“Oh my! Here… a different world from Cacretale! And it’s Earth’s hometown! See, Amae look there too!”
“Ouh…”
“No, it’s true in terms of territory, but as my hometown… it’s a rural port town far away from the Imperial Capital…”
It was a port town in a rural area not often heard of even within the Empire’s territory, and the smell of tides and fish permeated the area.
It’s not a very big port, and it doesn’t have the kind of trade that supports the Empire’s economy, so I’ve never been here myself.
But still, for Kron and Amae, it was the first time seeing a land outside of Cacretale.
As their eyes sparkled with excitement, they quickly ran hand in hand into town.
“Kron! You’ve got to hide your horns!”
“Lady Kron, please put on thy hat. And this is not Cacretale. Don’t dart about so recklessly…”
A wary Jamdi’el gave Kron a hat to hide her horns, and she herself hid her wings.
Even though the war has been over for more than a decade, people with horns and wings wandering around in human territory would still be conspicuous.
Above all, Jamdi’el had a bounty.
Besides……
“Oh~, oh~, hmm…. nnh~……”
“…… Uh~……”
At that moment, Kron and Amae, who had started running excitedly, suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Kron suddenly looked around nervously, and Amae, looking a little frightened, clung to Kron’s leg and hid.
“What’s wrong, Kron?”
“Ah, no… it’s…”
“?”
“This place is not Cacretale after all… nobody seems to know us…”
Although it was a small port town, there were quite a number of people walking the streets, and some residents were looking at us.
But, no one talked to us, and no one smiled at us.
To me this was normal, but from Kron’s and Amae’s point of view, it was something they have never experienced before.
Yes, that’s how it is.
“Well, yes. Because this is the outside world.”
“…… right.”
Since this was not Cacretale, unlike Jamdi’el, who had a bounty on her head, no one knew about Kron and Amae, even if they reveal their true faces.
Until now, just by walking through the streets of Cacretale, Kron had been giving bows and had inspired many people.
Whenever Amae walked through the city, kind people would smile at her and give her sweets and fruits.
But not here. Once they stepped outside of Cacretale, it was no longer a world where cheers fell on Kron and Amae.
“Are you scared now?”
“No, no, I’m just a little nervous! I will do my best! I’m the one who will protect Jamdi’el from now on!”
“Uh~…… uoh~…… Amae too… there’s… no problem”
“Kuhaha, is that so?”
At my question, Kron and Amae seemed nervous and stiffened their expressions a little, but immediately said they were fine and clenched their fists.
Well, it’s normal to be nervous, but if you’re nervous in a small town like this, Kron might have a bit of a tough time from here on out.
But……
“Hey, you girls, back away, get back, it’s dangerous!”
“”Huh!?””
A horse-drawn carriage carrying a large amount of fish unloaded from a fishing boat at the port rushed past in front of us.
“Ara~, that was surprising…”
“Ugh… scary…”
Kron and Amae, who were startled, took a step and stopped.
This was also a scene that has never been seen before in Cacretale.
“Nuh, what lowly human! The nerve to so rudely rush in front of Lady Kron! I shall——”
“Stop, stop.”
Even though she had lost her strength, I hurriedly grabbed Jamdi’el by the collar and stopped her from chasing the carriage that passed in front of us, letting her emotions get the better of her.
This person was a former General and probably has some knowledge of the Surface World, but when it comes to Tre’ainar and Kron, she’s really…
“Hmm… after all, this is the outside world… the rules are different, aren’t they?”
“…… uh~…… ugh…”
“Don’t be afraid, Amae. This is just another experience.”
On the other hand, Kron, who was the person in question, nodded rather curiously and admonished Amae, who was nervous.
“Yes, Jamdi’el. I will do my best to protect you from now on, but I don’t know about the outside world. So please teach me a lot about it.”
“Eh, Lady Kron, therefore I… um, nay, new knowledge is…”
“Ara? Or do you not know much about the outside world either, Jamdi’el?”
“I, it’s not like that! Yes, I do! Well, without further ado…”
Yes, Kron knew nothing about the common sense and rules outside of Cacretale.
That’s why she has to learn them from now on.
In order for Jamdi’el to teach her, Jamdi’el can’t easily go wild and cause trouble.
Jamdi’el seemed to understand that, and endured her anger at the carriage earlier…
“Kohon. Well then, Lady Kron. In the outside world, the humans don’t kneel and bow their heads on the spot just by thy passing as in Cacretale, and carriages rudely pass in front of you as earlier.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“It’s very dangerous, and can cause serious injuries if thou come in contact with it. And since they are also incompetent, even if a person appears before it, the carriage may not be able to stop suddenly. As such, the pedestrians have to be wary.”
“Hoho~”
“Is that so? For that reason, in this way—”
Jamdi’el coughed lightly and straightened her posture.
Both Kron and Amae looked at her figure with serious eyes.
“Who are those beauties?”
“I’ve never seen them before.”
“Are they Heavenly Maidens? Or Goddesses.”
“I’ve never seen anyone like them around here. What are they doing?”
And even though they hide their wings and horns, the residents who somehow noticed Jamdi’el and Kron because of their beauty began to gather and pay attention to them.
It was quite fortunate that no one knew Jamdi’el had a bounty.
In the midst of such a crowd, Jamdi’el…
“First, look to the right!”
“”Yes!””
“And then look to the left!”
“”Yes!””
“Then look to the right again, just to be sure!”
“”Uh huh!””
“Be sure you look to the left and right, and then stand tall so all can see… raise your hands like this and cross! This way, even if a horse-drawn carriage comes while crossing, it will notice and stop or slow down. This is one of the basic rules of the outside world!”
“Oooooh!!”
Jamdi’el raised her right hand straight up and crossed the road.
Kron and Amae’s eyes lit up at the sight.
“Understood, Jamdi’el! Okay, I’ll do it right away! Amae, you too, okay?”
“Un!”
“First, look to the right!”
“Right!”
“Look to the left!”
“Left!”
“Right again!”
“Riiight!”
There was nothing wrong with that rule.
I was taught that rule once, too.
When I was about four or five years old… a teacher in kindergarten taught this to me… so, at that time, did I always hold hands with Phianse?
— Here, Earth! Hold hands with me! Don’t be shy, raise your hand up!
Oh~, come to think of it, Phianse had been thinking about me back then … was she? No, well, it doesn’t matter now, but I mean, the rules taught by Jamdi’el right now aren’t wrong. They’re not wrong, but something was still off.
“And raise your hand! Yes!”
“Uun!”
Kron and Amae, who held hands, puffed out their chests with a hearty “Eh-heh” and crossed the road.
The residents who had gathered around them began to groan and giggle.
“Hoho. Is this the custom of the Surface World…”
“No, well~, uh~…”
The Prince also nodded in admiration, but she probably doesn’t understand because she doesn’t know that kind of common sense.
“Yes, you’re very good, Lady Kron!”
And Jamdi’el was pleased.
It’s getting ridiculous. Jamdi’el becomes unreliable when Kron is involved.
Certainly, if it were just the two of them, I might be a little worried.
But…… about that, he will…
“You there, move over, move over! Oraah, don’t gather in the middle of the street!”
“Fast Cargo coming throooooough!”
And that’s when it happened.
A carriage was rushing from the other side at a much faster speed than the carriage loaded with fish, and with a rough voice.
It was a fast-loaded carriage that made a living loading cargo and delivering it to different places.
The basic principle was “no stopping” until it reaches the destination.
That’s why……
“Ara? Something is coming, isn’t it? But I’m raising my hand up like this!”
“Un!”
When a fast cargo arrives, pedestrians usually move out of the way in a hurry.
The residents, who are accustomed to this, did not seem particularly panicked, and quickly stepped back to make way for fast cargo.
But, Kron and Amae, who don’t understand this…
“Nu… that human, can’t stop! Oh no!”
“Oh~, seriously!”
She raised her hand with a triumphant look, but the other side wasn’t thinking about stopping.
“Hey, Kron, Amae, get over here, it’s dangerous!”
“Huh? But Earth… we’re raising our hands up, aren’t we? We were the first to walk, right?”
“Older brother?”
In a panic, I pulled Kron and Amae’s hand.
But, as expected, it was a mess, so the fast cargo driver finally noticed this situation and applied the brakes suddenly to stop in front of us.
“Are you crazy? Why are you dawdling about, young man!”
“Huh? Oh, huh? Huh?”
“You suicidal? Stupid bastard!”
A middle-aged man with a bad temper yelled at us in a hoarse voice.
Kron was so confused that he didn’t understand what was going on, and Amae was so scared that she looked like she was going to cry at any moment.
“Oh, I’m sorry, old man. These guys are――”
“Hey, human over there! Being so high-minded! Who the devil do thou think thou art disrespectful――――――”
“Oh dear! Such crude language towards such pretty flowers. As a man, thou have lost a lot of points.”
I panicked and tried to apologize, but Jamdi’el and the Prince were about to complicate matters further.
I’m getting a headache from these naïve people…
It was then!
“Kakakkakakka… Yes yes, that’s it, that’s it!”
“”…… Huh!?””
“Sorry, old man! They are a group of ignorant, sheltered ladies, so they don’t get it. Forgive em, yeh!”
Ah…… that’s right…… from now on, for these ignorant or slightly misaligned people, the proper knowledge and rules will come from him…
“Ah?”
“Here, a piece of simple pleasure. Take it.”
“Hmm? This bottle… is it booze?”
“It is. After work, have a drink with this, yeh!”
“…… Hehe, thank you for this. Big brother, you know what you’re talking about. Shaaah. Hey, you girls be careful next time!”
The man appeared like the wind, laughed cheerfully, handed the bottle of liquor he was holding to the old man on the fast cargo, and they laughed at each other and put the mess behind them.
The fast cargo driver that was in a good mood rushed off again and was gone in no time.
And then, the man who showed up turned to us…
“Hey there, cool sisters. If you’d like to… come and play with me ~ won’t you~? To the ends of the world.”
“Ah… ah… aaaaaaaahhh!!”
“Oh…”
“T, thou!? W, wh, why art thou here? Thou…”
The moment they saw the man’s face, Kron and the others shouted in astonishment.
And seeing their reactions, the man snorted with his finger and laughed again.
“Hehe… long time no see, Master. Also, you’ve become quite strong-minded, little sister! And…”
And the man looked at me…
“Brother. I’ve heard the general gist of what you’ve been up to. Well done!”
There he was, tall in a long white coat and a white hat.
There stood that hoodlum with a powerful smile and even more glaring eyes.
And he stuck his fist out at me…
“Yeah, it was really hard… these unmanageable ladies are a handful. So, please take care of the rest, okay? …… Bro!”
I stuck out my fist too, and hit his fist… I hit Bro’s fist and laughed too.
Author’s Note
Thank you very much for your support. This country has also declared a state of emergency, and I’m sure many things will change in our lives. To be honest, I probably don’t have time to write novels either, but I don’t think I’ve been told to refrain from writing, so I’ll keep an eye on the situation and write as much as I can to pass the time.
Well, this time Bro was reintroduced. Actually, it’s his first appearance since August last year, but Volume 2 of the light novel was released about two weeks ago, and Bro had made his appearance, so I don’t think he was missed. Yes, if there is anyone who missed him, he or she has not bought the book… well, it’s not too late, right? Somehow, the story around Bro has changed considerably between the Light Novel and the Web Novel, so I would like you to take a look. It’s also available in electronic format, okay? If you still don’t want to buy it, get your ass out… I’m a straight guy, and I’m pouting. So, I’ve been thinking about various ways to reunite with this guy, but this time I think it’s more of a “passing the baton” than a reunion. Actually, in the original plan, I didn’t want to release Bro in this way, but the story of Jamdi’el and Kron became more complicated than I expected, so I decided to ask Bro to settle the situation. So this is a “passing the baton”. I want to see a real reunion one day when we can meet each other in a more elevated way.