To Me, Who Was Single-Handedly Holding The Front Line, You Call Me A "Useless Piece of Trash"? Fine. I'll Live as I Please And Set Out On A Journey To Find A Cute Wife. - This time, I'll Become A Hero In The Enemy Country And Bare My Fangs At My Homeland - Episode 31

“Yamagishi, actually, that’s not my name. It’s my grandfather’s name. Did I… not mention that?”

Fern puffs her cheeks slightly, saying, “I wasn’t listening.”

When I tried to poke his cheek, he got angry and told me to continue talking.

“Well then, shall I start from the beginning? You see, I’m the son of the Demon King.”

Fern’s eyes were wide open. Blinking repeatedly.

Hmm, what’s wrong?

“Hey, can you hear me?”

“Y-you’re listening, right!? W-what do you mean by that!? The son of the Demon King!?”

“It seems to be true… but you know, since I’ve never met him, I can’t tell if it’s real or fake.”

“Uh, um…!? It’s just that I can’t quite keep up with the understanding…”

“When I became aware of things, around three or five years old, I had a caretaker. She wasn’t a demon, but a human woman. She was kind. She taught me how to eat and about my situation. She told me that I was a half-demon born to a demon lord and a human woman. The place we lived in was like a small hut. That’s my earliest memory.”

“Have you been living with that woman all this time?”

“No, the Demon King’s subordinates come to check on me regularly. To see if I’m being raised well, how much magical power I have, and so on. And then, when I was about eight years old, they said there was a war with humans and took me along to participate.”

“What happened to Yamagishi-san?”

“Of course I fought. I killed a lot of humans too. They said humans were evil and our enemies. That happened many times. But every time I came back, the caretaker would always be crying. I didn’t understand it back then, but now I do. I must have hated killing humans.”

Fern was surprised yet sorrowful. I realized it as I spoke.

The caretaker’s tears didn’t make me very happy.

So maybe I was unconsciously avoiding this memory.

“Then, probably, Fern knows too, but the Demon King disappeared. I don’t know where he went either. At that time, I left the hut with the caretaker. No, it felt more like I ran away. After all, I was being watched.”

“What happened to that person…?”

In response to Fern’s question, I recall past memories.

My heart wavered just a little.

“I was killed. The demon tribe came after me, and he protected me when they tried to take me back. I killed the demons in retaliation. After that, I lived alone, but along the way, I met Grandpa.”

“Are you saying that person was Mr. Yamagishi?”

“Yeah. He was an interesting person. Of course, he was human. And he was strict. He always said, ‘Don’t steal from others, don’t hurt them, don’t kill them,’ over and over again.”

“He was a very good person, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, you liked your partner’s giant sword too.”

The giant sword is bouncing with joy.

Fern is coming to ask.

“When did you start being with the Great Sword?”

“Since I was born. All demon races are born with one weapon. I’m not a pure demon, but it seems I wasn’t an exception either. The great sword was small at first, but now it’s this magnificent.”

“Hey, hey, the blade is going to cut my cheek!”

“I see,” Fern nodded and looked up again.

“Why was Mr. Yamagishi in Toraba? Does his grandfather live there?”

“No, grandpa was killed. We met a long time ago, and it was far away.”

“Could it be… perhaps with the demon race?”

“No, they were humans. Young ones, too. Apparently, they killed for money. After that, I couldn’t make sense of things anymore. Both the demon race and humans were bad, and nothing changed. Then I wandered around and found the recruitment for the Trava Army and joined.”

“So you’ve been alone ever since then, huh?”

Fern looked sad. I didn’t understand it well back then, but now I do.

You understood my situation, didn’t you?

“Don’t make such a sad face. I’ve been living happily all along. Since meeting Fern, I’ve come to understand what’s good and what’s bad.”

When I grinned, Fern gave a slight smile.

Then, I said, “Can I talk about my story?”

“My father and mother were killed by slave traders. My younger brother was taken away, and I somehow managed to escape, but I have lived alone ever since. I was moving in search of a place of refuge, but wherever I went, half-elves were persecuted, and along the way, I was captured by the Trava army. And then, Mr. Yamagishi helped me.”

“Oh, I see. I wonder if my big brother is still alive?”

“I think it’s difficult. Slave traders were famous for being brutal and inhumane. Besides, it was a long time ago.”

I slowly approached Fern and wiped the tears that had flowed down my cheek.

“Don’t cry.”

“Yes. Yamagishi-san, please don’t leave.”

“Yeah. I need Fern to be with me. I might do something bad otherwise.”

“Hehe, I’ll do my best to stop that.”

Then Fern tilts her head.

“So, what is your real name, Yamagishi-san?”

“The caretaker used to call me ‘you’… and I didn’t even have a name back then.”

“Is that so… You don’t know anything about your mother?”

“I don’t know anything. I’ve asked, but even the caretaker didn’t know. They might already be dead.”

“I see…”

“But I hope Fern’s big brother is alive. Oh, then why don’t we look for him together?”

“Are you looking for my brother?”

“Yeah, yeah, wouldn’t it be nice if he were alive?”

“That’s right. Then, we should also look for Yamagishi-san’s mother.”

“I wonder if they’re alive. Hmm, but we don’t have any clues… Oh, right. If we look for the Demon King or the demon tribe, we might find something. So, I’ll search for my mother. Fern, you search for your brother, okay?”

Fern looked a bit complicated, but still returned to her usual expression.

“That’s true. That sounds good. However, I apologize in advance for Mr. Yamagishi, but if the Demon King is still alive, it would be a serious problem.”

“At that time, I’ll ask about your mother and then kill you, so don’t worry.”

Fern chuckles softly.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Where I am now is a room in the Verdi Knights’ headquarters.

Opening the door, Arne and Kouhai appeared.

But somehow, Arne is sulking.

“Why are you so close?”

“Could it be that I was in the way?”

Fern hurriedly pulls away.

I wonder why.

“Eh, no, what do you mean!? Hey, Yamagishi-san!?”

“I just touched your cheek a little.”

For some reason, after Fern gave him a light smack on the rear, Arne slumped his shoulders.

Did something sad happen?

More importantly――.

“Both of you have cool outfits. But why do you have different names?”

Arne and the others were wearing the uniforms of the Verdi Knights.

With a crisp white collar, it’s cool. Better than the Trava.

But the name tag has a different name on it.

The Kouhai too. By the way, it seems to be a pseudonym. I wasn’t told the real name.

“This is formal attire. After all, we are a covert unit. We switch between our public and private personas.”

“Yamagishi-san, please compliment Senpai more. They’ve been styling their hair all day to look fashionable. And their clothes, like the length of their skirt, are a bit shorter—wait, what!? Why are you hitting my butt!?”

“You talk too much… Now, Yamagishi, and Fern, the commander of the Land Knights, are calling for you.”

After that, we moved to the room of the Grand Knight Commander.

I get a little nervous before going in.

That person keeps shouting about longing and not longing, you know…

When I entered the room, Elena, Bory, and Megane-kun were there.

The commander of the Land Knights was sitting in the back chair. He stood up deliberately, slightly softening his stern expression.

“Sorry for today, considering it was just yesterday.”

“It’s okay. What’s wrong?”

“Yamagishi-san, words”

“What’s wrong?”

I can’t help but let out a sigh.

I made a mistake. What happened, was it?

“First, I wanted to report. The Trava army will be temporarily disbanded. After that, the second prince of Trava will ascend to the throne. He is highly trusted by the people, and I know him well; he is truly a good young man. There will be no more incidents like the Massacre Spider Death Creature from now on.”

“Oh, that’s great!”

“That’s true. However, there is also an unsettling story. It’s the backstory of this event.”

“Back, is it?”

“Most likely, the demon clan is involved.”

Then, the atmosphere in the room changed slightly.

“Demons, huh?”

Fern slowly asks.

I felt a slight increase in my magical power.

“Please don’t misunderstand. We have no intention of blaming Lord Yamagishi. We are merely stating the facts. We need to investigate further, but this forbidden magic is unique to the demon race. It has been concluded that it cannot be handled solely by King Baldra. If you know anything, we would appreciate it if you could share it with us.”

“Ah, sorry, but I don’t understand at all. I’m a demon, but I don’t know anything.”

Then I told Fern what I had talked about.

However, I was told in a low voice that it was okay not to mention that I was the Demon King’s son.

Just tell them about the half-human, half-demon.

Fern seemed to be on guard the whole time. Noticing this, Elina called out to her.

“Fern-chan, don’t worry. We have no intention of hurting Yamagishi-san, nor will we talk about this to anyone.”

“Yes”

“Moreover, the scene where my favorite couple hugs each other has become my number one emotional moment. It was the best. Honestly, even just thinking about it now makes me feel overwhelmed. — Ahh, I want to see that scene again, I want to see it…”

Suddenly, Elena starts shaking her legs and writhing. What’s wrong with her…?

At that moment, Mr. Bory raised his voice.

Oh, my hair has turned into three strands. Flap, flap, flap.

“By the way, both of you have received an A+ in the adventurer certification. I’ve already quit, but as a former examiner, I wanted to let you know. And thank you. I’m also grateful for your hair.”

Oh, so you’re a deeply religious person.

Somehow, it felt like three strands of hair were looking at me.

And then the commander of the Land Knights invited me to continue the dinner party.

Fern’s sandwich has been postponed until tomorrow morning, but it’s nice to have something to look forward to.

When I stepped out into the hallway, there were many knights of Verdi who guided me.

“Yamagishi-san, if the demon tribe is involved… it’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?”

“Really? If they’re doing something bad, shouldn’t we just kill them?”

Fern, with her eyes wide open. She looks like a cat.

“It seems like something Yamagishi would do.”

“Really? Oh, right, the shoplifter isn’t here, huh?”

Just as I was thinking that, someone called out to me from behind.

“I’ve been here the whole time. Why don’t you understand?”

“Eh, why are you wearing that outfit?”

“I was recruited. They asked if I wanted to work at Verdi. The salary is good, I have nowhere else to go, so I accepted right away.”

“Hey, let’s go on a rampage with invisible slashes together!”

“I’m fed up with going through such dangerous situations. Give me a break.”

“That’s unfortunate… Does that mean becoming a soldier?”

“Well, I haven’t been told the details yet, but they want you to join Arne’s squad. — Just between us, it seems that most of the members are women. It’s not supposed to be a particularly dangerous squad, so it should be fun.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

“Right? You’re envious, aren’t you?”

The Manbiki laughed heartily.

Speaking of which, didn’t Lieutenant German say something?

Weren’t they the Genocide Squad or something? Well, whatever.

“By the way, is Manbiki your real name?”

“Well… I’ll abandon the name Toraba. I’ll live as Manbiki, partly as a form of atonement.”

Come to think of it, you’re a criminal, aren’t you?

What did he do, even though he’s such a good guy? But well, the past is the past.

Speaking of which, I was also invited by Arne, but what should I do?

But if I stay here forever, I won’t be able to find Fern’s brother.

Then, next to me, Fern was smiling like a cat.

“What’s wrong, Fern?”

“No, I’m just happy to be able to spend some peaceful time.”

“I’m going to be busy again. I need to look for Fern’s brother.”

“Thank you very much. But, Yamagishi-san’s mother too.”

“Yeah, but if we meet, what should we talk about? Oh, I know, how about I tell you about the people I’ve killed so far? Actually, I’ve been keeping a record of their last words. How about I introduce them in a ranked order?”

“That’s absolutely fine to not say. I’ll burn that note later.”

Then Fern said with a serious face. Her eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Yes

Yes

Ah, even the imaginary fern glared at me.

Let’s be careful next time.