Chapter 49 – The Past Doesn’t Matter.
“Burp… what a meal!”
Not good, I ate every dish one after another as they came out.
I couldn’t hold back, I was in a trance and greedily devoured it all.
I’ve licked even the juice that was left on the plate.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m glad ya ate plenty. Now, have some tea and relax.”
Saying that, Mr. Aka, full and calm, and even a warm tea…. No, I’m not afraid of ogres anymore.
No, the horns were growing on me.
Well, his face is scary, but he’s so kind.
No, the war is over now.
“Thank you… really…… you saved me, Aka.”
“Huh. If ya say it like that, thank ya.”
No, that logic is strange! I wanted to put out that retort a hundred times over, but Mr. Aka seemed really happy, so instead I laughed and nodded.
“It’s a good dish, Mr. Aka.”
“Is that so? Oh, I’ve been cooking for over ten years, so I’m good at it. But this was the first time I had someone ta feed, so I was a little nervous.”
While having a sip of tea, I asked a little about Aka’s statement.
“More than a decade? Mr. Aka… Have you lived here this whole time?”
“Uh huh!”
“Why?”
The flow of the story was simple and interesting.
“……that’s…”
Ah, but this may be a ‘would rather not answer’ situation.
I suppose so, considering Aka seemed a little sad and somewhat dismayed at my question.
『…… Most likely a former soldier… he may have been a part of some unit. I do not know though.』
「Eh! Tre’ainar?!」
『Ogres are basically robust, but… his atmosphere is better than the regular ogre’s.』
No, Tre’ainar… If you knew that, say it sooner….
『Well, does it matter? You said it yourself…… no, the war is over.』
「Nuu…」
『Or are you concerned about the war that ended before you were born?』
Tre’ainar turns a nasty grin at me.
「Tre’ainar… are you? Do you enjoy throwing back people’s remarks like a boomerang?」
『Indeed, well, who knows?』
In such situations, he points out what I thought or said.
He’s a pretty good character, the Great Demon King.
Then……
“Mr. Aka, by the way, I… I ran away from home.”
“Eh?!”
I was pretty forceful, but I said it to Aka in a loud cheerful voice.
“R-Ran away. What for? Aren’t yer family worried about ya? Why, Earth?”
As expected, the gentle Aka is worried about me and asks so.
That’s why I…
“Secret~”
“…… Eh…”
“So, well, people’s past doesn’t matter, right?”
I’ll keep it a secret, so if you don’t want to talk about yourself, you don’t have to.
Then, Mr. Aka also read my true intentions….
“Hmm!”
I mean, throwing up a peace sign…… Huh?
“No, no, Mr. Aka, the peace sign is strange there!”
” Eh? No? Oh, I’m likin this!”
“Oh, Mr. Aka…”
Friendly. However, that might be a little out of place. This fellow. Man? Man-ish? Decent demonic man.
“Earth, yer amazing.”
“What? Me? Why?”
“Why, I… I want ta make friends with people, but I’m scared. Humans find me scary. But, Earth, isn’t scared of me. That’s amazing.”
Not scared? No, I was scared when we first met.
But, well, so much happened in a short time, and I was able to have a meal, and….
“Well, I was certainly scared, but now you’re just one of the ogres.”
” I-Is that so?”
” Ah! In the end—.”
Yes, I’m… the son of a hero? Wrong.
“Though I look like this, I’m a disciple of the Great Demon King Tre’ainar ♪”
“Eh?”
Or, by the way, the Great Demon King, the strongest known demon in the history of the world, is right beside me, compared to that…. No way?
“Oh, Earth, amusing! Ya tell such funny jokes! It’s great.”
“…… No, i-is that so. Hahaha, it’s the first time I’m saying it too.”
I’m still not sure about the line to praise, but it’s fine. I also received it thankfully and laughed.
“Earth… Well, this is the first time I’ve talked ta a human like this.”
“Well, I didn’t think I could talk to Ogre like this either.”
So we laughed at each other again.
And after a few laughs, Mr. Aka’s expression turned a little serious.
“Hey, Earth. Would ya tell me more about humans?”
“…… What?”
“Well, I wanna make friends with people, but I don’t know how ta make friends.”
Coming here, I got asked a little unexpected question.
“Mr. Aka… do you want to make friends with humans?”
“Well, I do…. one person at a time…. making friends…. having fun, playing games, having them over for a meal… ah, like that.”
Aka’s eyes and words were pure, and I knew he meant it.
And, it’s the right moment to ask, right?
Why would Aka want to make friends with humans?
But in order to do that, I have to teach him how to make friends first.
Well, it’s not like I mind, and I don’t think it’s a big deal.
“How to make friends? You don’t have to think that way. Friends are…”
How do you make friends?
If I tell you, it’s my example.
How did I make friends once…
– Earth, I’m a princess. You’re my retainer You belong to me. You’ll always be mine!
The Princess…… I don’t call her a friend.
Well, what about Rebal? Or Fu?
Something I noticed, how should I put it…… Well, we were already playing together at the time, whether or not they were real friends, so rather than being a close friend, I’m a childhood friend.
That reference isn’t helpful.
That being the case, in addition….
– Hey, you’re Earth, right? I’m Glyph! To be acquainted with the son of a hero, the heroes style is my—
That’s not the same. Not in particular. Well, we’re not friends.
What else? You know, the other honor student group……
– After the change of seats, I’ll be…… here? Nice to meet you.
– Ah, Earth!? No, way, I-I’m next to Earth!?? Fu~eeeh, ah ah ah ah, ki~yu!
– Gyaah, Coman turned red and passed out!?
– Oh, Coman, it’s a pity you collapsed. But if you’re against being next to Earth enough to faint, I’ll take your place. yes! It’s my duty as a princess!
There’s a time they hated just sitting next to me so much that they would faint!
I mean, because of the ‘empty seat substitution’ or something, the princess would raise her hand and sit next to me, and from there she would keep on lecturing me…. that girl? So weird. I wonder why water kept falling out of my eyes?
That? If I were to classify childhood friends as childhood friends, not as friends, was I friends with them?
Oh, I’m…In fact, except for the title ‘The Son of the Hero’……I’m really…No one…
“Playing games with humans… ah, Mr. Aka. On the shelf there. Is that a Go Board(Sengo)?」1[S1]
“Oh… yeah yeah.”
I found a board on the shelf and a stone carved with various marks.
It is one of the most popular board games no matter how you look at it.
It is a game to secure your territory while destroying the opponent’s with the stone of the general, the captain, the soldier, and various classes.
I play with Sadiz once in a while, and I’m always getting stomped, but……
“All right, we’ll talk later. Let’s have a game, Aka!”
“R-Really!? Ya wanna play with me!?”
“Ah. Instead, go easy on me!”
“Uh huh. Let’s do it now!”
“Heheh. Can you play Go, Mr. Aka?”
“I know the rules. Honeyborough, a town at the foot of the mountain, is famous for Go, and I wanted ta visit the town someday.”
“Oh yeah…… eh? Honeyborough Within a few hours, I came pretty far away….”
“Oh, Just in time. There’s a festival at this time of year, and a Go tournament in town.”
As if to shake off a slightly sad experience, I decided to play with Aka to brighten the mood.
And then…
『Hoh… Go…. so nostalgic…. fidget, fidget…』
It seems Tre’ainar was itching for something, but I didn’t particularly mind it this time.
[S1]Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent.
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