Vol. 08 – Chapter 9 Border Village I

Be Warned, this content is Machine Translated with some editing done from my part. I also try to read the Japanese text and use a dictionary like jisho.org, but my Japanese is at the very beginner level (hiragana, katakana, and less than 500 kanji), so don’t expect much.

I may or may not remove a very small amount of content, only if I wasn’t able to get a good translation, and didn’t affect the story.

Harem Shujinkou

Shira’s armor isn’t as scary during daytime, but as expected, during nighttime is a different story. Adding to the unusually evil design coming from the elves, the eerie reflection of her lustrous new dark armor can be quite frightening.

As we headed to the village chief’s house, where Ann was located, the villagers that were gathering around the bonfire pulled back roughly. One of them approached me while looking rather terrified, and hesitated to speak to me.

Again, it’s likely that Shira’s equipment is the main reason, but if you look closely, the ears and tail that pop out her eerie armor are very cute.

The only other suspicious individuals would have to be Lillia and Tilika, who hide their faces lightly with a hood, but as they’re hidden behind Shira, they’re not noticeable at all.

As for my appearance, well, I usually wear a big shield on my back and I can’t hide my armor with a mantel because I’m constantly moving during battle. I can no longer wear leather armor like Francesca because I’m mainly fighting on the front line. But being as short as I am, and compared to other adventurers, I can’t be frightening at all. As for everyone else, especially Sati, there is no way their equipment is causing this.

Until Shira get’s a new set of armor, it shouldn’t hurt much to rely on the one she has for now.

“Isn’t that armor getting quite the response?”

“Yes, Lilia nee-sama. As expected of Elf’s blacksmithing, it’s a superb piece of armor.”

Shira said that, even though the villagers were blatantly afraid, she seemed rather happy.

“Did you like it?”

“The more attention I get to myself during battle, the safer other members will be.”

I don’t know how effective it will be against a different range of enemies, but its efficiency will certainly be tremendous against humans.

“Great determination, Shira. I actually feel that you may be more suited at defence than me.”

I suppose Lillia will finally give up on the role of being our shield.

Lilia’s shield skill may be getting quite high with her spirit guard, but her magical offensive power is better. And when she pairs with me, Lilia can be quite versatile and convenient to keep around as just a vanguard. The current Shira may be overwhelmingly inferior to Lilia, but it won’t be long before she catches up to us.

Besides, I wasn’t sure if me or Sati would be enough protection for Lilia while we had her train as a shield in our previous formation. So I also ended up taking the role of shield in the meantime. Removing her as a shield may be for the better.

“Leave it to me, Lilia nee-sama”

“If you feel like you can’t play the role of a shield, let me know properly, okay?”

I wonder, does she feel like giving up on a role as a vanguard as well? Her points are given priority to increase her magic, so she would have to master swordsmanship and shield skills on her own to be a proper vanguard. So far she doesn’t have any vanguard skills, far from being a sword or shield, there is no way she fits that role either. There is a long and arduous road for those who have never trained to acquire combat skills.

But the elf is a long lived and long-suffering creature. It’s only been two months since she started training, and she probably thinks a few years of training is nothing.

Lilia seems to be aiming for a style where she can cut into the enemy lines, a magic-swordsman like me.

Apart from that, she didn’t change her mind about being a shield because of me, right?

The biggest house I saw when I walked through the square was the village chief’s house. Ann is currently providing missionary treatment in one of the rooms, while Will and Francesca can be seen in the corner of the room standing guard. There are only some elderly people waiting for treatment, but nothing urgent, so most of the treatment is over.

“Thank you for your hard work. How was it?”

“It looked like they had started building their nest, so I crushed them completely.”

Ann seemed relieved by my reply, but I found her behavior right after arriving a bit strange. I wonder what’s going on.

“Oh! As expected of an A rank party! Your work is fast! Thank you very much!”

I explained in detail the location and appearance of the nests to the village chief. I also let him know that although we don’t think we missed anything, by the time we finished our subjugation it was nighttime, so there were limits to what we could check afterwards.

But for the time being, just eliminating the nests seems to be enough for our job. It seems they have a system in place where each village can call for reinforcements from other villages for when the fight may get dangerous.

“By the way, regarding the subjugation fee…”

Speaking of which, we never mentioned anything about our reward for this request before departing.

The treatment was pretty much work that Ann received as a priest, so I am aware that it should be regarded as missionary work provided by the temple. But the subjugation request was taken by me, an adventurer, and our party is A rank to boot, so it should be fair to expect a certain amount for our fees. Well, we pretty much decided to take care of it right after Ann, who is part of our party, presented herself as a priest, so it can’t be helped.

“This time it’s a request from the temple priest, so there is no need to worry about that.”

The village chief seems to be relieved by my words.

In any case, these villages don’t seem to be doing so well with money, and the Adventurer’s Guild will provide some remuneration after we deliver the subjugation report. Ellie doesn’t seem to mind either, lately she’s been more concerned about fame than money.

As per usual me, Anne, and Ellie make the financial decisions for the party. Lilia sometimes gives us some feedback, but she doesn’t care much about money, being an elven princess. Shira cares more about gaining strength than money, and Will, well, his parents are probably extremely rich, and right now the blessing is probably the only thing in his mind.

In addition all our current equipment is being provided to us by the elves, so no one actually needs to be too concerned about money.

“What about today’s lodging? We’re all tired so it’s best for everyone to take a break early.”

“I have prepared a room for you on the second floor. I have also prepared the bath for anyone who wishes to use it.”

That’s right, Ann tells me. The room is large and can accommodate us all. The bath seems to be large enough for two to three people to enter together. Let’s all go to bed today after taking a bath and having a light dinner. I’m not in the mood for a banquet.

Is not like I got tired from our two battles, but today we left at dawn and were on the move all the time. Besides, while flying, Sati’s auditory detection is useless due to the wind noise, so we end up heavily relying on my detection skill. Ah, that was quite tiring.

However, as expected, the village chief offered to set up a welcoming banquet.

What should I do? I guess we have no choice but to decline as politely as possible. As I was pondering on a way to refuse, Shira came to the rescue.

“My master is tired.”

At Shira’s curt response, the village chief couldn’t help but to just shut up and give up on the idea. Dark armor can also be useful at times like this.

“I’m sorry, but we’re in a rush during this trip, so having lodging for the night is enough for us right now.”

So I let the village chief know why we have to refuse. Besides, I have to consult with everyone about any increase in level and skill points allocation, so we don’t have time to enjoy a banquet. Should we also have a review meeting?

“Ann, I’ll help you with the rest of the treatment. Once we’re done, let’s get together and talk about tomorrow’s plans. Everyone should go to our room first and relax.”

The treatment ended immediately with two people.

The room we’re staying in is reasonably large, with furniture in the corner to add bedding.

I took off my equipment with Sati’s help, then got dressed comfortably, and finally sat down on the floor to start our review meeting.

Francesca was adamant about joining our meeting. She said she wanted to talk about tomorrow’s schedule as well. Wouldn’t it be better to kick her out? Oh, well.

“So our fight with the orcs was our first actual battle with our new members. What are your thoughts on today’s battle?”

“I think they both did well.”

That’s what Ellie says, and everyone else agrees.

“I also think we did well, but I wonder if there was a safer and easier way to fight”

Will shares his opinion. But it’s better to have the two of them earn a lot of experience points, so having them take on the demons by themselves, with us as backup is still a good idea.

“But I want you to have a lot of practical experience by the time we reach Hiragis, so why not keep fighting like today? At least there is no choice but to keep at it to some extent.”

I don’t think it’s a bad idea to earn experience points safely and become stronger, but what about the two of them? They have a lot of catching up to do.

“What is your take on this Shira and Will? I know we suddenly had you rush into a horde of orcs today.”

“I’m fine with more dangerous battles, my Lord.”

“I think I can handle something like today just fine.”

Their opinions are divided. But for the time being, if it’s as dangerous as it was today, is it acceptable for both of them?

“I also wouldn’t mind getting my turn earlier”

Francesca I’d like to be quiet If possible.

“But you promised the Duke, when he let you take this journey, that you wouldn’t do anything too dangerous.”

“If you had let me use my own armor, it wouldn’t be too dangerous for something like an orc attack.”

I guess that’s true when it comes to the defence it would provide, but using that kinky armor during our journey is… Francesca shouldn’t come into play during our hunting anyway.

“Fran-sama is someone we were hired to guard during this journey, so you don’t have to fight, right?”

How unusual for Sati to give her opinion.

“But is there no way to let me use my strength?”

“For now I’ll ask you for help only if we end up dealing with too many enemies. So your help will consist of something similar to today.”

“Understood.”

Ending up in a pinch, where we’ll need enough strength to help avoid the destruction of a country, such a scene is unlikely during our journey.

“And how should we handle the rewards for Fran? She fought with us today, even if just a little, and will probably end up helping us in the following days.”

“I don’t need a reward.”

Well, Francesca is from a rich family, so she doesn’t lack any money.

“So don’t hesitate to abuse my hellp at all.”

“You killed one orc today. Now you can boast about being among the adventurers that have beaten an orc.”

“When I set out on a journey like this, I’d like to boast about something more intimidating than a battle with an orc…”

You can say that only because you’ve never had a near-death experience in a real battle.

“Then, shall I be your opponent?”

“I’d rather have Masaru. After all you claim he’s stronger than you, right Sati?”

Things are getting heated up around here. If it’s a light match, it could be good training practice, and a better way to deal with the current mood. 

“If only we had time to spare.”

At the pace we’re going, we don’t have much time to do training matches. Tomorrow we’ll start flying at around 8 o’clock in the morning, and will likely keep going until sunset. And I don’t think we should train during our breaks.

“Actually, I flew all day today and the spirits still have a lot of power left over, so I think I can speed up more tomorrow.”

So according to Lillia we may be able to shorten our travel time by about 3 hours. We could also try to keep going until sunset and shorten our Journey time, but is that feasible?

“Honestly, I think increasing our speed and then continuing our flight until sunset like today might be tough.”

Oh, I understand that well. Just like riding on a horse-drawn carriage It’s a lot easier than walking, but the driver will still get tired. As the one having to keep the spirit magic active throughout the day, Ellie will definitely get tired as well.

Increasing the speed and having more time to rest should also be easier for me, as my time using detection will be shortened, but…

“Then we can afford the time starting tomorrow, right? I’m looking forward to it.”

I’m still not sure if I should have a rematch with her, but how about letting her participate in battle more? I’ve seen plenty of how Francesca fights, and if she’s in good shape, she might be able to fight with her sword alone.

“Speaking of battle, the villagers have suddenly seen an increased number of monsters these days. Could they be flowing in from Hiragis?”

So Ann tells me what she has heard from the villagers.

“Isn’t Hiragis still far away from here?”

It should still be a long way from here. It would take almost two months in a carriage.

“I wonder if the monsters are showing up this late because it’s that far away?”

It’s been about five months since Hiragis fell. Are the demons invading all the way here by using a hole in the border defences?

“If that’s the case, why not start the recapture operation sooner?”

I know it can take some time to gather a large force, but five months should be more than enough time to be ready to carry out such an operation.

“For one, the rainy season is coming soon to Hiragis.”

According to Will, the rain seems to be so heavy that some places get flooded, and if the army gets immobilized after entering deep into Hiragis, it will be a matter of life and death.

So it’s unclear when the operation will start because it depends on the weather?

“If there is nothing else to discuss, then let’s take a bath. Let’s enter together Sati. Shira, would you like to join us?”

I have to look at every nook and cranny of Shira’s body to see if it got damaged by any armor misalignment.

It seems that Tilika and Lillia will join us. It can get a little cramped with five people, but let’s enjoy it.

I thought I wasn’t going to get the chance to run into any erotic situations during the trip, but wouldn’t it be permissible to remove all inhibitions for a little while during bath time?

Anne and Ellie have their turn afterwards. What a shame they didn’t join us.

As for Will and Francesca… they’re outside? Wooden swords clashing can be heard clashing, they must be going at it.

“Should we have some light training as well?”

“Yes, Masaru-sama.”

Today let’s practice that technique that Sergeant showed us. I’m not going to show it to Francesca, so let’s take Sati and Shira secretly away from where she and Will are training.

He only showed us once, but there was a hint in his stance and footwork. Perhaps Sati was also able to notice that there was some fairly advanced footwork on one Sergeant’s foot during that time.

Is possible that the power of the foot is put towards the swing of the sword to increase its instantaneous power. At present we can only reproduce a powerful blow. But we can’t manage to get even close to the speed he demonstrated.

“I’m not doing enough. The Sergeant’s footwork technique was deep.”

Of course we are doing our best. And even if we’re training in what looks like soft soil, the area we picked should be hard enough as it has been compacted. It doesn’t leave footprints that easily.

Still, It must have been a considerable burden for Sergeant’s leg. He is supposed to suffer from a broken knee, and was never able to get fully healed. Maybe he beared as much as he could so he could show us that technique.

“The path of the sword is a long one.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to training.”

“It seems that our dinner is ready. We should end it for today.”

I heard the voice of one of the village chief’s family members calling us over for dinner, so I finish my training with Sati and Shira.

When we returned to the village chief’s house, Francesca, who was dusty after a long day and then some training, came out from the bath.

“That Will has a good arm, he’s a good sparring partner for practice.”

Because he has swordsmanship level 5. Sparring with Francesca should also be good training for Will.

It would be nice if Will could be left to deal with Francesca from now on. With his ties to the Empire it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have him deal with anything regarding the royal family. As a high ranking member of the neighboring country he should take responsibility.

“Oh yeah. He’s quite a talented individual. I think he’ll be as good or better than me in no time at all.”

Well, even if he does, I feel like I will always have more qualities than he does.

“Hou, now that’s interesting.”

Francesca seems a little intrigued by my remark.

Alright, new travel assignment: Will is to be in charge of Francesca. It would be bad if me or someone else is too rude with her, but as someone of similar standing, it should be okay with him.

I’m currently looking for volume 10, please let me know where to find it, or if you can provide me with a copy of it. I’m currently using scanned novels, so I don’t mind a scanned version, but an epub or text version would be helpful.

If you want to help me release faster, helping me with the OCR process, editing, spellchecking among other things, would be great. Please let me know.

Harem shujinkou

• Tenohira Pioneer Village Vol. 1 – Prologue

  I was walking through a newly built village in the slightly fragrant sea breeze. Most of the village is made up of fields and orchards, and you can see sheep and buffalo grazing in the distance. The white cobblestone road that runs through the village is unbelievably magnificent.

  ---

  October 1, 2023

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