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56 – The Bard’s Fate

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“I’ll bet 30 silvers that bard’ll be beaten up by the Holy Maiden’s magic!”

“Then, I’ll bet the same 30 silvers that Jadokh will throw him out!”

“Okay! The great me will put 80 silvers on Landlady-san beating him black and blue and throwing him out of the inn!”

While the magic beast-hunters were talking in a whisper, they were looking at said bard with a certain expectation.

And, in that place.

“I don’t understand you all.”

“Oh, Miloulle. How ‘bout it? You’re gonna join us?”

“Of course! I wanted to join in at the beginning anyways. Then, I’ll bet 100 silvers that Tatsumi will strip him

naked and throw him out of the inn.”

Folding her arms, Miloulle looked at the magic beast-hunters, sure of her win.

“Oi, oi, Miloulle. Are you sure on betting that? It’s hard to think that Tatsumi, who’s always gentle, would do that, you know?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. But, I don’t really don’t get you all.”

She giggled a bit and gave a smile that was full of confidence.

“At times like these, it’s not Calsey who’s the scariest but Tatsumi.”

“...I’ll have to refuse. I don’t feel the need to inform you of my name.”

“What could you be saying, beautiful lady. For us to have met here, it was not a mistake but through the guidance of the Moon God Glavavy. Come now, let us surrender ourselves to the Moon God together.”

“I am Priest of Savaiv. I don’t intend to make light of the teachings of Glavavy, but I have no reason to abide by the guidance of that God.”

Tarand persistently continued talking to Calcedonia with a smile while she completely refused to put up with him.

Abruptly, Taland impolitely reached out his hand and attempted to take Calcedonia’s slender hands into his own. But

just before his hands touched Calcedonia’s, a burly greyish brown arm smoothly slid in from the side.

“Oh my, what a proactive person. I dislike such proactive people, ya know?”

One of Jadokh’s four eyes gave a wink.

For a moment Taland had an absent minded expression, and felt something in his own hand. As if there was something hot, he hastily withdrew his hand.

“T-The rude one from earlier was you! This occasion here should be me and this beautiful lady’s alone. Shouldn’t unrelated people should go elsewhere?!”

“Oh my, isn’t the one going elsewhere you? You don’t want to be embarrassed in the presence of public, do you? Then it’s best to hurry up and depart from here for your own good.”

Smiling, Jadokh warned Taland.

However, the person in question turned around to face Calcedonia once again after deciding to ignore Jadokh.

“You are the most beautiful lady I have ever met! To the pitiful me that has been taken captive by your beauty at

first sight, please give permission to play a song that praises your beauty.”

“No thank you.”

“Hahahaha. You don’t need to restrain yourself. Even the highest beauty in the Royal Capital, the famed Holy Maiden of the Savaiv Temple, will only be overshadowed by your shining beauty.”

Lightly strumming his lalaena, he sang of Calcedonia’s beauty.

The bard compared Calcedonia to the Holy Maiden, but he did not realize the Holy Maiden was right before him.

For that reason, the magic beast-hunters in the nearby seats were frantically trying to restrain their laughter.

Now, who will make their move first?

The magic beast-hunters who participated in the betting continued to watch Tatsumi’s table.

Suddenly, Tatsumi stood up in his seat.

The hunters who were hoping for Calcedonia, Jadokh, or Eru to move first were surprised at Tatsumi standing up.^[1]

“Calsey. I’m going to go to the house for a bit. I’ll come right back, so wait here for me.”

“Yes, Husband. Please take care.”

Standing up, Calcedonia bowed deeply towards Tatsumi.

She did not ask for the reason. She believed that Tatsumi had good reason to clearly state that he was going back

to the house in this situation.

Tatsumi also did not worry about leaving Calcedonia alone in this place.

He trusted her above all, and Jadokh, Miloulle, Eru, and all of their other friends were here. When push comes to

shove, they’d lend a hand.

Giving a smile to Calcedonia, he rushed out of the inn.

Calcedonia, watching Tatsumi’s back as he was leaving, sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Of course, this did not go past the nearby bard.

He had a flabbergasted face, completely not understanding Tatsumi’s actions.

And, the beast-hunters were not exempt from this; they were tilting their heads, wondering why Tatsumi left

Calcedonia to go home.

“Landlady. May I have something to eat?”

“Yees! Of course! What would you like to eat?”

“Husband will come back soon, so two servings of kishimen, please.” ^[2]

“Okay. Kishimen for two.”

After replying in an energetic voice, she disappeared behind the counter straight after.

“My, you both having kishimen again? You two really like it, don’t you.”

“Yes, since Husband’s favorite is also the landlady’s kishimen. We were talking about how we wanted to eat kishimen

on the way here yet again. Of course, the landlady’s other food is good too.”

Deciding to ignore the bard, still dumbfounded, they talked happily together.

And, Taland finally came to his senses, and hurried to talk to Calcedonia again.

“Oh, ohhh, your beautiful self’s name is Calsey? Well, it is truly a good name. I do believe the name fits your

beauty.”

The peaceful sound of the lalaena was decorated by Taland’s words.

Through his handsome appearance, his good manners, and his art of conversation accompanied by music, the normal bar

waitress would be easily captured by his charms.

But, his seduction did not work on Calcedonia.

She was chatting with Jadokh, entirely ignoring him.

“I’m back!!!”

Without waiting for too long, Tatsumi came back. Taland was surprised at the quick speed, but the hunters were not

perturbed at all.

They already knew about Tatsumi’s magic, so the quick round trip from the inn to his house wasn’t met with confused

hunters.

But, there were people looking curiously at Tatsumi today.

No, to be correct, they were staring at the strange thing Tatsumi was carrying in his hand.

“My, what is that, Tatsumi-chan? Won’t you tell this onee-san?”

When Jadokh, curious as expected, asked that, Tatsumi, with an expression that was a bit prideful, explained.

“This is my hometown’s instrument; it’s called a guitar.”

Yes.

The thing Tatsumi took from his house. The acoustic guitar that was a memento of his father and came with him when

he was summoned into this world.

“Ohhh, a ‘gitar,’ is it. And and? What sound does it make?

“I haven’t been playing on it recently, so it may be a bit off-tune...”

Tatsumi lightly strummed the strings to check.

The tone of the acoustic guitar resounded peacefully through The Elf’s Resthouse.

Naturally, this was the first time for them to hear this sound.

It could be said that the country’s instruments were mostly like the lalaena; they made a high-pitched and strong

sound. So, when faced with the acoustic guitar’s low and soft tone, it was something new to everyone’s ears.

“Calsey. Do you remember this tune?”

Tatsumi started playing a song from his memory. Back when the two of them were living together in Japan, it was a

pop song that they often listened together.

“Yes, of course.”

After she smiled softly, she started singing along to his guitar music.

The harmony of the deep tone of the acoustic guitar and the soprano of Calcedonia wove together, making a beautiful

melody.

Tatsumi’s melody, which had a light rhythm, was never heard in this kingdom before.

The songs that the bards sang weren’t like the ones that we have today, for they were closer to a story than a

song.

Listening to the strange music, the people in the inn were completely confused.

But only at the beginning.

The upbeat rhythm seemed to harmonize with the hunters, and they were soon clapping their hands and tapping their

feet to the tune.

Then, a new voice joined in from the side.

Surprising everyone who looked, Eru was there, singing.

As she lived in Japan, she also knew Tatsumi’s song.

Tatsumi’s guitar and Calcedonia and Eru’s voice. The three sounds combined into one, and the music became even more

complete.

Calcedonia and Eru, it was unknown who did it first, took each other’s hand in hand and started doing an impromptu

dance.

The dance, with both of them singing and twirling at the same time, perfectly synchronized with Tatsumi’s

performance. It was a dance that looked much more like a planned ordeal, and indeed, many of the watchers thought

of it as such. With this, the beauty could only become greater.

It didn’t have the gracefulness of the royal court, but the dance was a casual one that resounded with the common

people. And, the two girls who were dancing were extremely beautiful; it’d be strange not to get excited.

They didn’t understand the Japanese words, nor was the tune familiar. But, The Elf’s Resthouse was completely ruled

by Tatsumi’s music.

Calcedonia and Eru’s virtuosic singing, their energetic dancing, and the customers, the inn’s workers, Jadokh, and

Miloulle’s clapping their hands and stomping to the beat.

Before long, the inn became quiet from the song’s end. But, that was for only an instant.

The next moment, the inn burst into loud cheers.

Smiling, they all cheered for Tatsumi’s music and the girls’ singing.

“Wha...what... T-This music... What, that song just now... I-I’ve never heard this kind of music... No, I’ve also never

heard this before...”

Inside the jubilant inn, Taland was the one person who stood out.

He, facing another world’s music for the first time, could only be dumbfounded.

To Taland, the music was completely different to anything he had ever heard before. However, the rest of the

audience accepted the new music quite readily.

But, he was not so weak as to be discouraged from this.

“Ah, ahahahaha. It was amazing. Even to a bard such as me, your voice just now was too perfect. Well, it’s not only

your appearance, but even your voice possesses heavenly beauty.”

Yet again, he kneeled at Calcedonia’s side, and putting his hand on his chest, he elegantly bowed.

“How about it? Will you teach me of your music? Without doubt, I will certainly compensate you for your time. Yes,

shall we rent a room at this inn? We can relax, talk together alone, and...”

Apparently, he still hasn’t given up on Calcedonia. His love for women must be a big thing for him.

With the hunters enthusiastically cheering for him, Tatsumi stood up.

“Let’s get this over with, shall we? She... Calcedonia being with you is something I will not let happen. Do you

understand?”

Taland gave an unsteady laughter, “C-Certainly, your musical talent is good. That ‘gitar’ may be rare but doesn’t

sound bad. But, this is business between me and this beautiful lady. I don’t know who you are or where you came

from, but back down. Or, do you think this beautiful lady would like you? You only have a mediocre appearance; do

you actually think that you’ll fit in with the beautiful lady?”

To show off his good looks, he brushed up his hair.^[3]

Certainly, Tatsumi’s looks could not be said as anything more than ordinary. And, Taland’s body, no matter how you

looked at it, would be classified as extremely handsome.

However, something like that didn’t matter. Calcedonia was important to Tatsumi, and Tatsumi was the most precious

thing in the world for Calcedonia.

Taland did not realize this.

If the bard who tries to hit on Calcedonia, no, if anyone who tries to hit on Calcedonia, Tatsumi will become quite

angry.

“...Soon, I think?”

Watching Tatsumi and the bard’s argument, Miloulle slowly started moving towards the exit of the inn.

Upon reaching the exit, she softly opened the door that seperated the outside from the inn’s interior.

“Calsey, Eru, Miloulle, and every other girl in this room, sorry. I apologize in advance.”

As he was saying that, he slapped his hand onto Taland.

At that time, it was as if Taland’s figure blurred.

And, at the next moment, all of Taland’s clothing fell off, leaving him nude.

“.........Huh?”

Taland completely didn’t understand what in the world happened to his body.

And then, the girls shrieked and covered their faces at the same time.

He touched Taland again.

This time, Taland had vanished, and he was outside the second after.

Of course, still nude.

Shrieks could be heard from the people walking in front of the inn.

Anyone would start screaming if a naked man suddenly appeared in the middle of the street.

Still not understanding of what happened, he moved about in confusion, without even covering his body.

From above, something hit him on the head. That something was his clothes and instrument.

When Taland stared into the inn’s entrance, several hunters stared back at him. He gaped.

“A message from the landlady. You are prohibited from entering this inn, she said.”

“Wanna try going against it? If ya do, we won’t sit still!”

“We’ll get rid of all your instruments and clothing!”

Those talking were Eru’s devotees among the regular customers of the inn.

By choosing to pick a quarrel with Eru, the bard earned the rage of all who were still yearning to be with her.

If Tatsumi arrived just a little later, Taland would probably have been thrown out of the inn already.

Shuddering at Tatsumi’s technique and awed by the beast-hunters intensity, Taland hurriedly gathered his stuff and

ran away, still nude and gathering screams.

The inn’s door closed with a thud.

Then, the inn burst into loud laughter.

“You did good, Tatsumi!”

“That was so d*mn refreshing! That bard was too shameless, don’t you guys think so too!”

“But, don’t you think it was a bit harsh? You gave him a big blow with that.”

“Yep. After this, he absolutely won’t go against me.”

“Hahaha, that’s not wrong. He’s not going to forget being nude in public!”

“But a nude woman is always welcome! They can come anytime!”

Laughing, the beast-hunters shoved Tatsumi around.

As he was giving a troubled laugh at the slightly rough blessings, he made a sideways glance at the door and saw

Miloulle there with her right hand in a thumbs up gesture.

Giving her a thumbs up back, he turned to look at Eru.

“Thank you very much, Eru. Sorry for showing an unsightly figure back then.”

“No, no, I too was troubled by that bard, so please don’t worry about it. Besides, hearing that nostalgic song, I unintentionally sang to it.”

She stuck out her tongue cutely. That song she sang along with Calcedonia was most likely a song she often sang

with friends in karaoke.

“Oi, Tatsumi! Not gonna do another song? Play another one for us!”

“That song... That was from your hometown? It’s really catchy!”

“Holy Maiden, Landlady, sing together again!”

On request of the customers, the three of them performed many Japanese songs.

That day, cheers and applause were heard from The Elf’s Resthouse all the way til midnight.

“...An idiot, don’t you think? I even told him to go somewhere else before something happened...”

While the events that happened inside of the inn were going on, Jadokh faced the closed door and muttered,

seemingly bored.

There, Miloulle, giggling, was returning.

“What’s up? You look...really happy?”

“Yes! I made a huge profit because of Tatsumi!”

Miloulle had a huge bag full of silver coins. She dropped it on the table, and it landed with a thud.

“...A bit sneaky, no?”

“Oh my, I had nothing to do with them starting to bet. I only joined in, you know?”

To tell the truth, Miloulle knew.

When a drunk man groped Calcedonia some time ago, Tatsumi stripped off the man’s clothing.

That event didn’t happen in the capital; they were a little ways off from a magic-beast infested place.

That man appeared in a traveler town’s inn.

It’s something that commonly happens in traveler towns’ pubs.

You could even say that drunk men groping waitresses and other women is an everyday thing for traveler towns.

Modern first-world countries have a completely different thoughts on sexual harassment than this world does. In

this world, it could be said dodging customers like these is a skill of waitresses.

But, the man choose the wrong person to harass. More than that, he did it in front of Tatsumi.

That time was similar to this one as Tatsumi also teleported him out of the inn.

Nude and sent out of the inn, without completely understanding what happened to him, he ran quickly away.

Not even the people there knew what had happened, and it was later said that night was strangely quiet, for nobody

made a fuss.

“Anyways, aren’t you going to give me hush money?”

“Of course! I made a lot, so you can have whatever you want!”

She happily patted the bag full of silver.

While giving a bitter smile that Miloulle acting like that, Jadokh thought about the bard.

“That man... He certainly has good lip-skills, but...wasn’t that part quite small? How could he please women with only

that?”

Thinking of the clothing-less bard, Jadokh giggled bad-naturedly.

It was past midnight, and Tatsumi returned to the house with Calcedonia.

Saying the password and opening the lock, they entered the house.

It was a truly fun day.

There was that strange bard, but their friends were there, and they ate good food and drank weak booze together.

Thinking about the day, Tatsumi turned to face Calcedonia.

“Calsey, sorry, but could the lights—”

Tatsumi’s words halted.

Something soft was covering his lips.

And, at the same time, he smelled a faint perfume. It was the scent of the precious girl he loved.

The soft thing blocking his lips moved away. He couldn’t clearly see in the darkness, but there was two jewels that

surpassed even the radiance of rubies in front of him.

“Husband... No, master. Thank you very much for protecting me today.”

“No... I didn’t...”

“do such a big thing,” was what Tatsumi was going to say, but his lips were covered by the same soft thing once

again.

For a short while, all that could be heard in the darkness was their breathing.

“...It’s okay. I’m happy since you did it for me.”

Tatsumi’s eyes accustomed to the dark, and he could see a little of Calcedonia’s beautiful smile.

“Yes, my Master is a very amazing person.”

Hugging him, she rubbed her cheek on his chest, like a small bird.

[1]Note that the author always says “magic beast-hunter,” but it’s kinda a mouthful in English, unlike the 4-character Japanese, so you’ll see it shortened to hunter or beast-hunter.

[2]A type of flat noodle.

[3]Something like this except male: