Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (WN) Chapter 45

— There's no library.

The Imperial Capital, Fila Filas.  With the emperor holding absolute command over the military, it's viewed as the military capital both within and abroad.  Someone who hears that its army resides within the city's walls might think it's a boorish place, but in reality it's a city of renowned scholars.h.i.+p, a hub of trans-information, and the home of an internationally esteemed library.  Some library books even date back to the nation's founding.  It is the perfect city for conducting research.

That's what Suimei heard before leaving home— but no matter where he looks, that building isn't there.  No, in this case, saying he just can't find it is better.

"Well&h.e.l.lip;.?"

The problem isn't that Suimei has no sense of direction.  Irrelevant to the fact that he got lost a few times in Aster Castle, Cameria, the capital city Fila Filas is a difficult place to navigate.  The main street is fine, but upon entering a side road, no matter how much time is spent searching, there will be nothing but houses.  Trying a random direction threw off his senses.  From there he discovered that within this maze of a city, he's unable to retrace his steps.

Suimei stops and surveys his surroundings.  He's already deep within the red-light district.  Where did he mess up?  At what point did he leave the red bricked residential zone?  He'll never learn the secrets about hero summoning at this rate.  He went through a lot of trouble to come to Fila Filas because it is the best environment for him to research hero summoning.  Now, this happens.  While considering whether he should resolve his problem with magic -

"In the way.  Step, aside, please."

Suimei recognizes the lovely voice with the unique pauses.  The tone tries to stay flat, but irritation weaves itself within the words.  He turns around and faces a familiar, young, girl.  He recognizes her reddish-purple twin tails, her elaborate eye-patch, and her eccentric outfit known as Gothic Lolita in the other world.  A better phrase would be that she's unforgettable.

There is no mistake that standing before Suimei is the young girl he met within the customs office, Liliana Zandark.  Right now, however, she doesn't seem to be alone.  Following her are a pair of hooded men in reddish-brown robes.  From what he can tell, neither of them appear interested in talking.

One of the robed men approaches Liliana as though he's about to tell off an unruly child.  "It will be fine if you pa.s.s what was just said along to your father."

"Impossible.  I am in no, position to influence the, colonel's policies."

"We'll figure something out.  We'd like for you to be a proper little girl and cooperate."

"How many more, times must I say, 'no, thank you'?"

Liliana rejects the man's polite request, but he refuses to yield.  That's when the other robed man takes on a sharp, vulgar, tone.  "You'll refuse even if we ask like this?"

"Correct.  That's why—"

"Then it can't be helped.  We'll see how cooperative you are after some pain."  One of the hooded men evokes his magical power after speaking like a clichéd thug.  At the same time, he holds out his arm length, cane.

Liliana, against the violence directed towards her, is neither frightened nor surprised.  She instead narrows her eyes while asking, "I am one of the 12 Sages, you do understand, correct?"

"Ha?  You mean the Empire's Human Weapon?  Don't be stupid, you brat!  That's obviously just an exaggeration!"

"This is the natural result of you discarding our request.  Go cry to your father after this."

&h.e.l.lip;To Suimei, it looks like trouble is unravelling before him.  At first glance, the appearance is that of two, worthless, adults hara.s.sing a young girl.  The young girl in question, Liliana, however, is a military officer, so that first impression might not be the case.

Still, she really is just a girl&h.e.l.lip;

Turning his back to this scene would leave him with a bad taste.  While he doesn't have any obligation to help her, he also doesn't have any reason to overlook her.  He calls out to them in a listless tone as he approaches, "Yeah-, I realize I'm interrupting,"

The three turn towards Sumei in unison, each with different facial expression.  One looks at him as though he's in the way, the other is confused, and the final one with surprised recognition.

"What do you want?"

"You are&h.e.l.lip;"

"You've got some nice hobbies to be bullying a little girl like this."

"Huh?  You don't have anything to do with this?"

"Yeah, that's true.  I was just pa.s.sing by."

"So?  What's the problem?"

"Some adults are hara.s.sing a child."

"You can interpret this how you want, but are you really going to say something after seeing these robes?"

"Is there something special about them?"

The man hints that he and his companion are quite powerful, but Suimei, who is ignorant to the ways of this world, doesn't care.  Instead, he ridicules their arrogant conduct and enrages them in an instant.

"Yo- You countryside hick.  You can't even appreciate the significance of this robe bestowed to us by the guild master&h.e.l.lip;."

During the middle of the exchange, Liliana voices her concern, "What are, your intentions?"

"Hmm?  I was just taking a walk and came across an incident."

"So you decided, to involve yourself?  You have no, reason to do so."  Liliana rejects Suimei's help.  The meaning of her words is that since he has no reason to be there, he shouldn't get involved.  Her att.i.tude is that she doesn't want anyone to meddle within her business.

"An acquaintance of yours?"

"No, not—"

"Yeah!  We got to know each not too long ago."

"Ugh—!  You!"  Liliana gets angry as Suimei shamelessly exposes her lie and secretly sticks out her tongue at him.  She complains to him in her mind that she denied knowing him in order to spare him, but then he had to go and mess it up.

"I see.  Then he isn't unrelated?"

"In that case, we'll let you experience some pain, too."

With those words, the two men raise their magical power.  The polite one holds out his cane.

Perhaps he's brandis.h.i.+ng his wand?  Suimei is dejected to realize that the Imperial Capital might be more dangerous than he first thought.

Liliana turns from the two men towards Suimei with a shocked expression.  "&h.e.l.lip; Are you an, idiot?  If you pretended to stay, ignorant you would have been overlooked.  You should, have said you have nothing to, do with me.  You really, are an idiot."

"Calling me an idiot is mean.  Besides, abandoning a little girl like that would give me nightmares.  Or am I doing something wrong?"

"Our relations.h.i.+p, not even a sliver of, one exists.  That was reckless.  Those two are, high ranking members of, the Empire's Spellcaster's Guild."

"You're very considerate."  Suimei disregards Liliana's warnings.

"Should you two really be talking to each other?"  The vulgar man scorns them while casting a spell.  He pours the magic power he gathered into his spell craft and accelerates its completion.  His chanting comes to an end as he finishes imbuing his chosen element with magic.  "—Flame, Red Blaze!"

Magic that activates with only a key word?  A flame pillar erects and takes shape as it moves in synchronization with his arm.  The flames come together to create a fire sword which he brandishes at Liliana.

She dodges the swing by a few centimeters.  Plumes of flame bounce upward as the fire sword crashes against the ground.  As she continues to evade his swings, the scarlet flames produce a burning smell.  The fire sword grazed Liliana's clothes.

The two men mock Liliana for not retaliating against them.

"Heh, turns out you're just talk, Human Weapon.  Is defending all you can do?  Ha ha, were all your achievement just lies?"

"Your valor on the battle field was nothing more than make believe.  Colonel Rouge fabricated the idea that you, a child, took an active role on the battle field just to raise his own position."

A dangerous aura flashes from Liliana, but neither of the two notice.  Liliana speaks with surprise mixed into her voice, "Attacking my blind, spot and getting happy at, only this much&h.e.l.lip;"

She increases the pressure against the two men as she finishes speaking.  The amount Suimei received within the customs office doesn't come close.  She raises the density of her magic power to the limit and steals dominance over the battlefield.  In a battle of magicians, the one able to expand their magic power furthest gains the advantage.  The dominating magician can use that influence to hinder or even stop the invocation of their opponent's spell craft.

"Wha- What the&h.e.l.lip;"

Does that man with the vulgar speech really have time to be speaking?  The man with the polite speech winces as he begins his chant.

"Ku— Don't underestimate me!  Mighty wind, thou eternal&h.e.l.lip;"

He's using wind magic.  He probably doesn't think anything about me and is just aiming at Liliana.  With that thought, Suimei concentrates magical power into his index finger to influence his own surroundings.  "Your flames, I'm borrowing some."

Suimei speaks as though he's asking a cla.s.smate to borrow an eraser.  Scattered flames converge on the tip of his finger as he constructs a magic square.  The fire burns a deep scarlet as he makes it his own.

"Na&h.e.l.lip;a?  M- My fire!"  The suddenness of having his flame stolen leaves the vulgar man speechless.  He glares at Suimei.  Shock mixes into his words as he demands an explanation.  "b.a.s.t.a.r.d, what was that!?"

"Nothing; weren't you listening?  I'm just borrowing it."

"Something like that&h.e.l.lip;"

Is impossible.  Suimei predicts the man's words while sighing.  "It doesn't matter where I go, people like you are always there.  Instead of wondering how something was accomplish, you just flat out deny the very events you witness."

"The h.e.l.l are you talking about!  Explain what happened!"

"I'm borrowing your flames.  I just need to fine tune the operating procedure a bit more and I'll have complete control over them.  Well, what I'm doing is isn't all that practical, but it's fine since I'm just playing around."  Suimei finishes with a sigh.

That's when the polite man cuts in as he finishes his spell.  "— Wind!  Thou shall endure!"

"Fly," Suimei responds by unleas.h.i.+ng his stolen fire.  The polite man's wind spell mounts as nothing more than a breeze against the density of Suimei's flames. The fire spell swallows the wind spell without leaving a trace of it behind.

Suimei makes his next move in a flash.  He joins his thumb and middle finger and snaps while aiming at the polite man's arm.  A cracking sound from Suimei's hand explodes, both shattering the man's cane and flinging back his arm to leave him defenseless.

"It vanished—" Shock laces the polite man's words as strength leaves his body.  Just as the smoke reached him, he was struck in the solar plexus by a gloved palm.  He gives out a violent shriek as magic power is poured into the glove.  The magic power activates the glove's ability, to directly strike the nerve plexus within the body.  The screaming soon dies down as the man faints from the shock and falls.

The vulgar man is flattened underneath Liliana's magical power and also faints with bubbles foaming out of his mouth.

With the battle over, Liliana says, "Let's change, places."

——That Cute Star Strikes Again——

Suimei and Liliana move to a new location where they can pretend to not know anything about the two men they just crushed.  They come to a stop after walking for a bit.  The ash-gray bricks change into red as they entered the upper district.

Liliana wipes some dust from her skirt.  Annoyance laces her tone as she's reluctant to speak.  "Needless, meddling was what, you accomplished."

Suimei ignores her unappreciative words and asks, "So, who were those guys?"

"That is of no, concern to you."

"If you say so."

"And what, where you doing, there?"

"Nothing much.  You could say I was talking a walk?  What about you— Liliana?"

"I have no, recollection&h.e.l.lip; of giving, you my name.  How do you know, it?"

"Hm?  Well&h.e.l.lip;"

"Really?  Understood.  The military police just, arrested a stalker.  Then you are also here, today to&h.e.l.lip;"

"Hold on!  I heard it from the older brother in the customs office.  How'd I become a stalker?"

"I understand.  That was a joke because, I could not follow."  Liliana takes confidence in her flat tone by shutting her eye.

"You&h.e.l.lip;"  Suimei's shoulder sag.  Liliana's natural conduct combined with her serious facial expression made it impossible for him to realize she was playing.

A sigh escapes Suimei as he's troubled by Liliana's behavior.  That's when magical power swells around him.  He feels as though acid or poison is rubbing against his skin.  The sensation is similar to what he felt in the customs office, but also different.

"It is time you answered, my question.  Why are, you here?"  Liliana's lazy expression sharpens with her question as her magical power swells to surround them.  The view of the surrounding houses and stores grow hazy the same way a distortion occurs when heat rises from asphalt.

She is interrogating Suimei.

Suimei responds with a bold smile and shrugs like a westerner.  His tone is light as he says, "What?  Can't visitors stroll around the city?  I mean, I did follow the proper procedures to gain legal residency here."

"This place, is very close to the upper, district.  Anyone wandering, around aimlessly would be, viewed with suspicion."

"Wouldn't that describe those two from earlier, better?"

Liliana neither confirms nor denies Suimei's claim.  If he isn't mistaken, she's a second lieutenant within the Empire.  She is a soldier.  Then shouldn't questioning suspicious people also fall within her duties?  Even if he can't wrap his mind around the thought, there isn't anything wrong with it.

Suimei, with no reason to become obstinate, drops his frivolous act with a sigh.  "I'm looking for the library.  Its reputation is well known within the Empire."

"The Imperial University, Library?"

"I wanted to look something up, here&h.e.l.lip;"  With that said, he shows her map Jilbert drew him.

"&h.e.l.lip;.Why are you, telling me this?  Please refrain, from being so familiar with me."

"It's fine, it's fine.  I'll buy you some candy."

"There is no need.  Please refrain from treating, me like a child.  Also, this map is wrong."

"Mu&h.e.l.lip;.."

Pointing out this and that, she's actually a good person.  But what's wrong?  While Suimei frowns, Liliana reexamines the map.  She says, "There is no mistaking it."

"&h.e.l.lip;That useless, legal, loli.  She lied to me."  Jilbert Gliga is the district manager of the area Suimei lives.  She tends to visit on her free time to play with Lefille and spout abusive language towards him.  She also drew his map earlier in the day when he mentioned his plan to visit the library.

Judging from her joyful att.i.tude, Suimei a.s.sumed she had a somewhat lighthearted disposition.  But now he's reevaluating her as having a more rough personality.

At Liliana's, "There are four mismarked streets."  Suimei say, "Seriously?" with a sigh.  He swears that the next time he sees Jilbert, he'll make her regret her actions.

"Say, where do I have to go from here?"

"As I, just-"

"I get it.  I'll buy you an extra three pieces of candy.  How's that sound?"

"Why are you trying, to lure me with candy?"

"You don't like candy?  Then, how about a toy?"

"Yo- You&h.e.l.lip;."  Liliana begins to tremble, puru puru.  Suimei is ignoring her, but she realizes there is nothing she can do against his arm twisting tactic.  Her sigh signifies both her discontent and his victory.  "&h.e.l.lip;Understood.  I shall guide, you there.  Please come with, me."

"Sorry, I'll absolutely buy you candy, so please forgive me for troubling you."

"There is no, need.  Immediately leave, me alone once we arrive."

How blunt.

T/N: So, some of you are probably wondering what the heck happened last update.  That was chapter 83 and it revolved around the third Yuusha, Hatsumi Kuchiba.  Light novel wise, I believe that chapter is volume 5's prologue.  Now, if you must know why I did it, it was a prank, teehee.

I've never received so many comments on any of my post before, and never have popped up so fast either.  Don't worry, I've read all your messages.  I've received and accepted all your surprise, confusion, anger, and disappointment.  That's why, to all of you, I say, "It was totally worth it."  But you guys all forgive me right??  I mean, if you're reading this, that means you've come back.  You wouldn't do that if you didn't, right??

The other motivation for why I translated that chapter was because I wanted a change of pace.  I picked that chapter because it doesn't really give any spoilers to the story.  Furthermore, by picking something I'd probably, hopefully, get to anyway, I'm saving time by not getting distracted with a side project.  Isekai Mahou is a big enough commitment, one I've sworn to weekly updates, but don't have any actually ability to guarantee or preform.

Still, I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter.  See you next time,

-Gandire