29-sai Dokushin wa Isekai ch.61

Weekly chapters (2/2)

Sorry for the delay. Post-new year event and golden week, so many things need to be done IRL.
Expect more chapters on this weekend.

Enjoy and stay safe everyone!

Translator: Raizu
Editor: Mirp

Episode 61 ~Visiting the Oni again~

[Alright then, we will now head to the Oni village…]

I said as I looked at all of my entourage.

[My older sister is busy with Kusuha at the moment.]

The first was Tina, who stood next to me with a relaxed face. Tina usually wore princessly attire since she’s mostly dealing with indoor tasks, but today she’s wearing a more compact dragonskin dress for the negotiations with the Oni village. The dress looked like a regular dress, but was made from dragon leather. Also, I enchanted it with magic that could automatically deploy a defensive barrier when an attack was detected. In a sense, it’s even sturdier than most full body armors out there. The same magic was also present on the tiara she wears. That way, even someone with barely any fighting power like Tina could safely go to the Oni village.

[We aren’t going to fight anyway, so what’s with the overprotection?]

Deborah asked with a smile. But I’m having none of it. Even I could receive serious injury from something I thought would be harmless. So one can’t be too careful. Although I do understand that making it look like a warrior attire was a bit too much.

[I wish you would wear the dress I’ve made for you though]

[I’ll pass. That kind of dress doesn’t suit me well, and it’s uncomfortable.]

Deborah shrugged her shoulders in resignation, but I knew what she meant. Actually, I had secretly commissioned Marl to concoct a potion that could either thin out Deborah’s fur, or make her look distinctly more human. Even so, I still like Deborah as she is, so it’s actually fine the way it is now. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get used to it, but once I did it, I was really worrying over nothing. My wide strike range started to make me scared.

[Is it really alright for me to get such fine armor?]

While saying so, Kay Jay was adjusting each part of the armor with no expression. He was equipped with a mail with dragon scales attached to soft leather armor made of hydra leather. It’s very simple to put on, just lower it down over your head and fasten it with a side belt and metal fittings. Only the torso of the upper body is covered, and the shoulders and arms were exposed. However, the arms and legs were equipped with simple gauntlets and shin pads were made of similar materials.
It can be said that it is a mobility-oriented armor that protects only the most fatal parts.

[Please report your thoughts on the armor later. You know the dwarven smiths that arrived recently, right?]

[Yes, I got it.]

I nodded back to Kay Jay. Right, as a matter of fact, Ritz-san and Peron-san had already moved to this territory. The couple agreed to move in exchange for the recipe to refine godsilver alloy. Ritz-san was a little reluctant at first, but couldn’t go against the will of his wife, Peron-san.
Peron-san herself was excited to be able to refine godsilver alloy just as much as she’s interested in having the support of my riches. The material from the unknown monsters of the Great Sea of Trees in particular. She’s working as the teacher of the artisans of the beastkin and arachnean.
She specialized in armor, shields, and other defensive equipment. She’s also quite well versed in making armored dresses, making the armor part less conspicuous most importantly.

[It is light and easy to wear. I feel no discomfort when moving.]

Moving his limbs and tail, Kay Jay jumped and bounced around, looking impressed. He specialized in using his claws and tail. He’s also proficient in throwing weapons made from monster materials.
We once had a hand-to-hand sparring fight before. He’s using an entirely foreign fighting style for me, not to mention that he’s also nimble yet strong. It was a quite interesting way of fighting to say the least. He would follow up a roundhouse kick with tail smash, or use his tail to increase the power of his jump, or do a complex maneuver while midair that could only be done if one has a tail. I took some hits and was forced into a defensive position at first.
But once I got a chance to strike, the match was immediately over due to the difference in our skill level.

[So, only the four of us are going to visit the Oni?]

[Yeah, that’s right. Marl is still in the middle of ‘counseling’ with Kusuha, Fram is on a business trip to Karendil kingdom, we can’t take Karen and the rest since it might get dangerous, while Melchina won’t stop pampering me no matter where we are. On the other hand, Tina can handle negotiation smoothly, Deborah is level headed while also the representative of the beastkin, and Kay Jay can act as middleman. Yamato is super duper busy as we speak, and Torn is exterminating monsters near the road laying sites while also testing the new type of weapon I made with the experimental unit.]

I believe Torn’s experimental unit was testing disposable anti-large monster weapons right now.
Exploding Dart――it’s a large dart that can propel itself with wind magic once thrown. It can pierce the target before exploding. I had a hard time securing a source of magical power to use as an explosive and propellant. Not to mention simplifying it so that it could be easily made by people other than myself. Since it’s a single-use type of weapon, there’s no sense in making them myself one by one. And with mass production in mind, expensive materials are a no go.
In the end, I made the main body from black steel and brass, with a little bit of mithril. As for the magic power source, meant as the propellant and explosive, it was made from the leftovers of monster’s magic core processing.
It worked, for the time being. But variation in explosive power and speed was expected. If I were to address that problem, we’ll have to somehow make a proper measurement for the materials.
Processing the black steel and brass shouldn’t pose a problem, the mithril processing involves magic engraving. If I aim for mass production, I’m gonna have to train some craftsmen or develop a specialized machine to do the engraving.
Whoops, I digress.

[Yosh, let’s go. We can’t let them wait for too long.]

[The Oni… I am looking forward to seeing what kind of people they are.]

[I’m a little scared.]

While listening to such a conversation between Deborah and Tina, I opened the menu, specified the Oni village from the map, and opened the transfer gate. Well, I said that we would come to negotiate, but who knows what would happen?

=====

[Finally. Just when I thought you forgot about us.]

[Don’t be like that. I was busy with the city’s development.]

Appearing all of a sudden near the gate of the village, the village guard immediately saw and took us to the village. The Onis who guarded the gate were equipped with armor made of monster material and had a terrifying atmosphere around them, but the job to guide us inside was taken over by a small female Oni in a beautiful kimono.
The height of the small Oni floated around 1 to 1 and a half meters, compared to the 2 or more meter tall large demons. To be honest, she looked like a kid. But the reaction of the gatekeeper suggests that she held a fairly high position in the village.

[Are all the clothes female humans wear always this beautiful?]

[Not all, but this one I am wearing was tailored personally by my beloved husband. Your kimono is also really nice. The fabric has a nice gloss and the thread shines nicely. ]

[Isn’t it? My husband asked a certain person to weave this kimono for me. This one is my favorite. It is also stronger than regular armor.]

Before I knew it, Tina and the small female Oni were already engaged in a girly talk. Certainly, the kimono worn by the small female Oni was a beautiful item. It was a gem in which colorful flowers were woven with gold thread and silver thread on a glossy black cloth reminiscent of a jet-black night sky. Most likely made from Arachnean’s threads.
Didn’t the relationship between the Oni and Arachneans worsen recently? Then it’s probably commissioned before that.
All Oni who passed us by along the road would deeply bow at the small female Oni without exception. Wasn’t Enki the chieftain the last time I came here? The level of respect people offered to her seemed to be much higher.

[Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Irori, Enki’s wife.]

[…eh, for real? That huge old guy Enki’s wife?]

[My husband is uselessly skinny.]

When I turned to Kay Jay for confirmation, he simply nodded silently. Apparently it’s real. But the stark difference in body size tho…

[By the way, I am stronger than Enki.]

I turned to Kay Jay once more, only to see him nodding silently once more. Apparently it’s also true. How in the world?

[I am just a woman sick of talking about politics, but I simply can’t leave this matter to him this time.]

[Why?]

[It is simple. I do not know how you did it, but didn’t you cleanse that infested land from ghosts? I also heard that you procured salt and food from outside to build a city in the midst of the Sea of Trees. Normally I would call bullshit.]

The small female Oni who introduced herself as Irori stared at me. What?

[But, we have highly accurate information that you really did purify the infested land and even built a wall and city there. The same source also mentioned the existence of a large-scale anti-monster barrier.]

[Information?]

[Don’t you know that the fairies can get in and out freely? They are mischievous and troublesome, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do business with them.]

Oh… so the fairies were spying on us? No, more like the Oni probably gathered information from the fairies who came and went. Nobody cares when they come and go afterall. However, that also means we’ll have to think up a countermeasure for this. I wonder if any confidential information has been stolen.

[Fuhn… no need to be alerted. They are innocent and especially sensitive to ill intent. Nothing you need to worry about. The information we’ve heard from them is merely how the people over there live. Focusing on bland topics like the foods, as well as stories of pranks and funny mischief.]

[Thank goodness.]

[By the way, it seems that you are a particularly popular target for their mischief. They had the most fun pranking you apparently.]

[They have it coming now!]

I’m gonna punish every single fairy I come across later. I really should up the punishment and do something about it. Maybe I should make an automated machine to keep the fairies in line? Something that could restrain and tickle them perhaps?

[By the way, are we going over there?]

[Un, that is our meeting place. Where we get together when we need to talk and decide something. Is something wrong?]

I saw Irori tilted her head in response to Deborah’s question.

[Well, that does seem wrong though?]

Both Tina and Deborah nodded in agreement with me.
That’s right. At first glance, the meeting place looked like an outdoor fighting ring. Definitely meant not to discuss something without a fight.
Don’t tell me it’s that kind where we “speak with our fists” type?

[Are we going to negotiate or have a fistfight?]

[I daresay it’s probably less on the negotiation side and more toward fistfights.]

[Do you think so? In any case, discussions were held here almost everyday to get my opinions.]

[That…sounds like it will be interesting…]

Even now the larger sized male Onis were in the midst of fighting, splashing blood and sweat all over the ring that was made of stones. They were fighting as if their life was on the line. Heavy hitting sounds could be heard whenever their punches connected.

[Speaking of which, what are they discussing right now?]

[Which spring season ingredient is better; mushroom or bamboo shoots.]

[Of course it is mushroom.]

[Shouldn’t it be bamboo shoots?]

[Oy, stop it right there.]

It seemed that the mushroom-bamboo shoots conflict spread to other people. Tina seems to be on the mushroom side, while Deborah on the bamboo shoots. Me? I like both, so I can’t really pick between the two. Let’s just say that I’m on the opportunistic side. I’ll just eat up everything while everyone else is busy fighting it out.

[Please, we discuss stuff this way only when it’s between Onis. It might be part of our culture, but when we are dealing with other races, we basically discuss things by talking.]

[Naturally. I know that, of course.]

Having said that, Irori grinned mischievously. Apparently she’s just teasing me. But it didn’t sound like a joke, so please stop, will you?
I also noticed this after taking more look at the Onis who had been fighting with each other in the name of discussion. Most of them were men, but some were women. Uho, isn’t that a little overexposed?

[Ouch, that’s hurt.]

[Don’t ogle too much.]

Deborah struck me in the flank. Tina also stared at me with scorn. It can’t be helped, I’m just a man. It’s almost like a habit or instinct to be fascinated with a dynamite body that was boing boing. So please bear with it.

[Fuhn,]

[Nah, I’m actually older than I look. It’s just that, my younger body gets the best of me sometimes.]

I tried not to think about it too much, but it feels like my thoughts and actions were greatly driven by my bodily reaction. Most likely because my body had been rejuvenated to its youthful self, not to mention gaining all these cheat-like powers. Before I came to this world, I rarely felt aroused. Worse, I was often plagued with self deprecating feelings and withdrawal. To put it better, my mind was more stable and calm now.
But I digress, there’s no point in worrying about it now. I simply can’t control it. Instead, I’ll just rely on my wives to warn or scold me whenever my impulses get the better of me.

[Humph, you’re finally here. I almost got tired of waiting.]

[Sorry for the wait. And that patch right in the middle of your face looks good on you.]

[…gunu.]

Enki was silenced by my remark.
A huge adhesive plaster was stuck in the middle of his strict face. I had no choice but to take a stab at it. The person who was thrust in does not make a noise――no, it seems that he only makes a noise.

[So, let me ask this once more; is the Oni willing to promote trade and personnel exchanges with the territory we pioneered?]

[Of course… but there is one condition.]

[What is it?]

Since it was Irori speaking instead of Enki, it made me anxious more than it should, especially with her sing-song tone. If it’s an easy condition, I’ll bite. But if it’s a weird or difficult one, maybe a rampage will settle it――no, what’s the point of discussing things peacefully then?

[If we are to interact with each other positively, like exchanging supplies and personnel, we’ll need a proper contract. Otherwise, when an unlikely event of conflicting interest happened, whatever we agreed upon in this discussion will only be a verbal promise with no weight. What I mean is the opportunity to regularly review the content of the deal. While we rarely interact with outsiders, sorry if this sounds offending, but we know enough about human’s trickiness. We don’t want to be unilaterally exploited without us noticing.]

[I see. It’s only natural to think that way. I want to coexist with the Oni for as long as possible. And to do that, I want to build a mutually beneficial relationship.]

[I am of the same mind. A relationship where only one side is gaining all the benefits would not last long.]

With a wink of an eye, Tina immediately added to my reply.
Well, it’s not fun for anyone if only the other party gains the benefit. Everyone would think so. I’m the same. Even the Oni would think so too. However, it is also the nature of human beings to want to benefit from the other person. I can’t speak for the Oni though.

[That’s right, I’m honestly not very smart, and I’m an amateur when it comes to things like trade treaties. How should we decide on this?]

[Well, when it comes to trade treaties between countries, matters related to entry and residence of the people of both countries, protection of the body and property, the right to freedom of commercial activities, treatment when each other’s people commit crimes, tariffs and other trade matters. Have you arranged all that?]

[I see. Is it alright to just wing it now?]

[No way.]

[Thought so.]

What a surprise that my roundabout method didn’t work. Can’t believe it failed. I believe that something like that should be left to the expert. If an amateur handled it, it wouldn’t end well.
Speaking of experts, it was necessary to arrange a legal maintenance expert. Oh, what a hassle, what a hassle. Isn’t it okay to leave everything to the experts? Look at me, bringing in people as instructed and doing civil engineering work. Did I do my best? Was it useless?

[It seems to me that it will be impossible to decide today. Why don’t you put together a rough draft first and squeeze in some details for later?]

[About that, with my transfer gate, it will be easy for me to come and go right awa.y]

[Ah, let’s talk about that as well.]

After confirming the consent of both parties, we will first discuss how to proceed with this discussion. It seems that Enki will also participate this time, since he and Irori sat side by side in front of the three of us. Kay Jay sat down in a position to mediate us, perhaps because he was an observer.
By the way, we are sitting on a goza laid next to a special ring. Cushions were also placed on the goza for us to sit on. It’s like having a cherry blossom viewing.

[For the time being, I don’t think it’s fair for me to come here to talk every time.]

[That said, you do know that it’s fairly difficult for us to go to your city, yes?]

[Oh, no, you misunderstand. I can always come here to pick you all up, so that the next meeting can be held in Clover. You guys haven’t seen the territory yet, right? I believe there are things better to be seen and experienced personally.]

[Humph, what if you take the person who came for the negotiation as hostage?]

[Wanna say that again?]

[Milord, please calm down. And you too, Master Enki. It is only natural that the Master has that worry, but Milord will never do that. As the representative of the riverkin, I can guarantee that. If this is proven wrong, you are free to bake me or boil me alive.]

Kay Jay immediately got between me and Enki to pacify us.
That’s right, say more. In the first place, if I wanted to do it, it would take less than five minutes to make this village a vacant lot. Why would I even need to take a hostage? If I want to be threatening, why should I bother to take the people who came to the negotiations hostage, when I can take this village itself as a hostage.

[This may sound weird coming from me, but Taichi doesn’t do that kind of thing. Even when he first came to the Beastkin Village, he helped us with almost no reward. In the Karendil Kingdom, beastkins like us can fetch for a lot of money if sold as slaves. Still, Taichi didn’t do that, and on the contrary, prepared a new living place for us. I mean, he often acted noddy and all, but he’s still a kind man at the root. So you can think that he won’t do that kind thing that will leave『Bad Aftertaste』]

[Wait, you.]

[Speaking of which, the other day, you launched an attack against the village that would probably kill my husband if left for too long. That was such an underhanded attack]

Irori bitterly smiled. That odorous Surströmming was oddly effective.

[It was simply salted fishes I sent as a thank you for those arrows you shot at me. Now I wonder, who drew the first blood in this case?]

[Nobody knows.]

Frustrated from seeing that smug face, I tried to use Appraisal Eye on Enki. But for some reason I couldn’t see anything. Normally, a window showing the appraisal result appears, but even that does not appear. However, there is an unpleasant sensation of itching in the back of my eyes.

[That is no use, we have countermeasures against unwanted peepers.]

I involuntarily felt slapped by that giggle from Irori. I really am not good with this one. Even if she looks like a little girl, I’m sure that she’s much older than me.

[To continue the discussion, I agree with Taichi-san’s proposal. I’d like to see Clover with my own eyes. We will bring along about four to five people, just like you did today. How about that?]

[For me, it doesn’t matter how many people there are. Well, considering the number of people who respond, I think it’s about 10 people at the maximum.]

I’m going to have people look around freely as it is, but I have to attach security to these people so as not to enter dangerous places or private places. I’ll be in trouble if they bring too many.

[I think that is about right. What do Irori-sama and Enki-sama think?]

[Fumu, that sounds good. It won’t be too awkward if there are ten people.]

[Right. We can consider this as some sort of test trial, I guess?]

[If so, let’s make adjustments in that direction. Why don’t Milord bring along the staff from Clover, the ladies, the riverkin, and the Milord’s mistresses?]

[Stop calling them mistresses. Because they’re not my mistresses.]

What are you laughing at lizardman? I’ll peel off your skin and make it into a wallet.
When he said ‘mistresses’, Kay Jay was referring to the demi-human slaves that Viscount Saiden kept. Apparently the Viscount had a hobby of smuggling demi-human female slaves, so I went to rescue the slaves and had him ‘mysteriously go missing’.
There were many who had no idea where to go, so after many twists and turns, they ended up staying on my territory, Clover, while it’s still underdeveloped. I understand that in that regard, people could see me as some sort of a noble prince on a white horse.

[I wish you’d one day acknowledged it.]

[Have any of them confessed that they bear my child? Have any of them?]

[Hahaha, we adore and honor heroic individuals. Especially if our locals can inherit their blood. Would you like to marry some of our village women? Nn?]

[Sorry, but that kind of request is quite difficult for me to decide on my own…]

Whether I accepted or declined it, I’d be in trouble regardless.