𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞
Walking through the town hand-in-hand with Stella.
. . . . . .The warm stares from the townspeople and the jealous gazes from young men are painful, but I choose to ignore them.
Once I’ve taken her hand, I have no choice but to endure it.
Whether it’s the stares, the embarrassment, or the sense of happiness, as a man, all I can do is silently bear it.
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“. . . . . .Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve gone shopping like this. What should we buy?”
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To distract myself, I strike up a conversation with Stella.
Actually, this is something I need to ask.
While I have experience traveling alone, I don’t have much experience traveling as a party.
In the previous world, I once formed a party with comrades who, like me, despised the Demon King, but not a single one of them could keep up with my intense training journey, and the party fell apart within a week.
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Even those driven by the intense motivation of revenge couldn’t handle it.
There’s no way things could go smoothly with ordinary people, so since then, I’ve continued my solo journey.
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Given that background, I don’t quite understand what’s necessary for traveling as a party.
Moreover, the Hero’s Party can make meticulous and perfect preparations, thanks to abundant funds and high-level Magic Bags that can stop time on the inside.
The conditions are so different from my solo journeys that I honestly don’t know what to buy.
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“Well, I’ve only been training in the capital city, and this is my first time actually going shopping, so I can’t explain it in detail. But. . . . . .I guess the most important thing is to get food supplies.”
“I suppose so. With that Magic bag of yours, shall we stop by a restaurant and have them prepare some bento for us?”
“No, we’re just going to buy the ingredients and then prepare it ourselves, me and Rin.
There’s no guarantee that every place we stop at will have such shops, and we need to get used to it from now on.”
“I see.”
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So that’s how it is.
Come to think of it, Rin mentioned before that she and Stella were in charge of cooking.
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“There are some other miscellaneous items we need, but we still have plenty of the ones we were initially given, so it should be fine.
It’s been just under three months since we started this journey. For now, I think we should only focus on food.”
“I see. Understood.”
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So, there aren’t many places to stop along the way, huh?
Seems like we have quite a bit of time to spare.
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“In that case, can we stop by the weapon shop on our way back?
I don’t think we’ll need it right away, but I’d like to see if they have any useful tools that could serve as a temporary replacement for Kurotenmaru and Onryomaru until we can repair them.”
“Of course! . . . . . . I welcome any extension of our date.”
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Although the words from behind were whispered softly, my enhanced sensitivity seemed to catch every word.
Damn, my face is getting hot.
I hope Stella didn’t see that.
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While I was lost in such worries, we arrived at our destination—the market.
Voices calling out to customers were flying around everywhere.
Despite being the town closest to the front lines, it was surprisingly lively, which caught me off guard.
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“Ah, there’s a greengrocer. Allan, let’s go!”
“Sure.”
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Apparently, the first thing that caught her eye was a greengrocer, so Stella heads there at a jog.
Naturally, being hand-in-hand, I follow her.
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“Hey, welcome! Oh, what a lovely couple! Are you two a couple?”
“Something like that.”
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It’s not “something like that.”
She’s really being bold today.
It’s highly effective.
Give me a break.
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“HA HA HA! Well, well, how heartwarming! All right then, for the sake of young love, I’ll give you a discount!”
“Really? Thank you!”
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Stella easily succeeds in getting a price reduction.
Hey, greengrocer Uncle.
You just fell for a cute girl’s smile, didn’t you?
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“Nevertheless, it’s a vibrant town, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah! Look at those faces; I bet those young ladies are from another town, right?”
“Being the frontline city, one would often assume it’s a more dire place, but it’s not really like that in reality.”
“And all of this, it’s thanks to the heroes who are protecting this fortress and the town!”
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The greengrocer Uncle speaks proudly.
When speaking of the heroes who protect the fortress and town, it must be people like Ruberto-san and Doug-san.
They are well-respected here.
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“I’ve been running a greengrocer here for quite some time.
15 years ago, when I heard that a Demon King had appeared in a neighboring country, I felt utterly hopeless.
But not only then, the fortress has never been breached for 15 years, and the town has not been destroyed.
Thanks to that, the people of the town have gradually become reassured, and now it’s like this.”
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Saying that, the greengrocer Uncle looks around.
A marketplace filled with cheerful calls.
There are quite a few people coming and going, voices of conversations heard everywhere, and children laughing while being carried on what seems to be their fathers’ shoulders.
It’s a good town, one that you can understand being far removed from the battlefield.
Probably, having such a town nearby is what allows the frontline soldiers to fight on.
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“When I see all this, I want to live as cheerfully as possible, help the younger ones, and link this hope to the future.
So, buy something at a discount! A young couple with a future!”
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Uncle. . . . . .you’re a better guy than I thought.
I apologize for thinking you were just a lecherous old man who would immediately give a discount to attract a young woman.
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In the end, we bought vegetables at the uncle’s shop at a reasonable price, even with the discount.
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After that, we went to the butcher, fishmonger, and fruit stand, and finished shopping for food, including preserved items.
If we run out of food during our journey, we’ll have to hunt local monsters or animals, and make do with whatever plants we find.
It would be disastrous if we accidentally pick up something poisonous.
To be honest, I almost died from that in my previous world.
Who would think that a monster bird I thought was a feast would turn out to be poisonous?
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Since then, I’ve made it a point to carry long-lasting preserved food and a Magic Bag that can store a lot of it.
Now that we have Auntie Elle, who is experienced and knowledgeable, and Rin, an expert in treatment, I don’t think anything bad will happen. But just to be cautious, it’s good to store a large amount of food.
Even apart from that, the food you buy from a shop is always better than what you scavenge yourself.
I look forward to seeing how these ingredients will be transformed by Stella’s cooking.
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So, we finished buying food, put it all into the Magic Bag so it doesn’t take up much space, and headed to the weapon shop, our next destination.
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“Wow, they have a good selection.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Just as you’d expect from a weapon shop near the frontline.”
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Even with a quick glance, the store is spacious, filled wall-to-wall with swords, knives, spears, shields, axes, bows, staves, and whips—from mainstream to niche weapons.
The selection of armor and robes is also comprehensive, and most are of high quality.
There are plenty of weapons here that could easily match up with any demon.
This place is probably a go-to shop for soldiers and adventurers fighting at the frontlines.
Although I didn’t expect much, this could be promising.
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“So, did you find anything good?”
“No, it’s not that easy to find. The standards we’re looking for this time are too high.”
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In any case, the minimum standard is a 『sword that can at least contend with the Four Heavenly Kings』.
If it’s not at least of magic sword class, then it’s not even worth discussing.
Anything less than that, the wooden sword I currently have from the Divine Tree is stronger.
Even a shop of good quality probably won’t be able to meet this requirement with their standard products.
However, there’s also the possibility of finding a hidden gem, like that time with Onryomaru.
Let’s just look around the shop for now.
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Thinking that, Stella and I start to browse the shop.
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“It feels like something similar happened before.”
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Suddenly, Stella murmured that.
With a face filled with nostalgia.
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“Do you remember, Allan?”
“Yeah, it was when we went to buy a present for my 7th birthday. I remember.”
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I have memories of going to the weapons shop with Stella, and those memories exist only from that time.
It was a memory of going to the town with Stella’s father and buying Onryomaru.
Thinking about it now, that was quite a stroke of luck.
To think that a countryside shop like that was selling weapons to battle demons at such affordable prices. It was truly a miracle.
In fact, perhaps it was precisely because it was such a remote place from the battlefield that values prioritizing the bad luck of Onryomaru over its performance prevailed.
In that sense as well, luck was truly on our side.
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Anyway, that’s beside the point.
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“I remember you kept pestering Uncle to buy you a magic sword back then, causing him trouble.”
“Uh. . . . . .you remember that very well.”
“And you even left me alone to eat lunch at the restaurant across the street.”
“Well, what could I do? I was hungry!”
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Stella turns red while making excuses for her past actions.
For a short time after that, we became engrossed in old stories while looking at weapons.
We used to always challenge each other back then, and every time we did, we would rely on Mom’s Healing Magic.
Usually, we would be tossed into the bath after our duels, and Stella still seems bothered by the fact that I would undress without any hesitation.
When I said it’s nothing to worry about since we were just kids back then, she got angry.
If we wanted to, we could talk endlessly about our memories.
Discussing childhood memories is a privilege of childhood friends.
Honestly, it’s fun.
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“. . . . . .It’s really nostalgic. It’s already been 8 years since then, and 5 years since we left the village.”
“That’s true.”
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Stella spoke, her eyes seemingly focused on something distant.
Lost in thoughts of a past we can never return to.
To that Stella, I spoke.
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“If you want to go back, we can. After defeating the Demon King, let’s go back in triumph. Together.”
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I removed my gauntlet, and with my bare hand, gently placed it on Stella’s head while saying so.
Stella looked up at me with a surprised and then flushed face,
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“Yes!”
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She smiled brightly and nodded emphatically.
. . . . . . Seriously, that smile of yours is just not fair.
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◆◆◆
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“. . . . . . So, what’s this about?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’s this about?’”
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In the end, I couldn’t find the sword I was looking for at the weapon shop, and I headed back home with a slight disappointment.
I asked if she wanted to stop by, and I brought Stella to a large park.
For some reason, Stella seemed restless, but what I handed her was a complete set of equipment and a wooden sword from the Magic bag I had brought.
There was only one thing that meant.
It was time for our usual training, also known as a duel.
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“Why did it have to turn out like this?! We were finally having a good atmosphere!”
“Truth is, this suits us better. Plus, we have to keep improving until we defeat the Demon King.”
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With that said, Stella reluctantly but obediently accepted the full set of equipment.
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“Well, today was fun, so I’ll let it slide this time. But it won’t be this way next time!”
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And then, Stella ran off towards the restroom.
She seems to plan on changing there.
. . . . . .That said, what does she mean by “it won’t be this way next time”?
How long can I keep my discipline, I wonder.
I’d like to defeat the Demon King before my patience reaches its limit.
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“Huh?”
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As I was battling with my own frustrated feelings, I heard such a voice from Stella in the distance.
When I looked to see what happened, there was a familiar face walking with a blank expression.
. . . . . .No way, to encounter him at the very end of the date.
What a strange twist of fate.
I have mixed feelings.
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“Rest-kun!”
“. . . . . .Stella-san.”
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There stood the man I considered my rival, the devilish younger brother character.
In a way, he was the kind of person you’d expect to encounter during a date.
It was Rest Valkyrias.
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