister)
“Is that true!? If that’s the case, then we can’t complain. Go ahead.” (Soldier)
With a smile, the soldier ushered the group inside.
(The Old Man’s sister… She seems to have quite a bit of trust here.)
Otherwise, her words would never have let others enter the dwellings of royalty during times of war. No, even if the country were not at war, getting in shouldn’t have been this easy. Even so, by her order, the group easily entered. The trust placed in her must have been considerable.
What they entered was a space like a small dining hall. There were three wooden tables, and a counter with a kitchen area behind it. Hiiro’s group took their seats at the various chairs enclosing the tables.
“I’ll get you something cold. Stay put for a second.” (Sister)
She gave a bright smile, and walked towards the kitchen. Hiiro continued observing her.
She had the same blue hair as Arnold, but unlike his short-cut hair, hers was long and neat. Her facial features weren’t bad, and her height was on the higher end. She had a thin and soft-looking tail swinging back and forth behind her.
She was worthy of being called a beauty. But a maid that smokes tobacco as she works is a little bit off.
But one thing that did catch Hiiro’s interest was the top of her head.
(… There’s nothing there.)
Just like Arnold, she had no ears. Noticing where Hiiro’s attention was directed, Arnold gave a bitter smile.
“So you noticed?” (Arnold)
“Noticed what?” (Hiiro)
He had no intention of prying into it, so he played dumb. However contrary to Hiiro’s expectations, Arnold continued.
“Don’t misunderstand. Sister isn’t a former slave or anything.” (Arnold)
Hiiro’s eyebrows twitched. He was sure that Arnold lost his ears upon becoming a slave to the human race. He though that she had lost her ears under similar circumstance.
But his thoughts were immediately refuted. This made Hiiro mildly curious, but he didn’t speak up.
“Hey, thanks for waiting.” (Sister)
Arnold’s sister came carrying a tray of glasses, the number of which was that of the number of people present.
“It’s 【Pashion】 specialty Schwartz.” (Sister)
(TL: It’s written as specialty, pronounced phonetically as Schwartz)
It was a clear, sky-blue drink. Looking closely, many bubbles rose and formed within the liquid. Could this possibly be…
(… It’s cider.)
It truly was. A so-called carbonated drink. Hiiro never thought he would be able to put such a thing into his mouth after being transported to this world, so he was delightfully shocked.
Making a pleasant gulping sound, he downed the glass in one swig. It was perfectly carbonated, and the feeling of it going down his throat was quite pleasant.
“Oh, you drink well! I have more, so drink all you want.” (Sister)
She showed her teeth as she laughed happily.
“Hit me.” (Hiiro)
Saying that, Hiiro held out his glass. Muir also seemed to be enjoying it as she drained her cup.
After bringing a refill for Hiiro, Arnold’s sister lowered herself into a chair. She took the cigarette out, and held it in her hand as she blew out a stream of smoke.
“First is that I guess. Could you tell me about those kids, Arnold?” (Sister)
“Yeah, this ridiculously cute apple of my eye, that pulls at the strings of all of our hearts is the lovely Muir Castrea.” (Arnold)
Arnold’s eyes sparkles as he points at Muir.
“M-my name is Muir! It’s a pleasure working with you, Uncle’s sister!” (Muir)
“Haha, you can call me Raive, Muir. Nice meeting you.” (Raive)
“Ah, yes… Raive-san.” (Muir)
She embarrassingly fidgets as she stares at the woman in front of her. Live lets out a laugh
“Ahaha, what’s this? This child’s really cute, isn’t she!? Where didja pick her up, Arnold?” (Raive)
She speaks as she heartily pats Muir’s head. Following the motion of her hand, Muir’s head shook from side to side. However, Raive didn’t seem to notice it at all.
“By the way, Arnold, what was with that introduction? When did you become a Lolicon?” (Raive)
“You’re wrong! Muir is my daughter! Though our blood isn’t connected, we’re father and child!” (Arnold)
Even Arnold’s sister conferred with Hiiro. This was enough to depress Arnold considerably, so he began speaking rapidly.
“Ah, so that’s it? I thought that, due to your lack of popularity, you kidnapped someone’s cute daughter, to reap your crop after raising her exactly to your preferences.” (Raive)
“Who the hell do you think I am!? There’s no way I would do that! Do you really think of your cute younger brother as such a person!?” (Arnold)
“Ah, that was a joke, a joke. About half of it, at least.” (Raive)
“So half of it was serious!?” (Arnold)
Arnold took severe mental damage from his sister’s words. Seeing Arnold hang his shoulders, Raive let out another spout of smoke, and hit him on the back.
“Geho! Geho! What are you doing!?” (Arnold) (TL: Sound of coughing)
“Go on. Who’s the other one?” (Raive)
“Hmm? Ah, that guy. He’s Hiiro Okamura.” (Arnold)
“T-that was quite a simple introduction.” (Raive)
Raives smile cramps for a moment. She considered whether the two were on bad terms, but deduced that they were not.
“But he sure is quiet. He hasn’t been saying anything for a while, but is he alright?” (Raive)
Hiiro was wholeheartedly drinking his cider. His expression didn’t really show it, but he truly was in heaven. He was celebrating his fated reunion with soda.
(Fumu, if they mixed fruits or berries into it…)
As his head filled with thoughts of soda applications, he unintentionally let out smile. Seeing this, Raive asks Arnold once more.
“Is that child alright? He’s started smiling for some reason.” (Raive)
“Y-yeah, he sometimes does that. Just leave him be.” (Arnold)
“I-is that so? By the way, you suddenly left, and came back just as abruptly. And with companions at that. You better not be planning to go to war, right?” (Raive)
Her gentle eyes suddenly became sharp.
“N-no, you’re wrong. It’s true that I was curious about the war, but I didn’t come back to join it. I came here to get master to train someone.” (Arnold)
“Hmmm, so did you get permission?” (Raive)
“Yeah, I’ll be under her care along with Muir.” (Arnold)
“Hm? What about that Hiiro kid?” (Raive)
“Ah, that guy’s going to go on a journey after about a week.” (Arnold)
“Is that so?” (Raive)
“Until then, I thought I would show him around the city. Since I was here, I also decided to drop by and see you.” (Arnold)
“So I’m just an add-on!?” (Raive)
A fist came into contact with Arnold’s skull once more.
“O-ow!” (Arnold)
“Quiet down, and endure it!” (Raive)
“… By the way, how are things going on your end?” (Arnold)
According to Raive, she had been working here as a maid for a number of years. Contrary to her appearance and personality, she worked diligently and made it up the ranks to Head Maid.
The King was quite fond of the meals she made, and happily ate them. She had heard of the war, but did not participate in it.
It’s not that she couldn’t fight, but she obstinately stood by her position as not to.
She became a maid because she wished to make people happy. She didn’t want to use her powers to harm anyone after all this time.
That’s why she felt great relief upon learning that Arnold did not come to go to war. He wasn’t the best brother, but he was still precious family. She didn’t want him to be taken away by the war.
“Did you know about it, Raive?” (Arnold)
“About what?” (Raive)
“The war is over.” (Arnold)
The cigarette dropped from her mouth onto the floor. She hastily picks it up, and puts it into an ashtray-like fixture. But her eyes remained open wide.
“W-what are you saying?” (Raive)
“I understand your reaction. But this is information from master.” (Arnold)
“…… Is this for real?” (Raive)
She was still half in doubt, but Rarashik’s information was quite reliable.
“Yeah, it seems both sides suffered no casualties. They should be returning soon.” (Arnold)
At that time, a large noise sounded out. Everyone turned their attention to its source.
“I-is that true?”
Standing there was the first princess, who was held from battle. The princess, Kuclear.
Chapter 49: Hiiro and the girl
“Hey! Were you serious, just now!? Tell me!” (?)
Arnold was lifted up by the scruff of his neck by the person that walked into the room. He looked like he was suffocating.
“Kuu-sama! What are you doing here!?” (Raiev)
Raiev was also bewildered by the princess’ sudden visit.
“Ugh….can’t breath…” (Arnold)
Noticing Arnold’s face growing pale, Kukklia quickly loosened her grip.
“Ah, S-Sorry!” (Kukklia)
Arnold, who had just been released from her grasp, took a deep breath as he thanked the heavens for extending his life. It really seemed like he was going to suffocate a moment ago. If worst came to worst, he would have passed on to the next world. Even though she was a girl, it was clear the she inherited the Gabranth’s brute strength.
“S-so, can you please tell me! Is what you said really true? That the information came from that Rarashik?” (Kukklia)
Even though Kukklia had not moved a step towards him, Arnold felt so intimidated that he unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
“Ah, eh…yes. That is…” (Arnold)
Arnold told Kukklia what Rarashik had told him.
“Why would the Demon Lord do that to the bridge…?” (Kukklia)
Kukklia’s said the exact same question that was on everyone’s minds.
“Wouldn’t it just mean that they didn’t want to fight?” (Raiev)
Raiev casually commented.
“Actually, it might be just as Nee-chan said. It’s just, it was only just recently that the [Evila] declared that they wanted to annihilate everything.” (Arnold)
This was during the era of the previous Demon Lord, although nobody was aware of it. Incidentally, Rarashik knew about this, however, she forgot to pass this info on to Arnold and his compatriots.
“But, if what you said is true, then Papa and his army should be safe, right?” (Kukklia)
“I’ll bet. I’m sure we’ll be able to see them as lively as ever.” (Raiev)
Kukklia smiled joyfully at Raiev’s words. Even though it was she herself that had suggested to go to war, having her allies coming back home without any wounded was undoubtedly something worth celebrating.
“Hn? By the way, who are you guys? Also, earlier you called Raiev ‘Nee-chan’ but…” (Kukklia)
“Aa, Kuu-sama, this blockhead is my little brother. Also, that girl’s his daughter.” (Raiev)
“Heh, I am the child of the [Beast Kingdom: Passion]’s [Beast King] Leowald. The First Princess: Kukklia King. Nice to meet you” (Kukklia)
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