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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Mister.”
“Yes?”
“I have a question.”
As we walked towards our destination, Luna voiced her curiosity.
“What kind of quest are we doing? Do we just… beat everything up?”
“Y-Yeah, Mister…! What’s the quest…?”
I had forgotten to tell them. I had been too preoccupied with thoughts of the Demon Lord. I retrieved the quest form from my pocket and handed it to them.
“Read it yourselves.”
“Okay! Hare, let’s read this together!”
“Okay…!”
They huddled together, their eyes scanning the small piece of paper.
“A subjugation quest… Platinum rank or higher… how do you pronounce this?”
“L-Lizardmen…! It’s Lizardmen…! We’re going to subjugate a dragon…!”
“A-A dragon! Heroes always fight dragons!”
Luna and Hare’s voices were filled with excitement. They seemed to like the quest.
“I read in a book that Heroes always fight dragons! Really strong ones! We’re going to fight a huge dragon, Hare!”
“A-A dragon…! B-But Luna, Lizardmen and dragons are different, aren’t they…? They’re both reptiles, but… Lizardmen are lizards…”
“What are you talking about?!”
Lizardmen are not dragons.
Luna bristled at Hare’s assertion.
“Lizardmen are dragons! They’re just small because they grow slowly!”
“…No they’re not. Where did you hear that, Luna…?”
“I read it in a book!”
“…I read it in a dictionary. Lizardmen are lizards, a different species from dragons…”
“Let’s ask Mister! He’ll know the answer!”
Luna marched over to me.
“Mister!”
“Yes?”
“Lizardmen are dragons, right! They turn into dragons when they get older, right!?”
Her voice was filled with confidence. She was absolutely certain she was right.
But…
‘I can’t tell her she’s right when she’s wrong.’
Unfortunately, Luna’s assertion was incorrect. I took the quest form back from them.
“Lizardmen are lizards. A cow raised on a farm doesn’t grow into a Minotaur guarding a labyrinth. Hare is right, Luna.”
“Awww… but the book said they evolve into dragons…”
“It must have been… misinformation…! Luna, don’t bother Mister and come over here…!”
Hare pulled the dejected Luna away from me.
’There’s no need for that.’
I paused, looking up at the sky. We had spent too much time in the city. Night was beginning to fall.
‘At this rate, it will take two days to reach the quest location… We should be on schedule.’
The location was suitable, with plenty of trees nearby. I set the heavy bag down on the ground.
“We’ll sleep here tonight and move on at sunrise.”
“G-Good idea, Mister…!”
“Hare, gather some firewood.”
“Okay…!”
Hare grabbed her dagger and ran into the forest without a word. She wouldn’t get lost, even if she wandered far. I turned to Luna, who was standing quietly, gazing at the sky.
“Luna.”
“Huh?”
“Come and help me unpack.”
“O-Okay, Mister!”
Luna rushed over and started unpacking the bag. We set up camp, a comfortable silence settling between us. But…
The air was thick with awkwardness.
‘…It’s still uncomfortable being alone with her.’
Hare’s presence usually lightened the mood, but with just the two of us, Luna seemed unusually nervous. I disliked the awkward silence as much as she did, so I cautiously broached a topic.
“…About the dragon you mentioned earlier…”
“Y-Yes?! What about it, Mister?”
“…Never mind.”
“No, tell me! If you started talking about it, you have to finish! Hurry up!”
I repeated myself for Luna, who seemed to have misheard.
“…About the dragon you mentioned earlier. In my homeland, there’s also a story about a dragon.”
“O-Oh…! About Lizardmen?!”
“No, about an Imugi, a serpent that wanted to become a dragon.”
“Hmm, is that so?!”
As I set up camp, I told Luna the legend of the Imugi.
A serpent that trained for 1,000 years. If the first person to see it called it a “snake,” it had to train for another 1,000 years. But if they called it a “dragon,” it would ascend to heaven and become a true dragon.
Luna stopped unpacking, completely absorbed in my story. When I finished, she raised her hand, her eyes wide with curiosity.
“T-Then! If I meet a Lizardman that trained for 1,000 years and shout ‘Dragon!’ will it become a dragon?!”
“No, they’re different species, so that won’t happen.”
“That’s too bad…”
Why was she so fixated on Lizardmen? I couldn’t understand it. But the story of the Imugi seemed to have eased the tension between us.
“Anyway, Luna. Think about becoming a dragon, not an Imugi.”
“I’m a Hero! Not a dragon, a Hero!”
“It’s the same thing. Strive to be someone that others will call a ‘Hero’ when they first meet you.”
“Aha!”
Luna nodded in understanding.
“Okay! I’ll become stronger! So that Mister can relax! So that people can be happy! I’ll defeat the Demon Lords!”
“…That’s a good thought.”
So that people can be happy.
Good.
With that goal in mind, she would surely become a true Hero.
As we were talking, Hare returned, her arms laden with firewood. She had gathered quite a lot. But her expression was troubled.
“…Luna.”
“Huh? What is it, Hare?”
“What did you talk about while I was gone…? The air feels different…?”
“N-Nothing! We didn’t talk about anything! J-Just put your dagger away first! It’s scary!”
“…Really? Nothing at all?”
Hare’s eyes were cold as she dropped the firewood and approached Luna, dagger in hand.
“If you did anything… I won’t forgive you…”
“I-I didn’t do anything! S-Stay away! Waaaaah-!!”
Luna fled, Hare hot on her heels.
“…I’m alone now.”
They might be a little slow, but I should finish setting up camp while they were playing tag. I retrieved the necessary tools from my bag and prepared for the approaching night.
‘Well, they’ll be back before it gets too late.’
Luna would most likely be caught. I wasn’t particularly interested in their game of tag.
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I prepared the food and lit the fire.
“Delicious! As expected of meat!”
“M-Mister’s cooking is always delicious…!”
I set up the tents and extinguished the fire.
“It’s time for bed. Everyone, go to sleep in your tents.”
“Okay~!”
“Y-Yes…!”
We needed to be rested for tomorrow. Luna and Hare would share the larger tent, and I would take the smaller one. There was no problem with the sleeping arrangements.
“It’s a shame… I don’t have any alcohol.”
I checked my subspace, but there was no alcohol to help me sleep. I had been cutting back, so I should be able to sleep without it. I lay down in my tent and closed my eyes.
The sounds of rustling leaves and nocturnal animals filled the air. Normally, I would be too drunk to notice, but…
“…Should I go back and get some alcohol?”
No, that was ridiculous. I dismissed the thought and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force myself to sleep. Then, I sensed someone approaching my tent.
‘…Who is it at this hour?’
Luna? Hare?
Or perhaps the Demon Lord Hare had encountered?
I felt no hostility, but I reached for the sword I had placed beside my head, ready to defend myself.
‘…Show yourself.’
Just as I gripped the sword, the tent flap opened.
“Who’s there?”
“Waaaaah-! M-Mister, what are you doing?! Are you going to kill me?!”
“Oh, it’s just you, Luna.”
“Who else would it be! It’s either me or Hare!”
Right.
Perhaps I was too on edge because I hadn’t had any alcohol. I placed the sword back down and asked,
“Where’s Hare, and why are you here alone?”
“She’s asleep! She has really good hearing! It was hard sneaking over here!”
“I wasn’t asking how you got here, I was asking why.”
“Oh, well… I-I…”
I’m a little scared!
“Just a little! It’s so quiet and dark… I-I’m scared to sleep with Hare!”
“Scared to sleep with Hare?”
“She might stab me in my sleep!”
“…That’s a valid concern.”
Coming from Hare, it was entirely plausible. I nodded.
“So, Luna, what do you want?”
“W-Well… I’m a little scared… can I sleep next to you…?”
“No.”
“D-Don’t answer so quickly! At least pretend to consider it!”
“…Hmm…”
Still no.
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“I can’t sleep with you next to me.”
“Why not?!”
“You’re too noisy.”
“I’ll be quiet!”
“Your very existence is noisy.”
“T-That’s not fair! H-How rude…”
Luna hung her head, muttering about how unfair it was. She seemed hurt.
‘…I suppose I have no choice.’
I shifted slightly, making room beside me.
“Yay…!”
Luna’s face lit up as she quickly snuggled in beside me, as if determined not to move.
“…I’m not telling you to leave, so relax.”
“Hee hee…”
“Just sleep quietly, and leave in the morning. Understood?”
“Yes~! 99% understood!”
Where did the remaining 1% go?
The question briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it, focusing on sleep. Ten minutes passed, but sleep wouldn’t come.
Luna’s voice, small and hesitant, broke the silence.
“Mister, are you asleep?”
“…I was trying to be.”
“So you’re not asleep! I have a question!”
“…Go ahead.”
“What… what was your dream when you were little…?”
“My dream…”
What was my childhood dream?
I answered Luna honestly.
“I forgot.”
“No way!”
“It happens.”
“Really… old man…”
“Hee hee.”
Luna giggled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just… I’m happy that you seem to be in a better mood!”
“…I’m glad you think so.”
Since my mood had actually improved, Luna’s observation was accurate. I smiled faintly and closed my eyes again. I really needed to sleep.
“No more talking, let’s get some sleep. We’re leaving in the morning-.”
“I’m sorry…”
But Luna continued, ignoring my plea for silence.
“I’m sorry, Mister… I’m sorry for trying to take away something precious from you…”
“…It’s in the past. It’s alright.”
“N-No…! It’s not alright…! I made a mistake… I hurt you…! T-That’s not alright…!”
Tears streamed down Luna’s face as she apologized profusely, clutching my shirt.
“It’s not alright at all…! For you to say it’s alright…! You’d have to crush my head…!”
“No, that’s a bit extreme-.”
“That’s how sorry I am…! Judging your memories without your permission…! It was… a terrible thing to do…! And I did it…!”
She was agitated. Had she been bottling up her emotions this whole time?
Luna’s apology was heartfelt, almost frantic, as if she wasn’t even aware of what she was saying.
I decided to share a thought I had been keeping to myself.
“…Luna.”
“I was wrong-.”
“No, it’s alright. Just listen to me for a moment.”
She had finally calmed down.
I spoke softly.
“What you did was wrong. And it did hurt.”
“I-I’m sorry…!”
“I’m not blaming you. Just listen.”
“Wounds… everyone receives them, and everyone inflicts them.”
Though I wasn’t one to talk.
“Wounds heal with time. New skin grows over them.”
If you couldn’t resist scratching at a wound, you would end up like me, covered in scars.
“We just… needed some time, Luna.”
“Yes…”
“The wound has already healed, so it’s alright. Just… do better next time.”
“Y-Yes… I’m sorry…”
Don’t become like me.
I stroked Luna’s head as she stopped crying and burrowed into my side.
‘She doesn’t want me to see her crying.’
She kept squeezing her eyes shut. Now that the conversation was over, I closed my eyes, determined to sleep this time. Luna’s body was burning with fever from crying.
‘…At least things aren’t as awkward anymore, and it’s quiet now.’
It had been a very long night.
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[Your Text Here]
bro casually lying when he will khs