Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 2

by Hiro Ainana

  There were a few close calls like the one Pochi had, but there were also times when an ant would suddenly freeze unnaturally in place or start spurting blood from its eyes and mouth.

  This was probably Arisa’s Psychic Magic. Glancing at her, I saw her making peace signs at me with both of her small hands.

  More importantly, I noticed a few ants charging the general goods store where Nadi worked. Nadi seemed to be hiding in the basement, so she would probably be fine, but I decided to go help out just in case.

  “Liza, can you take care of things here for a moment?”

  “Understood!”

  As if to emphasize her brisk response, Liza brought down two ants with a single sweep of her spear.

  I made my way toward the general goods shop, dodging the ants that attacked me on my way.

  Once I had entered the store and couldn’t be seen from outside, I took out a metal bar from Storage. It didn’t seem to be a mace so much as the handle of some other weapon.

  I could just kick them, of course, but since it would be hard to fight in such a cramped space, I randomly chose what seemed like an appropriate weapon. I didn’t use the Magic Gun because it would leave suspicious traces on the corpses of the monsters, but also because I didn’t want to shoot a bunch of holes in the shop’s walls.

  Instead, I used the bar to bash an ant that tried to attack me.

  > Skill Acquired: “One-Handed Mace”

  Oh, I guess I didn’t have the mace skill yet.

  I didn’t really have any plans to make this my main weapon or anything, so I decided against putting any skill points into it for now.

  Two ants had gathered by the wooden door that led into the basement, so I beat them down one after the other.

  When I shoved aside their corpses, I found that the door was now full of holes. Yikes, that was close.

  I knew from the status info on my map that Nadi was fine, but I called out to her anyway to reassure her.

  “Nadi, are you all right?”

  “Y-yes, I’m fine!”

  The stairway had turned yellow with the acid spit by the ants. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything on hand to neutralize the acid.

  I guess I could cover it with gold coins and let them melt over the acid, but let’s save that for a last resort.

  For now, maybe I could break down some rocks or something from Storage and spread that over the stairs…

  But before I could put my plan into action, a delicate figure suddenly burst into the store.

  “Nadi!”

  “Boss!”

  It was a lone young boy. He had green hair, gathered into a single long braid like a hero from a kung-fu movie might have, and was wearing a simple tunic and pants. If there was anything that made him stand out, I’d say it was his peculiar pointed hat.

  “… Ivy Control Tsuta Sousa!”

  He cast a spell, and the decorative ivy plants inside the store wriggled to life, stretching out like tentacles toward the basement. After a short time, Nadi was carried up from the basement, ivy wrapped around her waist.

  Awesome. Now, this is the kind of magic I’d expect from a fantasy world.

  “Thank you very much, Mr. Satou! And you, too, boss.”

  “I’m an afterthought?”

  “Of course not! I’m very grateful.” Nadi gave the stoic young boy and me each a kiss on the cheek.

  “Who’s he?” the kid asked her brusquely.

  “He’s a customer who requested help finding a house for rent, and now my savior, too. If Mr. Satou hadn’t shown up, I would’ve been eaten by ants before you arrived.”

  Turning his head toward me, the boy muttered “Thanks” so curtly, I had to wonder if he was thankful at all.

  But when an AR pop-up appeared to relay his information, I couldn’t hide my surprise.

  The boy was one of that most famous of all fantasy races—an elf.

  “Is something the matter, Mr. Satou?”

  “No, no, I’ve just never seen an e… Um, someone with green hair before.”

  I was about to say “an elf” but caught myself at the last second.

  “Yes, the boss is an elf, a spirit of the forest. Amazing, right?”

  “An elf? Do you have long ears?”

  “Ugh. No.”

  At my words, the store manager frowned and turned away like a sullen child.

  His behavior seemed immature, but apparently, he was the ripe old age of 280.

  The elf’s name was Yusaratoya Bolenan. I learned later that “Bolenan” was the name of the forest in which he lived, and it served as a sort of family name for the clan of elves from that forest.

  “Oh, come on now, boss. I’m sure Mr. Satou is referring to the long-eared Booch clan. Their race has long ears like bamboo leaves, right?”

  Nadi attempted to smooth things over with the manager, looking to me pointedly for confirmation.

  I nodded quickly.

  “The first hero who founded the Saga Empire called the long-eared folk ‘elves,’ so even a thousand years later there are many people who misunderstand the term.”

  I see, so the first hero had made the same mistake…

  I’d bet anything that the first hero, just like me, was corrupted by the influences of that series about a “cursed island” and ended up mistaking the “long-eared folk” for elves.

  …Hmm? Wait, this was more than a thousand years ago?

  A Japanese person from such a long time ago wouldn’t know the word elf…

  Was the flow of time here different from the real world?

  “That’s why confusing elves with long-eared folk is generally frowned upon.”

  “Is that so? I didn’t know, but ignorance is no excuse. Please allow me to apologize for my rudeness, sir.”

  Nadi gave me a smile as I thanked her and bowed my head deeply in apology to the manager.

  “Mm-hmm. It’s fine.”

  “C’mon, boss. When you say it like that, it doesn’t seem like you forgive him at all.”

  “Show him.”

  After exchanging words with the taciturn store manager, Nadi lifted his long hair aside to show me his ears, which were normal aside from a slightly pointed tip.

  The elf casually batted away her hand, but he didn’t seem particularly offended.

  Given their familiarity, I had to wonder if they were a couple or maybe even married.

  At any rate, I didn’t want to overstay my welcome, so I figured I should go back to the others.

  “Well, Nadi, I’ll come to discuss the rental houses again soon.”

  “Certainly. Thank you very much for today.”

  Saying my good-byes to Nadi and the manager, I left the store.

  By the time we made it outside, the battle in front of the gate had already ended.

  All the monsters that had gotten into the city had been exterminated, and the soldiers and other brave warriors had gathered to start getting rid of the ants’ corpses.

  “Satou!”

  The sharp-eyed Zena spotted me right away and came rushing over.

  She must not have been used to running in a skirt, because she tripped on it just as she reached me and stumbled forward. I quickly reached out an arm and caught her before she fell.

  “I’m sorry…”

  “Are you all right?”

  Zena was hanging on to my arm now, which felt rather pleasant.

  I wouldn’t have minded staying that way a little longer, but I could feel the gazes of her soldier escorts painfully boring into me, so I helped her steady herself and drew back.

  According to Zena, there hadn’t been any serious casualties, civilian or military.

  Even the injured had only minor wounds, and priests who’d heard the alarm and come running had already started treating them.

  Leaving the healing to the expert priests, Zena and her company were apparently going to go scout outside the city along with the light cavalry.

  “It’s too bad that you won’t get to have
the day off now.”

  “It’s unfortunate that I have to leave in the middle of our outing, but Wind Magic is very useful for detecting enemies. And we have to leave quickly. It would be terrible if any of the surrounding villages were attacked!”

  Zena explained that the other villages did have an anti-monster defense system called “barrier posts,” but they weren’t as powerful as the barrier above Seiryuu City’s walls.

  I saw Zena off as her squad set out with some light cavalry in tow. Apparently, other magic soldiers were mobilizing as well, and more units would soon be departing.

  Liza called out to me from in front of the Gatefront Inn, so I headed that way. A man who appeared to be a soldier was standing nearby.

  “Are you this one’s master?”

  “Yes. My name is Satou.”

  I accepted the small pouch Liza handed to me as I answered the man’s question.

  Checking inside the bag, I found a few cores from giant flying ants.

  “Monster cores must be sold to the local government immediately. Hand them over, please.”

  “That’s fine with me, but shouldn’t tending to the injured and cleanup come first?”

  Finding it suspicious that the man was in such a hurry, I checked his status in the AR display. So he was from the accounting department of the count’s army.

  “That’s someone else’s job,” he said shortly, then snatched the bag away from me and walked toward the other soldiers.

  He didn’t even check how many cores there were or ask me my name, never mind settling the payment. Maybe I was being paranoid, but it seemed to me that he was trying to pull one over on me.

  “Wait just a moment, please.”

  “What is it now?”

  I called out to stop him, and he glared arrogantly over his shoulder at me. I plainly stated my requests to the man’s profile. “I would like you to issue me a receipt. Please write on this paper the number of cores and the amount of monetary compensation, along with your name and affiliation.”

  I didn’t really need the payment, since I had plenty of assets, but I didn’t like the idea of someone else snatching away the fruits of the beastfolk girls’ labor.

  “What? You calling me some kind of crook?”

  “Merchants like myself are very cautious people. Even if you were a hero or a saint, I would still want written documents, not just a verbal agreement.”

  The second half was all talk, of course. My “Fabrication” skill was working alarmingly well.

  The man grumbled a little, but he reluctantly accepted my paper and ink and scribbled a few lines. The price he started to write was less than my estimated market price, so I drew out the math on the ground, then got him to correct the “miscalculation.”

  “Is this good enough? Damn pushy merchant!”

  He was being pretty rude, but I ignored it and accepted the paper. Apparently, I could take it to the government office and exchange it for money.

  The man was wearing a ring with a seal, but I noticed that he didn’t stamp it onto the paper. All the official paperwork I’d gotten before, like the document when Liza’s spear was confiscated, had a seal in addition to a signature.

  “You don’t have a seal?”

  “I just forgot it!”

  The man scowled when I pointed it out, yanked the paper out of my hands, and stamped the seal onto it violently.

  “There, are we done now?!”

  I didn’t have any other ideas, so this time I accepted the paperwork and tucked it away in my breast pocket.

  Looking annoyed that he’d failed to snag a little extra money, the man grumbled to himself as he stomped away.

  What a small-time crook. I bet he’ll lose his job over fraud or embezzlement one of these days.

  > Skill Acquired: “Calculation”

  > Skill Acquired: “Coercion”

  > Title Acquired: Beginner Merchant

  > Title Acquired: Gray Merchant

  Looking at my log, I saw that I’d acquired some new skills and titles.

  When had I coerced anyone? I’d like to give whoever was in charge of this skill system a piece of my mind.

  By the time the sun went down, the townspeople had regained their composure.

  Apparently, the giant flying ant that had attacked Pochi and Tama before had slipped in with a cart that had arrived at the Gatefront Inn not long before.

  I found it strange that the gatekeepers hadn’t checked inside and found it, but it had apparently come in right before Lilio and the patrol team returned, so it might have been overlooked in a cursory check. They should be more careful.

  “These kids really are something. To think that such small girls could protect the inn from those monsters!”

  The landlady thanked Pochi and Tama, who looked bashful.

  I thought Liza was really the one who kept most of the monsters away…

  But she didn’t seem to want to boast about her success.

  I’d have to buy her some kind of reward later, like some chicken skewers from that stall with the red flag.

  “Is this spot all right?”

  “A little more to the right. Yes, that should be out of the wind and any dust from the carriage entrance.”

  The landlady’s husband had carried a table into the courtyard, and she instructed him on where to put it down. Afterward, he returned to the galley through a back entrance, then reappeared along with Martha, food in hand.

  “I’m afraid I still can’t give these girls a room at the inn, since the other guests will make a fuss, but we’ve got to thank them somehow! At the very least, let us treat you to some of my husband’s masterful cooking.”

  The food they brought included the quiche I’d eaten before, a thick and delicious vegetable stew, and even a whole roast of some kind of small animal. The AR display for it read Roasted Short-Eared Rabbit. Another large platter held a mountain of mashed potatoes, and some kind of small oblong-shaped croquettes were arranged on a long dish.

  “It smells great.”

  “The smell of happiness, sir!”

  “I’m hungryyyy!”

  “Just wait a little longer.”

  Standing off to the side so as not to interfere with the serving of the food, the four excited girls made a heartwarming picture.

  “I bought them, Mr. Satou!”

  “Thank you, Yuni.”

  Yuni brought over a basket full of fruit, and I gave her one of the fruits and a few pennies as thanks.

  The fruits were for Lulu. On top of her already poor physical condition, I think the shock from the giant flying-ant raid had made her a bit anemic, so she looked pale and drained next to me.

  Arisa had been looking after her until a short while before, but in the end she gave in to her hunger and went over to the table.

  I wished I had some kind of medicine or something. Maybe after the meal, I could look for an alchemy shop or a pharmacy in the west quarter.

  I should note, by the way, that the meal was very, very tasty.

  The Rat Princess

  Satou here. When I was a student, I read all kinds of books regardless of the genre, but one thing I could never do was figure out the culprit in a mystery novel. I always ended up falling for the red herring.

  “Come again, young master.”

  “Yes, I certainly will.”

  Standing outside a brothel, I responded diplomatically to the sexy woman’s businesslike words, then stepped back into the nighttime streets.

  Once I’d put Arisa and Lulu to bed, I had gone to the west quarter to look for some pain medicine and ran into some merchants I’d apparently saved in the labyrinth; they treated me to some stiff drinks, and in the end I wound up tagging along to their favorite brothel.

  One thing led to another, and I ended up gaining the skills “Seduction,” “Pillow Talk,” “Sexual Techniques,” and “Chiropractic Massage.” I acquired some titles, too, but I’ll leave those to the imagination.

  The merchants I
came here with drank quite a lot, so by now they were probably in heaven with their respective companions.

  Well, that was fun and all, but if I went home like this, someone (likely Arisa) was bound to notice the smell of perfume on me.

  Leaving the brothel, I headed down an alley toward West Street. There I found a young girl with a short staff who seemed to be a charmer, using Everyday Magic for some ladies of the night, so I got her to use cleaning and drying spells on me, too. The fee at night was a little high, but considering how refreshing it felt to be rid of sweat, it was well worth it.

  This area was close to the workers’ district in the north, so I wanted to take a horse-drawn carriage, but unfortunately there were none around at this time of night except a few reserved ones.

  Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to walk.

  Like Main Street, West Street was lined with wooden streetlights at regular intervals. Rather than using lightbulbs, the streetlights were apparently lit with an Everyday Magic spell called Lamp, cast by charmers hired by the west quarter.

  Apparently, these magic lamps were in effect for two hours, so the night was broken up into three “nightspans”—first, second, and last nightspan.

  During last nightspan, only every other streetlight was lit.

  It was currently second nightspan, so all the streetlights were lit, but they were still very dark compared to Japan’s shopping districts at night. They might as well have been a line of paper lanterns with candles inside.

  Under the streetlights, scantily clad prostitutes were looking for customers.

  I was relieved that none of them was underage, but a single copper for a whole night seemed cruelly cheap.

  I’d already engaged in enough entertainment that night, so I had no desire to accept their offers. Besides, the AR displays above their heads contained the disconcerting message Status Ailment: Disease/Venereal [Latent], so I would definitely have to pass.

  A few of them even read Status Ailment: Disease/Venereal [Active].

  …Yeah, it was very important to have protection.

  On the way back to the inn, I found a pharmacy and bought headache medication for Lulu.