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Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu (Light Novel) - Volume 11, Chapter 10: Buddies Part 1
Volume 11, Chapter 10: Buddies Part 1
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Dusk in the castle town.
For some reason, a chill ran through Ryner’s body.
“Mm?” He said, then turned to Ferris. “Hey, is it just me, or is it gonna get kinda cold when the sun sets?”
“Hm. It’s almost the rainy season, so.”
“Huh? Shouldn’t that still be a ways away?” Ryner asked. But just then, a cold drop of rain hit him square on the face. He looked up. The sky had clouded over at some point. “Wow… It was so sunny earlier, too. Think it’ll really rain?”
“Probably.”
“Looks like it’ll be some pretty serious rain, too.”
“Hm. Well, it’ll be fine,” Ferris said. “If it starts raining on us, you can just strip and give me your clothes to use as an umbrella—”
“Hey, wait… I’ll get sick if you do that,” Ryner said.
“No problem.”
“That’s definitely a problem.”
“It’s not.”
“…I mean… I guess it isn’t really your problem, is it…”
Ryner looked back up at the sky. It began to drizzle.
“…This sucks,” Ryner said. “I hate the rainy season. ‘Cause it’s cold.”
“Basically what you mean is that it’s too cold to go chasing women around naked at all night and that’s why you hate it, right?” Ferris asked.
“Man… You’ve really kept that up the entire time we’ve known each other, haven’t you?”
“Mm. Though I wouldn’t have to say it if you were an upright citizen…”
“Well, sorry about that,” Ryner said.
“Thank your kind partner in crime for her kindhearted advice,” Ferris ordered.
“Yes, yes, I reckon I’m awful happy about it.”
Their conversations were the same as always.
Ryner looked back up at the sky. The rain was getting heavier by the minute. “This isn’t the time for this kind of dumb conversation. Is that tasty curry place around here?”
Ferris nodded. “Mm. It should be somewhere around here.” She looked around for a moment, then tilted her head in confusion. “Odd. I was certain that the map said it was here.”
“Wait, the map? Don’t tell me you’ve never actually been there.”
“Mm. It was in a book I saw at the bookstore yesterday.”
“Wow, they were advertising in books? Sounds like a pretty stellar place.”
Ferris puffed out her chest as if she herself had been praised. “Heheh, it was ranked number one!”
“Seriously!?”
“Seriously.”
“Th, then that must mean it’s super delicious, right?”
“Mm. It said that it was ‘rivetingly rich and delicious.’”
“Whoa whoa whoa, I like, also want curry now.” Just hearing about it was making him salvate. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t had curry in a few weeks. No, actually since the place he buys lunch at stopped selling curry lunch boxes two months ago.
Two months? It’d really been two whole months, then?
He seriously wanted curry now. Seriously seriously wanted the kind of specialty curry that only a real curry restaurant could offer him. “Ugh, man… we gotta find it fast. I’m really hungry.”
Ferris nodded and looked around. “Uhm… I thought it was right here.”
“Are we lost?”
“Umm?”
“Ugh, did you at least bring the part of the map with it?”
“I brought the whole book.”
“Oh, you have it. Alright, show me. We should look for it together.”
Ferris nodded. She took a small book out of her pocket and handed it over.
“…Wait, is this really the book? I was picturing a magazine or something,” Ryner said and took it. It was a small book meant to fit in pockets.
The title on its spine read It’s decided! Stores selling dango as dessert ranked!
“……”
It took a second for that to sink in.”
“This has nothing to do with currryyy!!!” Ryner screamed, his soul coming out along with his words. Because he was so in the mood for curry. His mouth and stomach were prepared to eat some damn curry. And yet. And yet! “So this place isn’t even famous for curry? It’s famous for being a curry place that sells dango for dessert?”
“The curry is an afterthought,” Ferris said without hesitation.
“The dango is the afterthoughttttt!!” Ryner yelled, his soul once again leaving his body through his mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he continued. He was starting to sound teary. “I got so in the mood for curry, too… It doesn’t have to be special curry… Any old curry is fine…”
“What about patties?”
“Forget about those.”
“Is that how easily you forget about the women you prey on?” Ferris asked.
“That again…?”
The rain was getting worse as they carried on their idiotic conversation. Ryner let out a soft sigh.
“Well, whatever,” Ryner said. “I don’t even care if the curry is an afterthought. What page is it on?”
“Hm. Remove your clothes so we can have an umbrella first—”
“I’ll kill you… huh? Wait, you were serious? You’re actually gonna strip me?’
“Buhehehe. Resisting is futile, my lady,” Ferris said.
“Who the hell’re you supposed to be…”
The rain started pouring. Lightning flickered in the distance.
“W, wait, Ferris. This really isn’t the time to be messing around like this.”
“M, mm.”
“What page was it on?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Okay.” Ryner flipped to page twenty-five, flustered. He looked at the map in the corner of the page, then looked around the area. It was supposed to be right behind him. So he turned around.
There was indeed a shop there. It was small. And dark inside. The lights were all out. That’s why they hadn’t noticed it before. And there was a board on the door.
Curry Teahouse Penten Rope is closed today.
“It’s closed!!” Ryner said.
“Hm. It would appear so.”
“So what should we do?” Ryner asked.
“We could go to the same tavern as always.”
“But we always go there! Well, whatever. I think they serve curry… and I can have them put a patty on it, too.”
And so it was decided. Ryner started to walk towards their usual place, followed closely by Ferris.
---
Back at Roland Castle, Claugh Klom opened a door and peaked inside. “Sion, you in here?”
“……”
The room was dark and nobody answered.
“Hm? Is he sleeping?” Claugh wondered. He stepped in and turned the lights on. But the room was devoid of another’s presence. “He’s not here?”
Claugh looked around. It was the same room as always. There was a thick layer of paperwork on everything, and there wasn’t a luxury in sight. It was a serious place that lacked imagination as far as decor went. Only the necessities made it in.
“Geez,” Claugh said. “Don’t leave after asking me to come.”
“Oh, Claugh. Did he call you too?”
Claugh turned around. A blond man with a boyish face was standing in the door - Calne.
“You too?” Claugh asked.
“Yes. It sounded like he had something urgent to talk about…”
“So where is he?”
“Huh? Sir Sion isn’t inside?”
“Can’t you tell by looking?” Claugh asked.
Calne peeked into the room. “You’re right. He’s not here.”
“See?”
“Yes, but… he said to come here at nine.”
“Same here.”
“And Sir Sion is always on time,” Calne said.
“Yeah.”
“So why isn’t he here?”
Claugh shrugged. “Like I know. Maybe he’s in the bathroom?”
“Ah, like maybe he’s running late because he has diarrhea or something?” Calne suggested.
“Yeah!”
“As if. He’s not you,” Calne said.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Calne said and entered the room to look more carefully. Then he put a hand on the door to Sion’s small bedroom. “Here’s to my theory where Sion’s late because he got hot and heavy with a lover and lost track of time!”
Calne opened the door quickly, like he was trying to catch Sion red-handed.
“……”
But the bed was neatly made and empty. Though he already knew that. Because he would have noticed a presence inside from the next room over if anyone had been in bed.
“He’s not there,” Claugh said.
“No, he certainly isn’t,” Calne said with a nod and closed the door.
So Sion really wasn’t here.
Claugh looked around the office again, but it wasn’t exactly the kind of room that one had to search to find things. It was small and didn’t have anywhere to really hide.
“Yep,” Claugh said. “Not here.”
“Sure isn’t.”
“…So, about what you were just talking about…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“That dumb shit you just said. Does Sion actually have a lover now?”
Calne’s expression was a clear ‘ohhh, you mean that.’ “Who knows?”
“Hah? Why’d you say it then?”
“Oh, I mean, usually when men are late for appointments at work, isn’t it always because they got too busy getting laid?”
“That’s just you!!”
“But what about you?” Calne asked. “Haven’t you ever gone on a date with Noa in the middle of the working day and… I’m stopping, I’m done, please put that heavy dictionary back on the desk!”
Claugh ignored him and threw the dictionary with all his power.
“Owah!?” Calne said as he caught the dictionary in his left hand. “Aw, that was dangerous… Dictionaries are really heavy, you know?”
“Don’t care.”
Calne glanced at the book’s title, then returned it to its proper place on the bookshelf. “Really, though, Claugh. You and Noa have had sparks for the past years, and you still haven’t touched her. What are you doing?”
Claugh grimaced. “God, you’re annoying.”
“I am not! I just feel sorry for her. There must’ve been so many times where you two went on a date, came back, and got a little heated only for you to stop and leave—”
“W, we don’t stop right before it, don’t go assumi—”
“No, listen, you!” Calne interrupted. “You need to take her, marry her, settle down, and have babies with her. I’m just going to keep worrying about you if you don’t.”
“I’m more worried about your sick mind,” Claugh muttered.
“Augh! You’re horrible.”
“You’re the horrible one here,” Claugh said and sighed. This was the only thing Calne ever talked to him about lately.
Marry Noa this, Marry Noa that. Even though Claugh honestly didn’t want to. Claugh looked at Calne with the full intention to say exactly that.
But Calne didn’t give him the chance. He spoke first, as if he knew exactly what Claugh was going to say and didn’t want to hear it. “We’ll go to war again, sure. And we might go to war again after that. And you might die on the battlefield. But I think she knows that she wants to be with you despite that.”
Claugh grimaced.
“You don’t have any more time to hesitate,” Calne said. “The world is already…”
Calne’s voice trailed off. But Claugh still understood what he was trying to say.
They were running out of time. This peace wouldn’t last forever.
They only got as much peace as they had now because their alliance with Runa was solidified once more. But bad things were happening up in the Central Continent right now, and the flames of those wars would eventually blow south.
‘That’s why you should do it now’ was Calne’s logic.
Their peace was transient. They would be invaded. So that’s why people had to do the things they wanted to do now. They might not get a second chance…
They’d either live through it or they’d die.
There were no other possibilities.
“So what about you?” Claugh asked.
“Huh?”
“You’re all worried about what other people are doing, but what about you?”
Calne laughed. “Oh, I’m not like you. I have a great relationship with women. Recently I slept with these three noble wives—”
“So why don’t you marry them?” Claugh spat.
“Well, umm…”
“Why don’t you have some kids with them, since you’re already messing around?”
“Uhh, you see, I…”
“Sure, Eslina’s fourteen… no, she’s fifteen now, right? That’s of age for marriage here in Roland.”
Calne laughed, a bit troubled. “Geez, Claugh, you sure are a jokester… Eslina would divorce me weekly…”
“Four times at most. And what’s that matter to you? Noa would divorce me even more.”
“…No, I—”
“Fiole would say it’s alright, since it’s you,” Claugh said.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with—”
“You like her, right?” Claugh asked.
Calne’s expression didn’t falter. But Claugh could tell that he’d gotten under his skin. Because Calne’s hand was shaking. “No, really, you’ve completely misunderstood things—”
“How many years have we been together?” Claugh asked.
“I know, but you’re still misunders—”
“Am not. You act way too off around Eslina. You’re super distant and go out of your way to talk about other women constantly… It makes your actual feelings pretty damn obvious, you know?”
“Um… obvious?” Calne repeated. “Really?”
“Yeah, it’s super obvious.”
“Umm… I suddenly got this massive urge to just die,” Calne said. He looked like he’d up and faint if this went on.
Claugh laughed. “See? You didn’t do anything this past year either, did you?”
“…Uuh.”
“You damn loser.”
“…Uuuuuh.”
“Alrighty, time for a taste of your own medicine. Uhh, right, so you know that we’ll go to war, Calne, and you know you’re a real weakling, so you’re definitely gonna die on the battlefield… Don’t you think Eslina wants to be with you before that happens?”
Calne wrinkled his nose. “Why’d you make it so malicious? I was way nicer about it.”
“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
“I’ll sweat them if I want. I’m much daintier than you, after all.”
“What part of you is supposed to be dainty?” Claugh asked.
“Right here,” Calne said, pressing a hand to his heart.
Claugh burst out laughing. “If you’re so hurt, why don’t you fight me? Gimme your best shot.”
“No, I’m good. I would just die if I tried,” Calne said with a smart tone and shrugged.
And so their conversation was over without any real resolution, just like always. It’d gone a year without either of them making a move, so today was no different from their usual arguments on the topic.
A whole year of it…
“…Marriage, huh,” Claugh whispered to himself.
“Hm?”
“Nothing,” Claugh said and shook his head. He pulled his watch from his pocket and glanced at it. It was 9:15. Fifteen minutes after they were supposed to meet Sion. “Sion sure is late.”
Claugh took a look at the desk closest to him. If memory served correctly, this was the desk of that annoying nap guy who wandered on in about a year ago to loiter around Sion and take his food. He pushed the papers and reference books off onto the floor and sat on it.
“Did I get the wrong place or something?” Claugh wondered.
Calne sat in Sion’s chair over at the other desk. “But he told me to come here too.”
“Hm. Maybe he’s really got the shits then?”
“Or maybe he’s really with a lover.”
“He doesn’t have one,” Claugh said.
“No, no, however I look at it, Sir Sion must be…”
Calne’s words trailed off. Then he made a face.
“…Yeah, he’s single,” Calne eventually finished.
“Right?”
“Why do you think he doesn’t care about girls?” Calne asked. “Think he’s gay?”
“…Hm.”
“Sir Sion needs to hurry up and have an heir and he knows it, but he won’t do it. He’s even made Sir Froaude all worried,” Calne said and laughed.
Claugh laughed, too. Because Froaude was always saying that Sion had to have an heir as soon as possible and bringing women around to introduce to Sion all hopeful, but every single one was a miss. “Come to think of it though, that gloomy bastard hasn’t been telling Sion about marriage interviews lately.”
“Ah! Now that you mention it…”
“Wonder why? Did Sion actually get a girlfriend?”
“I haven’t heard anything like that.”
“Me neither,” Claugh said. “Oh, but…”
“Huh? Do you have a lead?”
“No, weeell… I dunno if I’d call it a lead, but… Like, you know the woman that’s always with that sleepy guy?”
“Miss Ferris?” Calne asked.
“Yeah, her.”
“She sure is a beauty! But awfully unfriendly.”
“But don’t you think that’s Sion’s ideal woman is probably one who’s just pretty? Since he doesn't actually want to date women.”
Calne laughed and shook his head. “No, no. No way. I mean, Miss Ferris likes Sir Ryner.”
“Mm? Really?”
“Duh. Why else would they always be together?”
“Ahh, I guess that’s true. She’d never settle for a deadbeat like that if she didn’t like him.”
“Exactly. There has to be some love there,” Calne said.
“Love, huh?” Claugh said. He thought of the two in question. They’d spent the past year being way too happy and loud with Sion. Every time Claugh saw them, the woman was hitting the sleepy dumbass with her sword. “I’d hate that kind of love.”
“It must be really deep, right?” Calne said.
“Huh? Why?”
“I mean, you really need to trust your partner for that kind of play,” Calne said.
“Really?”
“Of course. Normal people would die from all that hitting, after all.”
“…I don’t think ‘trust’ is the word you’re looking for then…”
“No, I’m right. It’s a type of love. Love, I tell you.”
“You really just wanted to say that, didn’t you?” Claugh asked.
“Ahaha.” Calne laughed, then turned away towards Sion’s desk. Towards the window.
“……”
Claugh followed his eyes.
They fell into silence as they watched the rain fall outside. It was really coming down. And every now and then, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. The sound of thunder lagged behind.
“…It’s pretty far. On the other side of the mountains.”
It hadn’t rained in a while, but judging by how it was coming down now, and how cold it was, the rainy season would probably start a little early this year.
“…What a pain,” Claugh mumbled. When the rainy season came early, they ended up with more rain than usual. And that meant more floods than usual.
But Sion worked really hard the past year building dams and the like, so it might be okay this time…
“That Sion sure is late,” Claugh said. “Wonder if he forgot about us?”
“…Claugh,” Calne said in a soft, surprisingly low tone.
Claugh looked back at Calne. “Hm?”
Calne’s back was still turned to him. “Um, I just realized why Sion called us here.”
“Aah? Why? Did you find something?”
“……”
Calne didn’t answer. He didn’t turn around either.
“Hey, Calne?”
“……”
“The hell, you’re such a pain… Did you find something or not?”
Calne finally turned around. He was smiling the same smile as when Claugh teased him - a little troubled, but still a smile. He held up a stack of papers.
“What’re those?”
Calne’s smile turned sad. “Do you mind if I take back what I said earlier?”
“Huh? The hell’re you talkin’ about?”
“…You know, what I said earlier about how you should confess to Noa already… Please forget I ever said anything.”
That was all it took. Claugh understood what Calne was trying to say. And he understood why they’d been called here.
It was over.
The final grain of sand had fallen to the bottom of the hourglass.
“…Ah. Right.”
“Yeah,” Calne said. He held the stack of papers out. “Do you want to see?”
Claugh shook his head. “Nah. Sion can tell me himself.”
“You’re right. I’m sure that’s why he called us. But… he’s been suffering, hasn’t he?”
“Well, he’s…”
Lightning flashed. Thunder roared outside.
“……”
Claugh never said it, in the end.
