Chapter 176
『Reincarnated… person…?』
「Un.」
Léna-Lloyd nods.
A reincarnated person… a Japanese one.
With rimmed glasses and hair that’s neither long nor short, just plainly black.
She has a look that’s so common you wouldn’t remember her face even if you passed her in a bustling crowd—a typical Japanese woman.
Reflecting on it, it’s almost strange how I hadn’t realized it sooner. Her appearance was distinctly Japanese.
It’s not like I hadn’t considered the possibility of other reincarnated people existing.
After all, I’m a living example.
But somewhere in my heart, I truly thought, “There can’t be others out there.”
That’s probably why, even when I saw her, I dismissed the idea that she could be Japanese.
「So, does that mean you haven’t met any other reincarnated people besides me?」
I nod.
「Well, yeah, it makes sense. They’re not exactly common. I’ve lived a long time, but I can count the number of reincarnates I’ve met on one hand… Oh, by the way」
Léna-Lloyd suddenly seems to remember something and touches my chest.
『―――!?』
「Hey, what the hell, you old hag, what are you doing!?」
「Calm down, I’m not going to eat him or anything」
Léna-Lloyd says, nonchalantly patting my chest.
「Hmph…」
『What just did you do…?』
「No, I was just thinking how much more you’ve blended in compared to before. You used to stand out like oil and water. It seems the battle with the Death Dragon was a good experience for you.」
Huh?
What’s she talking about?
「Oh, you’re not aware of it? Well, never mind for now.」
『?』
「Ah, sorry, I got sidetracked. Let’s get back to it. Rugios, prepare.」
「Yes.」
Rugios responds, pulling a table over and opening a bag he was holding.
Curious, I look to see what’s inside, and it’s full of wine, fruits, and cheeses, which he starts placing on the table.
What’s going on here?
Léna-Lloyd casually opens a bottle of wine and pours it into a glass.
「Puhaa, that’s good」
「…You’re drinking in the middle of the day?」
Is that really what you’re questioning?
「It’s going to be a pretty long story. Oh, we’ve got tea and coffee too. Which would you like?」
Looking over, I see it’s not just wine. There’s coffee beans and various types of tea leaves as well.
And not just that—there’s bacon, bread, and fruits I’ve never seen before.
「…Then, I’ll have tea.」
『Me too.』
Realizing we can’t get on with the story unless we make a choice, both Elibel and I casually order something.
Rugios gets to work quickly, and soon two teacups are placed in front of us.
I take a sip.
To put it modestly, it was delicious.
Yeah, this is definitely professional work.
「Nufufu, Eli looks picture-perfect even just sipping tea.」
「Shut it. Just get on with the story.」
「Tch, you’re so cold… Well, whatever.」
She retort, popping a purple, strawberry-like fruit into her mouth.
「If we’re going to talk about you, Earth, then inevitably, I have to talk about myself too. Now, where should I start…?」
「Wait, before that, I have a question.」
「What is it?」
「What you said earlier, what did you mean by that? A reincarnated person? You?」
「That’s right. My previous life’s name was Honjo Reina. Come to think of it, I haven’t told Eli about this either.」
Léna-Lloyd laughs for some reason I can’t fathom.
「So, you lived in Japan on Earth just like this guy?」
「Yep, that’s right.」
Elibel pauses for a moment, hand on her chin, thinking.
「…You and he are from the same place… I see, that strangely makes sense.」
「『Why!?』」
Our voices harmonizing perfectly.
「Just curious, what were you doing there?」
「Oh, Eli, are you interested in my past? Fufu, that’s flattering. Back in Japan, I was a student! I attended university, a place where everyone studies together, working hard every day to earn various qualifications!」
Léna-Lloyd recounts this with delight, wine glass in hand.
Hmm, a university student, huh?
That brings back memories.
Ah, I also graduated from a university, albeit a third-rate one, but still.
Hearing this, Elibel narrows her eyes skeptically.
「You? A student?」
「That’s right. Mufu—」
「That’s a lie, isn’t it?」
「Why would you say that!?」
「Well, it’s just hard to believe. If you’re going to make something up, at least make it a good lie. If you had said you were holed up at home instead of attending university, I would have believed you right away.」
「Come on! Believe me! I’m not lying!」
「That’s what all liars say.」
「Uwaaaaaaan! Eli is so mean!!」
…Crying at your age, really?
「Excuse me, Miss Elibel, could you please not tease Lady Léna too much? …The aftermath is quite troublesome (muttering)」
「Hm? Oh, sorry about that. Now, let’s get back to the story. Come on, you old hag, spit it out.」
She derails the conversation herself and then has the nerve to call her out.
I mean, come on, that’s just brutal.
「Uuu… got it, okay. Sniffle.」
She says, rubbing her eyes and sniffling like she’s holding back tears.
「…So, what were we talking about again?」
『Hey!?』
This is getting us nowhere!
「Ah, sorry, sorry. That’s right… Let’s start from the beginning. From the time I was reincarnated into this world.」
Léna-Lloyd begins.
「I was reincarnated into this world a really long time ago. So long ago, I can’t even remember when. Back then… yeah, it was the worst of times, with humans and demons warring like crazy.」
Léna-Lloyd fiddles with her glass as she speaks.
「I was conscious as a baby, you know. I remembered my previous life.
It was a shock. I woke up one morning, and suddenly, I was a baby again.
Where am I? What about college? That’s what I thought.
There were plenty of stories and entertainment based on that kind of premise, so I quickly realized the situation I was in.
This kind of thing really happens, huh?
But honestly… I felt like crying.
When you actually experience it, it’s just not cool.
It might have been okay if I were someone who dreamed of such things, but unfortunately, I was satisfied with my life in my previous world. I didn’t want to be reincarnated into another world.」
She lets out a sigh.
「And to make matters worse, I had no reincarnation perks at all.
No cheats, no talents, no appraisal abilities, no stunning looks, no power whatsoever.
Born into a poor family, and to top it off, I was socially awkward, it was the worst.
I can’t tell you how many times I cursed whatever god did this to me.
Everything was a groping in the dark, and I just desperately survived that era. It was a dangerous time. No guarantee I’d be alive the next day.
Every single day, it was war, war, war. It was such a mad daily life that going insane seemed easier.
But I didn’t want to die, so I survived by any means necessary.
Can you believe it? The old lady you say good morning to is a severed head on the ground by evening, and crows are pecking at it like it’s the most delicious treat.
Goblins and orcs laughing as they thrust themselves into the torso of a woman, missing her lower half, and then humans killing those creatures and proudly displaying their heads.
For me, who lived peacefully in Japan, it was another world—no, it was hell.」
『……』
Léna-Lloyd’s words leave me speechless.
Thinking about it, I pretty much accepted the situation and managed to live on without much trouble.
But she couldn’t do that.
Her surroundings, her environment, they didn’t allow her to.
「And so, while despairing over many things, I survived. I made it through. And when I was about twenty years old, I met ‘him.’ That’s when everything changed dramatically. I gained knowledge, power, and even a dangerous nickname.」
She chuckles with nostalgia, a smile spilling across her face.
『…Who did you meet?』
I can’t help but ask, curious.
Léna-Lloyd grins mischievously and answers.
「———The Demon King.」
The Demon King…?
You mean—?
「The Demon King, as in, that Demon King?」
Elibel interjects.
「Of course. Who else would I be talking about? In our long history, only one has ever been called ‘the Demon King.’」
『Is that the one mentioned on Elibel’s stone tablet?』
The Demon King and the hero’s story were detailed in the inscriptions found at an ancient ruin I once excavated.
Elibel’s records were especially thorough on this, so I remember it well.
…I even used the Demon King’s stone tablet as a blanket back in the day… Ah, those were the days.
「That’s right, the Demon King Agil. The leader of the demons—or as we’d call them now, demi-humans—who picked a fight with humans. And five hundred years ago, after a fierce battle, it was said he was defeated by the hero Cadias…」
Yeah, that’s what was written.
Although most of the inscriptions were about the hero, and there was only a little about the Demon King.
「Yes, exactly. But that’s not quite accurate.」
「Eh？」
「The Demon King Agil wasn’t defeated. He’s still ‘alive.’」
「『―――!』」
Elibel and I gasp in unison.
He’s alive?
「He was seriously wounded, though. The hero Cadias was too strong. Because of that, he had to enter a long, long slumber. The human leaders at the time declared him defeated. And that’s what has been accepted as historical fact.」
Léna-Lloyd sips her wine as she speaks.
「In truth, the battle between the hero and the Demon King did happen, but it’s not the whole truth. There’s a hidden reality behind it. And that reality is not irrelevant to you, Elibel, or you, Earth. In fact, it will greatly concern you in the times to come.」
「…What do you mean?」
「…………」
Léna-Lloyd lets out a heavy sigh, as if bracing herself to reveal something significant.
「The Demon King Agil… he has another name. That is…」
She takes a deep breath before continuing.
「———’Emperor Beast’ Agil Dakar ‘Reynolds’.」
『―――』
“Emperor Beast.”
I’ve heard that term before.
Like Jibru and the ‘Dream Mist’ Joker we met during the encounter with the Death Dragon—an Evil God-class monster.
But all I know is the name. I don’t know the details.
「Emperor Beast, you say?」
Elibel utters softly.
「Yes… Once a follower of the Divine Catastrophe Dragon King Jibru, and a former guardian of the eighth floor of the Stellar Vein. And the only beast who originated from the surface to reach the status of a calamity. That is the ‘Emperor Beast’.」
In that moment, our eyes meet.
I feel a chill run down my spine.
「Long ago, I made a pact with him, gaining power and knowledge. Do you understand now? This is why I am called a ‘witch.’ I once betrayed humanity, joining forces with the demons in an attempt to annihilate mankind.」
In her eyes swirls an unfathomable depth of emotion.
◇◆◇◆◇
Meanwhile, at a surveillance tower near the border of the Magic City Endymion―――.
「Yawn… It’s so peaceful today, isn’t it?」
A man yawns lazily as he mutters to himself.
「Yeah. Being on watch means you’re just a bored person with nothing to do if nothing happens.」
「Right.」
The soldiers laugh heartily together.
In reality, they are bored.
This watchtower was built to deal with monsters and bandit gangs near the border, but this area is sparse with monsters, and there aren’t any particularly strong ones around.
And as the monsters disappear, naturally, the public order improves, and bandits and outlaws become non-existent.
In other words, this area is peaceful.
It’s fair to say that the role of this watchtower has almost become obsolete.
Indeed, without any sense of tension, the soldiers pass their time leisurely, playing card games similar to hanafuda.
As the game starts to heat up, one of the soldiers suddenly speaks up.
「Hey, did you hear about the incident in the Hà Giang Empire?」
「Yeah, some crazy stuff went down during the Continental Congress. I heard rumors that the Dragon King appeared. And with it, a horde of strange monsters, leaving the imperial capital in ruins even now.」
「Yeah. Because of that, quite a few famous adventurers died. ‘Sound Sealer’, ‘Ice Flame’, and even that great hero from the Wano Country, ‘Yasha’ Lau Lan Fan, are said to be dead.」
「Wow, seriously? They were all S-Rank big shots. Good thing I didn’t follow the guild leader there.」
「Idiot, like you or I would be called for a task like guarding the dignitaries.」
「Right. And to think, the guild leader actually made it back alive.」
「Well, he was an S-Rank adventurer, one of the best. Can’t even imagine him dying.」
「True. Hey, forget about that. Let’s have another game. I won’t lose this time」
「Bring it on, hahaha!」
While bantering lightly, the men resume their relaxed game.
Today, like any other, the watchtower is peaceful.
Even if thousands die in another country, their daily lives remain largely unchanged.
It’s just a fire across the river to them.
They spend their day watching over this remote border, chatting with colleagues, and after work, they go to the tavern for drinks, then sleep.
That is their unchanging routine.
But that day was different.
「…Huh? What’s that?」
「What’s wrong」
One of the men, glancing outside, notices something.
「No, look… Isn’t that a cloud of dust rising over there?」
The other man shifts his gaze.
「…Yeah, you’re right. There wasn’t any notice about a large-scale drill today, was there?」
「Nope.」
Far in the distance, beyond the watchtower, a great cloud of dust rises from the wilderness.
The amount of dust indicates a considerable number of people or creatures.
But they had no notification of any large-scale maneuvers.
Wondering what it could be, the man uses the mounted telescope.
And his expression turns ashen in an instant.
「No way… you gotta be kidding…?」
「What’s wrong?」
Alarmed by his colleague’s demeanor, the other man’s expression changes.
「It’s… monsters…! In the midst of that dust over there… countless, uncountable numbers of monsters… Orcs, Killer Ants, Goblins, Griffons, and even Lesser Fenrirs! Unbelievable!」
「Huh? What are you talking about, let me see—what the…!?」
The man who snatches the telescope also turns pale.
For reflected there is a vast army of monsters, thousands, tens of thousands strong.
A mix of different kinds, a sight so surreal it’s hard to believe.
「Hey, what’s going on! What’s that!? Quick, get a message to the guild! Monsters! A massive army of monsters is attacking!!」
Despite their fear, the men faithfully carry out their duty.
They immediately use the communication magic stone to contact the guild headquarters.
But this was only the beginning of a new spark that would lead to greater fires yet to be ignited―――
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