Ore wa Mada, Honki o Dashite Inai - CH 76

In the parlor of the mansion, I was alone with Lina, who had come to visit me.

“Did you hear about the aforementioned story?”

After telling the maid to leave and taking a sip of the tea she served, Lina asked me with a straight face.

“Aforementioned story?”

“The story about Comotoria declaring war on Aegina.”

“Heeeeh!?!”

Pan! Hitting the table, I stood up.

With my spinal reflex interfering, Lina glared at me with scornful eyes.

“As I thought, you were involved.”

“Wha,what do you mean”

I turn my face away and blow a whistle.

For some reason, I can’t whistle well only in these kinds of situations.

“Everyone, is talking about it.”

“Everyone?”

“His Majesty, his ministers, and the others. Since we all understand. The reason why Comotoria has declared war on us. That’s why we are looking for him.”

“Looking for whom?”

As I repeat her words, Lina looked at me with even more scornful eyes.

“Existence of the same rank as the Demon King”

“Offu”

I involuntarily groaned; I didn’t know that was going to happen.

Or rather.

“Everyone knows about the Demon King of Comotoria, I guess.”

“Everyone involved in national affairs knows about it. After all, the ruler of Comotoria is undoubtedly the most powerful creature on the planet, the Demon King. If we don’t understand the principles of that Demon King’s behavior, our country will perish.”

“I see……”

If it is true that she is the most powerful creature on earth, it is certainly impossible not to know about her.

“So, what did you do?”

“……It was an accident, combined with a misunderstanding.”

“In other words, it was as usual”

“Offu”

It was a gut punch.

It was very harsh to be summed up in such a way; it was something that came to my mind.

“Well, I thought that was the case.”

“Who else knows about this?”

“I don’t know. But you have to make sure that you report to His Majesty properly.”

“Ugh…… that’s right……”

Well, maybe that’s a blessing in disguise.

His Majesty has the perception that “Hermes is strong”.

Besides, we’re also secretly chivalrous bandits together.

It is not impossible for him to give a cleverly detailed instruction.

“You’ll have to tell His Majesty quickly.”

“Alright, I’ll go tell him now.”

Lina gave a small nod and stood up.

Things being what they are, I decided to go to the capital now, too, and got up from the couch.

We leave the drawing-room together.

As I was walking down the hallway, I heard fluttering footsteps coming from the other side.

Was there a person in this mansion who made such childish footsteps? When I thought so, I understood who was it from.

With a body that can only be seen as that of a child’s, and a long twin tail that reaches to the ground.

She comes running while fluttering.

The Demon King Kaori.

The person in the vortex, herself.

“Found you”

Kaori tackled me with the momentum of her dash.

When I catch her, Kaori clings to my waist and looks up at me.

“Nephew-chan found”

“Wh,why are you here”

“I came to report to my nephew-chan since I launched an attack.”

“No, I don’t want to be reported with that, though”

“You don’t have to be shy. With this, my nephew-chan and I are enemies, no, sworn enemies.”

“I’ve never seen anyone say those words with such a smile. ……”

Is this child really the Demon King, or will we really have a fight from now on ―― no, a war?

I lost track of that for a minute and sighed.

“Hermes”

“Eh?”

A short distance away, Lina was raising her eyebrows.

“Who is that child?”

“She is――”

“Those who insult me will have a fast death”

She stopped holding onto my waist and turned to Lina.

At that moment, something swells up――

“Not good!”

I drew the sword at my waist.

Almost by reflex, I swung it out.

The hand held out by the Demon king Kaori released a blow, and the sword I swung out was for the blow that was aimed at Lina.

I somehow managed to deflect its trajectory, and the beam-like blow grazed Lina right next to me and blew away half the mansion.

“……”

Lina had a blank face, and my hand was tingling as I grip my sword.

It’s the most powerful blow of any attack I’ve ever deflected.

“What are you doing all of a sudden”

“It’s fine”

“It’s not fine, no matter how you look at it.”

“It’s perfectly alright. I have never killed anyone except on the battlefield, as with my mother’s behest”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I’m practicing properly with my subordinates. My special skill is that I can instantly assess the physical fitness of anyone I’m dealing with and give them exactly three months to recover” (TN: Dafuq, that’s scary)

“They shouldn’t have to die, you know!?”

It felt rather more like a dangerous situation.

Why are you so uselessly familiar with it?

“More importantly, nephew-chan, why did you save that woman?”

“Well, if something like that happens in front of me――”

I was about to say, I would help usually.

“Is this woman, nephew-chan’s pair?”

“Heh? No, she’s not, but”

“Is that so? …… I figured it out, it’s unrequited love”

“Heh?”

What is this girl saying all of a sudden?

“It’s understandable to show your good side to a girl you have a crush on. Moreover …… Fumufumu.”

Kaori stared at Lina, who was still absent-minded.

“I saw this look, this atmosphere, and that noble birth. She is a princess.”

“Well, she’s a royalty.”

“You protected the princess you have an unrequited love for and confronted me, the Demon King. It’s just like the stories my father used to tell me. It’s the Peach Syndrome.” (TN: Reference to Mario Bros. Mario always save Princess Peach for his unrequited love for her)

“Syndrome……?”

Is Kaori’s father a doctor or something?

When I was puzzled, Kaori suddenly moved away from me and assumed a very imposing, but not battle-ready, posture.

“Good luck, get on with it”

“No, no, no”

“Come here”

Kaori beckons.

On the other hand, I keep my eyes on her so that I won’t look at Lina.

Err……this is.

You’re going to lose anyway, so come on with it―― is that what she’s saying?

“No, it’s really different.”

“Hmm? I understand. The promise is to be fulfilled on the throne of the Demon King.”

“Since I don’t want to”

“I’ll be waiting for you, you foolish human.”

Fuhahahahaha, said Kaori, who left a very amused sound with a doppler effect* and walked away like the wind, just like at the time she had come. (TN: an increase (or decrease) in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward (or away from) each other)

“What the hell was that stammer”

I’m the one who makes the mistake of retorting too much.

Hah…… what can I say, she’s a stormy girl.

She’s not a bad kid, that’s for sure.

But that overwhelming power is……

If I really take it seriously, one of us will definitely die, so I have to find a way to decieve and appease her somehow.

This is going to be troublesome―― when I thought so.

“Hmm?”

Lina came over to my side and pulled my hem.

With her cheeks red, and her face looking down.

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“For saving me…… thank you”

“Eh? Ah well, I just did the obvious thing ……”

“That pair thing is…… it’s not that I don’t like it, but let me think about it for a moment.”

“Heh?”

While I was taken aback, Lina’s cheeks were increasingly becoming redder and she walked away looking embarrassed.

“……”

What, did I, do something wrong?

Well, that saved her life, but …… Ah.