Chapter 23 – Beyond the Conflict Zone

 

Since having Sándor as my Master, the journey to leave Conflict Zone became so smooth that made me wonder what the difficulty until then was.

We were able to leave the battle royale stage just after advancing a little from the place I fought against Sándor, and while healing Father’s wounds was also a big deal, having a monster like Sándor as an ally made us feel very secure.

 

I dealt with the battles in the name of training, but thanks to Sándor being around to protect my parents, I can concentrate on just dealing with the opponent in front of me.

In that case, even a Saint-Rank swordsman is not scary.

After being sent into the Conflict Zone, as a result of accumulating real combat experience while risking my life despite it being against my will, I’ve gotten a lot stronger than I thought.

At the point when I met Sándor, my North God Style had reached quite a level that I received the title [North Saint] on the first day of our training.

 

With that, I am Saint-Rank in two styles.

Even for the remaining Water God Style, there is only no one who could give me the title, but according to Sándor, I’m already at Saint-Rank as well, so I’m basically Saint-Rank in three major styles.

Reaching this level, I can confidently say that I’m better than swordsmen who only are Saint-Rank in only one style.

Well, it’s just a small difference that I would easily lose if I let my guard down.

 

But there is the greatest reason why the journey became easier.

That is, the chances of fighting itself decreased significantly after fighting against Sándor.

Up until then, I would fight once every other day on average, while at the worst, I would encounter monsters, bandits, and soldiers many times in one day, but now, it has decreased sharply to only once a week.

Even in the same Conflict Zone, the difference between the battle royale stage and others was similar to heaven and hell.

 

However, for some reason, I feel like that was not all.

How should I put it, the feeling I had in the battle royale stage was it was as if destiny itself wanted to kill us.

Or I should say that it’s like the continuous misfortune felt like it was not destiny but something artificial.

I feel like that disappeared.

 

Maybe one of the three countries, or perhaps all of them, hated us to death and gave up after I left that area?

Hmm… it’s true that I killed a lot of soldiers, but would they target an ordinary family who they don’t have anything to gain from while their country is on the brink of extinction?

Well, I won’t understand the conspiracies of the three countries or destiny’s fickleness, so it’s useless thinking about it.

 

And thus, it has been half a year and several months since we surprisingly advanced through the Conflict Zone smoothly (although there were also times when the highway was blocked, involved in the war, and mistaken as spies and tried to kill us).

We finally left the Conflict Zone and entered a proper country in the Central Continent.

By the way, I gained the title of [North King] after being trained hard for half a year.

…the thing that would usually make me the happiest is now treated by me as “by the way” just shows how hard the experience until now was.

 

So, after entering a decent country, we moved along the largest highway that crosses the southern and western parts of the Central Continent.

We headed to our hometown, Asura Kingdom’s Fittoa Region, while I got trained hard by Sándor along the way.

 

I mean, the safety along the highway made me amazed.

Bandits would appear from time to time, but they were just some weaklings who escaped from the Conflict Zone and didn’t have enough to eat, so it was nothing.

It feels like the difference between Grand Line and East Blue.

 

Such weaklings are able to live, so naturally, there are not a lot of monsters, and even if there is, it’s quite weak.

After all, the southern part of the Central Continent is a region where monsters are weak.

Since we are on a highway, we won’t pass through exceptions like forests, which monsters treat as their territory.

 

Is this paradise?

On a side note, it is said that Asura Kingdom is even safer.

Please, can’t you just average it?

 

Thinking of that like every day as we advanced through the highway, we met some people one day.

 

The people walking towards us were a group of three, including a familiar beautiful blue-haired girl.

A magician girl who, for some reason, looks unchanged, still looks like a middle-school student, despite more than five years since we last met.

 

“Roxy-san?”

“Eh? Ah, Rawls-san!? Then it means, she is Emily-chan!? Thank goodness you are fine!”

 

Roxy-san ran towards us with a surprised face, ah, she tripped on a pebble.

Her skirt was turned up, and we could completely see her panties.

I felt bad for her, so while sending a chantless fireball spell to blind Sándor’s eyes, I moved at my top speed and fixed her upturned skirt.

 

“T-Thank you very much, Emily-chan. Or rather, you were so fast…”

“I trained, so.”

 

I tried my best to reply calmly to Roxy-san, who blushed with shame.

My relationship with Roxy-san is not that deep.

When we were in my hometown of Buena Village, my father consulted Roxy-san, a famous magician who had been staying in the village for several years, about discrimination against Elder sister due to her hair color, and that’s how we got to know each other.

We were only close enough to greet each other lightly when seeing.

 

But after Roxy-san left the village, I learned that this person was Rudeus’ master in magic, and that Rudeus respected Roxy-san to the point of death. So because he would tell me about her just like a preacher/mad believer, I’ve become strangely familiar with her.

Also, I know that she exchanges letters with Rudeus, so I think she knows about me after leaving the village.

 

“Roxy-san, why are, you here? If I, remember, correctly, you became, the tutor, of a prince, in, Si, See… some kingdom, right?

“You mean Shirone Kingdom? My employment contract there has ended, so I quit, and I am currently on my way to head towards the Demon Continent to help search for the missing Greyrat family that I owe very much since there are not enough people to search over there.”

“R-Roxy-san…!”

 

I was touched.

If it was Roxy-san who taught Rudeus magic, she should have been able to get hired by the country after her employment as a tutor ended, but she gave up such status to search for Master’s family.

Moreover, her destination is Demon Continent.

A place where only strong monsters appear and are said to be even more dangerous than the Conflict Zone.

What a good person she is.

I think I understand why Rudeus respect this person so much.

 

“Amazing. Respect.”

“Y-You don’t need to be! The two people over here are also helping for the same reason, so… eh, huh? Elinalise-san?”

 

Mm?

Among the companions of Roxy-san, the beautiful elf with rolled blonde hair and a dwarf-like small grandpa, the elf beauty seems odd.

She’s staring with eyes wide open behind me, or better say, staring at Father.

For some reason, Father was also petrified, looking at the beauty.

Eh? What? Do you know each other?

They’re both elves, so maybe his ex-girlfriend?

 

“R-Rawls…!”

“…Mother.”

 

……huhhh!?

Father, what did you just say!?

Mother!?

Did you just say Mother!?

Eh? In other words, this person is… my grandma!?

So young!?

Grandma, so young!?

 

“T-Thank goodness you are safe……!!”

“Uwaa…!?”

 

Grandma hugged Father while crying, and maybe Mother knew her, she watched them with kind eyes.

Roxy-san, me, and the dwarf grandpa could only look at them dumbfoundedly.

By the way, Sándor seems to have adapted to the atmosphere instantly, he repeatedly nods from behind while saying, “Good, good, good.”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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