Chapter 13

This time, it's quite a difficult birth.

"――――――What do we do with this thing?"

I mutter, looking at the giant squid floating on the surface of the sea in front of me.

After proceeding smoothly, we had already reached a position where the demon continent was in sight. Just as we were about to arrive, this squid jumped out of the sea.

"This is a Kraken, an A-rank monster."

The Kraken, known for attacking any creature that enters its territory, lived up to its name, as we were attacked the moment we entered this sea area――――

"It was annoying, the way it claimed the sea as its own."

The moment a body as big as a building appeared in front of us, a water bullet shot from Levi's mouth, creating a hole in the Kraken's body.

The Kraken, with a gaping hole in the center of its body, thrashed its ten giant tentacles for a moment, and died within seconds. It was a true instant kill.

"I knew that there was no sea monster that could beat you, but to kill it so quickly..."

"I am a sea god, after all. This is only natural!"

Her voice was so proud, it almost sounded like a "hehehe."

I didn't want to let her get too cocky, so I just went along with it.

"Okay, okay... So, what do we do with this thing?"

"......Well, why don't we eat it?"

"What!? Can we eat it!?"

A somewhat dissatisfied Levi made an attractive suggestion, and I couldn't help but stare at the Kraken.

A squid, huh...

"......Let's make some squid rings."

"――――――It's been a while since we've been to the demon continent."

"I, I've never been here before..."

To avoid being seen by people, we landed on an uninhabited beach instead of the port.

Ruri, who had landed first, was looking around nervously.

I also jumped off Levi's head, feeling the familiar atmosphere.

Unlike the human continent, the amount of magic in the air is much greater here. It is said that the demons, who are specialists in magic, have grown up in such an environment.

"I come here quite often when I have free time, so it's not new to me."

"Huh?"

A voice came from behind, and I turned to see a girl with straight, aqua hair standing there. She had a perfect figure, almost like a model, and a beautiful face that made her lack of a large chest irrelevant. Her nose was straight, and her large eyes had red irises. She was wearing a garment called a "jinbei" in Japan, which was aqua in color. Her shorts were loose and short, and her white legs were attractive.

"So, you're coming with us, Levi?"

"Wouldn't it be boring to just stay in the sea when you've come back? Besides... I have something to do if we're going to see the Demon King..."

......It seems like there's some reason behind it, but I don't have any particular reason to refuse.

As you can see, she can use a skill called "Humanization." It's not particularly rare among SSS-rank monsters, and is quite common. Apparently, she has the same level of power as usual in this form, but due to the characteristics of a sea god, her abilities drop to S-rank when she leaves the sea. Still, S-rank monsters are rare, so she can be a valuable asset in battle.

"Is it okay with Ruri?"

"I, I'm fine... But are you really going to follow us all the way to Evilbarrow?"

"I have business there too, and I'm supposed to be your bodyguard, after all."

Ruri seemed to feel bad about making me come along to see the Demon King, and asked worriedly.

But I was originally planning to go see him, and I had forgotten, but I was supposed to be Ruri's bodyguard. There are benefits to going together, but no drawbacks.

"So, we're going with three people... What do we do first?"

After four hours, the sky was dyed a deep red.

We need to prepare for camping, and I want to cook the Kraken that's in the magic bag somewhere.

It would be nice if there was a village nearby...

"There's a village nearby where I'm known, and I landed here to go there."

"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to you to guide us."

"Leave it to me."

Levi started walking, leading us into a creepy forest with twisted trees.

After walking for a few minutes in the forest, buildings made of black wood could be seen beyond the trees.

According to Levi, these buildings were made from the trees in this forest. Upon closer inspection, the trees were indeed black and twisted. How do they even use these to build houses...

As we got closer, we could see a high wooden wall surrounding the village to protect it from attacks. The demon continent has a lot of magic in the air, and the monsters are strong, so they have to defend against attacks this way.

"――――――Stop."

When we could see the entire village, a man guarding the entrance gate stopped us.

The man was wearing gray armor and holding a well-maintained spear.

"It's me. Can you let us through?"

"Oh... I apologize, Sea God. Who are these people?"

"They are my friends. Can you let these two through as well?"

"Of course, I cannot refuse the friends of the Sea God. Please come in."

"Thank you."

It really seemed like she was known here, and we were let into the village without any suspicion.

"Ms. Levi is really amazing..."

"......I don't really feel weird being called that... Anyway, if I'm in a bad mood, I can easily sink a village this close to the sea."

Of course, you can't resist... If she gets angry, a tsunami could sink this whole area.

Look, Ruri is scared...

"I wouldn't do something so troublesome, even if I could. It would be tiring."

"That's a relief..."

"What do you think of me...?"

She's not the type to spit out water bullets and open holes in things right away, is she? I'll make sure to eat the squid that was affected later.

"Welcome, Sea God and your friends."

As we walked through the village, we met an old man with small horns on the side of his head. As usual, the demons' skin is pale, and they look unhealthy, but they are actually very healthy. I used to worry about them unnecessarily when I first met them.

"Village Chief, can we stay here for the night? Is it okay?"

"Of course. We will prepare the best hospitality for you."

Ruri looked uncomfortable at the word "hospitality." Being treated so well just for being Levi's friend made me chuckle a bit.

"Ah, right, Village Chief. Can you lend this man a kitchen somewhere?"

"A kitchen? You can use my house..."

Levi gave me a look that said, "You're going to use it, right?" I didn't want to let her get too cocky, but I nodded in gratitude.

"What are you going to make?"

"Ah... I want to cook some squid."

Squid...? The old man gave me a curious look but led me to his house anyway.

"Here! It's done, take it!!"

"Yes, yes!!"

I had a nearby village girl carry the dish of food.

The dish, of course, was squid rings, a type of fried squid.

What? How can such a big squid be cut into ring shapes and served on a plate? Don't worry about the details, or you'll go bald!! I just cut it and fried it, and it turned out like this!

So, why have I been frying squid non-stop since then...

"―――――I'm sorry... We've entrusted the banquet's food to you."

"Then help me, Village Chief!!"

"I can't cook..."

"Daahh!! Damn!!"

At the Village Chief's house, I started preparing the Kraken. When the villagers saw this, they suddenly started preparing for a banquet. Apparently, the Kraken had been causing a lot of damage, and they couldn't go out to sea to fish properly.

Now that we had defeated the Kraken, the village could fish normally again, and they decided to hold a banquet to celebrate.

I was assigned to prepare the food for the banquet. This is all Levi's fault.

She pushed my cooking so much that the whole village ended up entrusting it to me.

"Probably just because she wanted to eat it...! Why do I have to do such a troublesome thing..."

I could have refused, but it's hard to say no when people are expecting your cooking.

In Japan, I wasn't forced to cook, but I used to make various dishes as a hobby. When my parents said they liked my cooking, I was so happy that I sometimes went beyond my hobby. So, to be honest, I was a little happy when Levi pushed me to cook. I won't admit it, though, because it would make me look too cocky.

But even if I was a little happy, it's still a hassle, and I'm quite regretful now.

I was getting more and more irritated with the Kraken's tentacles that kept coming out of the magic bag. Since I couldn't get the whole body out, I had to take out and cook the tentacles one by one, and this was only the second one.

I coated the tentacles, which somehow turned into bite-sized rings when cut, with breadcrumbs and threw them into the oil. While they were frying, I cut more tentacles, took out the fried squid rings, and put them on a plate. Then I threw more tentacles into the oil. I didn't know the exact recipe, so I just coated them with breadcrumbs and threw them into the oil.

"Setsu, I'm getting tired of squid rings. I want to eat some white fish."

While I was angrily cutting the tentacles, Levi nonchalantly walked into the kitchen.

Even though it was clear that I was busy, she demanded that I make some white fish. I grabbed a freshly fried squid ring and threw it at her mouth.

"Shut up!! Eat some squid rings for a while!!"

"Choke―――――Ah, it's hot!!"

Levi, shouting "Water――――!!", ran out of the kitchen. She should reflect on her behavior for a while.

---

When Setsu and the others landed...

Taran Sniater, the man who had secured a marriage agreement with the Demon King, was in a carriage running through the town below the castle.

The carriage was not very large, and could probably only fit four people.

In addition to Taran, there was a man in a black robe in the carriage. He was wearing the hood deep over his head, hiding his features.

"―――――It seems to have gone well."

The man in the robe spoke. His voice revealed that he was a man.

Taran, despite the strange atmosphere, smiled and spoke happily.

"As you said, I didn't think it would go so well just by talking about a man named Setsu. But what do we do? The 'Taran Guild' can't summon that man, can it?"

This statement was completely opposite to what he had said to the Demon King earlier.

He had told the Demon King, Desastor, that he could re-summon the man named Setsu.

"We will take care of that. You just enjoy your life with the Demon King."

"I will... But that's not a very pleasant way to put it."

"......Who brought you to this country and gave you a woman?"

"......I understand."

Taran knew that it was a mistake to go against this man.

The man's attitude, which seemed to say that he could get rid of Taran at any time, was not something he could dismiss as a bluff.

"Just focus on preparing for your wedding. I will attend the ceremony. If the Demon King's subordinates try to interfere, it will be on that day."

"Ha... Well, they have been glaring at me with such hostility... I'm sure they will interfere."

"We will protect you until that day. After that, we will return to our usual business."

"I understand."

"Then it's settled."

The next moment, the man in the robe disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the moving carriage.

"Phew... Talking to him always makes me nervous."

For Taran, who had had business talks with hundreds of people, talking to the man in the robe was always nerve-wracking. One wrong word could cost him his head.

But the risk was worth it.

"Well, since I got the Demon King's beauty for that much... I should be satisfied..."

The carriage he was in continued on its way through the town, as if it had only ever carried him.

A shadow was watching the carriage from the top of a building. It was the man in the robe who had just been in the carriage...

"―――――That man is easy to use..."

The man muttered, pulling his hood even deeper over his head.

(―――――According to our master's prediction... that man has already returned to this world...)

The people walking through the town paid no attention to him. He was treated like a shadow, completely ignored.

(For the sake of our master... I will confirm the existence of the hero, Setsu, who was summoned with our master...)

The next moment, he disappeared in the same way he had from the carriage.

Unbeknownst to Setsu, a storm was brewing in this world.

The next chapter will start with the banquet and the arrival of a certain visitor to the village.

I wonder how other writers deal with difficult births? I'm curious.