Chapter 13 - A Day at The Office

Translators: Pielord Miniman
Editors/Proofreaders : King of the End, Manch

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Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Part 1

I wake from my sleep.
It feels like a great morning.
At one time, this was the moment I most feared.
I feared that I would be killed in my sleep, or wake up someplace that wasn’t my bed like a dim forest.

Until I found a bed that I felt was safe, I was always afraid of sleeping.
But there were also times when the lack of sleep chipping away at my alertness almost got me killed.
It got better when I found a technique that let me stay wary while sleeping…
But during those days, I never would have thought that I would eventually be able to sleep without worry.

“…”

I steady my breathing and head for the office’s study.
The study is piled up with documents detailing the differences between the original history and the current loop.
Written in them is the『Original』and the『Alternate』.

The history where I did nothing is the『Original』.
And events that changed as a result of my actions are the『Alternate』.

I write these documents for the sake of defeating Hitogami.
To defeat Hitogami, I have exhausted no little amount of effort but there is a need to reach where he is.

The battle with Laplace 80 years from now is especially important.
Minimising our losses against him is directly related to defeating Hitogami.
And for that purpose, I’m going to freely use the 『Original』and the『Alternate』to change history and ensure we have as much fighting power as possible.
Of course, since I can’t take the documents with me on the next loop, right before each loop I organise all my actions and have no choice but to memorise them and try again.

But this loop is different.
Rudeus Greyrat is here.
With each person he encounters, the world greatly changes.

I had intended to record the differences as usual, but before I knew it they had turned into an observation diary of him.
Most of the pages have Rudeus’s name written on them.
And with so many changes, my writings can’t keep up.
I had originally intended to keep a detailed record of all events until the end of the loop but quite a bit of information has probably been left out.

Honestly, I don’t think it has much point.
There’s something odd about this loop.
It feels like something special is going on.
The chance of Rudeus being in the next loop is quite small which would render all these notes meaningless.

I most likely have to win with this loop.
That is what fate dictates.
We must store up as much fighting power as possible, I’ll preserve as much of my Mana as possible and defeat Laplace with the bare minimum, so as to go all out against Hitogami.

That said, there’s no reason to not take notes.
If I am to fail and on the next loop, Rudeus is still there, this information will certainly prove a powerful weapon.

“…”

And now I’ll record today’s happenings.
First up is the information that came through the Lithograph.

Thanks to this communication lithograph, collecting information has gotten considerably easier.
In all the previous loops, if some change occurred, without going to the scene and collecting the information myself, I wouldn’t be able to know the result.
I had gotten used to it, but due to my curse, it was quite stressful work.

Compared to that, now I can do nothing but sit and the information comes flowing in.
Before I had to go through a number of loops to know the full extent of the changes resulting from a single action, the difference in convenience is astounding.


Although, if Rudeus didn’t exist, I would never have needed such a comprehensive information network.
I alone would never have caused so much change.
If too much was changed, on the next loop I would wonder where to begin.

And I’m still troubled on how to treat the Automaton he created.
I saw the doll he had named Anne, but I never thought something like that could be made with human hands.
Pergius was surprised too, that it was more human than his spirits.

That doll is most likely the existence that the Mad Dragon King Chaos dreamed of.
Chaos has already passed and is no longer in this world, but if he was still alive, he would have loved to join them in their doll making.
If he is still in the next loop, I guess I’ll put off collecting his treasure.

“Alright.”

While thinking such things, when I looked at the communication lithograph I saw something rather interesting.
Information from Ariel.

It seemed as though Doga and Isolte got married.
As far as I could remember, the two of them were never married.
The chance of Isolte ever getting married was always quite small.
And children go without saying.

This would also have to be because of Rudeus.
How would I ever manage to reproduce this.
At my current level, I haven’t a clue…


Although before I attempt to reproduce such an occurrence, I would have to see what kind of person their child is and what kind of role they’d play.
Depending on the circumstances, I may end up preventing their child from being born.
But if I did that, Rudeus would most likely oppose me.

“…”

I do not wish to lie to or deceive Rudeus.
Even if in the case that he’s in the next loop, he’d forget about everything.

Part 2

“Good morning!”

Mid way through my documentation Rudeus appeared.

“…Yes.”
“Is it paperwork again today? You’re always so devoted Orsted-sama.”
“No more than usual”
“The fact that it’s usual is what’s important! Life is long after all so you have to take it little by little! As expected of Orsted-sama! You do understand!”

Rudeus sometimes gets strange.
He’s normally quite docile.

But his attitude does follow a pattern.
When he gets this high spirited, it’s because something good is happening.
And conversely, when he’s very quiet and apologetic it means he has something hard to say.
He’s rather easy to read.

“What’s happening today?”
“As expected of the President! Vigilant as always! Hehe, This morning Lara said that she wanted to be with papa forever! How do I put it. Ehehe.
Chris is always clinging to me but I never expected to hear it from Lara, so I was a little excited. Hehe.”
“Did you bring them with you?”
“Yeah. I brought Lara and Sieg here on Leo.”

Sieg as well hmm.
That’s somewhat unexpected.
But when I thought that, Rudeus’s complexion took a turn.

“Aah, about Sieg! It seems that he’s a fan of Alek.
He enjoyed the story of the Biheilil Kingdom that he heard from Alek.
And he asked me if I was going to meet with the North God-sama to take him along so he could hear the story again.
He’s with Alek right now.”
“Right.”
“Umm… Should I not have brought children to the office after all…”
“No, I don’t mind.”

Rudeus’s Achilles’ heel is his family.
He treasures them. Rudeus lives for his family.
He’d do anything for his family, and if you hurt them, you will become his enemy.
He’ll hit you with all kinds of unthinkable attacks from all directions, and when it looks like he’s about to lose, he’d easily throw away his pride and betray Hitogami or the like and beg for forgiveness.

I can’t name too many people as devoted as he is.
So to be his ally, you have to pay attention to his family.
At the very least, any mistreatment is forbidden.
Which is why I’ll assure their safety to the best of my ability.
As long as I protect what is precious to Rudeus, he won’t betray me.
That would be impossible for Hitogami.

Leaving aside the calculating thoughts, it’s quite bizarre that Rudeus’s children are immune to the curse. But I don’t dislike it.
I don’t dislike the liveliness.
It almost makes me feel like a normal person.

“Because your children are cute.”

I had intended to complement his children with a smile…
But Rudeus’s expression became serious.
Not good, this look is not good.
That is Rudeus’s cautious look.

I’ll have be be careful.
This man can suddenly go from peaceful to pulling off unbelievable things.
It might seem fine, but it’s possible the next time I wake up I might be buried alive.
At this instant it would be simple to defeat him but if he came at me with a surprise attack…

“Even if it’s Orsted-sama, I won’t give you my daughter.”
“…That wasn’t my intention.”

With that, Rudeus’s face returned to normal.

“I’ll bring the two in to say hello later.”
“I don’t mind. There’s no need to be respectful.”
“Is that right… Well, Lara is a somewhat impolite girl, so that’s probably for the better.”

Rudeus sat down on the sofa.

“Well then, let’s work hard at work today as well! What shall we do today?
A mock battle with the『MK 1』? Or maybe an adjustment of the Curse nullification Helmet?
Or maybe we should check on the progress of the『MK 3』or the adjustment of the『 MK 0』?
Or we could conduct another meeting on our future actions…”

They’re all things Rudeus is in charge of.
He probably wants to show off to his children.
But a little bit before when I was filling in my files, I remembered something.
It’s just something small regarding the war with Laplace but it would be better to do it now.

“Yes, about that…”

This year a drought in the southern part of the central continent will cause a famine.
A number of families will die.

But that in itself isn’t important.
It’s the natural course of things.

The problem is one particular household among them.
It’s an unimportant house without any particular characteristics, but the youngest son alone is special.
If he is allowed to grow up, he will become an excellent commander.
And he will be in charge of the defensive battle at East Port against Laplace.
He displays unrivalled commanding ability and manages to delay the King Dragon King army for a substantial amount of time.

Normally I would make sure the Laplace war doesn’t occur, and it’s better to not intervene considering mana conservation.
But this time, although the war with Laplace is unavoidable, Rudeus is also here.
So considering the direction we’re heading, it would be better to make sure they survive.

“And that’s how it is.”

After my explanation, Rudeus seemed somewhat disappointed.

“Lara won’t be able to see me working on a business trip…”
“Then it’s fine if you leave tomorrow.”

Seeing how disappointed he was, I offered an alternative but Rudeus shook his head.

“No, without knowing exactly when they’ll starve, it’s better to act quickly.
I don’t think we’ll be late but humans are fragile, it wouldn’t be odd for them to die any day.
I have arrangements to set out in place for time such as this so it would be best to leave as soon as possible.”

But somehow I ended up convincing him.

“If that is fine with you then so be it.”
“Of course. I’ll begin preparations immediately.”

Rudeus immediately left for the office’s warehouse to pickup the equipment he always has on stand by.

He returned about fifteen minutes after that.
He’s dressed in traveling clothes with a backpack full of provisions, the Scroll Vernier, and all kinds of other things.
He faces me and brings his fingers together and with his flat hand he hits his forehead.

“Well then, I’m sorry to ask this but if you could please take the two of them home at a suitable time.
Leo is with them so they should be fine, but it would be too late by the time something happens.”

That goes without saying.
I have no intention to make light of the reason that he’s my ally.

“Of course.”
“Well then, I’ll be off.”

After he says that, he immediately heads to the basement where the teleport magic circles are located.
In these past few years, his decision-making time on these kinds of actions has shrunk.
And he will almost certainly accomplish his mission.

I had used people to accomplish tasks in previous loops before.
I have also had people you could call subordinates.
But I have never had someone so capable who would faithfully carry out my orders.
I can somewhat understand the feelings of Hitogami as he manipulates his apostles.

“…”

I could tell that I had knitted my eyebrows.
Rudeus is a reliable man, but I shouldn’t overuse him.
At the very least, feeling like Hitogami is not a good thing.

That said, the things I can do are not many.
I have already used too much Mana in this loop.
I may have decided that I would fight with Rudeus, but it still isn’t a good enough reason to waste Mana.

“…”

For now I put on the curse nullification helmet and head outside.
When I pass Faria she jumps a little.

“Aah! If it isn’t the president.”

I seem to have surprised her.
But thanks to the helmet, it’s only to that extent.
Without it, her reaction would be quite different.
The way to make it has been recorded in the documents. Improving in would be difficult but reproducing it is possible.

“Rudeus-sama just went out a little while ago, is Orsted-sama also setting out? Would you like a companion?”
“No need. I’m only going a short distance. I’ll be back soon.”
“Understood.”

I head outside.
I could hear a voice coming from the side.

“It was then! Whoosh! Taking advantage of the slight opening, the Sword King Eris cut off the Third’s arm!”

A voiced echoed in the back courtyard, originating from a small patch of shade.

“Standing before the now one armed Third was North God Kalman the Second and the Demon Lord Atofe Ratofe!
Behind him, the Mad Sword King Eris and Sorcerous King Rudeus!
His front and back were covered by people who wouldn’t listen! There was no use in talk!
The duel was practically decided! The Third prepared himself!
But in the moment they thought victory was in their grasp! Whoosh! The Third ran into the Earth Dragon valley!”

Under the shade there was a man sitting on a rock.
And on the ground in front of him, a young boy.

The man on the rock is North God Kalman III Aleksander Ryback.
The young boy is Sieg Saladin Greyrat.
He’s gotten much bigger since I last saw him.
Time really does fly by quite quickly.

“The Third ran!
Deciding that he would have his chance at victory another time, he fled into the Earth Dragon Valley.
There was no human who follow him into the valley and live.
The only two were his wounded father Alex and the Demon Lord Atofe!”
“Those two aren’t human?”
“Correct! The two of them aren’t human!
They possess the blood of the Immortal Demon race!
And their opponent who had just barely escaped from them was the same!
But then! Wham! With a huge sound, a giant had flown!
Who was it that jumped in!
Was it the Second? The Demon Lord? The Mad Sword King!?
No! It was Rudeus Greyrat!”
“Papa!”

Sieg is in a daze with Alek’s story, but I wonder where Lara is?
I tried searching for a presence and there was one coming from the mountain of straw in the office garden.
When I went to take a look, there was a blue haired girl calmly napping on top of it.
At her feet a huge white beast is keeping watch.
Lara and the Sacred Beast Leo.

Lara is the Saviour that the Sacred Beast chose, but looking at her like this, she’s nothing more than a child.
But I wonder why she suddenly said she wanted to be with Rudeus.
I just parted with Rudeus at the entrance to the office so I don’t think more than an hour has passed…

Come to think of it, I remember hearing that Lara liked pranks.
Perhaps to get out of being punished for pulling some joke, she used her father.
If that’s the case, I feel sorry for Rudeus, being used like that…

“Still riding his half destroyed Magic Armour, he alone chased after me!
All by himself!
He hit the Third who was trapped in the air! Wham! He hit the Third with the huge Magic Armour! And hit! And hit!
BOOOOOOOM! The Third and Rudeus crashed into the floor of the Earth Dragon Valley!
When the dust cleared, standing there was the one-legged, one-armed Third!
And Rudeus, his Magic Armour full of cracks!
Nobody was coming to help. It was a one on one fight!”
“One on one!”

It seems like Alek is telling Sieg the story of the Biheilil Kingdom.
Lara most likely fell asleep right as she got here so he’s been entertaining Seig.

“But Rudeus didn’t have the strength to overcome the Third.
He managed to cut off a hand with a surprise attack, but that wasn’t enough to defeat him!
The Third thought that and began to carefully observe Rudeus.
He had let down his guard.
He thought that because Rudeus is a Magician, in a fight, he would shoot off his specialty the Stone Cannon while retreating.
He didn’t think he could lose to someone who did nothing but run away!
Rudeus did exactly that! He ran and shot Stone Cannons!
He may have underestimated his opponent, but the Third was a battle hardened veteran!
To avoid the Stone Cannon, the Third retreated for an instant!
But it disappeared from right in front of him! It was a feint!”
“A Feint!”
“Klang! The second he realised, the Third sent out a slash! Too weak! Because of the feint, because he took a step back it wasn’t a fatal wound!
But it still worked! The Third flew backwards but suddenly… his foot floated in the air.
It was Rudeus! He still had a trump card saved right for the very end! Gravity manipulation!
The same magic as the King Dragon Sword Kajakt! The Third for just an instant, floated!
Wham! The instant he realised, the third had already been sent flying! Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang! He hit! And he hit! And he hit!
Rudeus’s strongest Magic Tool blasted the Third into pieces! Dudududu! The Third was so longer breathing…
He could no longer stand.
Kling…! The King Dragon Sword fell from his hand.
Rudeus had won!”
“Hooray!”

Sieg let out a cheer.
Alek seems satisfied talking about his own defeat.
Feeling the pleasant atmosphere I walk up to Alek.

“Aleksander Rybak.”
“Oh, If it isn’t Orsted-sama! Are you heading out?”
“No, Rudeus just departed.”
“I saw, he entrusted the children to me. He said to take them home at an opportune time and explain the situation to his wives.”

I see, Rudeus left it to Alek.
The there’s no reason for me to go… I guess.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes sir!”

I nodded at his response and headed back inside.

Part 3

Evening.
After completing the first stage of my recount, I left the study.
It seems Alek hasn’t yet delivered the two of them home.
The sun is about to set, it would probably be better to have them back sooner.
Fariastia’s hours must have ended because she’s no longer at the reception.

“Your Papa normally walks around like he’s cowardly and incompetent.
In fact, he probably really is a coward.
But when he gets mad he’s scarier than anyone else.”

Even now, they’re still talking.
But now instead of telling a story, he sounds as if he’s teaching something.
Sieg is listening with a serious expression.

“When facing that unyielding spirit, I lost.
Orsted-sama apparently had a similar experience.
Of course, someone such as him didn’t fail to overcome it like I did.
And because I couldn’t defeat his spirit, was most likely the reason I became his subordinate.
But do you understand why both Orsted-sama and I recognise him?”
“Hmm?”
“That’s because he’s strong.”
“Papa, strong? But Papa would lose to Red Mama…”
“Yep. That’s right. But it’s a little different from normal strength.”

I’m also somewhat interested in how Alek sees Rudeus.

“Your Papa has no redeeming features besides his mana.
Your Papa can’t wear Touki by nature.
His judgement isn’t particularly high, and when confronting unexpected circumstances he’ll panic.
Hie eyes aren’t that good. Even with his Magic Eyes, he’s only reached the level below Orsted and I.
His reactions are slow. No matter how far ahead he can see with his Magic Eyes, his body can’t keep up.
He’ll hesitate when killing people, he has trouble delivering a killing blow to a flesh and blood enemy.
His chantless magic is a point in his favour, his magic activations speed is unmatched among Magicians, but compared to us swordsmen, it’s still too slow.
In the time it takes him to kill me with one『Stone Cannon』I can kill him three times.
That is to say, no matter what he does, if I feel like it, I can take him out.
No matter how many different kinds of tactics he has, none of them have any meaning.
And I’m not even the world’s strongest. In just speed, I’m one or two ranks below top class.
Of course, he could retreat and throw out all kinds of complex magic, but him having the chance to do that is unlikely.
In other words, if you systematically analyse him, he just doesn’t seem cut out for fighting.”
“Papa… Is weak…?”

Sieg looks quite sad.
Having their father admonished to their face, there are very few children who that wouldn’t make sad.
Especially because Rudeus showers his children with love.

“Aah, don’t give me that look.
I’m not done talking yet.
Listen. The reason your Papa is strong, is because he know his weakness better than anyone.
That’s why he can get rid of his weakness and think of how to take advantage of his strong points.”
“Hmm?”
“Yup. He can use the Magic Armour to increase his speed many times over.
Meaning that, even if you catch him by surprise, he can still manage to survive.
That means that even I can’t take him out.
Of course, he’s still not on the same level. The disadvantage doesn’t change.
But he has taken a step towards our level.
He can’t wear Touki, he’s a magician whose only merit is his mana.
But despite that, he doesn’t run, he stands against us.
Sometimes fair and square, sometimes cowardly from behind, sometimes borrowing his friends power, and sometimes all by himself.
Do you know why, even though he’s at a disadvantage, he can still fight?”

Sieg shook his head.

“It’s to protect you.
For the sake of the family he loves dearly, he can’t die.”

When Alek said that, Sieg’s eyes seemed to sparkle.
He excitedly clenched his fist and looked up with a smile plastered on his face.

“Papa really is a Cheddar Man!”
“Yeah, he’s a Cheddar Man! A true Hero!”

A word I haven’t heard before came up.
Cheddar Man?
Just what kind of metaphor is that?
Or maybe it’s a person?
This is the first time I’ve heard it over the years.
In that case, it might be something Rudeus coined.
That man is constantly creating new words.

I’ll ask him next time I see him.
I’ll add Cheddar Man to the list of items in my head.

“Hey, North God-sama! I want to be a Cheddar Man too!
“You can, to be a true hero requires effort. My father is a true hero and he said so. Did your Papa not tell you that?”
“Papa didn’t say anything.”
“Is that so. Well, when you get a bit older, your Papa will tell you too.”
“What will effort do?”
“It will make you stronger.”
“How?”
“You have to train your body, and study the sword and magic.”

“I understand! North God-sama please teach me the sword!”
“Eeh? Me?”
“Can’t you?”
“If you want to learn the sword, can’t you have your Mama teach you the Sword God Style?”
“I want you to teach me! I wanna surprise Papa and Mama!”
“Although I do consider myself somewhat good, all I could pass onto a disciple of mine is what my father taught me, somewhat badly, I’m not all that cut out for it.”

North God Kalman III Aleksander Rybak’s childhood memories are quite unpleasant.
When he became a North God, there were more than 20 people studying under him.
But after a few years, they had all separated from Alek to walk their own paths.
After that, Alek never took on another disciple.

“But you look so cool when you’re fighting. If I have to study I want it to be with the North God.”
“But me taking a disciple with my inexperience…”

Alek seems troubled.
I suddenly remembered Rudeus.
While declaring his own inadequacies, he taught all kinds of people all kinds of things.
And without exception, they were all thankful for it.
I am one of those people.

“Aleksander Ryback. Go ahead and teach him.”

Hearing me say that, Alek seemed quite taken aback.
He looks as if he hadn’t even noticed me approach.
Even though that couldn’t have been the case.

“Orsted-sama… But I’m still not even qualified as a North God…”
“That’s exactly why you should train him. If you watch him and raise him all by yourself, you just might discover just what it is about the North God Style you are lacking.”

In the original history, North God Kalman III Aleksander Ryback corrected himself after losing to Jino Blitz.
And in his despair he took a single child as his disciple.
That child was in no way talented, but by watching him grow and and correcting himself, he matured into a true North God.
And in the second Laplace war, North God Kalman III proved himself to be history’s strongest North God.

I don’t know where that child might be in the current loop, but Alek has already experienced a loss.
So I might as well accelerate his acceptance of a disciple.

And incidentally, Sieg is also quite talented.
It’s most likely the Laplace factor but his physical strength is far above other children.
It’s not on the level of the Miko Zanoba, but in the future he’ll be able to swing a sword with ease.
Those who stand out from the crowd end up at the North God School.
And this case is no exception.

And while I’m talking, there was one thing that Alek failed to understand.
Rudeus’s strength is not just his mana.

It’s that when it comes down to it, Rudeus had friends who will come running for him.
And that he has friends in places other than a battlefield.
In a one on one fight, Alek may be correct…
But by being with his children, maybe he might realise that.
And from that, maybe he’ll become a North God more noble and strong than in the original history.

“I’ll convince Rudeus for you.”
“…If Orsted-sama says so, I understand.”

Alek smiled at me and turned to look at Sieg.

“Alright then, Sieg-kun, From tomorrow onwards I’ll be training you. But if you want to surprise your Papa and Mama, you’ll have to keep it a secret from them, alright?”
“Yeah!”

Sieg is looking at Alek with sparkling eyes.
Alek seemed bewildered at having such a small disciple after such a long time.
He must be quite enthusiastic to genuinely teach someone swordplay after so long.
They’ll definitely make an excellent pair.

But…

“…Aleksander Ryback, may I ask you something?”
“Of course!”
“What’s that thing on your back?”

On Alek’s back is a large number of some kind of spiky fruit.¹
There’s also something that looks like a human child’s clothing mixed in.
You could call it some kind of prickly child insect.

“Aah, this was Lara-dono’s work. She must have been bored because she snuck up to me from behind and stuck it on.”
“…”
“It was the doing of a child after all. I’ll remove it later.”

Lara really does like her pranks.
I’m convinced.

“And the girl herself?”
“She went into the office.”

She couldn’t have found her way into one of the teleport magic circles could she?
But the second I thought that and began to search for a presence, she walked out from the Office.
With a blank look, on top of Leo.
Fariastia’s presence was also in the office.
She was most likely keeping Lara company on the second floor.

“Lara-dono! Leo-dono! It’s about time we returned home!”
“…ok.”

Lara grabbed Sieg and pushed him onto Leo’s back.
She then got on herself and proceeded to sit behind Sieg and hold him.

“Then we shall head out.”

Under Alek’s leadership Leo began to walk.
Hmm?
Right as they walked passed me Lara looked at me and gave an evil little laugh of success.

I wonder what the meaning of that was.

I didn’t understand but after seeing them off, I returned to the office.
Fariastia was once again at the reception, probably having come down with Lara.
I told her that it was about time she went home and headed inside.

“Hmm…”

It was then I understood the meaning of Lara’s smile.

My chair.
The spiky fruits were scattered all over my chair.
If I were to sit like this, my behind would most likely be covered in them.
A prank.

Feeling the corners of my mouth slightly raise, I gathered the fruits and put them in a bag.
But when I was about to put the bag in the desk I felt something was off.

“Hmm…?”

It was a slight unease.
It’s the same unease as an assassin using poison.

 

Because of my Magic Itemmana bestowed item and Saint Dragon Touki, not even ancient poisons can harm me but I still felt some unease.

“…”

But I had opened the drawer completely off guard.
And then grasshoppers came jumping out at me from inside.
5 of them.
So I was supposed to feel relieved after seeing the spiky fruits and then this was meant to surprise me. A two stage plan.

Lara most likely waited behind the reception until I went out, before intruding to commit the crime.
She must be happy with herself.

“…”

But Lara really is the only one who I have no idea how she’ll grow up.
That’s most likely what Hitogami is afraid of about that child.

Part 4

Several day later, Rudeus returned.
He didn’t just complete his goal, but apparently also made it rain and somewhat helped the drought.
He really is an efficient man.

After receiving his report I decided to tell him about Sieg.

“…I would like to have Siegheart commute here regularly.”
“Why would that be?”

Naturally he seems somewhat puzzled.
Now how shall I explain it?

“There’s something I’m somewhat interested in so I would like to watch over him.”
“…Is it dangerous?”
“No.”
“Will he be back by curfew?”
“That’s not a problem.”
“Understood. For the time being I’ll let the women know.”

He probably hasn’t asked for any more confirmation due to his faith in me.
Or perhaps he simply gave up due to my insufficient explanation.

“You aren’t going to ask?”
“No, I somewhat understand that someone will be teaching him something… Although I don’t understand why it’s a secret from me.”
“Aah.”
“I think it’s better that way. Give Alek my regards.”

We’ve been seen through.
But I’m grateful that’s the case.
My interactions with Rudeus will continue.
It’s better when the other party can understand you.
It’s somewhat better as a secret after all.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”
“Good work today.”

Right as Rudeus was about to leave,
I remembered a certain something I wanted to ask.

“Rudeus.”
“Yes?”
“What is a Cheddar Man?”

“He’s a Hero who’s head is made from cheese.
He finds hungry children and tears off bits of his face to feed them.
He defeats bad guys who try to scare people with a single punch.”
“…Was there a man like that in your previous world?”
“In my world he was made of bread filled with red bean paste.
But since red bean paste doesn’t exist here it was replaced with cheese.
I tell it to the children as a bedtime story.”

I learned something.
Cheddar Man.
Although I don’t understand why he tears off bits of his face.

“What about it?”
“Nothing, I was just a little curious.”
“I see. Then I’ll be heading out.”

After seeing that Rudeus had left I returned back inside.

Part 5

When I returned to my desk I saw the bag of spiky fruits that Lara left.
The grasshoppers had already hopped outside.
After she got home she was probably scolded for the prank she was running away from too.

“Haa.”

I let out a sigh.

Lara and Fariastia.
Aleksander and Sieg.
And Rudeus and Cheddar Man.

This loop really is quite fresh.

―○●○―

Translator Notes and References

1. It literally referred to some fruit known as "Xanthium strumarium" But that sounds odd in writing so I fudged it to make it sound better.




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