Combatants Will Be Dispatched Volume 1 Chapter 5

Translated by JayTranslation

Edited by Ulti, Xenthur

Part 1

「— What's the meaning of this?」

Suddenly the door opened, Snow's head was lowered, she was clenching her fists and trembling as she spoke.

「…Spy… What do you mean by that?」

…It seems like I just told the one thing I never wanted to tell anyone to the one person that should never hear about it.

What should I do, how can I get out of this?

Can I get out of this by acting like an idiot?

No, wait… I'm already supposed to be suffering a head injury from a prior battle, so hopefully she'll overlook this.

I'm the victim here! I have to turn the tables!

「You just came in without knocking, did you ever learn any manners? If I was beating my stick, then it would've been a disaster! Or what if you opened the door while I was changing… Were you waiting for that ero-event to happen, Big-b.o.o.bs!」

「More importantly, is there really anyone that would take this drunkard seriously? You're going to be deceived by a bad man in the future. So that's why you shouldn't take No. 6…」

Picking up on my intentions, Alice picked up where I left off and continued talking, but after seeing Snow trembling with her head down…

「…Hey, No. 6. This is useless. Give it up.」

Is this for real? If we give up here, won't our heads come off our bodies for being spies from another nation?

As I was quietly thinking that I was going to be executed at this rate, I was going over how I could deceive Snow.

「I won't ask you where you're from. This is the least I can do for all you've done, defending this kingdom.」

As she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists,

「Leave this place at once. And don't show yourselves in front of me ever again…」

Snow quietly uttered those words while not even looking at our faces, even once…

「— Yaaay, I get first pick! I like this room! Weeeeeeeee! This bed is ridiculously large!」

「Oi, that's cheap, No. 6! Then, I'll seize the second floor bathroom and the first floor bathroom as mine!」

Alice and I rented a small house for our temporary base.

Although it's a small house in the outskirts, it felt good as an evil organization's hidden base.

「Hey, you!! You don't even need a bathroom! Give me the second floor bathroom!」

「Then, I'll give you the bathroom only if you hand over the big room.」

Alice and I were exploring the house, and then we started to determine our rooms.

「This room has easy access to visit mine. Alright, this can be Astaroth-sama's room. Let's start putting our names on the doors. If her room is close, I think I can catch a glimpse of Astaroth-sama coming out of the bath.」

「…Is that so, well do whatever you want. Come to think of it, No. 6. While you were busy playing a knight, I've pretty much finished investigating this area's useful resources and its ecosystem.」

Just as I was wondering what she was doing when I take my eyes off of her… So that's what she was up to.

On another note, I completely forgot that we had that kind of mission.

「This is unexpected. So you really are high-performance?」

「That's a matter of fact. What are you saying after all this time…? To add to that, I made some connections by providing new advanced materials and drugs. I've started to raise funds with the exchange of gifts.」

Seriously?

「Alice-san, please give me some allowance money. From spending our money recklessly, and after renting this place, I'm completely broke.」

「…Isn't there something wrong with begging an android for money…? Anyways, although we're a bit further back, let's finish the final mission objective.」

The final mission that was entrusted to us.

「…That's right… Can we set up the machine for teleportation to Earth in the bas.e.m.e.nt of this house?」

「Mhm, it might take a little time, but if we remodel it into a cleanroom, then it should be enough with the small parts. Then, let's start receiving the parts for installation right away.」

For some reason, given the importance of this mission, this seems pretty straightforward.  

As soon as the teleportation machine is a.s.sembled, combatants from Earth will be sent and the invasion of the kingdom will begin from the inside.

With our strength, even the Demon King's Army probably won't stand a chance.

With Kisaragi's modern weaponry and supplies, this planet will be overrun in no time.

「The mission this time was pretty easy since I didn't have to worry about my survival and there were no bullets flying around. Although there were plenty of fireb.a.l.l.s…」

Mhmm, well….

Since it's pretty much the end game, this mission was pretty enjoyable.

「What is it? If you have any concerns, tell me about it. I was made to be your support. I can at least hear you out.」

While Alice let out a sigh and lied down on the bed, she turned her head towards me and asked what was wrong.

「…Well it's not really a concern. I'm a combatant of an evil organization. Until now, I've dirtied my hands with all kinds of evil acts. It'd be odd if I couldn't go through with the invasion of this place. Anyways, when I return to Earth, I'm going to go all out drinking beer. I have no lingering attachments to this undeveloped planet that doesn't even use gas and electricity! If I accomplish this, I'll officially be a top general!」

Alice, while lying down, turned her head towards the ceiling. She said to me while I was thinking of my bright future and making a lot of noise,

「Is that so? Then, that's fine. Then No.6, I'll start remodeling the room and a.s.sembling the teleportation machine. For one month, make sure not to disturb me and go entertain yourself moderately within the surrounding area .」

…One month?

「Why does it take so long? a.s.sembling it should be finished in no time after turning some screws.」

「…You really don't listen, do you? I explained it to you when we first arrived here. Even if the teleportation machine is a.s.sembled right away, it'll take about one month for the s.p.a.ce we used for teleportation to stabilize.」

Now that I think about it, she did mention that.

「…I'm going to be bored out of my mind during that time.」

「That's why I told you to go entertain yourself somewhere else so that you don't disturb me… That reminds me, recently it seems like there were observations of strange movements from the Demon King's Army. I think that because the Hero managed to corner a general to a cave, it seems like another general is a.s.sembling troops in order to take advantage of him being away from the royal capital. Because of the Hero's absence, their aim is probably to blindside the kingdom.」

Where did she get her hands on that information?

Anyways, is that so… The Demon King's Army…!

「Serves her right! That dumb b.i.t.c.h, she better not regret kicking us out! Well, I guess I was a little in the wrong for being a spy, but I've achieved so much for the kingdom, she could've at least listened to my situation!」

「A spy would've received a death sentence in most nations. Well, by not listening to a word and kicking us out was probably her own way of repaying us. All that aside, in the unlikely event that the Hero loses, this kingdom will be swiftly defeated… Will you still be okay with that?」

Alice's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning as if she realized my true feelings.

「…What, what about it? I'm not a hero so I can't help them.」

That's right, I'm a combatant from an evil organization. There are no benefits to be gained from helping people while risking danger. That would go against everything I know.

Well, it's not like it's out of the question if that girl comes crying and begging for help.

Besides, aside from that defiant one, Rose and Grimm are my also my underlings.

Still, that's not enough of a reason for me to help them out.

While I was in conflict…

「Hey No. 6.」

My partner that claimed to be high-performance called out to me.

「The invasion that they're seeking… Don't you feel a little guilty if that means the destruction of our allies?」

The android said those words with a grin.  

Part 2

「—Threatening movements from the Demon King's Army?」

「Yes, Commander. According to the sentries' report, there seem to be concerns that an attack will come within the next few days.」

「…Is that so, good work Rose… Ah, and also you don't have to call me Commander, you can just keep calling me the same way as before.」

From those words, Rose burst into an innocent smile.

「…Yes, I understand, Snow-san!」

…If I could be this honest with myself and maybe even a little more flexible, would I have been able to refrain from kicking him out instantly and at least hear his side of the story as well?

Dismissing those self-deprecating thoughts, I called out to the knights.

「Divide up into two sides right now, we'll be conducting a mock battle! The enemies that we will simulate will be the elites of the Demon King's Army!」

All of the knights responded to that order with enthusiasm. The devoted members began the training exercise.

…To think that I'd return to this squad like this…

When I thought of the details that allowed me to return here, my expression unintentionally turned into a scowl.

After that man left, the advisor misunderstood the situation all on his own. While being ecstatic, he reinstated me as the commander of the royal guards.

I didn't chase that man out for this reason.

I'm well aware that I desire money and success more than others, but honestly I couldn't be happy returning here this way.

…Really… This is my own issue but it's so annoying.

As I was thinking that, my expression must have shown frustration.

Rose was looking timid as if she had a hard time bringing up something.

「…Uh, there's another… report for Snow-san…」

「What is it? Is it good news or bad news?」

I don't want to hear any more bad news….

「Uh, I'm not sure which it is… That's uh… Lately, a pervert was reported to appear every night on the streets.」

「…Is that so? But shouldn't this be an issue for the police?」

Rose looked like she was in a predicament from my question.

「According to witnesses, it seems like the pervert is someone who wears a spiky black armor…」

Part 3

「Hey there Ojou-san, I'm about to show you a magic trick! Look, I'm not using any hands and my pants' zipper is going down!」

「Kyaaaa! Pervert! S-someone, please help meeeeeee!!」

To think that a girl would walk alone at this time, just how did her parents raise her?

As I looked at the sight of the girl running away, I could hear the familiar narration of points being added while I zipped up my pants.

「Jeez, how rude. I worry about this kingdom's future… Ah, with this, this is the sixth person tonight… Should I go for that girl going around the alleyways next?」

It was way past late and just about the time for the date to change.

I started chasing the girl walking around the alley alone.

There's n.o.body around, now's the time!

「Waaaaaah, look at meeeeeeeeee!!」

「Kyaaaaaaa!!」

While spreading my arms out, I blocked the girl's path.

「Now Ojou-chan, can you summon some courage and lower my zipper?」

「Noooo! I will be raped!!」

As if she was shocked from me appearing out of nowhere, the girl squatted on the ground and looked like she couldn't move.

「Heheheheh, don't worry. I won't lay a hand on you! You only have to scream while running away! If you don't hurry and run away, this zipper will come down by itself without you doing anything, you know~?」

「Kyaaaaaa! Saying you won't lay a hand on me, that's definitely a lie, isn't it!? As soon as I drop my guard from your rea.s.suring words, you're going to drag me to a dark place and rape me on the spot to turn me into your s.e.x slave!!」

Trying to rea.s.sure the girl that was crying out loudly,

「Relax, I have my own reasons to not lay a hand on you! Now hurry up and run away or else there's no telling what you might see, okay~?」

As I was saying that, I slowly raised my hand and moved it towards the zipper.

「Lies, you're definitely lying! I'm obviously going to be kidnapped, and then used to satisfy your overflowing s.e.xual appet.i.te! Ah, just my luck! While I was being chased by you, I sprained my foot from rolling over! I won't be able to run away at this rate! Noooooooooooooo!!」

「Y-you never rolled over… I'm not going to kidnap you, and it's not like I'm going to lay a hand on you in public. So look at me for a moment and you just have to feel a little anxiety…」

「Nooooooo! That's a lie! A beautiful girl is going around defenseless, on a night like this! There's no way you won't touch a hair on me! Clearly, you're going to drag me to a lone house overlooking the beautiful ocean, and turn me into a s.e.x slave while forcing me to bear three kids!」

What's with this girl. Really, just what is she saying?

「Uhh no, so this is… Wait… Uh, uhhhh, this is weird, my atrocity points aren't going up… Hey, it's not like you actually hate the situation you're in. I told you that you just have to look at me for a bit!」

I was desperately explaining the situation, but the girl covered her ears and just screamed no.

「Noooooo! What do you mean, just look. I don't want to!!!」

「Just looooooooooooooooooook!!」

「— Fine then, I'll look instead.」

I was having a hard time figuring out what to do with this weird girl so I was relieved to hear those words behind me. I turned around..

「What, you want to see it that much!? Then I'll show you my-」

Standing there was Snow.

「My… what? Continue what you were saying. Weren't you going to show me something?」

After releasing the girl that I became mixed up with, Rose looked at me as if she was seeing something very pathetic. Next to her, Snow, as if everything was usual, stood there with her arms crossed and a very cold gaze.

「….I'm sorry.」

My voice could barely be heard.

「You don't really have to apologize. Weren't you about to show us something? I said that I would look at it. Oi Rose, call over all the customers at the nearby tavern. It seems like this guy is about to show us something. Now, show us! Show us that small thing, I'll thoroughly look at it!」

「I'll apologize, so please forgive me! But take back what you said about it being small!!」

「—So? You fail as a human being, you're an idiot and a pervert so I know that you're a hopeless piece of s.h.i.+t, but just what happened for you to end up this way? Explain yourself clearly.」

I was in a deserted alleyway kneeling in front of Snow.

「So, um…. How should I put it… this is preparation for taking on the Demon King's Army…?」

「…You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, do you really take me for an idiot? Put a little more effort in making up a better excuse.」

As she said that, Snow's hand was reaching for the sword on her waist…

「That's not the case! I'm not lying, it's actually true! I really need to do this! If you can't believe me, then ask Alice, she's back at the house!!」

「Are you an idiot!? What kind of stupid thoughts were you having to think that your perverted acts can be related to the Demon King's Army!!?」

d.a.m.n it, to think that she'd actually present a reasonable argument!

But really, how should I explain this to her…

「But this is really true-! I'm not lyiiing, it's truee!!」

「That's enough, shut up! We parted ways so seriously, give me back the time I spent worrying over all sorts of things! Aren't I a fool for being seriously depressed!?」

「C-commander and Snow-san as well, please calm down! More importantly! Commander, why did you quit being the commander? No matter how many times I asked Snow-san, she wouldn't tell me….」

Rose rushed over to stop Snow from drawing her sword.

Seems like she didn't tell anyone the reason for us leaving.

「It was because Snow's s.e.xual hara.s.sment was getting worse by the day and I couldn't take it any longer. This girl, every time we met on the hallways, she would touch my b.u.t.t. Spread the word to everyone in the castle.」

「Just who do you think I am!? Don't spread those stupid, false rumors! I've had enough. I feel dumber just talking to you. I'm going to let you go this time, but just know that there won't be a next time if I hear another rumor about a pervert!」

While Snow said those words, she turned around and started walking…

I started talking to her back,

「I heard that the Demon King's Army will attack soon. If you need the help of my ridiculous strength, then say "I'm sowwy for the way I treated you until now" and act a little cutesy while you beg for my help!」

「Who would ask for your help!? As usual, you're a genius in getting someone angry! Should I give you a good beating and cut you down this time!?」

The blood went completely to her head as Snow turned around and instantly grabbed the sword at her waist.

「From the start, I told you not to show yourself before me, but why did you suddenly show up, you idiot!?」

「You were the one who popped out in front of me on your own, stupid, stooooopid!」

「Both of you aren't children anymore so please calm down! Commander! And Snow-san too!」

Rose was desperately trying to come in between our fight, but…

「Rose, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d is no longer the commander so just call him by his name! I've had enough, I'm going back!」

After saying that, Snow, once again, turned her back from me.

「It'd be great if the blood vessels in your brain would stop working from being so angry.」

「What did you say!?」

「Both of you, please behave appropriately! If you don't, I'm going to bite!!」

Part 4

Several days later.

「Hey, there's Zipper-Man!」

「Oi, Zipper-Man! Lower your zipper!!」

While I was walking down the street, kids were yelling and throwing rocks at me from behind.

「Oh my gosh, look. That's the rumoured… 」

「…Hey, hey, do you want to go talk to him? He might even lower his zipper!」

Girls, that looked like they were students, were gossiping quietly to each other.

「Um, so… This, and that….」

I ignored everything happening around me while I ordered some grilled skewers from a lady.

「Ok, one lizard meat and one rat meat right? All together, your total would be 6 copper coins.」

I held out my hand to give her the money, but…..

「Kyaaaaa!」

While my hand was still out there with the money, the woman was half-apologizing while the other half looked like it was holding back laughter.

「I-I'm sorry. I… just thought that you'd be unzipping your pants and taking the money out from there.」

「—Uwaaaahhh! Alice, hear me out-! The people here are too much!」

I was crying while barging into Alice's room.

「What is it, Zipper-Man? Did you get your skin stuck to the zipper?」

「Don't call me ZipperMan!」

Because of Snow distributing notices out, I was now being made fun of as a famous pervert.

A voice could be heard from outside the window.

「Zipper-Man! Hey, come out! Show me some magic with your zipper!!」

「You stupid brat! I'm going to pull your pants down in front of everyone, and make you have your debut as No Panty-Man!!」

When I was about to rush out, Alice stopped me while writing something on a piece of paper.

「It'd be better if you just stop, Zipper-Man. If you cause any trouble right now, you'll really be arrested.」

「Stop calling me Zipper-Man!! d.a.m.n, I did this for the sake of fighting the Demon King's Army-!」

That's right, I did it to collect more atrocity points. I had no choice but to do it.

「Although I told you to go ama.s.s more atrocity points, I didn't even imagine that you would collect it that way, Zipper-Man.」

「Don't call me Zipper-Man!! Just you wait, you villagers! Once everything's over, I'll show them that I'm not some simple pervert!」

「So you were aware that you were a pervert… Good, it's finished.」

Alice spread out a map and book on the desk, and then turned towards me.

While I was munching on the skewers that I bought, I sat in front of Alice.

「Basically, anti-personnel mines will be enough for most demons. For large demons, should I bring over a couple anti-tank mines as well?」

I let Alice decide how to use the points I earned the past couple days.

It didn't really matter if I was the one to decide, but I chose to trust the judgment of someone that self proclaims to be high-performance.

「Currently you have a little over five hundred points. I want to leave about two hundred for the trump card. We'll use three hundred points for three anti-tank mines, and let's use the rest for anti-personnel mines.」

「I never thought that a day would arrive when I'd spend my points on mines. It feels like a waste of my precious points…」

Usually, the payment system of atrocity points is for one to attain powerful weapons that are normally very difficult to get a hand on.

Anti-personnel mines were cheap for emergencies. As an item, they'd cost hundreds of yen.

「Do you think it'll work if we tell them that in return for the mines, we'll send them gold coins instead?」

「It probably wouldn't work. The generals would prefer you to commit evil acts rather than care about the expenses incurred backing you up. I think they want you to start off small, then slowly work your way up to the point where you can dye your hands in a great act of evil, and finally become a great general candidate.」

Well there were some talks of that when I was still back on Earth.

「I wonder if those people think I'm someone with the guts to commit a huge act of evil.」

While I recalled the faces of the three top generals, I let out a small sigh.

「For a coward, you've worked pretty hard gathering up points, the past few days. Since you're wanted for being a pervert after being nailed by Snow, it'd probably be hard to earn more points using that method… Still, within that short period of time, even with those petty evil acts, you've done pretty well earning that many points.」

「Hey, are you praising me? Or are you insulting me? Which is it?」

As Alice was writing a memo of all the things we wanted to be teleported,

「Ok. Then, I'll start confirming what we're going to do from now on. Since the hero's not here right now, if the Demon King's Army forces their way here, then their morale will increase. This is the worst case scenario for us. It's not like we can leave this base behind. Within the area, if the seemingly largest kingdom falls, then n.o.body would be able to stop the advance of the Demons. If they advance far enough and take down another kingdom, no matter where we go, we won't even have the time to set up the machine or to wait for it to stabilize.」

Just what is the Hero doing scurrying around..

「You said that it would take about a month to set up the machine and for it to stabilize, right?」

「Yeah, if I rushed it, it'd take around three weeks, but I want to absolutely make sure it stabilizes. I don't want to teleport again while it's unstable. I'd be grateful if you can understand that it'd take one month to avoid that situation.」

Huh?

「Uh, you just said that you didn't want to do it again.. Just out of curiosity, but you don't mean that time when you and I were teleported here, right? More importantly, just what were my odds of safely teleporting here?」

「And that's why, the kingdom's army needs to use whatever means necessary to repel the invasion, otherwise we will lose our safe spot to complete the installation process. But looking at the current situation, if we don't intervene in some ways, then defeat is likely. The only reliable card is the Hero. We need to buy time for him to quickly return… So as for us, we'll set up some mines and traps. We'll engage in some guerilla warfare to tie up their legs.」

「Oi, answer me. Truthfully, it was very dangerous, right? Just how did that happen… But, you mentioned guerilla warfare. It's been a while… But in the last guerilla warfare I partook in, I made some small traps. They were pretty effective in the woods. I wonder if our fellow monsters, Tiger-Man-san and Chameleon-Man-san are doing well…」

TN: Possibly more kamen rider references.

If those two were here, the upcoming battle would've been easy-peasy…

「After explaining the situation to Kisaragi, it'd be great if they could send over a few people who have nothing to do. The generals don't like to sacrifice their underlings like chess pieces. On that note, if it's not a situation where a return is guaranteed, then they'll never give permission for reinforcements to arrive.」

「I was sent here, even though it was never confirmed to be completely safe…」

Alice ignored my remark as she spread out the map.

「Alright, I'll start calculating the enemy's route for invasion. Well, given the layout of the land and the size of the enemy's army, there's not much to think about…」

「….Oi Alice, there's no chance I'm hated by the generals, right? Right? They consider me precious, right? Since I'm a future general candidate?」

Alice ignored my comment completely and stood up.

「Hmm, should we plant some bombs there as a way to stop those that hunt humans from wandering in? There's not much we can do, but, until the Hero-sama returns, let's at least reduce the numbers in the vanguards of the Demon King's Army!」

「Oi Alice, say something please!? Huh? Huh!? Huh-!?!」

Part 5

The following day.

「—Alright, that should be fine. The camouflage is perfect. This one's done. Hurry up and dig another hole.」

In response to Alice, who was humming and burying the mine,

「…Haaaaaah… Haaaah… Haaaaah…」

I didn't even have the energy to reply because of being exhausted from all this manual labor.

In the end, I tossed the shovel aside and flopped to the ground.

「You… Unlike you, I can't move anymore. Let me rest…」

It was about noon right now.

I started working before the sun even came up.

Up till now, I didn't even take any breaks while I was mindlessly digging holes.

「If you keep talking like that, this place will already be in the range of the Demon King's Army. It's noon right now, it wouldn't be even be unlikely to be discovered by them. We're almost done, so just put up with it for a little longer.」

From Alice's response, I started moving my heavy body against my will. I picked up the shovel, and started to work again.

「In the first place, the one who should be digging… should've been you… since you don't even tire… And I should be the one burying the mines… That would've been more efficient…」

Alice was sitting down while watching me dig holes and complain in between gasps for air.

「It's just in case. It's likely that there are demons with good sense of smell. If a human like you touches the mines, then those demons might discover them from the human scent. If it's only digging holes, then even if this whole area is covered in that scent, it's likely that it won't reach where the mines are. Also, getting through this location is unavoidable to get to the kingdom. Since they can't take any detours, they have no choice but to break through here… Furthermore, could you even remember where the mines would be buried? It's important to remove the mines after the war is over.」

「…It kinda feels like slave labour…」

After suddenly remembering something, I said to Alice,

「Oi Alice, leave one mine behind. I have an idea.」

I took out something from my pocket and showed it to Alice while she looked at me with interest.

That item was the magic stone that I stole from Heine of the Flame last time.

「Let's place this on top of the mine's trigger and rig it. I was thinking about selling or destroying it, but this is a good chance to use it.」

「Even if you do that, I don't think they'd be stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trap. They might even think to use their underlings to fetch it. And the odds of Heine being the first to discover it are absurdly low. Also, if you think about the remote possibility that the stone would fall under the hands of the demons, wouldn't it be better off to just destroy it?」

As Alice was saying that, she carefully observed the stone.

「I get it. When all the demons try to retrieve it, they'll probably get caught up in the whole area, and in that moment, it'd probably be destroyed. But on the off chance that Heine is the first one to discover it, she'd happily march over to retrieve it. However, it'd explode right in front of her eyes. I imagined what her face would be like, and I couldn't help myself.」

「….Your personality is as good as ever.」

—When we returned after finis.h.i.+ng up our work, the mood in the streets was different compared to yesterday's.

Every person we pa.s.sed by looked very pale while wearing a dark expression and walking with their heads lowered.

「Looks like something's happened. The mood wasn't this bad even when there was an unknown pervert going around noisily.」

「Hey. I want to forget about that, so can you not bring it up anymore?」

Even though Alice brought that up, the mood really did bother me.

I went up to a woman close by.

「Excuse me, I'm sorry, but can I have a moment of your time?」

「Yes, what is it… Eeeeeek! Zi-Zipper…」

The woman was surprised at the sight of me, and took a few steps back. She was about to say something, but closed her mouth instead.

「I apologize that this pervert accompanying me did something terrible. The village seems strange, just what happened here?」

The woman didn't take her gaze off me. Although she was still trembling, her wariness seemed to have dropped a little after hearing Alice speak while acting like an innocent girl.  

「Ah, uh… I think it's probably because the Hero-sama… went missing after his fight with one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army, Faustress of the Wind… As a result, the Demon King's troops' morale went up and it seems like this village will be targeted….」

Part 6

「According to the report I obtained, it seems like the Hero had one of the Four Heavenly Kings on the brinks of defeat. But, it seems that the enemy, known as Faustress of the Wind, managed to corner the Hero and used a random teleportation spell that didn't have a specific designation point on him.」

As soon as we got home, we had an emergency meeting.

「Regarding this teleport spell, if it can connect two s.p.a.ces, then he could be anywhere. His current location is unknown. Like when we first came here, we were dropping from the sky. He might have been sent up in the air somewhere on this planet. He could be in the sea, or even right in the middle of the Great Evil Forest. Well, going by probability, his chance for survival is abysmal.」

「Although I never even saw the Hero's face once, I feel sorry for him. If the teleportation process didn't go as planned, I could be in the same situation as him. Well in my case, I was promised a high success rate…」

While I was talking as if this was someone else's matter, since I could've faced the same situation as him, I couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the Hero.

「……That's right.」

「Wait, what was with that pause right now?」

Seems like this wasn't really someone else's matter.

「Anyways, according to the legend that was pa.s.sed down, wasn't the Hero supposed to defeat the Demon King? Even though I don't believe in that kind of unscientific reasoning, I heard that so far, everything occurred exactly as in the legend. So I'm wondering just how it turned out this way?」

「Oi, don't try to change the subject, answer me clearly… Still, it's pretty ridiculous that the Hero is out of the picture. Since the Demon King appearing and the Hero receiving the crest that looks like some mole was all according to that legend…」

Alice was lost in thought.

「…Hey No. 6, you enjoy those games and novels about heroes, right? Since I don't have data on entertainment because it was exempt from input, I don't know about these matters. But in those stories, how does the plot typically unfold? Does the hero that come out of nowhere display some supernatural strength, and defeat everything without any trouble?」

「Hmm? In most stories, there's at least one time where he loses. After being defeated by a powerful enemy, he realizes how weak he is and starts to train. After becoming stronger, he would take his revenge. Well, there's at least one crisis that happens sometime during a story's arc. Right now, do you think this random teleport is the crisis that happens at least once? Do you think that the hero is training in wherever he was sent flying, and he'll return much stronger when the kingdom's on the verge of doom?」

At the place he was sent flying, he'll encounter a mysterious old man, and return after learning a special move.

Forget about being sent flying…  In most manga, getting stronger from turning defeat into experience is a fundamental part of the story.

But, Alice shook her head a little…

「…No, this is different in most parts. The hero has already tasted defeat. I'm talking about his fight with the two bosses back at Duster Tower. If it was as you said, then after his defeat, the hero would've trained for his revenge, and use that special move he learned to crush that wind boss or whatever. Truth be told, if it wasn't for us… With the level of power the kingdom possessed, there'd have been no way for them to succeed in attacking that tower. The Hero's party should've overcame the powerful enemies that even defeated the kingdom's forces. By being victorious, they would've inspired hope amongst the people. However…」

「….Are you saying that because I robbed the Hero of his chance at revenge by showing up and capturing that tower, I somehow changed the Hero's legend? Stop it, you make it sound like it's my fault. There's no way that I did could mess up what's been pa.s.sed down for years, right?…. Oi, you're supposed to be high-performance right? Figure something out!」

Feeling that this became a big deal, I pleaded to Alice while violently shaking her.

「….Th-there are many methods available. That is, if we use any means necessary.」

Alice raised one finger and said,

「For the time being, go commit some heinous act in order to gather a lot of points. I'll ask for them to send a biological weapon that's normally forbidden.」

「D-do you have another method?」

While in front of me, Alice raised another finger.

「I'll go into the Demon King's castle alone. I'll be attacked after provoking some of them, and I'll detonate my built-in, somewhat dangerous power core. Then all the enemies within the Demon King's castle will be obliterated.」

「Rejected, you idiot! Don't you have something a little more tame!?」

But Alice didn't even raise a third finger.

「There's none. Let's say we somehow blocked the approaching demons after they finished up their preparations. However, from the start, the kingdom's military strength is lacking compared to theirs. Since the Hero is no longer here, and that was their trump card, even if we somehow managed to block this invasion, it'd only be delaying the inevitable.」

「….If that's the case, the only thing left for us to do is….」

Alice and I both agreed…

「「We're ditching this place.」」

We decided to give up cleanly.

Part 7

「Oi, why are we leaving behind my favorite pillow!? What's with your huge luggage!? Leave that behind and let's take my pillow instead!」

「You stupid fool, all of the things that I'm taking are of incredible value. Their value is enough to buy a mountain's worth of your filthy pillows.」

Alice and I were packing our stuff, and getting ready to escape the area.

This kingdom was now doomed.

There's a lot of other things in consideration, but for people, the most important thing is their own life.

Of course, since the others are so strong, they'll probably be able to survive what's coming.

「Oi Alice, what are you going to do about the teleportation machine that you've a.s.sembled? You can't use it yet, can you?」

「It's connected to Earth, but the s.p.a.ce we used for teleportation hasn't stabilized yet. If there was even a tiny error, there might have been a crus.h.i.+ng calamity on this planet and Earth. It's a relief that we made it here successfully. It'd have been no laughing matter if we were teleported to the bottom of the ocean.」

The more I hear about this this, the more I wonder if making it here was actually a miracle.

「…It's alright, the geniuses at Kisaragi worked hard for a long time to calculate the destination coordinates for this planet. That's why even the parachute was brought with us? Something like this was only difficult because it was the very first teleportation. From now on, if you have me, it'll be fine. Let's leave the teleportation machine behind. After we secure another base, we'll start receiving new parts there.」

「Don't read my mind, those words aren't enough to change the subject! If that was the case, then they should've teleported us somewhere with a lower alt.i.tude!」

As I said that, it happened while we were getting ready to ditch this place.

A knock on the front door as well as a call for somebody could be heard.

But, there wasn't anyone that would come look for us at this place.

Then that means…!

「That brat, to think that idiot would come at this busy time! I'm going to strip him naked and drop him off at the girls' bathroom!」

I went downstairs, and as soon as I opened the door forcefully–!

「It's been a long time, No. 6-sama. I came to you because I have something to discuss.」

Tirris was standing there with many soldiers. She was wearing a beaming smile.

—Inside Tirris's room on the highest floor of the castle.

「I'll have to refuse.」

We were dragged here, half of it was against our will, and the other half was because it was close. I immediately refused Tirris's request.

「…But, I haven't even said anything….」

Looking hard pressed, Tirris cutely raised her eyes while talking.

It's no use acting cutely with your eyes.

I've heard from Snow before that, as Alice predicted, Tirris is the one that controls the politics of this kingdom.

「Weren't you going to ask me to fight against the Demon King's Army, or to block their advances, or to ask me to be your boyfriend? It's a pity, but I don't have the time right now. I do feel a little sorry but can't you find someone else?」

「Wait… I don't know about that last one…」

The soldiers that surrounded us at the place we were dragged to, left the room.

The only people in the room were me, Tirris, and Alice

Then, while being cautious, I was about to ask what this was all about,

「No. 6-sama. Do you have any recollection of what this is?」

As Tirris said that, she took out a climbing backpack.

This is—

「It's a parachute.」

「You idiot.」

「Is that so. So this is called a parachute.」

From the words coming out of my thoughtless mouth, Tirris' ears reacted brightly.

Alice looked very irritated, just how did it end up like this…?

That was definitely the thing that had no further use after we arrived on this planet. Since it was dead weight, we left it behind.

「This is the thing that fell near the site from the day people witnessed the unknown flying object… I don't know what this object is used for, but it seems like No. 6-sama even knows what it's called.」

I felt a chill run through me as Tirris slightly smiled while saying those words.

What's going on, just what is she getting at?

「I will ask you clearly. No. 6-sama, you're a spy from a foreign nation. You're an agent, aren't you?」

A fastball straight down the middle was thrown at me.

「I don't understand what you're saying.」

「Is that so? Then I will start with the torture.」

「I'm sorry for lying. I'll admit to being a spy so please forgive me.」

「Hey, that was too fast! Even if she said that, can't you at least pretend to have a spine!?」

Alice unexpectedly chipped in towards the me that's already given up.

However, Tirris didn't denounce us right away. She was smiling as if she was happy.

「…Hey, aren't you going to capture us?」

I asked Tirris that because I was feeling really uneasy of her.

「But I'm not going to capture you? For just one thing. I have a favor to ask of you.」

As Tirris said that, she clearly looked at us.

「You mentioned that both of you came from beyond the Great Evil Forest, right?」

Well, since we came from beyond this planet, it's actually not wrong to put it that way. So I nodded my head.

「You two arrived to this land after people witnessed the unknown flying object. In other words, you two have some method to fly through the skies. If that's the case, then it's believable that you two really did come out of the Great Evil Forest.」

Tirris had such a triumphant look on her face that I even considered telling her that most of her speculation was wrong.

As I was having those thoughts, Tirris looked at me seriously.

「This kingdom… will likely fall tomorrow. If that happens, the Demon King's Army will have their sights on the empire nearby… So that's why I have a favor to ask of you two.」

「…Well, I'll hear what you have to say.」

As she looked at me straight in the eyes,

「The kingdom's knights… and the soldiers' way of life.. Won't you watch over them until the very end? Also, please let your nation know that this kingdom once existed here. For the sake of those that fight against the Demon King's Army, please tell them that they fought bravely on these lands. Also, in order to resist the demon king's army through any means necessary, please persuade other nations to form an alliance…. Although this may be pathetic of me, the only thing I can do is to make sure that their n.o.ble deeds are remembered in the future.」

After Tirris said those words, she changed her sitting posture.

「Please, can I leave this to you?」

Although Tirris was a part of the royal family, she lowered her head at me, even though she didn't even know where I came from.

Part 8

It was completely dark outside the window. The sound of insects buzzing nearby could be quietly heard.

The time right now was already past midnight.

「This is so troublesome… It's not like I could even reject her after she asked me with such a serious face… Since it's come to this, should I just run away right now? No, if I'm going to run away, it should be when it's all chaotic from the Demon King's Army's attacks…」

After I came out of the bath in the barracks, I was mumbling to myself while walking towards Tirris' room.

「Well… Tirris said that she'd use all means to let me escape if worse comes to worst…」

Tirris told me if the outer wall is breached after the demons begin their invasion, to retreat through the skies.

In truth, it's actually impossible for me to receive some kind of plane with the amount of points I have.

…While I was having those thoughts, it happened.

「Ah, it's the Commander!」

Just after I finished my bath, Rose quickly sighted me and began talking to me.

Rose, while pus.h.i.+ng Grimm's wheelchair, greeted me by slightly nodding her head my way. Grimm's eyes were s.h.i.+ning,

「Commander, I heard that you couldn't put up with Snow's s.e.xual hara.s.sment any longer and quit, so why are you in this place?」

「Grimm! Don't believe that rumor, it was made up by this b.a.s.t.a.r.d!」

And straight ahead was also the sight of Snow being sulky.

「Because of accepting Tirris' favor, I'm going to be in this castle till tomorrow. Although she told me I can leave if things get bad.」

「Is that so! If the commander is Tirris-sama's guard, then I can rest easy!」

It seems like they think that I've been employed as Tirris' guard.

I couldn't tell the innocently smiling Rose about the heavy request I've been entrusted with. As I stood there without denying anything,

「…If it's a request from Tirris-sama, I can't say anything, but this is making me uneasy in other ways… No. 6, since I won't be there, don't you dare do anything stupid or even think about s.e.xually hara.s.sing Tirris-sama? You hear me?」

「I wasn't planning on doing that, but now that you mention it, it does sound pretty fun.」

「Stop it! Oi, I'm not joking around, you know? Do you really understand!?」

I asked the question that was hanging on my mind to the three of them.

「Where are you going to be stationed tomorrow?」

If it's the same treatment from when we were a squad, they'd probably be leading the frontlines.

「Hmph, don't worry about it. Grimm and Rose are both members of the royal guards. As the name implies, royal guards protect the lives of the King or the princess. We will be stationed at the main gate of the city. We will be entrusted with the final defense.」

I was relieved to hear that the people I know won't be placed in a dangerous location.

「Don't die tomorrow, you guys. If it gets too dangerous, it doesn't matter what happens to this kingdom. Just run away, ok?」

As I said those words,

「Are you an idiot!? We have great pride as royal guards! We would rather choose an honorable death over running away! Right!?」

「「Eh?」」

「We'll do our best as well tomorrow! If it gets too dangerous for you, Commander, you have to make sure to escape with Tirris-sama!」

「I'll also do my best in waking up tomorrow, so leave it to me! I can't die without still knowing a man! I'll survive at all costs and get a cool husband!」

「Oi, you guys! What do you mean by 'eh'!? You're going to stay behind right? You're going to stay behind with me until the end, right?」

If they're like this, they'll definitely be alright.

「… What is it? Stop smirking, it's making me feel bad. I'm telling you this now, but I'm only overlooking this because it seems like you've received some kind of request from Tirris-sama. Don't think that you'll be forgiven for before. 」

I was only looking at them happily, Snow just had to pick a fight because she felt bad because of my smiling face.

「What did you say? You're always so narrow-minded. This is why you'll never be a match for Heine of the Flame.」

「You, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d…! Did you even know that these two worried over you after you were kicked out of the castle!?」

While looking at the never-changing sight of Snow in a bad mood, I started picking my ear with my pinky.

「Yeah, yeah. I'm reflecting on what I did~」

「………」

While facing Snow silently drawing her sword, I took a defensive stance from the threat and slowly retreated backwards.

「Ahahaha! You never change, Commander. Even when we don't know what will happen tomorrow, you still just fight around with Snow-san… I finally understand. That you guys have such a good relations.h.i.+p to always fight. I've decided from now on to never break up your fights!」

As her laughter grew, Rose was happily clapping around.

「Both of you bickering is so annoying… So annoying, should I cast a curse right now? Snow, even you, when the commander left, you were so lifeless. You're so lively today.」

「Ok that's it. I'll take all three of you on. This will be the prelude to tomorrow's battle. I'll be the one to educate troublesome people like you!」

As the short-tempered girl said those words, as if saying that you're the first one, she started slas.h.i.+ng her sword towards my direction.

She wasn't even thinking of stopping Snow. I don't know why Rose looked so happy, while she was all smiles when saying,

「I might've been the happiest when the Commander was the commander of the squad. I'm realizing that a little, right now.」

「Well, it's not like I didn't like those days as well. Although the commander's s.e.xual hara.s.sment is pretty harsh, he did treat us out often!」

As the easy-going voices could be heard,

「I don't care what it was like, just stop this girl! Just what are you thinking if we fight one another when the enemies didn't even start their attack yet!?」

The peaceful night carried on—

No ill.u.s.trations, once again ㅠㅠ

Well this is the calm of the storm. Pretty good buildup towards the climax. And where did she come from!?!?! It'd be pretty hilarious if they actually used Darkness for that girl if this ever gets adapted into an anime.

ALSO BE HYPED FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER because it's nearly twice as long as the other chapters…

So there's a slight chance it might be delayed. It's about 75% translated as of now… I'll most likely finish it before the weekend, but if I don't… I'll probably be too intoxicated to do anything until maybe Monday/Tuesday.

And if that happens………..

If you want updates on the final chapter's status, join the  (shameless plugin).

Also if anyone wants to pick up this project from v2 onward, please let me know. I know some great editors ?

Once August is over, it's back to reality for me. So I'm unable to translate at this pace, and the Korean TL is pretty stalled on v2ch2.. If no one picks it up, I might get back into it once the Korean version is finished because personally as a reader, I don't really like unfinished content or releases that don't follow a schedule. So I'd never do that to you guys..

Translating at Starbucks during Summer Break! If you want to leave me a tip @ , that'd be awesome but completely optional!