Chapter 73
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In front of me, Ashley desperately tries to deny it, saying 「That’s not it!」
Behind her are a bunch of rough-looking older guys in barbarian-style outfits, calling her 「Boss!」 and 「Lady Knight!」 and following her around.
In the square in front of the manor, there’s one ridiculously large bonfire, surrounded by several smaller fires.
「What the heck is all this?」
I think it’s a perfectly reasonable question.
「Th-this is…」
Ashley stammers.
「This is…?」
I press.
「Th-th-this is…」
Ashley stammers even more.
Our conversation is interrupted by the burly men.
First, a nearly bald guy who looks to be in his thirties. He raises his voice and tilts his head, glaring at me.
「What’s the big idea?! Who do you think you are, talking to Boss like that?! Huh?!」
What the…?! Why are you getting angry?! I didn’t even do anything!!
Next, a short-haired young man in his early twenties steps forward.
「Huh? What’s your problem?! Want me to turn you into mincemeat?!」
He shouts with bloodshot eyes.
It’s the kind of line you’d only hear from someone in a very specific situation or with a very specific title.
!!?
It wasn’t just my imagination!
I definitely saw the 「!!?」 characters!
This is bad! Really bad!
The world is falling apart!
I’ve only ever seen guys this rough in manga magazines!
「Ashley, um, could it be that you have a hobby of making people call you ‘Boss’ or ‘Big Sis’?」
The piercing gazes from Ashley’s (supposed) followers are drilling into me!
I politely ask Ashley, mindful of their eyes.
「Of course not, Low! I don’t have such weird hobbies!
And what’s with that way of talking? It’s too formal!
Come on, didn’t I tell you to call me ‘Ash’?」
She did say that, actually.
Alright then, excuse me.
「Ash」
When I call her by her nickname, Ashley’s face lights up.
At the same time, for some reason, I find myself surrounded by the group of rough men.
「…ley」
Her bright expression quickly darkens.
Forgive me.
I just couldn’t stand up to those guys after all.
「Anyway, I have some things to do, so would it be alright if I excused myself from here?」 (Politely asking)
As I try to leave the scene as if nothing had happened, turning my back on them, someone grabs my shoulder firmly.
Fearfully turning around, I see it’s Ashley.
「Low, don’t abandon me,」 she says.
「Hey, um, your fingers are digging into my shoulder…」
「I don’t know what you’re talking about, Low. More importantly, don’t abandon me and listen to what I have to say properly.」
「Ow ow ow! It hurts! Your fingers! Rather than digging in, they’re sinking in! They’re sinking right in!」
Faced with Ashley’s abnormal power as she tries to crush my shoulder, I have a strong sense of déjà vu, thinking, 「Didn’t something like this happen recently…?」
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So, basically, Ashley’s story goes like this.
Saga Assaultbody, the leader of Berserga.
He had a principle. It was to demand a minimum level of skill and determination from his clients.
「People without skill or determination, ya know, when they’re cornered at the last moment, they tend to chicken out and bail,」 was his reasoning.
To demonstrate her skill and determination, while we were heading to Vienetta, Ashley stayed behind in this area to cross swords with the members of Berserga.
「I thought it would be over after a battle with Leader Saga, but…」
Apparently, things didn’t go that smoothly.
When Saga was about to approach Ashley for a test of strength, one of the members shouted, 「Boss, there’s no need for you to deal with this little girl!」
He introduced himself, 「I am Geki, the vanguard of Berserga’s Fifth Unit! Remember it well!」 and then lunged at Ashley with his sword.
「It was tough. Well, the fight with him wasn’t that bad, but what came after…」
Yes, her battle with him ended quickly with Ashley’s victory.
The problem was what followed.
One after another, members came at her, each shouting, 『I am—!』 『I am—!』 『I am—!』 and introducing themselves before attacking. Ashley ended up having to deal with them all, inadvertently putting on a grand performance.
「I crossed swords with Saga too, but after exchanging a few blows, he suddenly burst out laughing, saying, ‘I guess you really can’t believe rumors until you see for yourself!’」
That was probably…
「He took a liking to you. He really saw who you are, Ash.」
Even when thrown alone into a group of barbarians, Ashley didn’t falter. She faced each of them with respect, continuously demonstrating her skills.
And in the end, she even crossed swords with Saga, the strongest warrior in the group.
I can understand how Saga felt.
His way of speaking might be a bit off-putting, but he’s undoubtedly a warrior with strong principles.
「It was after that. That’s when the Berserga members started calling me ‘Boss’ or ‘Lady Holy Knight Sis’…」
I didn’t miss Ashley’s downcast expression as she mumbled things like 「I just did my best…」 and 「Why do I have to feel so sad…」
「Well, good job, I guess…」
I can’t think of any words of consolation.
I pat Ashley on the shoulder.
「Uu, Low.」
She says, teary-eyed, leaning forward and grasping my shirt.
「You did well, you did well, Ashley did her best.」
She’s only about 10 centimeters shorter than me. Even when we talk, she seems mentally quite mature.
But even such an adult-like woman must have times when she wants to voice her vulnerabilities.
I put my arm around her back and pat her gently until she calms down.
Just then,
「Sis!! Do you… do you hate being called ‘Sis’ by us? (Dead serious)」
One of the members who had been eavesdropping asked Ashley with an expression that seemed to say, 『I’ve been waiting for this moment!』
「Every time we called you ‘Lady Holy Knight Sis’ or cutely shortened it to ‘Holy Sis’, did you find it unpleasant? (Dead serious)」
Ashley turned to him and said,
「It’s not unpleasant. However, I did think it was an inappropriate title for me.」
The burly men’s faces showed expressions of 「What!」 「No way!」 「Seriously!」
「What!」
「No way!」
「Seriously!」
Completely in sync!
「Then maybe we should cutely shorten ‘Paladin Sis’ to ‘PalaSis’ instead…? (Dead serious)」
Ashley grabbed her head, saying 「Ahhh—」 and shook it vigorously.
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So 「Lady Holy Knight Sis」 becomes 「Holy Sis」, and 「Paladin Sis」 becomes 「PalaSis」, huh… Isekai Translation-chan, do your job properly!!
People like me and Ryūgūin, who have been summoned from another world, naturally acquire translation abilities (not a skill!).
This ability is called 「Isekai Translation」 or 「Other World Translation Ability」.
It’s a grand name, and while I’m benefiting from it, the ability somewhat depends on the language skills we had on Earth, so it’s not perfect.
Quite a while ago, I had a conversation with Ange and Princess Puffy about the translation abilities that otherworlders (Earthlings) receive. Apparently, even they don’t know much about it.
Moreover, even the academics of this world don’t understand it, which is surprising. According to Ange, even the experts in this field don’t have a clear understanding of many aspects.
However, Ange once said that there’s a hypothesis that other world translation might be activated by borrowing the power of something called the Akashic Records.
The Akashic Records.
A recording medium that encompasses all of existence.
It’s said to exist, but who knows?
As I’m pondering these thoughts,
「Pufuu. Are you enjoying yourself, young lady?」
The one who arrived was Saga Assaultbody, the leader of Berserga.
He notices me, jerks his chin up, and says,
「Hm? Oh, you’re that coward who hid behind the young lady and ran away with Anon.」
He says this with a mocking expression.
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