Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 11

by Hiro Ainana

  I didn’t think he heard my thoughts, but he shook his head briefly and turned toward the viceroy’s wife.

  “Marchioness, might I beg your assistance in procuring a new blade?”

  “Yes, but of course. I believe Emma is in contact with some weapon merchants in the old capital, so I shall ask her whether she might be able to acquire a mithril or Magic Sword.”

  She was referring to Emma Ritton, Count Ritton’s wife, who I’d heard was well-known among the high-class nobles of the old capital.

  “Sir Satou, could thou not lend Sir Jelil that Flame Sword that Ravna is currently borrowing?” Meetia asked me quietly.

  Come to think of it, the stern knight Lady Ravna still had the Magic Sword prototype I’d lent to her.

  That was from my third round of Magic Sword–making, so I probably couldn’t give it away so easily.

  “…A Flame Sword? I—I would love to see it!”

  Somehow, the sharp-eared Mr. Jelil overheard her whisper and leaned in close.

  “Is that all right with thee?”

  I nodded, and Princess Meetia beckoned to her knight, who was standing by the wall.

  The princess explained the situation, and the knight promptly handed me the sword, wrapped in cloth.

  “I apologize for not returning it sooner, Sir Pendragon.”

  “Will you be all right without a sword, though?”

  “This may be but an iron sword, but it is still a treasured heirloom of my family.”

  The knight showed me a one-handed sword hanging from her waist. Because of her sturdy build, I’d assumed it was just a dagger.

  “A wonderful sword. I can tell it has a noble history.”

  “Indeed. It may be a bit short, but four hundred years ago in the demi-human war, it once…”

  I was certainly interested in the history of the sword, but this wasn’t the best time.

  Mr. Jelil had been staring at the cloth-wrapped Magic Sword since the moment it appeared.

  “Later, Ravna.”

  “Ah! I do apologize.” She closed her mouth and took a step back.

  “You’ll have to tell me all about it next time,” I reassured her. Then I unwrapped the sword and handed it to Mr. Jelil. “Please do take a look.”

  “Bronze, is it…?” Unsheathing the sword, Jelil looked a little crestfallen.

  Since it wasn’t coated in mithril, its cutting edge and physical attack were a tiny bit lacking.

  “Do not let its appearance fool you,” Ravna the knight offered. “Try putting some magic into it.”

  “Magic? …Good heavens!”

  When Mr. Jelil passed magic through the sword, a faint light surrounded it, and then it began to produce flames.

  “Kyaaaaah!”

  “A flaming sword!”

  The women around us shrieked in surprise.

  “What incredible magic conduction…”

  Mr. Jelil was so taken with the Magic Sword that he didn’t even seem to hear their cries.

  As he muttered to himself, intensely shining “Spellblade” appeared around the sword.

  “And it produces ‘Spellblade’ so easily…”

  “You’ve noticed, then?” asked the knight.

  “Yes, I feel power coursing through my body.” Jelil nodded.

  This Magic Sword had several features besides the flame, like “Body Strengthening,” “Sharpblade,” and even the ability to provide the user with energy and stamina recovery.

  “To think that the ancient Flue Empire made such an incredible sword!”

  The handsome Mr. Jelil was monologuing like a hot-blooded protagonist.

  The copper sword from the labyrinth that I’d used as a base certainly was from the Flue Empire era, but the rest of it was all my personal handiwork… But I couldn’t say that out loud, of course.

  “Sir Pendragon! Could I persuade you to bequeath me this sword? I will gladly pay any price if you—”

  “I’m terribly sorry, but I can’t part with that sword.”

  I felt bad for not going with the flow here, but this sword was loaded with secret technology, so I couldn’t just sell it to someone else.

  But Mr. Jelil evidently wasn’t going to give up that easily.

  “Please, I beg you to reconsider!”

  Well, this is a pickle.

  “Sir Pendragon, could thou not simply lend it to him for the battle against the floormaster?”

  Princess Meetia intervened with a compromise.

  “Good idea. That would be all right with me. How about you, Sir Jelil?”

  “B-but the floormaster will be terribly dangerous. Since I’m fighting on the front lines, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to return the sword intact…”

  I didn’t really care if it broke or melted or whatever. I just didn’t want anyone to take it apart and try to figure out its secrets.

  “That’s okay. Such is the nature of a sword.”

  “But isn’t this sword important to you?”

  “It is. Enough that I cannot think to sell it for money, at least.”

  “Then why?”

  Mr. Jelil didn’t seem to understand my values, so I used the “Fabrication” skill to come up with an explanation.

  “If a sword breaks in battle, then that is its fate. Though I would hate to see it mishandled, if it was to break in the hands of a skilled swordsman such as yourself, then neither I nor the sword would complain. Please fight with it to the best of your ability and show the blade’s true worth.”

  “Sir Pendragon, your appreciation for swords has truly moved me. I shall show you a battle worthy of this blade.”

  …Wait, what?

  “Please participate in our battle against the floormaster.”

  “Ohhh! That would be amazing, no?”

  Princess Meetia and the others all cheered at Jelil’s utterly insane proposal.

  “Generally, we wouldn’t include a party that didn’t already participate in the battle against the areamaster, but allow me to invite you along this time as a temporary member of Red Dragon’s Roar.”

  Hang on—don’t look at me like you’re treating me to some lavish feast.

  Sure, it sounded fun to get front-row seats to a big battle, but if someone’s life was in danger during the fight, I’d probably end up saving them and risk exposing myself in the process.

  If somebody died far away, I could say Must have been a difficult battle, but I wasn’t cold enough to just watch someone die in front of me.

  Princess Meetia was gazing up at me with sparkling eyes, but I would have to decline.

  “An incredibly tempting offer, but I would hate to cause any dissent in your group by receiving such special treatment. If you’ll tell me the tale of the battle afterward, that would be more than enough.”

  “I—I see…”

  Mr. Jelil looked let down, as if he hadn’t expected me to refuse his offer.

  I decided to throw him a bone. “For the time being, perhaps you could share the story of your battle against the areamaster?”

  “If that is what you wish, I’d be happy to oblige.”

  With that, Mr. Jelil detailed their fight against the areamaster, starting with their preparations.

  “Such a wonderful voice.”

  “It is as if we are on the battlefield with thee, no?”

  Jelil was a natural storyteller; the tea party went wild for his tale as he artfully painted the scenes and emotions.

  According to his story, they had fought a flying areamaster called an elder hard beetle by luring it into a passageway too small for it to spread its wings, then using Earth Magic to tip the floor in the passage so they could attack the weak point on its stomach.

  They’d accomplished this by having a group of Earth Magic users construct the trap while the rest of them whittled down the other monsters.

  It was a very plain strategy that never would have worked in a game, but it was still much better than just attacking head-on and incurring a bunch of
losses.

  “I never knew you could defeat hard beetles like that!”

  “I shall have to reassess my opinion of Earth Magic, no?”

  Thanks to the expert spinning of the tale, Gerits, Princess Meetia, and the others all seemed very satisfied.

  Gerits spent the rest of the tea party boasting, but it was still fun overall. Once the tea party was over, the viceroy’s wife invited me into a private living room.

  “Are you quite tired?”

  “No, I enjoyed myself very much. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad to hear you had fun, then.”

  The only people in the room were the viceroy’s wife, Baronet Dyukeli’s wife, a few other noblewomen, and me.

  The viceroy appeared to be inspecting the site of the fire with the green-clad noble.

  According to my map, he was actually in a high-class brothel of mostly male prostitutes, but I was sure I was just imagining that.

  “Oh my, is that gelato?”

  “And it’s grape flavored this time!”

  The women were thrilled over the frozen dessert.

  It had been hot lately, so I was glad to see it, too.

  The viceroy’s wife encouraged me to take a bite, and the cool, elegantly sweet taste melted in my mouth.

  “Frozen treats are the perfect thing for a hot day like this.”

  After saying that, I felt a little self-conscious about my own choice of pastries.

  Next time, I would have to bring ice cream or something instead.

  “Oh-ho, even gelato is no great surprise to you, Sir Pendragon.”

  The viceroy’s wife smiled, though she looked faintly vexed.

  Her expression reminded me of the time I’d eaten malt syrup candy with Zena, the magic soldier, in Seiryuu City.

  I haven’t grown at all. I was supposed to act all surprised here, wasn’t I?

  “Sir Pendragon, do you have a refrigerating magic tool at your mansion, too?”

  “I expected no less of the Miracle Chef.”

  Though some of the nobles in Labyrinth City had cold storage, few seemed to have a refrigerating magic tool.

  Ice stones were very valuable, so it was probably considered too wasteful.

  In my case, we were able to simply use my Freeze Water spell, reducing the amount of waste.

  “Incidentally, how goes your welfare work?”

  “Quite well, thank you. A great deal of people came to the soup kitchen, and we’ve begun remodeling the private orphanage. I plan to interview some caretakers very soon.”

  I appreciated the viceroy’s wife’s concern, and I gave her a full report.

  “I see… If you were short on hands, I would gladly provide some of my servants, but it seems that won’t be necessary.”

  Again, she looked a little disappointed.

  She’d already given me permission for these things right away and even provided supplies for the soup kitchen. I felt like asking for anything more would be imposing too much.

  At the moment, my companions and I were the ones acquiring the potatoes and beans, but if we could outsource that work, then I could probably entrust the rest to our maids, hire some local housewives as part-timers, and so on.

  Hopefully, that would mean that the girls and I could go back to exploring the labyrinth and doing as we pleased.

  “You’ve already given us more than enough support.”

  “Well, if you need anything else, do let me know.”

  “Thank you. I will.”

  I bowed my head, grateful to have such a dependable backer.

  After that, I enjoyed chatting with the viceroy’s wife and her friends for a while before taking my leave.

  An attendant guided me to the room where Lulu was waiting.

  “Master!”

  Lulu and the maids of the house all greeted me brightly.

  “I’ll prepare the carriage right away.”

  “Great, thanks. Want to say good-bye to these ladies before we go?”

  “Thank you, sir!”

  Judging by Lulu’s expression, she and the maids had become quite friendly.

  “Sir Knight, thank you for the wonderful pastries.”

  “They were delicious, sir!”

  “The honey was so pretty, it felt a shame to eat it.”

  The maids all smiled as they shared their thoughts.

  The honey pastries Lulu had been making before we left were specifically for the maids.

  Like in the old capital, the servant network here seemed to be pretty extensive, so we loaded these honey pastries with high-quality sugar and honey as a sort of prior investment.

  We’d done this instead of castellas because Arisa advised that there should be a difference between the employees and the employers.

  “I’m glad you liked them. Should your paths ever cross, I hope you’ll treat our maids well.”

  “Yes, of course!”

  I would have to bring them another round of tasty sweets next time we came.

  I waved to the maids as they gathered to see us off, and we left the viceroy’s mansion behind.

  Peaceful Daily Life

  Satou here. I’ve had part-time and full-time jobs before, but I didn’t have any experience employing others. Hiring just a few people is one thing, but the bigger the staff, the more complicated it gets.

  “I’m Rosie.”

  “I’m Annie.”

  “Together, they’re Rosannie!”

  The two new maids introduced themselves nervously, and Arisa threw in an old-timey joke.

  “A-Arisa, stop!”

  “Don’t be mean, Arisa!”

  “Tee-hee, sorry, I just thought I’d lighten the mood…”

  The two girls flailed at Arisa tearfully, so I bopped her lightly on the head with a fist.

  “Gyaaaah!”

  Arisa fell to the floor dramatically, but I ignored her display. “Sorry about her,” I said to the maids.

  “Oh, there’s no need for you to apologize for her, mister.”

  “Yes, of course not, sir.”

  “Good heavens. Remember your place, you two.” Miss Miteruna rapped the girls on the head with her knuckles. “You are to call her ‘Lady Arisa’ or ‘Mistress Arisa’ and call Sir Knight ‘young master.’”

  “Yes, Miss Miteruna.”

  This response earned them another rap on the head.

  “And you are to call me ‘madam.’”

  “Yes, madam!”

  Miss Miteruna seemed to be a pretty tough boss.

  Peering through the doorway, the other young maids looked at Rosie and Annie sympathetically.

  “Well anyway, I look forward to working with you,” I said lightly.

  “Yes, young master! We’ll learn to cook delicious food with Lulu—I mean, with Lady Lulu teaching us!”

  “Yes, I’ll become a chef almost as good as Lady Lulu!”

  The new maids clenched their fists passionately.

  “Great. I’m looking forward to eating your food. Lulu, take good care of them, okay?”

  “Yes, master.”

  I felt bad delegating the work to Lulu, but she seemed excited, too.

  “What have you been doing since this afternoon?”

  As we ate dinner, I asked the girls about their day.

  “Trainiiiing?”

  “We practiced swinging and rock dodging in a field, sir.”

  Tama and Pochi waved their forks and tails excitedly as they responded.

  “Do not worry, master. I ensured that they concealed their rare skills such as ‘Spellblade’ and ‘Blink.’”

  With that amendment, Liza scolded the two gently for their manners.

  Glancing back at them, I saw that Tama and Pochi were looking at me expectantly, so I complimented them on a job well done.

  “We’ll work even harder tomorrow, sir!”

  “Aye!”

  They looked like they were raring to go, but I wished they would play once in a while, too.

  “Afte
r we went to pick up Rosannie, I designed a uniform for the orphanage kids. Shorts!” Arisa added proudly.

  Why are you looking at me like you did the hardest job of all?

  “Mia and I went to select instruments for use at the orphanage, I report.”

  “Mm. Harps and xylophones.”

  “They didn’t have any pianos?”

  I felt like an orphanage should have a piano or organ, like a kindergarten or grade school music class.

  “Mrrr?”

  Mia tilted her head.

  “Maybe there are no pianos in this world?” Arisa suggested.

  Sure enough, I didn’t find anything like it in my Storage.

  Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen any piano-like instruments in any of the nobles’ homes during my old capital tea party marathon, either.

  Hmm?

  For some reason, the word organ did bring up a match.

  A pipe organ, no less.

  It was mentioned in the notes I’d picked up at the dark auction in the old capital. However, it only vaguely outlined the mechanics and didn’t include any detailed schematics.

  Unfortunately, it would be impossible to make one with such little information. I wish they’d included a guide to making a regular piano.

  “Wow, so you made friends with the maids at the viceroy’s castle, Lulu?”

  “Uh-huh. They were all very nice.”

  Lulu was normally very proper, but she took on a relaxed older-sister persona when she conversed with Arisa.

  “What were their uniforms like?”

  “Normal dresses with an apron, I think…”

  Arisa’s eyes glittered. “We’ll have to spread the good word of maid outfits here, too, then! Don’t you agree, master?” “I suppose so.”

  “While we’re at it, I’ll start some new bra and underwear trends, too.”

  “Just don’t go crazy.”

  I didn’t want Arisa to go causing some cultural revolution.

  Although I’d admit that I’d prefer some more modern undies to the rather unsexy kind worn here, too.

  “Are you quite certain it’s all right for me to choose the staff myself?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  The next day, once the morning’s soup kitchen was finished, I was in the parlor of the mansion meeting with an elderly lady Miss Miteruna had introduced me to.

  She was interviewing for the position of director at our new private orphanage.