New chapter of Nameless Hero is out! (1/3 chapters)
Formation of Red Jade
(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
On the first day, I visited Conran’s Inn with Alfred and Dwayne because we needed to register as an adventurer party to receive a quest. When we opened the front door of the Conran Inn and stepped inside, a bell rang to announce our arrival.
“Welcome… Oh?” (Nancy)
The Conran Inn’s poster girl, Nancy Conran-san, greeted us. She looked wonderful in her apron.
Her reputation extended beyond Soltaire, attracting patrons who used this rural inn as a restaurant.
“Is there something the three of you needed?” (Nancy)
“Nancy-saaaan.” (Dwayne)
“Dwayne-san, you’re here late today.” (Nancy)
“Well, uh… Jack held me back… had breakfast… then, uh… something like that?” (Dwayne)
“Oh, is that so? Jack-san made a good defense, it seems.” (Nancy)
“Ah, don’t say that…” (Dwayne)
Dwayne, a fan of Nancy-san, looked devastated. However, she didn’t seem to resent Dwayne’s persistence and remained fair. That was one of her remarkable qualities.
“Nancy-san, sorry for the trouble yesterday. Today, we’re here for the adventurer guild.” (Alfred)
“Are you finally reviving Liberta?” (Nancy)
“No, Liberta… will have to wait until we gather the members properly.” (Alfred)
Alfred had his reasons. Without the original five members, it couldn’t be called Chevalier de Liberta. Even with my return, reviving Liberta right away wasn’t an option.
“For now, I’m planning to steadily and diligently take on quests again.” (Alfred)
“Hehe, that’s unusual for Alfred-san. Please, this way.” (Nancy)
Nancy led us to a counter separate from the kitchen counter.
“Please remove your Managram and hand it over.” (Nancy)
“Alright, here you go. …Wait, Jack, don’t tell me…” (Alfred)
“Managram?” (Jack)
My Managram was broken. Rather than ‘broken’, it was severely deformed and no longer functional.
“Without a Managram, you can’t register for a party.” (Nancy)
“What?! Really?” (Jack)
I had no idea. I didn’t remember much about when I joined Liberta. I vaguely recalled Lindsay telling me to remove my managram once at the Adventurer Guild.
So, that’s what it was about. Our household finances are already in a difficult position, what should we do? Can I buy something new?
“I totally forgot Jack’s Managram was busted!” (Alfred)
“Fred, I’m sorry.” (Jack)
I think Managrams were around 10,000G each. It’s quite expensive. It’s about the same as buying an expensive weapon.
“…Well, it can’t be helped. Here, take this.” (Nancy)
Nancy-san retrieved a Managram from behind the counter and handed it to me.
“What?!” (Jack)
“Wait, no, that’s too generous.” (Alfred)
“It’s nothing, really. Just a spare.” (Nancy)
A spare? It seems unlikely for a device like a Managram to be lying around unused.
“Consider it a celebration for Jack-san’s safe return.” (Nancy)
“But still…” (Jack)
“Just treat me to something nice when you get some extra income, alright?” (Nancy)
Alfred and I thanked Nancy-san profusely and attached the Managram to my left arm. Dwayne watched enviously. It had been a while since I wore a managram. I took a quick look at my stats.
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Race: Human (Demon)
Age: 10 years, 11 months
Health: 4096/4096
Mana: 0/0
Strength B
Agility A
<Abilities>
Intuition A
Hand-to-Hand *
Swordsmanship *
Mana Release S
**** S+
Magic Coating S+
Time Control A
Stealth E
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
The sheer volume of information and fluctuating stats overwhelmed me. Some characters were garbled and unreadable. I quickly removed the Managram and placed it on the counter.
“I’ll register these three Managrams along with the member names and party name. Please write them on this form.” (Nancy)
“Got it… The party’s name is temporary, so I just came up with something simple.” (Alfred)
We hadn’t discussed the party name in advance.
“How about Red Jade?” (Alfred)
“Red Jade?” (Jack)
“Jade is a type of gemstone. It symbolizes harmony and progress. Plus, it’s a play on the names Jack, Dwayne, and mine.” (Alfred)
Red… Jade… Ah, I see. For something “simple,” he actually put thought into it.
“I like it.” (Jack)
“Alright, let’s go with this.” (Alfred)
“Understood.” (Nancy)
Thus, the new party, Red Jade, was officially formed.
—
A week had passed since Red Jade’s formation, but our earnings weren’t great. We could only accept G-rank quests, and after eliminating some monsters, we managed to reach D-rank. There were only two members, and I had time constraints on housework, so I couldn’t do much. Even under those conditions, we were able to raise it to D in a week thanks to the power of a select few.
My daily schedule was exhausting. Lindsay, now pregnant, tired easily and often napped throughout the day. On nice days, she goes out to the garden with Kea and relaxes on a bench. My household chores had increased significantly.
As for Kea, she played alone near Lindsay or in the fields by our hideout. Despite her mysterious proclamations to “save the world,” no dire crisis warranted such efforts. She sometimes touched Lindsay’s belly and declared, “It’s a healthy baby girl!”.
If Kea says so, it is likely true.
Morning training sessions with Alfred led to naming my combat techniques. The light particles emitted from my right arm’s thruster were dubbed ‘Light Thruster’. The deformed right arm fused with the Managram, and its punches were collectively named ‘Thread Fist’, symbolizing a mechanical fist.
There’s also the ability to turn various things into swords, but it seems that such skills do exist. The skill is called ‘Unique Transformation’, but at low rank it is only capable of turning a curved wooden stick into a straight one. At higher ranks, it is a skill that can transform any object into something unique to the user. For example, any rod-shaped object can be transformed into a spear. However, there are limits to this ability. For instance, transforming flat glass into a sharp blade was impossible. In conclusion, there was no way to name the sword creation technique.
—
As usual, Dwayne and I visited the Conran Inn this morning.
After continuing this routine for a week, it felt almost like taking a pet for a walk. Recently, as soon as Dwayne finished breakfast, he would get ready and wait for me to head outside. It was a complicated feeling to see someone who had been so reliable and helpful become like this.
――――Clang, clang… thud.
The familiar, pleasant sound of the bell rang out.
“Good morning, Jack-san, Dwayne-san.” (Nancy)
“Good morning, Nancy-san!” (Dwayne)
Dwayne immediately responded to Nancy-san’s greeting. Easy there, calm down… At this rate, I might actually need to put a leash on him to stop him from jumping at her. I really hope the intelligent Dwayne of the past comes back soon.
“We’ve received an unusual quest today.” (Nancy)
“Oh? What kind? We’re more geared toward extermination quests, though.” (Jack)
“That’s exactly why it’s perfect for you, Jack-san.” (Nancy)
Still wearing her apron, Nancy-san moved to the counter at the adventurer guild’s outpost and pulled out a quest form. She handed it to me, and I checked it over.
—————————————————————-
[Quest: Decoy Investigation] No rank restriction.
Requirements:
- Must be a child under 13 years old.
- Stealth E or higher.
- Aptitude test required.
Client: Parcine Stride (Barwitch)
Details: Infiltration and decoy investigation of a certain facility.
Reward: 2,000,000G
Number of positions available: 1
Conditions:
- No compensation for failure.
- Tactical guidance and escort to the facility provided.
- Guardian accompaniment allowed for the interview.
Contact: Parcine Stride, Barwitch, Magril Street #545
—————————————————————-
A decoy investigation? A decoy investigation involving a child is certainly unusual. On top of that, the reward is ridiculously high. But the conditions match me perfectly.
“With Jack-san’s strength, there’s nothing to worry about, is there?” (Nancy)
Nancy-san laughed lightly as she teased me about my strength. Even though Nancy-san had seen my fight with Alfred, she didn’t seem unsettled by my strength and treated me like normal. I hadn’t mentioned the secret of my strength or that Kea was a goddess.
“…Even I have things I’m afraid of, you know.” (Jack)
For the time being, I decided to take the quest form with me. I also accepted a safe extermination quest that was suitable for a D-rank and headed back to the base.
—
By the time the sun was high in the sky, I called out to Alfred, who was splitting logs in the nearby forest. This forest still bore the scars of our fight.
“This quest depends on you, Jack.” (Alfred)
Alfred didn’t particularly give the go-ahead for the quest. Instead, he left the decision up to me. Somehow, that felt unlike the Alfred of the past. Before, he would’ve cheerfully encouraged me with something like, “Alright, go for it!”
“If I’m not here, who’s going to handle the chores?” (Jack)
“Don’t worry about that. We managed before you came back, didn’t we? I can’t cook, but I can handle cleaning and laundry.” (Alfred)
“What about Dwayne?” (Jack)
“…I guess we’ll have to leave him to his own devices like before. Sorry to Nancy-san, though.” (Alfred)
Hmm.
“The reward’s high, but for an amount like that, the quest might be dangerous. There’s no telling what they’ll make you do just based on this.” (Alfred)
“If I decide to do it, will you come to the interview with me, Alfred?” (Jack)
“That’s a rare, childish thing for you to say.” (Alfred)
“Well, I am actually a kid.” (Jack)
“Barwitch is close enough. We can make it a day trip.” (Alfred)
With that, Alfred gave the OK. Next, I had to talk to Lindsay.
—
At noon, I called out to Lindsay, who was relaxing on a bench in the garden. Recently, she had taken up knitting and sewing, and now she was skillfully working on a wool sweater.
“Hmm… it sounds suspicious.” (Lindsay)
Of course. Lindsay was overprotective, and I had disappeared once before, so it was an expected response.
“There were a lot of child abduction cases for a while, weren’t there?” (Lindsay)
“There were… Does that mean things have settled down?” (Jack)
“I’m not sure, but I don’t hear much about it anymore.” (Lindsay)
When I ran away from Armando-san’s house, I saw a search request for missing children. It must’ve been from a while back.
Does that mean those kids still haven’t been found?
“This might be a new method.” (Lindsay)
“But the interview allows guardians to accompany me, and they’ve provided their name and address.” (Jack)
“…Jack, you shouldn’t trust adults just because of that.” (Lindsay)
“Alright…” (Jack)
What Lindsay wanted to say was that I should be cautious in everything, not just this. I understood that, but I still didn’t want to give up on such a high reward.
“Well, with how strong you are now, I probably don’t have anything to worry about.” (Lindsay)
Lindsay let out a long breath and turned away in frustration.
“That’s not true. If you’re really worried about the house, I’ll drop the idea.” (Jack)
“The house will be fine. Jack, you’re… a bit too considerate sometimes.” (Lindsey)
Lindsay paused her knitting and looked at me with a serious expression.
“This quest pays a lot, but Alfie and I don’t care about money that much. Jack, I want you to do what you want to do. You’ve already done so much, and I can see how hard you’re trying.” (Lindsay)
I feel like she had said something similar before. But I don’t have anything I particularly want to do. I’m a warrior. If I can help people, that’s enough.
“If I said I want to do this, would you stop me?” (Jack)
“…” (Lindsay)
Lindsay looked at the sky for a moment, then lowered her gaze and let out a sigh.
“I wouldn’t stop you.” (Lindsay)
Alright, it’s decided. Tomorrow, I’ll head to Parcine Stride’s place with Alfred and find out more about the quest.
—
That night.
Outside, strange noises echoed.
I’m the type of person who wakes up immediately from these kinds of sounds.
I opened my eyes and checked outside from the window. From my room’s window, I can see the entrance. Along with the strange noise, the sound of lightning crackling and a blinding light reached me.
“…?” (Jack)
What is it? If it’s an enemy or thief, I need to drive them off quickly. There’s nothing in this house anyway. It’d be a big problem if something gets stolen or destroyed.
I put on the handmade woolen shawl Lindsey made and headed toward the entrance. It’s still cold at night around this time. When I opened the front door, the moonlight brightly lit up the garden. But there was something else emitting light even more than that. A round ball of light was floating lightly in the garden. Occasionally, electric sparks surrounded the ball, crackling.
“What’s that?” (Jack)
Suddenly, as if reacting to my voice, the ball of light spun around and floated over to me. The light source gradually weakened. Inside that ball was Kea’s form from that time. Kea herself was emitting light, and her mystical form appeared clearly under the moonlight. Slowly, Kea opened her eyes, revealing the red-black whirlpool in them that I hadn’t seen in a while.
“…Kea” (Jack)
“Long time no see.” (Kea)
Her tone feels a bit different?
However, her expression was the same as the goddess mode Kea, emotionless.
“Long time no see? We see each other all the time…” (Jack)
“That was the physical body’s consciousness. I share memories with it, but it doesn’t have the intelligence to recognize and express them properly. If it has two personalities, then it’s been a long time since you last saw me, right?” (Kea)
“No intelligence? What is the current Kea?” (Jack)
“Right now, I’ve fully boosted the nerve signal transmission. The Goddess of Magic can even manipulate the mind.” (Kea)
That explanation feels a bit creepy.
“…This Kea feels more talkative. Her tone seems a little different too.” (Jack)
“I told you I share memories. I’ve studied modern speech as best as I could. There’s no harm in changing the tone, is there?” (Kea)
“Is that Nancy-san?” (Jack)
Kea didn’t answer that question.
“So, what exactly are you planning to make me do?” (Jack)
Before her personality changed again, I wanted to ask that at least. Not that I was particularly on guard, but when I asked last time, I only got a lesson about the history of humans and magic.
“It’s not time for that yet.” (Kea)
“Not time?” (Jack)
“It’s not time to save the world yet.” (Kea)
“Saving the world? What do you mean by that? There’s no demon king of terror or anything.” (Jack)
“The demon king of terror… You don’t know, but that concept is gradually growing.” (Kea)
“Concept?” (Jack)
Kea stopped talking for a moment, staring straight at me. I felt an illusion as if I were being drawn into the red-black vortex in her eyes.
“――――Are cows born to be eaten?” (Kea)
“Huh?” (Jack)
“Are sheep born to be sheared?” (Kea)
“So you’re talking about human ego? Saying it’s wrong for humans to sacrifice other animals?” (Jack)
Kea didn’t look away, continuing to stare at me. I stood my ground and met her gaze.
“That’s not it. Isaiah Aldridge the Third Junior.” (Kea)
“……Don’t call me that.” (Jack)
“The answer is yes. Cows are born to be eaten, and sheep are born to be sheared.” (Kea)
Wh-what?
“That’s what you call ‘nature’, right? But how do you eat meat with bones?” (Kea)
“I just bite into it while holding the bone.” (Jack)
“But the bones weren’t formed so you could eat the meat easily.” (Kea)
…?
“I don’t get it.” (Jack)
“Magic stones are the source of mana, and humans use them to cast spells. But humans aren’t allowed to change the purpose of their existence.” (Kea)
“So, you just don’t like magic stone thieves.” (Jack)
“Not exactly. It’s about not keeping things as they are supposed to be. There are people who do that, and that’s the scary part about humans, the ‘demon king of terror’.” (Kea)
“Huh…” (Jack)
“These twisted gears will attack you soon. You’ll defeat them and become a hero. How about it? Win-win.” (Kea)
No. I can’t follow the goddess’s way of thinking.
“Ah, could you give me some advice?” (Jack)
“What is it?” (Kea)
“I’m going to the Barwitch decoy investigation. That’s not a bad thing, right?” (Jack)
“There’s no such thing as coincidence in fate. Every decision you make is the right one.” (Kea)
“Well, that’s good. But I’m worried that someone might disappear again or go missing.” (Jack)
“……” (Kea)
Kea didn’t answer that question. She remained silent, gradually losing her light, and closed her eyes. Then, she collapsed on the spot.
“Ah…!” (Jack)
When I rushed over and supported her body, I found a cute little girl peacefully sleeping. If I tried to force her awake, she would probably just be a normal girl again. I gently picked up her small and light body in a princess carry and took her inside the house. Kea stays in Lindsey’s room. I quietly entered Lindsey’s room and laid Kea down in her bed.
“――――Jack” (Lindsay)
But Lindsay was awake.
“Oh, you’re awake. Sorry. Kea sleepwalked outside.” (Jack)
“Is that so…” (Lindsay)
Lindsey moved her body a little, and with some effort, shifted her heavy body that was carrying a baby.
“Jack, I’d hate it if you disappeared again.” (Lindsay)
“Of course.” (Jack)
“When you disappeared, I regretted bringing you here.” (Lindsey)
That was more than a year ago.
“I… Sometimes act without thinking. When I found you, I should have searched for your family and sent you back to your original home. If I did that, you wouldn’t have died, and we wouldn’t have been separated.” (Lindsay)
“I’m thankful for everything.” (Jack)
“Thank you. But now I think it was for the best. Since you came back, I feel like everyone will come back someday, and Dwayne will return to normal too.” (Lindsay)
I moved closer to Lindsay and adjusted the blankets over her.
” Lindsay, rest easy.” (Jack)
“Yeah. When this child is born, you’ll name the baby.” (Lindsay)
“Huh? I don’t have the sense for that. I might end up naming them something like Pochi or Tama.” (Jack)
“Heh… That’s fine too.” (Lindsay)
“Ehh?!” (Jack)
Lindsay smiled mischievously, just like before.
“Good night, Jack.” (Lindsay)
“Good night, Lindsay.” (Jack)
I quietly closed the door and left Lindsay’s house.
Tomorrow, I’ll be going to Barwitch for the first time in a while. I’ll wake up early and get ready.
(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
Please consider supporting Bayabusco Translation @
bayabuscotranslation 