bookbashuk #332 - The end of the universe is
#332 - The end of the universe is
Chapter 331 The End of the Universe Is—
The End of the Universe Is—
In the arena, Yoshisuke Shima and Mabel were clashing fiercely. The knights and Zun Zun were all shocked by how quickly the battlefield had escalated into a heated battle.
…Or not really.
“Wow, that’s amazing. We’re right here, but they can’t see us.”
“Optical camouflage magic. It’s similar to Mabel’s ice magic. The downside is that it’s exposed if you get too close.”
Zun Zun and the others were in the corner, cheering on Yoshisuke Shima and Mabel’s charade. Even in another world, and despite their different positions, they couldn't just start killing each other upon meeting. They still needed to talk things over.
“More importantly, why is Mabel here?”
Normally, she should have returned to her village, found her doghouse used as firewood, and then come seeking revenge with resentment.
Zun Zun had even already thought about how to comfort her a second time. He didn’t expect Mabel to not only not come for revenge but also become a knight of the kingdom sooner than he had imagined.
“Because my house was torn down.”
Mabel pouted.
As expected, the villagers, realizing that the Demon Flame Dragon was gone, no longer needed the Frost God Sword. Therefore, their pent-up resentment exploded instantly, and they tore down her treehouse.
“Y-You… I didn’t expect that because of our mistake, it would turn out like this. I’m sorry.”
The elven girl felt apologetic.
She had just learned from the commander how much impact their actions had had over the past six months. Clearly, Mabel was also one of the victims, which was why she felt sorry.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Mabel waved her hand dismissively, acting generously unlike her usual self. But suddenly, her expression turned gloomy, and a wicked smile crept onto her lips.
“—Anyway, when I left, I froze all their feet and then subjected them to water torture. Hehe, hehehe—”
“I-Is that so…”
It seemed Mabel wasn’t as indifferent as she appeared. The elven girl couldn’t really criticize her. After all, it wasn't clear who was at fault, but she felt like Mabel was somewhat problematic.
“Thanks to that, I discovered my power. Thinking about what Zun Zun said about making a living with the Frost God Sword, I came to the kingdom and became a regular knight, you know.”
“I see, it’s because of someone’s guidance. Uh-huh, that’s how it is… That’s great, someone to guide you…”
The elven girl glared at Zun Zun, making him feel uneasy.
Mabel being able to become a regular knight of the kingdom had nothing to do with him. It was mostly thanks to the Frost God Sword and her mother constantly proclaiming how powerful the Frost God Sword was that she was able to benefit.
“The salary, bonuses, and five insurances and one fund are all very standard.”
“T-They have five insurances and one fund?”
“Yep!”
He didn’t expect other worlds to have these things too.
Zun Zun rubbed his temples. As expected of a regular army (a secure job), even another world had the benefits it should have.
Yoshisuke Shima was somewhat silent.
Mabel, on the other hand, said with a hint of triumph, “Compared to this job, being an adventurer is just trash. If you consider your future, being an adventurer is just a waste of time. Wolf, Zun Zun, Miss Elf, you should all come here quickly.”
Wow—
Here it comes, that face of looking down on people after getting ashore. It’s like the end of the universe is being employed, and there’s no future outside of that.
“Allow me to say one more thing, Miss Mabel, how did you end up…”
Yoshisuke Shima unknowingly used honorifics.
Was it succumbing to social status, or seeing Mabel as a successful senior? He unconsciously placed himself in a lower position, and a thick barrier rose between them.
“It’s just that when I was camping in the wilderness, I was mistaken for a wild beast. You see, because of the effect of this beast robe for camping. Then, the patrolling kingdom knights were going to hunt me, but they were instead dealt with by the protective ice blades, so I smoothly became a regular knight.”
“A descendant of the Ice Clan camping in the wilderness… But the Ice Clan…”
The elven girl couldn’t accept this.
Didn’t she just hear Mabel say that her house was torn down and burned as firewood by the villagers?
“After all, my family is so famous and trusted~ For you, Wolf, this route might be a little—slightly—difficult to take. You could even say that only I can do it. Guhehehehe~~~”
Boasting, blatant boasting.
Give her a little sunshine, and she’ll shine brightly. She was showing off to Zun Zun and the others as a successful person, even though she was just an ordinary knight.
“How about it? Want to come?”
“I’ll pass. I’m not good at getting along with humans. Besides, my goal is to find the artifacts scattered everywhere, not to hold onto a secure job. If that were the case, I might as well be in the elven territory… cough, never mind.”
The elven girl was an elven royal.
If she wanted, she could thrive in the elven race. There was no need to run to the human kingdom and become a mere knight.
“I’ll pass too.”
“Eh—why?”
“Sorry, my goal is to go home, and I’m about to achieve it, so I won’t waste time here.”
Zun Zun shook his head.
“Why… why, I said, why!?”
Hearing that Zun Zun was unwilling, Mabel suddenly became agitated for some reason. She kept questioning him, and at the same time, she said—
“You’re the one who disrupted my life. You should be with me. This is a regular knight’s job, you know. It’s a secure job for life… Why, why, why…”
“W-Wait, wait, Miss Mabel, Miss Mabel, you’re bugging out! You’re bugging out!”
“Let go, Mabel, let go of Zun Zun!”
Mabel, obsessed with a secure job, was emotionally unstable. She kept climbing onto Zun Zun, like a parasite clinging to him. The elven girl, seeing this, was shocked and kept pulling on Mabel’s clothes. The three of them became entangled and fought together.
“…I see, that’s what happened.”
The commander and the knights appeared in front of the four people in the corner at some point.
Seeing this, Mabel shouted in a panic, “Why…”
“Because you were being too loud.”
Optical camouflage magic could hide the figures of others, but it couldn’t hide sound. The intense quarrel between the three clearly aroused the commander’s suspicion. Therefore, even though Yoshisuke Shima controlled the magic to make the battlefield look intense, it still exposed the fact that it was a charade.
“…Thinking about it carefully, how could the legendary Ice Clan be camping in the wilderness? Hmph, you tricked us so badly. I didn’t expect you to infiltrate the inside as a spy to help the Dark Orcs…”
“Eh? N-No, it’s not like that…”
“Then why would the famous Ice Clan be so poor that they have to camp in the wilderness!? Give me a reasonable answer!”
“Ugh!”
Mabel was completely speechless.
She couldn’t possibly say that she was a NEET because she didn’t have a job, and that the Ice Clan’s old home was torn down and burned as firewood, so she had no choice but to live on the streets, right? But now, there was no way to argue.
“You can’t answer? As expected, you…”
Just as the commander was about to accuse Mabel, he noticed that her body was trembling slightly. Then, suddenly, her expression changed, her icy eyes became dangerous, and she turned to Zun Zun, waving the Frost God Sword in her hand.
The sudden sneak attack didn’t succeed and was blocked by Zun Zun’s Thunder Sword. Then, the two instantly engaged in a fierce battle, much faster than Yoshisuke Shima’s charade just now.
“W-What’s going on? Suddenly…!?”
“Is it infighting?”
“Turning anger into action?”
Even the elven girl thought so. But just as she was about to step in, she was stopped by Zun Zun.
“Yoshisuke, treat the wounded. Midori, use the headband!”
The three, who had close cooperation, quickly moved into action. One healed the injured knights, and the other, while switching with Zun Zun—
“Mabel, wake up.”
Slammed her head hard against Mabel’s head, knocking her unconscious.
Was that really waking her up!?
Speaking of which, wasn’t this just taking the opportunity to retaliate for her groping Zun Zun just now?
Zun Zun then plunged into the crowd, swimming through it like a fish, and grabbed someone’s throat.
“Cough—”
“Magic that manipulates the soul and body of living beings is sacred magic.” Zun Zun’s small arm lifted the priest. His bright scarlet eyes carried a dangerous look. “You’re the one who connected your consciousness to Mabel’s soul to control her, right, Priest?”
“Cough cough… Eyes filled with evil, and associating with Orcs… As… As expected… You’re a demon, undoubtedly a demon.”
The priest condemned him on his own.
Indeed, Zun Zun’s expression was somewhat arrogant and ferocious now. Coupled with his frightening red eyes, even if he was naturally handsome, it was easy to be mistaken for a violent demon.
“I’m not a demon, I’m a Crimson Demon!”
“I see, a demon called a Crimson Demon.”
“You—!”
Admittedly, the actions of the Crimson Demons were sometimes worse than those of demons, but Zun Zun was also very angry at being called a demon. It was like Aqua being called a goddess of parties, so angry.
“Commander!”
Yoshisuke Shima said, “There’s no problem with the resolve to get your hands dirty alone to protect the country, but before that, isn’t there anything else you can do? You have so many partners who admire you by your side, yet you don’t trust their abilities?”
“B-But… That night two months ago, I had already decided to transform into a demon and abandon those three. Now, it’s difficult to remain untainted… Yes, I’m sorry.”
Under the cold gaze of Yoshisuke Shima, who had transformed into a demon teacher, the commander finally confessed his mistake, even though the priest kept shouting, it was in vain. Finally, under Yoshisuke Shima’s cool dragon transformation magic, he broke through the ceiling and flew away.
“…Why turn into a dragon?”
“Who knows what Orcs are thinking?”
Zun Zun and the elven girl exchanged glances and then took advantage of the chaos to escape, of course, also taking Mabel and her dismissal letter.