kscans

Chapter 272 - Yin and Yang

At the west port of the Eastern Country, a ship had arrived, and on it was the Demon Lord, Lunaria.

She’s pretty active, Hayato thought, but he was grateful. He was a little surprised that the trump card Diite had mentioned was the Demon Lord, but there was no doubt he had been saved.

Still, he had a question. Why was Lunaria here? As far as Hayato remembered, the Black Rose Saints and the Ten Dark Knights had worked together to lock Lunaria in the Demon Lord's Castle.

Before he could confirm this, Lunaria pushed back Benitsuru’s sword with Arondight.

Benitsuru, though surprised, used the force of the pushback to leap backward and create distance.

"Wow, the princess is surprised. I’ve never seen anyone completely block that attack before! Truly amazing!"

Lunaria did not reply. She just seemed to have a stiffer expression than usual, at least to Hayato.

(Does that mean she recognizes how strong Benitsuru-san is?)

"My name is Benitsuru Azuma. I’m the princess of this country. May I have your name? If you’re strong, I’d like to be friends. How about it?"

Benitsuru said this to Lunaria with a wide grin.

Lunaria kept her sword raised, staring intently at Benitsuru. She was on her guard.

(Does that mean she’s strong enough to make Lunaria-san wary… To an amateur, she looks full of openings, but maybe it’s a tactic to confuse her opponent with changes in pace.)

"Ti…"

Lunaria opened her mouth and spoke in a small voice. Benitsuru didn’t seem to hear it, but since Lunaria had spoken, she cupped a hand to her ear to listen closely.

"…Time."

"Time? Is that your name? Hayacchi didn’t say a name like that. Is it your last name?"

Lunaria’s real name was Lunaria Freire. The word "time" wasn’t even close. Hayato also wondered what she was saying, but then he realized something.

"Sorry, Benitsuru-san. A little time out. A temporary truce."

"Huh? Time out means a temporary truce? Oh man, that’s so funny my stomach hurts. This is the first time someone’s called a time out in the middle of a fight. Fine, I’ll wait. But if you try to run, I’ll cut you down!"

Benitsuru said this and burst out laughing.

And for some reason, Lunaria hid behind Hayato, avoiding a direct confrontation with Benitsuru.

"Hey Lunaria-san, what’s wrong? Using me as a shield won’t do you any good."

"Hayato-san, that person’s yang power is too strong. She is the complete opposite of me, who possesses yin power. It is dangerous. Wanting to become friends out of the blue, that is undeniably yang. My stomach is starting to hurt too. By the way, you have yin power, Hayato-san, so I feel a little calmer."

"Is that something I should be offended by? Anyway, I don’t really get this yin and yang power stuff, but have some confidence, Lunaria-san. You beat the Hero, Ivan, didn’t you?"

"Lately, I’ve been deluding myself into thinking I was a little bit yang too, what with vacationing in a swimsuit and all. I can’t win against the real thing."

"What’s the real thing? Besides, the Demon Lord isn’t yin, she’s darkness, right? Go in with the mindset that darkness will blot out both light and yang."

Hayato himself didn’t know what he was saying, but he tried to encourage Lunaria with words that sounded right.

"Hayato-san, you say good things. I have reevaluated you."

"Could you tell me how many more times I need to be reevaluated to become normal?"

After that exchange, Lunaria cautiously stepped out from behind Hayato and pointed the tip of her sword at Benitsuru. Then, with a slightly strained face, she smiled awkwardly.

"I, I am Lunaria Freire. I am the Demon Lord in the Demon Country. I am super strong. Also, I like small rooms."

"No way, for real! If you’re the Demon Lord, then you’re the Demon Lord! Demon Lord Luna-cchi! Let’s be friends!"

"Lu, Luna-cchi? The, the Demon Lord chooses her friends. That is too soon. Let’s start with correspondence…"

(Her yang power is strong. I feel like the darkness is being pushed back.)

"Arrow messages are great, aren't they? Oops, let’s save that talk for later. First, I want to take down Hayacchi. It’ll be a problem if he gets away. So it’d be a big help if you could stay out of it."

"A problem if he gets away? Hayato-san, what did you do?"

"I didn’t do anything. To make a long story short, I got my hands on a slightly problematic item, and because of that, I’m about to be captured."

"I think you should just hand over the item."

"That’s the thing, but the timing was bad or something, and it looks like I’ll be captured even if I hand it over. And in the worst case, I won’t be able to leave this country. I want to avoid that. Besides, I still have things to do here, so I can’t leave just yet."

"I understand that you are in a complicated situation. By the way, where are Rosalie-chan and the others?"

"Rosalie-san and the others are—"

"We plan to capture the members at Takamagahara on that mountain. The idea is to take them hostage so that Hayacchi will come back even if he escapes. We’ve sent our elite Ten Swords and ninjas, and I think it’ll be easy to apprehend them after their battle with Suzaku. It’s that thing where you tell them to surrender peacefully!"

Benitsuru answered before Hayato could.

Lunaria, who had been timidly pushed back by the so-called yang power, froze for a few seconds and then stared at Benitsuru. A complete change from her previous atmosphere, something intimidating was now being emitted.

It wasn't the Intimidation skill that Benitsuru had used, but a genuine pressure emanating from her very being. Even in this virtual reality, the pressure coming from Lunaria was palpable.

"Taking Rosalie-chan hostage?"

"I don’t remember all their names, but you mean the girl in the gothic lolita dress, right? We plan to capture all the members there. And they won’t be allowed to leave the country until the suspicion is cleared. Well, for a few weeks, maybe?"

"I understand everything now."

"Oh, really? Then—"

"The promise of correspondence is rescinded. Taking my friend Rosalie-chan hostage is unacceptable. Witness the power of the Demon Lord and take it with you to the afterlife."

"What? No way!"

In an instant, Lunaria moved into striking range of Benitsuru. Then she brought Arondight down with both hands.

Benitsuru barely managed to block it with her own sword, but her posture was completely broken.

"For real!"

Benitsuru shouted, but Lunaria said nothing and unleashed her next attack.

Her swings were precise, aiming for Benitsuru’s vital points. And they were unpredictable. Benitsuru was in a state where she could do nothing but defend.

"Kuh! Nngh! H, hey! This is impossible!"

(I don't know how strong a ‘master’ is, but it has to be considerable, right? Does that mean Lunaria-san is even stronger than that? That’s what’s impossible.)

As Hayato was thinking that, he heard a voice shout, "Protect the princess!" and samurai came running from behind Benitsuru.

There seemed to be quite a number of them, and it would be difficult for even Lunaria to handle that many while also dealing with Benitsuru.

Just as he was wondering what to do, Hayato sensed a presence behind him. He immediately turned to check.

There stood a grim-faced man over two meters tall.

"Hayato-dono, have you been training your muscles?"

"Gil-san!"

It was Gil, one of the Ten Dark Knights, and behind him, others in similar black armor and the members of the Ten Black Rose Saints were disembarking from the ship.

"I don’t know the circumstances, but since Lunaria-sama is fighting, the opponent must be an enemy. Hayato-dono and the others should move back a little. So you don’t get caught in the crossfire."

Gil said this with a laugh and took a deep breath.

"Demon Lord’s Army! Charge! Show them the power of demons!"

As Gil’s loud voice echoed around them, a roar-like cry erupted from the Black Rose Saints and the Ten Dark Knights.

At that sound, Benitsuru and her samurai flinched for a moment.

Meanwhile, Benitsuru and Lunaria were talking while their swords were locked.

"No way! Is this a world invasion?! You’re starting with the Eastern Country?!"

"Completely wrong. This is a sightseeing trip. A pet project of the Demon Lord."

"There’s no way it looks like that! Don’t tell me Hayacchi is part of the Demon Lord’s Army?!"

"…Actually, he is the Demon Lord’s Army’s exclusive chef."

"The fact that he’s not a blacksmith is kind of hitting the spot, but this is no time for that!"

(They both seem to be a bit too relaxed… Anyway, what’s going to happen? It’s not good if they fight until one side is defeated, right? Diite-chan is smiling for some reason, but even if it’s a virtual reality, it would be bad if this turned into a diplomatic incident…)

While Hayato was thinking that, the battle began.

In terms of numbers, the samurai had the advantage, but in terms of strength, it was the Demon Lord’s Army. They were not losing to the samurai, who outnumbered them by more than double. In fact, they were pushing them back.

However, Hayato thought it would be problematic if the Demon Lord’s Army won just like that.

He still had things to do in the Eastern Country, Esha and the others were at Takamagahara, and they had apparently sent elite forces there. Even if they had hostages, it felt like the Demon Lord’s Army wouldn’t stop, but leaving a grudge for the future would be bad.

Besides, if he ended up creating the catalyst for the Demon Lord’s Army to invade the Eastern Country after getting everyone else involved in his own problems, he might go down in history in a weird way. Hayato thought he had to somehow calm both sides down.

(Is there anything… My voice won’t reach them anymore, so some kind of action to get their attention… If Esha were here, she has Destroy.)

Hayato looked around and remembered that this was a port. And he had an idea.

(I logged a massive amount of lumber to make elemental arrows, so this should work. I’ll bet on this.)

Hayato took out his beloved saw from his item bag. Then, he selected an item from the menu.

After the sound effect for using the Woodworking Skill played, a giant, rainbow-colored ball of light effect unfolded in the sky above the port.

Everyone was surprised by the sight and stopped fighting. To someone seeing it for the first time, it would probably look like a giant attack spell. Everyone took a defensive stance.

However, what emerged from that light was a large ship. When it landed in the sea, a huge splash was created, drenching the surrounding Demon Lord’s Army, the samurai, and even Benitsuru and Lunaria.

Almost everyone was soaked. And the fighting stopped.

While everyone was stunned, Hayato slowly walked over to Lunaria and Benitsuru.

"This is a problem I caused, but let’s end the fight here. I want to talk properly. I won’t run away with the cursed blade fragments, so could you please not lock me up or prevent me from leaving the country? Oh, right, just as Lunaria-san said, I’ll hand over the fragments. Will you trust me then, Benitsuru-san? No, Benny-chan. How about it?"

The surrounding samurai stirred at the words "Benny-chan," but Benitsuru just stared at Hayato blankly. Then, a radiant smile gradually spread across her face.

"Benny-chan, huh? I see, Hayacchi and I are friends. It’s not good to doubt a friend! It’s fine, it’s fine, you can keep the fragments. If you say you won’t run away, then there’s no problem!"

Hayato let out a long sigh.

(Looks like it’s okay… Whoops, I need to ask about Esha and the others first.)

"Then, Benny-chan, sorry to ask, but about capturing the members at Takamagahara… what’s this?"

Black, shadow-like things were creeping along the ground towards Hayato. There were five of them. He didn’t know what they were, but Hayato had a bad feeling.

Figures clad in black emerged from the shadows and surrounded Hayato. Then they launched a hand-to-hand attack on him.

By the time Hayato realized the danger, it was too late. He was hit by the five-person attack.

However, there was no change in Hayato’s HP.

And the five figures immediately disappeared, sinking back into the shadows. Then the shadows departed from the scene.

Benitsuru, who was nearby, shouted in surprise.

"Th, that was our Ninja Squad! Are you okay, Hayacchi?!"

"Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, but… ah!"

Hayato hurriedly opened his item bag. The cursed blade fragments were gone, just as he expected. But that wasn’t all.

"No way…"

Something that should have been in Hayato’s item bag was missing. It was his beloved knife, the "Adamantite Knife - Extreme." It had been stolen along with the cursed blade fragments.