3 bar menu

Japan Can be Tough – Part 01

The existence of Half Wraiths was not widely known, mainly due to their incredibly unique origins. Freya, however, was knowledgeable about them and shared various details with Hikaru on their way back to Pond.

Half Wraiths, not being entirely human, had long lifespans, but experienced physical decline due to their human half. Maintaining their physical form became challenging after reaching roughly a hundred years of age, and they would resort to magic and curses to counter the effects.

While some lived among humans, the violent tendencies inherent to monsters would often surface, leading them to commit crimes in human society. This resulted in their arrest or extermination, eventually confirming their true identities.

“…”

Hikaru pondered over what he learned from Freya repeatedly in his mind.

He sensed that Skaer’s admiration for adventurers like Zappa was genuine. It might have been a deep-seated instinct stemming from his human half. On the other hand, he couldn’t tolerate others—enemies or otherwise—getting close to Zappa.

It was likely Skaer who killed the female adventurers in the dungeon. He probably baited them with information about Zappa. Adventurers would let their guard down around a young boy like him. His ferocity was undoubtedly influenced by his Wraith half.

In that case, Skaer would be the culprit behind the adventurer killed on the second floor. Whether they tried to harm Zappa secretly, or discovered Skaer’s true identity, there was no way of knowing now.

Skaer tried to become a Perfect Double, capable of balancing both his human and Wraith qualities. But that doesn’t justify murder.

Hikaru recalled the constant rumors surrounding Scorching Goblet. There were suspicions of them attacking other parties in dungeons, conducting transactions on the black market, dealing with forbidden substances, and more.

Thinking back, all of that might have been Skaer’s doing. Not just attacks and murder, but also black market dealings and the trade of forbidden substances could be related to his pursuit of a Perfect Double. People would ignore an average adventurer, but mentioning the name of Scorching Goblet likely got their attention—and that’s where the trail started.

While all of this was speculative, Hikaru believed these speculations to be correct.

Wondering how many people fell victim to him only made his head hurt, and there was no point in getting to the bottom of it at this point. The truth would be buried in darkness.

Skaer learned about the mermaid legend and believed it could be a means to achieve his goal of being a Perfect Double.

Skaer, heading for the deepest part of the Mermaid Dungeon, killed adventurers who might have had intentions to harm Zappa. Normally, he would have meticulously hidden the body, but when an intense battle erupted in the large hall, that became impossible, so he didn’t bother with a clean kill.

Skaer then entered the treasure room and found the cup. Other members looking for potentially valuable items ignored the unremarkable object. Seeing the mummies in the treasure room, he was convinced that the mermaid legend was true and offered Zappa’s soul without hesitation.

Skaer’s physical form couldn’t withstand Hikaru’s attack and crumbled, but his Wraith half should have survived. Where he was now, Hikaru didn’t know.

---

Unken, the Master of Pond’s Adventurers Guild, received Freya’s report at a later date. She had to stop by the capital’s guild first to submit a report there before returning to Pond.

“What?! Vireocean’s guild handed jurisdiction of the new dungeon to us?!”

“Yes. The dungeon had temporarily ceased its functions once.”

“And Hikaru was the one who pulled the strings.”

Freya nodded, and Unken sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“What’s with that boy? Considering his achievements, a promotion from Rank G to E is not enough. He should be at least Rank D.”

“I agree.”

“But a promotion by three ranks is unheard of. We usually wait until after taking on a commission to raise ranks. Is Hikaru’s party staying at an inn? Summon them here—no, I’ll go see them myself. With the reward from killing the Hell Tarantula, it should be a significant amount of money.”

“…”

“Freya? What’s wrong?”

“Well… He said to leave him alone for now because he wanted some time off. He’ll show up once he’s had enough rest.”

“…”

Unken plopped back into his chair.

“The idiot.”

Unken expressed his headache by cursing and rubbing his temples. Freya could only laugh awkwardly.

“Freya, this is no time to be laughing.”

“…What?”

“The Mermaid Dungeon, was it? If we’re going to establish a branch there, we have a lot of things to do—selecting people to work at the branch, preparing construction, and deciding on purchase agreements, to name a few.”

“B-But that’s your job.”

“You’re the one who actually went there, so you’re the only one who can do it. Besides, didn’t a Ponsonian Viscount and official from Vireocean get involved? If they find out the dungeon is active, they’ll start claiming rights again. We need to mediate so that both parties are satisfied.”

“Whaaat?! Do I have to do that too?!”

“It’s a lot of work, but you’re the only one fit for the job. I’m counting on you. Oh, don’t forget your regular duties.”

“Come on!” Freya exclaimed, recalling what Hikaru had said.

“I-It will be challenging, but good luck.”

Did he know this would happen? In that case…

“He will make it up to me,” Freya resolved.

She had told him that he owed her one, but one was far from enough.

---

“Hikaru!”

Lavia, reuniting with Hikaru upon their return to the capital, stuck to him and didn’t let go for the next three hours. The extended stay at Lake Tseng-Ti and the prolonged separation had intensified Lavia’s sense of loss more than expected.

“From now on, I’m definitely going with you.”

“Sorry for being late.”

“Hikaru, you smell different than usual.”

“Huh? Maybe it’s because I couldn’t find a lot of time to wash my clothes.”

“…”

Lavia had intended to bait him into revealing that some other women were all over him, but seeing his completely normal response, she felt embarrassed about what she had done, and finally let go.

“Um… Lavia? I’m kinda slow about these things, but were you really lonely?”

Since jealousy was unusual for Lavia, Hikaru didn’t notice it at all.

“I’ve been saying that since earlier. I was sooo lonely,” she said in an unusually childish tone, hitting Hikaru’s chest repeatedly.

Resting his cheek against her head and feeling her warmth, Hikaru finally felt that he was home.

---

Without taking a moment to relax, Hikaru used the reserved bath in the Four Eastern Stars’ apartment. After changing into fresh clothes, Hikaru went outside with Lavia and Paula.

While the main streets of the capital were crowded at night, the alleys, where they walked, had much less traffic. They drew curious glances since it was unusual for young people to be out at this time of night, but they were used to it.

“Uh… are we going to Japan already?” Lavia asked.

“You don’t want to?”

“No, I’m glad. But I’m wondering if you two are tired. I can wait until you’ve rested a bit.”

Hikaru had briefly filled Lavia in on Skaer, Zappa, and the reactivated Mermaid Dungeon. He found it typical of her to be more concerned about their fatigue than their dealings with the guild afterward or the promotion.

“I told Serika that I’d use the spell for crossing worlds in early December, but we took longer than expected.”

“It’s already the tenth.”

Since the calendar was almost the same as in Japan, Serika must be frustrated, wondering when they would contact her.

“That’s why we’re in a hurry,” Lavia said.

“Well, yeah. Since we got delayed, your Japanese must have really improved.”

Lavia smiled. “The end crowns the work.”

“You learned that phrase too? It’s not really used that way, though.”

“Really?”

“It means something like ‘There are various ways to do things, so don’t complain and just look at the results.'”

“Oh… I see, too bad.”

Hikaru chuckled at Lavia’s dejected expression, but it seemed that Lavia’s Japanese proficiency had improved more than he imagined.

“Well, we have other reasons to hurry.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

Hikaru smiled, dodging the question.

---

They arrived at the warehouse where they usually used the spell for crossing worlds. Hikaru had visited this place multiple times, and everything had stayed the same, as though this space alone was frozen in time. Thanks to this, Hikaru only needed the same amount of elemental magic stones each time he used the Four Elementals Fusion Theory, which was convenient.

However, since this place belonged to someone, it might be necessary to rent a basement at some point and create some sort of mechanism that would block out the effects of mana in the air.

“All right, then. Paula, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“It’ll be lonely without you two around, but I’ll hold the fort while you’re away.”

“I don’t know when Serika is going to see the year-end lights, but we’ll probably be there for about ten days.”

“Okay!”

Since Paula had used the spell for crossing worlds once before, there should be no problem.

Preparing three spare magic diagrams, Hikaru meticulously arranged four types of elemental magic stones following the principles of the Four Elementals Fusion Theory. He had used the same amount several times, so he expected the next one to require the same amount as well.

“Okay, I’m opening it!”

Activating the spell had become second nature to him.

A radiant golden light flooded the warehouse, accompanied by the buzzing sound of space cracking open. The familiar scenery of Japan appeared before his eyes.

“…Huh?”

Hikaru expected to connect to Serika’s house, but what he saw was the outdoors. A residential area at night, and a familiar park. He searched through his memories. If he recalled correctly, this was the area behind Hazuki’s house.

Why here?

“Lord Hikaru?”

“Oh… no, it’s nothing. Bye, then.”

Hikaru passed through the rift, with Lavia trailing behind. They were whispering to each other, but their voices were too soft to hear. It was strange how a different world was just within an arm’s reach of Paula.

“Paula, it doesn’t look like Serika’s group is here, but they should be close. We’ll go look for them. Can you reconnect us in an hour?”

“Understood!” Paula replied.

Hikaru nodded and left.

---

“Phew…”

Left alone in the old warehouse, Paula let out a sigh. She understood the necessity for someone to stay in this world for the spell to function, but the solitude of waiting alone weighed heavily on her.

Lavia waited alone too.

Though Lavia had wished to stay behind herself, she must have experienced the same loneliness. The thought heartened Paula up. Besides, the Four Eastern Stars were returning this time. Ten days might fly by while they were busy.

As Paula stared at the closing rift, a gust of wind interrupted her thoughts.

“…Huh?”

The door to the warehouse should be closed.

“Ahh!”

A gale blew, knocking Paula to the side. Right before the rift closed, she glimpsed something purple being sucked in.

Paula recognized it instantly. An evil spirit.