Chapter 311 : The Princess of the Kingdom of Sorrow

Pablo opened his eyes.

It was already night.

Blood rushed to his head, and the world looked upside down.

'Ah.'

Pablo realized it belatedly.

It wasn't that the world was turned upside down, but that he was hanging upside down.

It seemed that the devil had hung him upside down after he had lost consciousness.

"You're awake?"

He looked to the side.

His friend, who had tried to stop him, was hanging there just like him.

"...Why are you hanging there?"

"I don't know. Don't ask."

"..."

His friend asked Pablo.

"What are you going to do now?"

Grit.

"What are you asking? Training. I'm going to get revenge."

"...Right."

"That devil bastard. I'll kill him for sure."

His friend looked at Pablo, who was burning with anger again, and thought.

He decided to tell him what he had seen and heard on the day the flame died down.

* * *

Munch, munch.

"..."

I watched Siri, who was sweeping the food on the table into her mouth, blankly.

[She eats so heartily.]

I agree.

Look at those cheeks, as plump as a squirrel's.

It's amazing how all that food goes into that small mouth.

A striped girl with black and white hair.

The sight of a slender girl with an already eye-catching appearance stuffing food into her mouth like a glutton naturally drew attention.

Flinch!

The man who had met my eyes quickly averted his gaze and began to focus on his own food.

Since it was such a rare sight, people were sending curious glances.

But perhaps because I was sitting across from her, they couldn't look openly and were just stealing glances.

"Eat slowly. I'm not going to take it from you."

Pour—

I poured juice into Siri's glass.

"Thank you."

Siri, who had gulped down the juice, smiled brightly with a refreshed expression.

The food that had been packed in her mouth seemed to have disappeared down with the juice.

"Didn't you come by carriage? Did you run here or something, why are you eating in such a hurry?"

"I took a carriage at first."

"You did?"

"It was too slow, so I just got off and ran."

"Hmm."

Ketel, the god of the night, and Hope, the god of the day.

Siri, who was favored by the two most influential gods, could naturally use both the divine power of darkness and the divine power of light.

That meant that the blessings she could engrave on her body were at least doubled.

It meant that she had run all the way here with all sorts of buffs on her body.

"What was so urgent that you ran like that?"

"I wanted to see you, Big Brother!"

"Ah, I can't help that."

"Right?"

"Hehehe."

"Hihihi."

The Heavenly Demon snorted.

[...You're playing well.]

I also picked up a few dishes from the table and asked.

"So, what's the matter?"

"Didn't you hear anything?"

"I heard the gist of it from Boris. A designated commission came in for me, right? And a very important one at that."

"Yes, that's right. It came specifically for you, Big Brother."

"What is it?"

Siri took out a commission request from her bosom and handed it to me instead of answering.

After handing over the commission request, I left Siri, who was busy stuffing food into her empty mouth again, and read the commission request carefully.

What on earth was such an important commission that Hud would judge it to be more of a priority than beating up the Dark Heaven Society?

"...The Kingdom of Sorrow?"

The first thing that caught my eye was the client.

At my muttering, Siri, whose cheeks had become plump again, nodded.

"That's right."

The Kingdom of Sorrow was a western country that bordered the Holy Hilka Empire.

A small kingdom located in the black desert that contained the demon realm.

The very country that was fighting with the Hilka Empire like enemies every day, and was still continuing to have large and small wars from time to time.

The country that the Holy Empire called them the demon race—that is, the descendants of the devil—and raised a crusade to invade them from time to time.

A mysterious country that stood up to the repeated invasions of a huge empire, which other countries would not have been able to withstand for even a year.

The kingdom of the demon race, Sorrow.

'Why me, from Sorrow?'

Sorrow was a very closed country.

Almost nothing was known about it.

Perhaps because the empire kept picking fights with them, I heard that they didn't like to interact with other countries.

Very few people had been to Sorrow.

So few people had actually seen the demon race that there were even strange rumors that they had horns on their heads.

'And such a country, at the national level, officially requested a commission from Sherwood...'

And they had specifically pointed me out.

I felt that something was unusual.

'Wait.'

Looking closely, next to the country's name.

The name of the king of Sorrow, the one called the demon king by the empire, was written.

「Client: Aktir Bisanbark」

I had heard of him.

One of the Eight Sword Masters.

The owner of another of Ophosis's famous swords.

"...Crazy."

'Hud had a reason to make a fuss.'

To think that the demon king of such a reclusive country, Sorrow, would single me out and request a commission.

I raised my head and looked at Siri, who was inhaling food across from me, and Siri gestured for me to keep reading.

I silently read the rest of the commission request.

As I read it carefully...

My eyes stopped at a certain name.

"...Viola?"

I raised my head and looked at Siri.

"Viola is here?"

Siri moved her plump cheeks and nodded. That's right!

What the king of the demon race, the Kingdom of Sorrow, had requested of me was.

The pursuit, search, and securing of the princess of the Kingdom of Sorrow, Viola Bisanbark.

* * *

"..."

Sirila looked at Ashuban, who had frozen while reading the commission request.

He was so surprised that the corners of his eyes were trembling.

Sirila understood his feelings.

How surprised she had been when she had first seen it.

The reactions of the other Sherwood members were not much different.

Pour—

Sirila let out a small sigh and poured juice into his glass.

And then she brought the glass to the back of his hand.

"Big Brother."

"Ah, cold. What is it."

"Drink."

"Oh, uh-huh. Thanks."

Ashuban gulped it down as if it were alcohol.

And then he said to Siri, who was pouring juice into his empty glass again.

"Is it the Viola we know? That crybaby Viola?"

Nod, nod.

"That girl was the princess of the Kingdom of Sorrow?"

"I guess so."

"Huh..."

Ashuban sighed.

The last remaining member, the crybaby Viola.

He had searched for her in all directions, but there was no news, so he had half given up.

But to think she was the princess of the kingdom of the demon race.

Was she in Sorrow because she was a princess?

Ashuban clicked his tongue.

'That's why I couldn't find her.'

Ashuban leaned back and ran his hand through his hair.

He looked up at the ceiling in a daze.

'To think that crybaby was the princess of the Kingdom of Sorrow...'

Since they had all lived through difficult lives, it was a kind of unwritten rule within the mercenary corps not to pry into each other's pasts.

Ashuban's childhood story related to Tina was like that, and so was Hudmilla's origin as the daughter of a count, and the Red Witch's identity.

'But still.'

No, why would a princess of the Kingdom of Sorrow live in such a shabby mercenary corps?

And Hud too, did nobles have a strange taste for living in shabby places?

Was it some kind of commoner experience?

Various thoughts came to mind sporadically.

Because it was so absurd.

Who would have imagined that the crybaby who cried at the drop of a hat was a princess?

"...Certainly, bringing Viola back is more important than beating up the Dark Heaven Society guys right now."

Ashuban muttered, rubbing his neck.

Sirila said, after swallowing the food in her mouth.

"Big Sister Hud said to go to Sorrow with you right away, Big Brother."

Ashuban looked at Siri across from him.

"But why did you come alone, leaving all the other kids behind? What about the Dark Heaven Society head-breaking competition?"

"Ah, that...?"

Sirila hung her head sadly.

It was a strange thing for Ashuban, who remembered her showing a fiery enthusiasm before she left.

Suddenly, Sirila clenched her fists and said.

"Because I'm the most reliable!"

"..."

"...Actually, I just volunteered."

"I'm glad, but. Why?"

"Because I didn't think I could win the competition at all."

"Hmm?"

Sirila crossed her arms as if she were sulking and grumbled.

"It's Dofang's solo show."

Ashuban thought of the dog-like guy who was said to be closely following him.

"And the demonic swordsman?"

"He said he had a feeling, so he's focusing on torture—no, interrogation."

"Aha."

"The likely winner is not that guy."

"Then?"

Sirila sighed deeply and said.

"Shushuruta and Linda have joined forces."

"...Huh?"

"They must have decided that they couldn't beat Dofang like this, so they joined forces. They said that if things continued like this, the wish ticket would fall into the hands of that petty thief."

"..."

"It seems there was some kind of agreement between the two. So the current situation is that the Shushurinda allied forces are fiercely chasing after Dofang. The competition has already degenerated into a competition between Dofang and the Shushurinda allied forces."

"..."

Sirila hung her head and muttered gloomily.

"...I'm screwed."

Ashuban looked at Sirila, who was sighing as if she had lost the world, blankly.

"Siri."

"Yes."

"What were you going to use the wish ticket for?"

"That's..."

Sirila fiddled with her hands and muttered.

"I... wanted to go on a trip with you, Big Brother. Just the two of us."

"A trip? Where?"

"Anywhere is fine. As long as it's not Maia."

A small laugh was heard from across the table.

"Your wish has been granted."

"Pardon?"

Sirila raised her head and looked across the table.

Ashuban was looking at her and grinning.

"We're going on a trip now. Just the two of us. And to a foreign country at that."

"...Huh?"

Sirila's eyes gradually widened.

"That's right."

"That's right."

Ashuban grinned and said.

"Let those fools go around breaking the heads of the Dark Heaven Society. In the meantime, let's go on an exciting trip to the Kingdom of Sorrow. How about it?"

"I'd love to!"

The two shot up from their seats.

Siri said, stomping her feet.

"Big Brother! I-I want to see the demon realm!"

"Why not! Let's just finish our work quickly and go see it."

"Wow! Really?"

"Of course. Let's see how strong the heads of the magical beasts there are."

The excited Sirila jumped up and down.

"Exciting! My heart is pounding!"

"Let's go! To the black desert resort that's waiting for us!"

"Yay!"

The two, who were about to kick open the restaurant door and leave, were stopped by the restaurant owner.

"Excuse me, customers. That's—"

"Haha, did you think we were going to dine and dash? Take this! Keep the change, hahaha!"

"Hehehehe!"

The two customers handed the restaurant owner a handful of silver coins and then kicked open the restaurant door and left.

—Hahahaha.

—Hehehehehe.

Their laughter faded away.

The restaurant owner muttered, looking at their backs.

"No, that's not it. I was going to say that there are no boats to Sorrow..."

The restaurant owner, who had failed to convey the important information that the only way to get to the Kingdom of Sorrow was to go through the empire by land.

* * *

Ashuban and Sirila immediately ran to the southwest of Maia.

Because the Kingdom of Sorrow was not directly connected by land, they had to go to a place where the blue sea spread and take a boat.

But, what greeted them when they arrived at the seaside at night was unexpected news.

"There are no... boats to Sorrow?"

"That's right."

A man who was tanned by the sun said.

"It's not that there are no boats to Sorrow, but that there are no boats at all at the moment."

Sirila asked with a flustered face.

"Why, why not?"

The sailor's face contorted fiercely.

"Because of those bastards from the Dark Heaven Society."

"Pardon?"

"Those damn bastards, who are no different from magical beasts, came a while ago and broke and burned all the boats. Thanks to them, there's not a single boat left in the harbor. We're all going to starve to death because of them."

Ashuban blinked with a dumbfounded face.

"No, why on earth would they do that?"

"How would I know?"

The tearful Sirila stomped her feet.

"Big Brother, what should we do? We can't go on a trip?"

"No."

A dark, empty harbor.

Ashuban, who had been looking at the scene, seemed to think for a moment, and then said to Sirila with a determined expression.

"If we can't, we'll make it happen."

"Pardon?"

"Siri, get on my back."

"? Okay."

Ashuban, as if gauging the weight of Siri on his back, walked toward the black, churning sea and said.

"Siri."

"Yes."

"Give me some blessings."

"What kind?"

"Hmm... stamina, speed, strength, things that make my body lighter, and so on. Things that are helpful for running."

Upon hearing Ashuban's order, Sirila immediately put her hands together and began to pray.

"A step as fast as light, an unbearable lightness that resembles the feathers of the night..."

Fwoosh!

Light and darkness appeared alternately.

The blessings of the night and day, which contained various powers, seeped into Ashuban.

"How is it?"

"Hmm."

Ashuban, who had moved his body for a moment with Siri on his back, smiled with satisfaction.

"I feel like I could fly."

Ashuban said, walking toward the sea where darkness had fallen.

"Siri."

"Yes?"

"Hold on tight."

"Okay."

The sailor who had been watching them tried to stop him.

"Hey, are you crazy?"

Thump!

But Ashuban didn't even pretend to listen and took a running start toward the sea, and then jumped into the churning sea.

"N-no, that crazy bastard!"

The night sea was dangerous.

Even he, a man of the sea who had been born and raised by the sea, would not do the crazy thing of swimming at night.

Because you could lose your life if you made a mistake.

The sailor, who had been running with a rope in his hand, saw.

"Hahahaha!"

The back of a man running on the sea.

Thump.

The rope he had been holding fell to the ground.

"W-what is that..."

While the round moon shone on the dark blue sea with a silver light.

A man ran on the sea that was churning with a silver light.

—Hahahaha...

The man's hearty laughter, the girl's giggling, and the sound of the churning waves blended together.

(End of Chapter)