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Shorty

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

I took a bite of a Wari fruit from the larger magic pouch. The mana I had consumed should have been minimal, but I wanted to recover it, nonetheless.

As I ate, I thought about the plans ahead. From the information I gathered from Todon and the details I had collected on the way, I knew that the Carnea Duchy was in charge of transporting supplies for the allied forces. They essentially handled logistics. I wanted to go to the food storage, but the inn I found was in a bad location, and no Carnea soldiers came by, so I couldn’t gather any information.

I had thought of transforming into a bird and infiltrating, but I abandoned the idea when I felt how cold the night air was. Instead, I found a room that seemed to belong to someone of importance, based on its decoration, and I knocked on the door. Thanks to that, I managed to infiltrate successfully, and I silenced the loud and grotesque man.

As for the curly-haired, short woman, she was surprisingly bold and quietly listened to what I said while remaining calm.

Her clothing is indeed daring, but… huh? The youngest princess of the Dadara Mining Kingdom? The wife of Duke Carnea?

“I have a few questions. Are you the youngest princess? No, perhaps that’s not important. If you’re the wife of Duke Carnea, does that mean the grotesque man is…?” (Nobunaga)

“That man is Duke Carnea.” (Princess)

The grotesque man? I know he is incompetent, but I didn’t know he is grotesque.

Just to be sure, I checked if he was still alive. He was twitching, so he was definitely alive. For now, I decided to transform and read his memory.

“Shorty, this might surprise you, but be quiet.” (Nobunaga)

“Short–…! Understood. I will be quiet.” (Princess)

With that, I transformed right away… only to revert back to my original form almost immediately.

What is this? Even though he’s the ruler of a country, his mind was filled with thoughts of nothing but his desires, and all he cared about was food. It’s hard to believe. I thought I might have met someone who knew everything by infiltrating, but it turns out he’s completely clueless.

“Uh, just now, your body–…” (Princess)

“That’s a secret. However, surprisingly, this one’s not useful at all. Should I take a look at you too?” (Nobunaga)

Since this was after, I wanted to expect something, but there was also the fact that she had just arrived in Carnea from Dadara. It was unlikely that she had any useful information. I decided to give it a try, hoping for something a bit better than this. For the first time, I understood what it meant to have a sharp mind.

Though she was a bit disappointed by Duke Carnea’s survival, most of her focus was directed here, as she thought through her response. She even considered several escape routes in case of emergency. She had completely memorized the inside of the castle. The speed of her thinking almost made me dizzy. Just the fact that she was thinking this much and then delving into her knowledge felt like water springing forth.

Could it be that she’s using two or three brains?

“Ah, your appearance again–…” (Princess)

“That’s correct. I am the Demon King who can change form and read memories, as you, Suzuri has thought. So, I would like to request your cooperation. Is that alright?” (Nobunaga)

Suzuri showed a surprised face when I mentioned a name I hadn’t told her, but she quickly hid it and began thinking. After a moment, she nodded silently.

Well, she doesn’t really have a choice, does she? Ah, but before that…

“You should wear proper clothes. You’ll catch a cold.” (Nobunaga)

 

—

 

It’s painful. Currently, I am in the form of Duke Carnea, being led to the food storage by Suzuri.

When we occasionally pass by guards, I explain that Suzuri wanted to see around the castle, so I’m showing her around. In truth, it’s the other way around. Suzuri barely knows anything about the castle, so there’s no way she could be showing me around.

It’s painful. The problem lies with this body. Just walking is incredibly exhausting. If I ran, I might even die. Thankfully, Suzuri, being a dwarf, is naturally slow, so from the outside, it might look like we’re just walking slowly through the castle.

But there’s also this strange emptiness in my mind, like a hole in it. Suzuri, despite her short stature, has such a sharp mind, but this giant body seems to have a much inferior intellect. This emptiness must be because of that. Perhaps “loss” is the right word to describe it.

It’s painful. However, the real reason my breath is irregular and hard is due to something else.

Before leaving the room, Suzuri pointed out my attire. Though I had no interest in the short, androgynous body of Suzuri, she surprisingly struck me with a double-hand punch.

Even though Suzuri was short, her strength as a dwarf was no joke, and the difference in height made it a perfect hit to my solar plexus, dealing a heavy blow to my lungs. Even then, breathing was still painful. If not for [Automatic Recovery], it would have taken much longer to recover, and I might still have been suffering in that room.

“Ah, is everything alright?” (Suzuri)

“No problem, it’s because of the weakness of this body. By the way, are we still not at the food storage?” (Nobunaga)

I couldn’t say that the blow from earlier still hasn’t healed, so I blamed it on the body to cover up. It wasn’t a lie, though. This body was likely part of the reason.

“We can see it now. I was told that large one is the food storage.” (Suzuri)

Ah, it was the one I saw from the window while descending. Since it was night, I only saw its large silhouette and thought it was a row of buildings, but it was the food storage.

“I see, we’ll be there soon. I’ll return to my normal form and feel better.” (Nobunaga)

“Eh! …Well, probably there’s a guard, and the lock is on, so I think a key will be needed.” (Suzuri)

Is that so? That’s troublesome. Can we use the Duke’s power to temporarily get rid of the guard? I’m not sure if this one will follow my instructions. If it’s a lock, do I go get the key? Where is it? This one has no memory of that.

After thinking for a while, the answer that came was quite simple.

“If there’s a guard, we’ll use power to get rid of them. If not, we’ll act with force. As for the lock, if there’s a key nearby, that’s good. If not, we’ll use force.” (Nobunaga)

Whether it’s people or things, in the end, only force works.

Suzuri’s prediction was wrong. There were no guards, and the lock wasn’t even on. It was anticlimactic. The large door for transporting goods was locked, but the door for people to pass through wasn’t locked. Moreover, there were no guards inside or outside.

Is the risk management that poor?

“How can there be no guards or lock at the food storage…” (Suzuri)

Suzuri, who stood right next to me, was looking at the food piled up in the storage with a surprised expression.

Come to think of it, Suzuri remembered that the Dadara Mining Kingdom only had barren lands. On the other hand, Carnea Duchy is fertile land. The difference in their perception of food might be the reason for the difference in management. It is beneficial for us, though.

“However, there’s more than I expected. Even in this large warehouse, it’s barely enough. I have some memories related to the alliance army and food, but they’re already starting to fade. Suzuri, is there a connection between this food and the alliance army?” (Nobunaga)

I examined how the food was sorted and arranged, looking for the most efficient places to start. At the same time, I borrowed Suzuri’s knowledge. I felt like I had forgotten something.

“Yes, the food here is closely related to the alliance army. The food here is sent to the alliance army. Each city sends their food to Carnea Duchy, and once the planned amount is gathered, the alliance army forms and begins marching, with Carnea Duchy responsible for sending the food.” (Suzuri)

“That seems inefficient. Since it’s the alliance army, each city should be contributing soldiers. Then, each city should just send the food according to the number of soldiers.” (Nobunaga)

Huh? Could these boxes contain medicine? Then, what about the surrounding boxes? If these are taken, it would be troublesome. I’ll take them.

“This is because of a certain situation. Are you familiar with the duo Demon Kings said to be hiding in the nation group? The Fairy Queen and the Grand Orc? The duo Demon Kings mainly attack the merchant groups transporting food. They probably do this to feed the Grand Orc’s subordinates. If there’s a small transport team carrying food, the target is perfect for them. So, Carnea Duchy, the center of the nation group and the largest food producer, temporarily holds onto the food. They will transport it with their army even though they don’t participate in the war. Carnea Duchy’s soldiers are called weak, but it is the country most engaged in fighting the duo Demon Kings. It is believed that Carnea Duchy is the most capable of handling the duo Demon Kings.” (Suzuri)

If I’m taking the medicine, I might as well take the food too. Everything here seems to have a high preservation quality. I should disregard the taste. This is salt. If there are any seasonings, I’ll take those too… Wait, did Suzuri say something? I wasn’t listening.

“…Ah, that’s wonderful. By the way, could you carry this box of medicine to the entrance? Also, as soon as you find any seasonings, bring them too. My large magical bag still has some space, and the regular one is about to be empty. Oh, and I’ll take this water.” (Nobunaga)

For now, I place the usable items elsewhere. If I don’t, they’ll end up becoming unusable.

Suzuri, who had been suddenly asked to help and seemed confused, immediately moved into action as if she noticed my gaze.

She worked diligently while relying only on the moonlight. Few moments later, preparations were finally complete, or rather, it was no longer stealing.

“Then, please keep the box near the entrance open.” (Nobunaga)

“U-Um, where should I take it?” (Suzuri)

“I’m just going to make sure they can’t wage war.” (Nobunaga)

With that said, I headed toward the center of the warehouse.

What I need to do is simple. I just need to mix parasites with the food.

I had Shiba collect the Wari fruit with parasites inside for this. Some of them rotted after being left for too long, but I had Lyle remove the parasites and place them into fresh Wari fruit with parasites inside. After that, I just need to flip a regular magical bag full of parasites on top of the pile of food.

I climbed the mountain of food with effort and flipped the magical bag. Walking carefully on the unstable food, I made sure the parasites spread across the whole pile. I was curious if there were really parasites inside, so I looked at the path I had walked. Some of the slightly moving Wari fruit, which had juice dripping from them and an awful smell, looked like they were still alive. I couldn’t see them, but I was sure they were there.

After finishing, I poured the water I had secured into the magic bag and shook it. I couldn’t be sure if it had really cleaned the inside, but it felt more like a psychological thing.

Suzuri, whom I had asked to keep the box open, was sitting near it. Her face pale and shaking uncontrollably.

Was she scared? Was she regretting helping the Demon King, or was she simply afraid of me? I haven’t done anything that scary, though. To put it simply, I mixed poison into the food to stop the army. In reality, it would just cause diarrhea, but that’s probably even worse. They would feel miserable without any medicine. Watching soldiers like that might make them hesitate to eat the food. When they’re hungry, they can’t fight. If they can’t fight, they’ll have to go home. How peaceful.

For now, I’ll leave her alone. I’ll focus on other things until she recovers.

I started putting medicine and seasonings into the empty regular magical bag. Since there wasn’t enough space, I also put some into a larger magical bag.

I returned the empty box to its original spot. I didn’t want it to be discovered. When I returned the box, Suzuri, though still pale, stood up and waited.

“Maou Nobunaga-sama, could you please take me out of here?” (Suzuri)

Her sudden request made me tilt my head.

Why?

When I asked, she explained that the marriage with Duke Carnea had been forced upon her and that she had even considered death because of the Duke’s hideous appearance. She no longer had any attachment to the country and wanted to leave, even if it meant following the Demon King. I understood her reasoning. The Duke’s repulsiveness was shocking, and if I were told to marry him, I might consider committing seppuku as well. However, taking her with me would complicate the escape.

While I was thinking, Suzuri skillfully tried to sway me, and in the end, she said, “If Duke Carnea is dead, I’ll be executed as the culprit”.

She hit a spot that was hard to deny. I had confirmed his survival before leaving the room. However, if he had been lying in bed for a long time, what would happen? I know all too well how weak his body is. Honestly, it could go either way. Should I go back and confirm now? We’re about to escape, and returning to the heart of the enemy would be troublesome. I don’t want that.

Even if I bring her, bringing her all the way to the Great Forest of Owa would be a pain. Should I just return her to the Dadara Mining Kingdom? No, if Todon’s memory is right, that country… Ah, Suzuri is the princess who got along with Todon. I didn’t want to take her, but now there were more reasons to do so.

“…I can’t help it. It would be a waste to let such an excellent mind go. I’ll take you out somehow.” (Nobunaga)

“Thank you! I’ll get ready right away!” (Suzuri)

With that, Suzuri darted into the darkness.

It seems like she’s getting ready to be taken out. Unexpectedly, that shorty is surprisingly strong.

 

—

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