Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou

Chapter 467

Myuu’s Spring Vacation You Like It Rii~ght? Energy Drink

A large lake at the north side, granary and field at the west side, a section of trees that seemed like fruit trees crowding together at the east side, and then a harbor where one galleon and three carracks were anchored at the south side.

The scale of the town itself wasn’t big by all means. The population should be in the range of two to three thousand.

That town, it was currently the one and only town in this continent where the Blessing Tree was located and the center of the desert world in the past. It was also the oldest town of this world.

「Once again, I bid everyone welcome. All of the people of Glassnerde welcome you from the bottom of our heart.」

Waaa- Cheers thundered.

Kouki and others looked across the people who suddenly appeared from the deck of BD that was moored to the harbor. Old Kalagura had gone down the ship ahead of them and waited in front of BD’s ramp. He was waiting for them with a faint smile.

Kouki and others should have tasted ardent welcoming enough from their sightseeing at Synclea, even so they couldn’t deny that they were feeling a bit overwhelmed by the reception here.

Surely that was because of the extent of the earnestness.

Unlike with the people of Synclea that had a lot of curiosity mixed in their respond, like meeting with celebrity, the people of Glassnerde had the atmosphere like someone who was finally reunited with their comrade after continuously waiting for many weary days.

Among the words that were spoken from their mouths, the loudest words that reached them were deepest gratitude to Moana and others for surviving until now.

「……Perhaps in their perspective, they were none other than the last remaining mankind in this world?」

「……If they had been told by Foltina-sama about the survival of Koone and everyone, no, if they were listening to the situation of the world from even longer before, perhaps the impression in their mind was “mankind is diminishing”. It must be draining for them. Koone think that it’s draining for them.」

Moana and Koone seemed to feel conflicted. Their expression became slightly tense, however, they soon spread smiles around as befitting royalty.

When they heard that the Blessing Tree could move, the two wondered why it never came to join up with their country, but they could somehow guess why when they became calmer.

It was from the fact that such powerful monster had never attacked the continent of Synclea until now.

What Old Kalagura spoke. There was no other way to abandon the outside of the continent in order to protect the Blessing Tree. Taking those words into consideration too, there was no doubt that the people here were under the situation where they couldn’t move away even if they wanted to.

Moana took a step back in front of the ramp and placed her hand on Koone’s back with a gentle gaze. Koone understood just from that and raised her voice with the face of a queen.

「Our brethren from faraway land! Please listen to the words of this queen of Synclea Kingdom, Koone Di Shelt Synclea! The words of the representative of mankind who survived at the other side of the world!」

It seemed the people here hadn’t been told the situation in much detail. They were stirred when hearing that the king was Koone instead of someone like Moana or Spenser. Even so, they fell quiet in the blink of eye so to not overhear her words.

Or perhaps, it was also because of guilt just like with Old Kalagura. There were people scattered here and there with tense expression, or determined expression ready to accept no matter what kind of disparagement coming their way.

Tension suddenly started drifting through the area. Then Koone took a deep breath.

「Thank you for living until nowwwww!! Thank you for protecting Foltina-sama until nowwww!! To be able to meet all of you, Koone! The people of Synclea! Are super happyyyyyyy!!」

Moana and Spenser and others said 「Please don’t abandon your dignity as queen until the end……」 with a troubled expression. The people of Glassnerde felt dizzy by the small queen who was looking dignified suddenly speaking childishly at the end of her speech.

But, it was exactly because the wording was childish like that, because she was yelling her words from the bottom of her stomach without putting on appearance or acting queenly that there was something that got conveyed and seeped deeply into their heart.

That those words were undoubtedly her true feeling.

──WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Cheers from the bottom of the stomach that hadn’t come out for hundreds, thousands of years since the era of their ancestors, exploded out from the people who were living in this cramped world that had been isolated until now in a sense. The volume shook the oasis.

Among them there were even those who emotionally cried, or even those who fell on their knees in relieve.

「Surely, it will change from now on. No, let’s change it! Let us hold hands together, and change this withered world of sand into its original form that is overflowing with nature!」

Cheers and applauses reverberated like thunderstorm. Heated atmosphere filled the area as though the stagnated world abruptly started to move.

「Ku-chan is amazing nano!」

「Yes, she is so cool!」

「Eh? Spenser-san and everyone……you all are crying?」

「Kouki-dono, the good manner for this kind of time is to pretend to not see anything.」

The royal guards were watching their queen proudly with their eyes turning watery from feeling deeply moved. Moana too was staring at her little sister’s valiant figure with bright red face. Even Old Kalagura who didn’t have much change in his expression was pressing his hand on the corner of his eye.

Amidst such atmosphere,

「Ummm, excuse me……there’s someone who might become my mega friend waiting so……」

Aularodde-san was prioritizing her own selfish wants in this place of reunion between brethren that had been separated since the ancient time and overflowing with thought about the future.

She was still being thoughtful by acting veery hesitantly while speaking with a small voice and tugging on Kouki’s sleeve, but rather than calling that thoughtfulness, it also somewhat felt like a gloomy character being unable to strongly put herself in the open.

Kouki and the others all thought. Koone too was thinking while still throwing smiles around, although the corner of her lips was twitching slightly.

Really, this is why!

This was why she kept getting treated as a hopeless goddess even now.

Also, What is mega friend? they thought. Is it abbreviation of goddess(megami) friend? If that’s the case then saying god friend would be better. Or perhaps by mega it was in the meaning of super big? Certainly, if someone was able to form a friendly relationship with a goddess of creation, designating that friendship as mega friend wouldn’t be wrong but……

Kouki averted his gaze from Aularodde whose head was apparently packed full with expectation toward mega friend. Even so it was also true that they should have that meeting as quickly as possible.

「Let’s go, Kouki-sama.」

「Yeah, you’re right Koone. Myuu-chan, can I ask you to watch after Aula so she won’t run wild?」

「Leave it to Myuu nano. She’ll be tied down if anything like that happen. By Hina-chan!」

「Eh, me!? ……If anything like that happen, is it? Alright.」

This is another world, but I wonder if I can use Fudou Kanashibari(Immovable Binding)here? I hope my entreaty will reach Fudou Myouou from here……Hinata was starting to seriously make such consideration. Aularodde jerked and glanced at such Hinata while trembling.

Kouki pulled her hand and the group walked down the ramp.

「Everyone, I understand your feeling of wanting to give a warm reception, but hero-dono and his party has a task that they have to see done. Open the path. We shall head directly toward the shrine.」

As soon as Old Kalagura’s voice was heard, the people swiftly parted away. The group then followed Old Kalagura leading the way through the path that was made in the middle of the crowd.

「Where are we going? You mentioned a shrine just now……」

「It’s the lake at the opposite side of the town. We will enter into the underground shrine from there. It’s a place where only my clan is permitted to enter.」

「Could it be, the lake itself, is from Foltina-sama?」

「An astute observation. It’s not only the lake, even this town’s tree, water, and all the food except the livestock are all thanks to Foltina-sama’s blessing.」

「I see. So everything is provided just from being inside this town.」

「Yes. It’s enough if it’s only for living.」

By the way, livestock for eating was rare so it seemed the people here rarely could eat meat. They would be unable to get their hands on animal anymore if the livestock ever got exterminated, so they were raised and protected with great care, and eaten only during festival, celebration, or some kind of important moment.

Kouki was hearing story about Glassnerde like that while Synclea group kept getting cheered endlessly from the crowds at both sides of the path.

The group responded to those cheers as much as possible without stopped walking while secretly talking to each other about their impression.

「Onee-chan, it looks like many of the people here have black hair. There are also people with white hair mixed or brownish hair like Kouki-sama but……those with white hair are only the elderly.」

「Seems so. Their skin too is just tanned from the sun but it seems they originally have whitish skin. Besides, their crest look more complicated and bigger than Synclea’s warrior……it’s not like I can’t understand them completely but, they seem to be considerably different from Synclea. Either way, there seems to be no doubt that everyone here is powerful blessing art user even if not as powerful as Kalagura-dono.」

「Just like in the capital, it’s possible for this place to go to total war footing immediately if the worst case happen. Koone feel a little feeling of kinship with them.」

「Fufu, that’s true. Perhaps it will be great to ask them for an instruction if there is time. Isn’t that right, Spenser?」

「Indeed. As a warrior I won’t ask just for a single instruction. I hope there will be a chance to formally exchange combat discussion by all means later.」

「Let’s try asking them that when the situation calmed down. Surely that will be useful for the mopping up of Dark Being too.」

They crossed through the crowd while Synclea group was having such talk. They passed through the street that had bungalows that looked like log house lined up and came to see the glistening lake up ahead.

It was then. Myuu raised her voice 「Ah」.

Koone and others naturally turned toward Myuu, wondering what was the matter. Myuu was looking at a house that was adjacent to the lake’s waterside. It was a large building that might be five times bigger than the surrounding houses.

「That person, he is like Ku-chan and others nano.」

When they followed her gaze, true. Certainly there was a young man with blonde hair and brown skin standing near the large log house’s entrance. He was being supported by a black haired young woman wearing hygienic looking white apron. They were just entering inside right now.

「Koone take back what she just said. So there are also people of the same race like Koone and everyone here.」

「No, your majesty. They too are people from outside this continent.」

Koone muttered in surprise, but Old Kalagura immediately denied it.

There were people who arrived at this town first than them……. That fact made Kouki and others widened their eyes.

「We used that place as an assembly hall sometimes, but it’s being used as a first-aid station right now. There are roughly around a thousand people there. They are being horribly ravaged by miasma so they are receiving purification and treatment right now.」

「People from outside the continent who are ravage by miasma? Eh? What do you mean?」

Was he saying that there were an immigrant group who barely reached this continent with their life and got attacked by infected species while in the middle of travelling the desert?

Kouki and others were bewildered. Old Kalagura shook his head. His expression looked truly conflicted. Sympathy was markedly present there, with frustration mixed in it. At the same time acceptance-like feeling 「There is nothing that could be done」 that froze the heart could also be felt from him.

The people around them must also felt the same. Even the people of Glassnerde who were overflowing with that much cheers were falling quiet like a tide receding back.

「They too are also survivors from faraway land just like your majesty and everyone here. Several months ago, one large type infected species that were sealed in this land got lucky and escaped successfully. And then it unfortunately arrived at the land where they were living.」

From the conversations until now, they had somehow understood that Foltina was sealing the infected species in this land.

That was why the Blessing Tree didn’t move away outside of this continent. And there had been no large type infected species that came attacking the continent where Synclea Kingdom was located until now.

But, however.

「Survivors from faraway land? Several months ago? Large infected species?」

Kouki and others stopped walking. Their thought turned blank for a moment. They felt déjà vu from those words. Everyone couldn’t help but think of that country in their mind.

That “don’t tell me” guess got backed by the solemn Old Kalagula whose face looked like a steel mask just like when they first met him.

「It was apparently an island country. Foltina-sama who was falling asleep due to extreme exhaustion at that time woke up temporarily and realized how the people there had been driven to the verge of extinction. She then forced herself to use a secret technique. With godly feat that crossed the space, she evacuated them to this land.」

Everyone stopped breathing in shock. The ephemeral wish rapidly gained realism and they all held onto hope with trembling back.

Koone unsteadily took a step forward. Then she asked a question with a pleading tone.

「D-do you know what……that island country’s name is?」

「Yes. They were all continuing to be comatose, but several days ago several of them finally woke up. Even talking is still very difficult for them, but from a light enquiry, they said……that they are from Siltrayte Kingdom I believe.」

This time Kouki and others sucked their breath sharply hearing that.

What came to mind was the scene of the shelter that showed no sign of damage, and their talk. Even though there were signs of a lot of people sheltering there, there were no signs of fighting against the saloupa-lookalike or skeletons of people who died from hunger.

They completely thought that the people there had used themselves as diversion to allow the non-combatants to escape, or threw themselves into a final battle in order to show their dignity as human but……

「……Could it be, everyone has knowledge about them?」

Most likely, Old Kalagura didn’t know much about the location or relationship between Siltrayte Kingdom and Synclea Kingdom. This was a wide world. He must only thought of them as one of the groups that had managed to survive until now.

Koone and others looked speechless from receiving the unexpected great news. Old Kalagura seemed to guess something from seeing that. He was showing an apologetic expression of a different sort from before.

Kouki answered him in the place of Moana and others.

「Siltrayte Kingdom is a faraway land that is also separated by sea from Synclea Kingdom. The two countries almost have no diplomatic relations with each other, but they considered each other as comrade in arms who fought the Dark Beings together.」

Kouki glanced at Moana for confirmation and she nodded back in return.

「Actually we stopped by there on our way here……and saw the disastrous scene. We exterminated a colony of sea snakes there and also searched for survivor, but we didn’t find even a single one……」

「Is that so……actually the oracle from Foltina-sama is always very short and fragmentary, so we too aren’t grasping the full picture of the current situation by any means.」

Listening to him, it seemed that Foltina was mostly asleep and woke up to bequeath oracle only when it was necessary. In reality, even the clan of Old Kalagura would sometime spend their whole life without receiving even a single oracle depending on the era.

(Come to think of it, the voice that I heard when summoned here was also fragmentary. Moana too said that there were several people through history who felt Foltina’s existence and guidance, but she herself only heard her voice clearly for the first time when I was summoned and it surprised her……)

Kouki reached an understanding his heart. Then Old Kalagura bowed his head to him.

「If only I knew then I would have reported this to everyone on our way here. No, I should have considered the responsibility and mentioned it anyway. It seems that even I were feeling considerably ecstatic to be able to welcome hero-dono and our brethren. My deepest apologies.」

Koone and others finally recovered from their shock seeing Kalagura saying that.

「Please raise your head, Kalagura-sama. Koone and everyone are feeling nothing but gratitude. To think that there are these many people still alive……we are truly thankful-」

「……No, we hadn’t done anything significant at all.」

It would depend on each person to think whether a thousand survivor from a single country was many or few. But, for Koone and others who had seen that despairing view of a completely trampled country, there was no doubt that the number of survivor here was an unexpected joy.

Koone pressed her hands on her face. Emotional tears were flowing from between her fingers. Myuu and Hinata also cried in sympathy and snuggled up to her. Moana and Spenser and the others were also the same. Great relieve and joy were seeping out from the bottom of their heart knowing that there were survivors.

Although, it was exactly because it was joyful news that a question reared its head. Why was the monster able to escape? What kind of state Foltina-sama was in right now?

「Kalagura-san, is there anyone whose life is in danger in the first-aid station right now?」

「No, the purification is progressing smoothly. There is already no more of them whose life is in danger from external wound.」

Kouki only asked the minimum required question and strongly suppressed his impulse to ask more question to Kalagura. He placed his hand on the shoulder of Koone who looked like she wanted to go take a look at the first-aid station.

「Let’s head to Foltina-sama’s location first for now. We should be able to make time after the talk. I’ll also help out with the healing then.」

「……That’s true. We can’t possibly make the goddess wait.」

Koone firmly wiped her happy tears with her sleeve……or she was about to if not for Myuu who gently wiped her tears with a fluffy handkerchief. She even placed one hand on Koone’s cheek to support her face.

Her movement was like a handsome guy in shoujo manga. Perhaps it was the result of Sumire-sensei’s gifted education. Hinata-chan’s cheeks were a bit red. Of course, Koone was also bright red although she was feigning calm.

「They have good relationship.」

Kalagura put on a smile like a good-natured grandfather.

Seeing that the people of Glassnerde’s mournful atmosphere made a turnaround into fierce agitation with shouts like 「The elder smiled!?」「Even though he never showed that kind of face even to me her granddaughter!」「What, just what in the world happened!? This isn’t normal!」 breaking out.

「Now, let’s depart.」

Kalagura’s expression turned blank once more and he immediately resumed showing the way.

Kouki followed him while suddenly feeling a gaze from the side and looked toward Aularodde. Her expression looked very conflicted.

「What’s wrong, Aula?」

「……No」

She opened her mouth as though to say something, however, she didn’t say anything in the end. Aularodde who was touching Kouki’s arm with a somewhat anxious look put on a cheerful smile to dodge the question.

「I’m thinking that surely, Foltina is also in the same state lke me when I first met Kouki-sama.」

「Eh, that state where you looked like a dirty worn-out rag──I mean, corporate slave office lady who can’t find any ray of hope in her life? Please no, I don’t wanna see that kind of goddess.」

「I can’t correct you at all about what you just said but, do you know about the word sugarcoat, Kouki-sama?」

「Of course. It’s a convenient thing that can be used to coat cookies or words.」

「If you know then how about you coat them? Those words that are like a demon sword hacking apart a goddess’s heart.」

The two were having a conversation like the demon king and hero in the past while Aularodde took out something from the holster in her breast pocket. Then she took out a ribbon from somewhere and tied it around the thing while saying.

「I got an idea for a strategy to become a mega friend. I name it the “Do you want a gulp too? You will forget something like tiredness and be able to fly” strategy.」

With a quality energy drink that was the result from demon king & Emily-chan’s joint work in one hand, Aularodde said that sentence with a lovely smile like a certain alcohol commercial presenter. As though to say that this was the true way of god’s drinking communication.

Of course, Kouki said,

「Please stop, seriously. I believe, that Foltina-sama is a normal goddess. I absolutely won’t forgive you if you turn her into your energy drink dependent comrade.」

Kouki started walking toward the lake once more while confiscating the energy drink from Aularodde. He ignored Aularodde’s 「Ah, give it back!」 that sounded so desperate it creeped him out.

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Like that.

The group was enveloped in a bubble that was created with blessing art and headed to the center of the lake underwater. From there they were enveloped in light and teleported to the underground shrine and──

They finally met at the center of a place that looked like a Parthenon shrine formed from many gigantic tree roots.

『We finally met, hero of another world. And also, my beloved children.』

The voice that Kouki once heard in the past echoed with a gentle tone──from a rail thin stick figure made from wood.

The figure really looked like a strawman made by a kindergartener sticking together several branches into one. Only the face looked like a simple wooden mask of the faceless-san who came out in a certain spirited away anime.

Anyhow, the stick goddess was approaching near by wriggling her body, perhaps because of such imbalanced figure. Seeing that, Kouki said──

「This is cutting corners too muchhhh!!!」

He pressed his hands on his face while sobbing.

As he thought……the goddess really wasn’t normal.

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AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

※Material introduction

– Title [You Like It Rii~ght? Energy Drink]

=>From the tune [You Like It Right, Whiskey]. I believe that anyone would have heard it at least once in commercial. It make me want to drink highball.

– Faceless-san

=>From Faceless of [Spirited Away].