Chapter 142
As their eyes gradually adjusted, everyone got a clear look at the petite, tomboyish woman. Her glossy orange hair fell to her shoulders, and her small face was as perfectly formed as a doll’s. Despite having the refined beauty of a nobleman’s daughter, she had a sharp, wolf-like gaze, as if she’d faced death countless times.
Her outfit seemed tailored to match those fierce eyes. A bandanna was wrapped around her neck, and she wore black gloves, a short-sleeved cardigan over a T-shirt, indigo shorts, and gray boots—all clothes that looked easy to move in. A holster of an unfamiliar design was strapped to her bare thigh, with a black object that gave off a dull gleam tucked inside.
“We’ve got quite the lineup this time. You there, blondie—the handsome one. From the way you carry yourself, you’re a Hero, right?”
The petite girl approached Rex with a grin on her small lips, then looked him up and down as if sizing him up. Though wary of the two strangers who had suddenly appeared, Rex made no rash moves and waited to see what they would do.
“And you, with the indigo hair… a Mage? No… judging by your clothes, could you be a Sage?”
The petite girl turned to Kururu with an incredulous look. Kururu nodded, and the girl cried, “No way!” before rushing over to her, looking delighted.
“Aha…! I can’t believe a Hero and a Sage showed up together! And you, with all those muscles, you’re a Martial Artist, right? That girl in white has to be a Priest! And you, in clothes that look like a Mage’s, are obviously a Mage… Amazing… What an incredible party! I never thought we’d get a group with so many combat-focused Roles!”
The petite girl broke the tense mood from moments ago and began looking over the group excitedly. The tall woman who had been standing behind her sighed in exasperation and approached them.
“Looks like Merry-chan’s the one getting more excited after all.”
“Shut up! I never expected a group this amazing to show up in my time. I-I was just a little moved, that’s all…”
“Oho… You’re blushing. How cute, Merry-chan.”
“I’ll shoot you dead, you bastard.”
The woman, who was about as tall as Parna, was dressed like some kind of worker. She wore a black tank top that showed her midriff, slightly baggy grass-green work pants, and plain boots to match. A pouch that clearly held tools hung at her waist, and a huge wrench was strapped to her back.
In contrast to her plain clothes, her face was friendly, with wide-open navy-blue eyes. Her flashy, pale-pink short hair drew the eye, with goggles perched on top. She was just as beautiful as the woman called Merry, and her bust rivaled Parna’s. Her unusual outfit somehow made her look both plain and flashy.
“Well, sorry for barging in so suddenly. I’m Sakagami Yuki, and I’ve been asked to show you all around. You can call me Yuki-chan. And this little one here is Merry-chan.”
“Don’t call me -chan. I’m Merry Mazumeria. Just Merry is fine. …Pleased to meet you.”
After Merry and Yuki introduced themselves and gave a slight bow, the group let down their guard and introduced themselves in turn.
“Menou-san… and Alice-chan, right? I’ve been wondering—what are your Roles? Merry-chan skipped right over the two of you, too.”
“We are Mages. Though we may not measure up to Parna-dono and Kururu-dono.”
Alice looked confused by Yuki’s sudden question, but Menou answered without a trace of hesitation.
“Ah… now that you mention it, I guess that does make sense. Your clothes aren’t like anything I’ve seen before, so I couldn’t tell.”
After hearing Kurusu’s explanation, Menou had been the first to consider how best to act in this world. Menou was a demon, someone who shouldn’t have existed in Earthclear—and yet had been born into this world. There were many reasons to keep that true identity hidden, but for now, revealing it was out of the question, so Menou used that answer as a cover. Above all, Menou thought admitting to being a demon would only cause needless confusion.
Alice, too, immediately understood why Menou had answered that way and smiled. “Yeah, that’s right,” she said. She didn’t want anyone to catch on, either.
“Your party is practically built for offense. Anyway… Kururu, was it? You said Hexaldoria, but that’s the name of a country, right? Are you, by any chance… an administrator? No, that can’t be—you wouldn’t be here if you were.”
“That’s right, I’m not an administrator. That would be… my father.”
“Huh… So someone extraordinary has come out here. Then again, a kingdom’s administrator is someone from Earthclear, so I guess it isn’t strange for one to come out here.”
“Is… that so?”
“You really don’t know anything, do you? Human administrators can learn everything about Earth and Earthclear, but in return, they take on the role of royalty. They can’t come out to Earth, but they’re guaranteed the highest authority in their world. At the same time, people on Earth’s side keep them under control, so if they step out of line, they can be killed. If you’d inherited the throne, you might’ve ended up that way, too.”
Faced with this unexpected truth, Kururu was speechless. Though her father had once brainwashed her and tried to send her off to defeat the Demon King, she imagined the pain of all those days he’d spent bearing such a crushing responsibility. “…Father,” she murmured, and felt a sense of purpose: she was here to free him from that burden.
Looking back, Militaria, who had been devoted to her father, must have acted for that reason, too.
“I can see why you’d put someone with absolute power in charge of uniting human society and making it do your bidding. But it must be hard for you, as his daughter, knowing your father is trapped in a role like that. Do your best from here on out and hurry up and set him free.”
At Merry’s unexpected show of concern, Kururu stared at her in surprise.
“W-what?”
“Nothing… You’re kind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s only natural, isn’t it? It’s sad when someone can’t live the way they want.”
Merry turned away, seeming a little embarrassed. “If you get it, then follow me. I’ll show you around.” Though they had only just met, Kururu had somehow caught a glimpse of Merry’s true nature. She smiled faintly, accepted the invitation, and followed Merry out of the room.