Magica Technica ～Sword Demon Rakshasa’s VRMMO Battle Record～

Chapter 31

031: Slight Suspicion

Translated by Dawn

031: Slight Suspicion

Lirina, seemingly composed on the surface, gazed at me with her azure eyes.

She appeared to be harboring complex emotions, and her feelings toward me are still uncertain.

However, I didn’t sense any hostility from her. Surprising or not, at least we could continue the conversation.

I sat back in the same seat as before, exhaled, and shifted my gaze back to Lirina.

“…Are you alright now?”

“Yes… Thank you for your concern, Kuon-san.”

Lirina nodded in response to my words.

There didn’t seem to be any hostility in her words.

It was a curious situation, but it was too early to determine the direction of her feelings toward me.

She might have calmed down, for now, having shed her emotions, but this tranquility was only temporary.

Her heart was still in a delicate balance.

I imagined a cup kept steady by surface tension and wondered if I should let her pour out more of her feelings.

“There must be many things you want to say…”

“You seem disingenuous. Well, I won’t deny that, but…”

Lirina raised her eyebrows slightly, looking somewhat bewildered.

It was an evaluation I hadn’t received often. I was not intentionally trying to act bad or anything.

But well, I was willingly accepting the girl’s tantrum, so maybe there was some truth to it.

I smiled wryly and responded to her words.

“When you suppress your words within your heart, you never know how things might change later. For the sake of future relationships, it’s essential to understand each other’s true feelings, don’t you think?”

“…That’s quite rational. But I won’t insult you with abusive words.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“You respected my father’s pride. So I can’t hurt my father’s pride by insulting you, right?”

As Lirina spoke, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Her demeanor was not that of a child, but that of a woman with a strong sense of pride.

I chuckled. It seemed I underestimated her, treating her like a child.

There were probably many things she wanted to say, like how I should have arrived earlier or if there was a way to save her father. Her words could have been varied since she didn’t know the scene or the situation.

However, Lirina swallowed those words—no, she sublimated them.

She did it for her father, who became undead and was forced into an unwanted battle, yet never lost his pride.

“…I understand. Then, I won’t say anything more. Instead, I promise to do my best to help you resolve your problems.”

“Is that your way of atonement?”

“No, I’m doing it because I want to.”

In truth, I didn’t feel guilty at all.

I stood before the opponent and struck them, fulfilling their final wish.

Feeling guilty would be disrespectful to them.

“Since the Knight Commander asked for it too. He wants me to help you, and these guys are already on your side.”

“About that… um, Kirara Kurage-san?”

“Oh, just call me Kirara. It’s an unfamiliar name to people here anyway.”

Well, it might not be familiar to people here or there, but I’d let it slide.

There was no need to nitpick about it.

“We were originally part of different parties. We just happened to fight together against the demons by chance. So, well, our goals might seem different, but… I promise to offer the same level of cooperation as him.”

“That’s nice, but… why?”

“For us, it’s simple. After hearing your story and understanding your situation, I just wanted to help. We, outsiders, can act as we please, so that’s the only reason.”

Rin’s words made Lirina look slightly puzzled.

Well, she was close to nobility, so it was natural for her to think words have underlying meanings and positions.

But that might not apply to many other outsiders. At least for now, most of them were just playing the game for fun.

Lirina fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting left and right, but eventually, she seemed to have accepted the situation and relaxed her posture.

“…I understand. I’ll rely on you.”

“Yeah, count on me. Now, could you tell me your story?”

“Yes. Well, you might already have some idea… I have an unfortunate connection with the Feib Count family.”

“To be precise, we’re being pursued by the son of Count Feib.”

Elsa’s explanation made me furrow my eyebrows involuntarily.

From what I could see, she seemed to be pursued by a troublesome individual wielding power.

Not only power but dealing with people like that was always troublesome.

Basically, they only thought about themselves and their interests. Since words didn’t get through to them, you had no choice but to crush them with force.

“And so, you’re rejecting this Count’s son?”

“Of course. He used his status to approach me, and on top of that, after my father’s death, he even said he would make me one of his servants…”

“…When did this happen?”

“Huh? Um, about two weeks ago.”

At her words, I furrowed my eyebrows.

It was true that Schraid’s death was a fact, but until then, he was considered missing.

In other words, news of his death hadn’t reached the capital yet.

If he had been missing for a long time, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be presumed dead, but two weeks was still not that long.

So, what led them to determine that Schraid had died?

Rin seemed to have the same doubt as she also directed her gaze toward Lirina with suspicion.

“…Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Please continue.”

“Well, I think their only goal is that. That’s why they come to harass me every day.”

“At least it’s just harassment for now, but have they resorted to any more aggressive means?”

“Since this estate belongs to the Lamberg family, anyone entering without permission, even if they’re nobles, would be considered a crime. So, I’ve been trying not to leave the house as much as possible.”

“What about daily necessities?”

“Our neighbors have been helping us. But… it seems like they’re getting impatient. This time, they even brought armed people…”

“In that case, it looks like things are about to escalate.”

They seemed to be concerned about appearances, but how long could they keep that up?

Would they resort to threats or even secret abductions?

Regardless, it was clear that things were going to get troublesome.

“Earlier, I mentioned the Knight Commander’s name and the fact that we’re outsiders.”

“Huh? Was that a problem?”

“It basically means that we might take action, but we can’t complain if they take action against us. If they report that they were looked down upon by outsiders, it wouldn’t be surprising if they immediately resort to using force.”

“W-What? Are you saying there’s a possibility they’ve already come here!?”

“There’s a fair chance.”

While it was still just speculation at this point, the likelihood of an attack was high.

If that was the case, it wouldn’t hurt to be on guard.

Looking out the window, I could see a rather high wall. It would be difficult to climb that.

In that case…

“How many entrances does this house have?”

“Two, the main gate and the back gate.”

“Then, for now, we should defend both points. Kirara Kurage, you and your party can watch one gate each.”

“That’s fine, but what about you, Kuon-san?”

“I’ll stay here and wait. If enemies come, you can call me from the friend list, and I’ll come to help immediately.”

“Understood. Azami, come with me!”

“Then, Kuu-chan and I will go to the back gate… Kuon-san, we leave the rest to you.”

Watching Kirara Kurage and her companion hurry outside, I let out a light sigh.

They seemed pretty determined, and they’d likely take their watch duty seriously.

For now, I didn’t think there was much to worry about, but I was still curious about the earlier question.

Count Feib’s son claimed Schraid’s death. If it was just a random lie, that was fine. But if he actually knew…

“…Lirina, I forgot one thing. I’ll give this to you.”

“Huh… This is the Admina Church’s Holy Seal?”

“It’s your father’s memento. It protected him from the demon’s control. Swords and armor had to be returned to the knight order, but I think you should keep this.”

“I see… Thank you.”

The soft-spoken girl hugged the Holy Seal and turned her back to me.

I wouldn’t pry into her expression; there must be things she didn’t want others to see.

Letting out a small sigh, I stood up and moved to the window to check the outside.

I could already see Kirara Kurage and Azami moving toward the front gate, but there were no other signs of people around.

I hope it was just a needless worry, but if it was, then how long should we keep watch?

We couldn’t stay here forever, but we didn’t want her to be caught off guard if there was an attack while we were logged out.

In the worst-case scenario, we’d have to come up with a plan to take the initiative… While I was pondering, Lumina flew wobbly and landed right in front of me.

“What’s wrong, Lumina?”

“——!”

Lumina, with a determined look, pointed towards Lirina.

Seemed like she was worried about her.

“Alright… You stay with her. If anything happens, protect her, alright?”

“——!”

Lumina nodded and quickly moved to Lirina’s side.

Approaching her, Lumina circled around her as if to show concern, and then stopped in front of her.

I couldn’t see well from here, but it looked like Lumina was trying to pat her head. Though her hand was too small to pat properly, it seemed like she was trying her best to comfort her.

Lirina smiled slightly and extended her hand, and Lumina landed on it.

Despite Lumina’s cautious nature, she could be quite friendly. She’d probably be a source of comfort for Lirina.

For now, I’d leave Lirina to Lumina, and focus on guarding against potential attackers.

If there were demons involved, the Holy Seal might come in handy, even if only for reassurance.

(But if there are demons involved, what could their purpose be?)

Demons harbored boundless animosity toward humans, much like the undead.

It was hard to believe that demons would cooperate with humans willingly.

If Count Feib’s son obtained information from the demon, then that would make sense, but if a human stood before a being like Romperia, they would be crushed like a speck of dust in an instant.

There was no reason for demons to willingly cooperate with humans. If they were involved, their goal would most likely be to destroy humans, rather than help them.

(Is it just my imagination? It’s more likely that the Count’s son was just spouting nonsense.)

However, I’d keep this possibility in mind.

Jumping to conclusions before the facts were known was something only a fool would do.

Well, the truth would come to light depending on our opponents.

But for that to happen, I hope they made a move soon…

[――Kuon-san! A group of armed people is approaching!]

—Kirara Kurage’s voice echoed through the friend chat just at that moment.

Understanding the change in the situation, I grinned.

Without hesitation, I opened the window and jumped out of the mansion.

“Lumina! I’m leaving Lirina to you!”

Leaving those words behind, I rushed towards the main gate.

Now then, I wonder what would come out to play… With the sense of battle approaching, a small smile appeared on my face.