The Squishy Swordsman with Zero Attack Power - Chapter 5

The South Continent I live in has 3 major powers. 

-The Grandflare Empire that I was born in.

-The republican state formed from many small countries called the Blue Waters Federation. 

-The united nation of the Sacred Union with the Holy Land of Caldia as its center. 

The dungeon city I am currently living in is not affiliated to any of the above.

It is an independent city-state. 

Because of this, there’s people from the Empire, the Federation, and the Sacred Union.

And at the time of a trial, there’s a jury formed from the 3 major powers so that there’s no favoritism with the people of their own nation. 

“A Dungeon Destroyer… To think she would harm the Last Dungeon that was created by the Gods… Just execute her.” 

The one who made an extreme remark must be from the Sacred Union. 

They deify the Last Dungeon that’s the construction of the Gods. 

Because of that, they never forgive Dungeon Destroyers.

“Wait wait, you saw the footage of the Satellite System, right? There’s no doubt the criminal is a rare magic creature. Let’s use her as a guinea pig for progress.” 

This one here must be a member of the Blue Waters Federation. 

The political disputes among the small countries inside the Federation is intense, and there’s many people who use whatever they can use. 

This person must be within that group.

“Everyone, we don’t even know if she is a criminal just yet in the first place. We must ascertain the truth.” 

The one with the most reasonable opinion is from the Empire…or more like, it is a teacher that I am acquainted with in the academy. 

What a relief. There’s an actual decent person here. 

As for me, I am standing at the witness stand together with the girl that’s accused of being a Dungeon Destroyer, waiting for the participants to arrive. 

The girl woke up just now and she is pretty scared seeing that she has been brought to an unknown location. 

“That said, judging from the footage, there’s no doubt that fire came out from her body. That’s decisive evidence.” 

“From what I saw, it didn’t seem like she could control it. It might have been an accident.” 

“We have no choice but to ask the person herself for the truth, but…with a language barrier…” 

“It might be an act. This is suspicious.” 

“She seems to be speaking some sort of language. Not a language I have heard before though…” 

“It is most likely the language of demons from the North Continent. The words of demons who worship sinful Gods are unintelligible for us after all.” 

“But the languages of the North Continent have been researched in the magic academy, and none fit what she is saying.” 

“That can be explained if she is a demon from a minority in a remote region.” 

The jury formed by many nations were debating as they pleased. 

There’s also a decent amount of people at the spectator seats probably after hearing the rumors. 

Everyone is so curious. 

There aren’t many cases where His Majesty acts as the judge. 

You could say that’s just how important this case is, and it garners the attention of the people. 

The girl by my side has her eyes closed in unease. 

…It would be nice if I could be of help here, but I can’t do anything if I don’t know what she says. 

It was at that moment…

“His Majesty has arrived!” 

A loud voice echoed in the courtroom. 

Eyes gather at the entrance. 

The one who entered was a middle aged man with good physique. 

With a deep scarlet cloak that has lustrous golden embroidery.

He looks like he is in his late 30s, but his actual age is unknown. 

He observed every person in the courtroom with a sharp gaze like that of a carnivore…and then he directed his gaze at me. 

“It has been a while, Eugene. Are you doing well?” 

He made a smile that showed his teeth.

“It has been a while, Principal Uther.” (Eugene)

I lowered my head courteously and greeted him. 

The people around also lowered their heads all together. 

—Uther Mercurius Pendragon. 

The king of the dungeon city, Caliph, and also the magic academy principal that I attend. 

That said, he calls himself a magic researcher and the eternal explorer. His job as a king and academy principal is just on the side.

“No need to be so stiff, everyone. Time is finite and must be used logically. Let’s begin the trial for the current case.” (Uther)

“Then, I will explain the outline of this time’s—” 

“No need. I have seen what’s necessary with Farsight. I am aware of what happened.” (Uther)

“Excuse my rudeness!” 

The staff member at the court hurriedly took back the documents that they were about to read. 

…What a hasty person as always. 

This person is always living on fast-forward. 

Even though there’s no mage that can match him on the continent. 

“If it is Uther-sama, there should be no need for questioning. Please dispatch strict punishment for this criminal that has destroyed the relic of the Holy Gods. We of the Sacred Union will execute it.” 

“No no, please let us of the Blue Waters Federation take custody of her. With mana enough to create that much fire, she could serve as an effective tool depending on how you use it.” 

The people of the Union and the Federation were bringing out their own demands one after the other. 

The Principal didn’t answer. 

“Well, calm down. First, let’s try listening to what the person herself has to say.” (Uther)

Principal Uther said this, landed nimbly at the highest official seat and stood right in front of me. 

“Eugene, put this on the arm of Sumire-kun.” (Uther)

“Sumire…?” (Eugene)

It is the first time I hear that name, but judging from the gaze of the Principal, it must be the name of this girl. 

“What, so you still haven’t even heard her name? Well, fine. Eugene, make it quick.” (Uther)

“Y-Yes.” (Eugene)

I asked her with my eyes whether I could put the bracelet on her. 

I thought she would resist, but she easily accepted. 

The bracelet made a clicking sound and was fastened onto her arm. 

“Sumire-kun, do you understand what we are saying?” (Uther)

The Principal asked the girl. 

“…….Yes, I do.” 

The girl answered in a low volume. 

Ooh, it got through! 

The courtroom grew noisy. 

Before Principal Uther came, a number of magic tools were used to try and translate what the girl said, but they all failed. 

To think it would easily succeed here…

“Then, can you introduce yourself?” (Uther)

“My name is Sumire.” 

Just as the Principal said, her name is apparently Sumire. 

What an unusual name. 

It is not a name you hear often in the South Continent. 

“Where did you come from?” (Uther)

“…I don’t know. By the time I noticed, I was in a grass-covered plain. My memory…is hazy.” (Sumire)

“Amnesia, huh.” (Uther)

The Principal fell in thought at the words of the girl and brushed his beard. 

“How convenient! Can’t believe in her amnesia!” 

The heckling of someone rang. 

The girl trembled. 

There’s no need to put it like that. 

“Is there anything you remember? Like where you were born?” (Eugene)

“I was born in…in…Tokyo, Japan. Born and raised…” (Sumire)

Japan…?

I haven’t heard about it, but judging from the intonation, is it somewhere in the East Continent? 

“We will be able to tell once we do an Appraisal! We can tell whether what she says is the truth!” 

“We already tried that. Appraisal doesn’t work on her for some reason.” 

“That’s why I am saying she is suspicious! There’s no doubt she wants to hide something by blocking the Appraisal!” 

The people from the Sacred Union seem to want to make her the bad guy here as much as possible. 

“Hmmm…Appraisal doesn’t work, huh. I see. By the way, Eugene-kun, bring out the two cases when you can’t appraise something. You learned that at school, right?” (Uther)

It was suddenly thrown onto me! 

“Uhm…the first case would be when the target is using a jamming spell for Appraisal. The other one is when the appraiser lacks the capability.” (Eugene)

Right? 

“Drivel. The Appraisers in the court are all highly qualified appraisers. It is impossible that they lack the capability.” 

“Can’t really rule that out. My Appraisal Eye is clearly showing the race and Status of the girl.” (Uther)

“…”

The person complaining fell silent at the words of the Principal. 

Oi oi, Principal Uther, you knew that long before? 

“Then, who is this girl?” 

“Want to know?” (Uther)

The Principal grins. 

This person really likes this theatrical talk. 

And it creates a lot of flair. 

“I shall answer! Her race is: Fire Half-God**, Ifrit! A resident of the mythological era that was said to have fallen.” (Uther) {TLN: It is called 神人(Shinjin) which would translate literally to Human-God(maybe use that instead?). I normally would translate that as Demigod, but there has already been a demigod mention in WM with 半神 (Hanshin). Comment any suggestions you may have.}

““““““……””””””

The unexpected answer silenced the courtroom. 

Fire Half-God, Ifrit…? 

I haven’t seen anything like that anywhere outside of picture books. Isn’t that a mythological being? 

“It is one of the races that were said to have existed in the mythological era before humans resided in this world. A mythological being that was said to have fallen in those ancient times. It has come back to live in the modern world!” (Uther)

Uther was explaining with excitement. 

He seems to be having fun. 

This person loves rare magic creatures after all. 

“B-But if she is an Ifrit, where did she come from? Suddenly appearing in the dungeon is not a good explanation! In the first place, it is the irrefutable truth that she destroyed the Zenith Tower. It is not something that can be forgi—” 

“I told you to calm down, right?” (Uther)

Principal Uther stopped the words of the jury member from the Sacred Union. 

“Let’s go one by one. First, where did Sumire-kun come from?” (Uther)

The courtroom went silent and waited for the words of the Principal. 

“The hint is in the words that Sumire-kun said just now.” (Uther)

“My words…?” (Sumire)

The girl muttered in wonder. 

“She said just now that she came from ‘Tokyo, Japan’. But unfortunately, there’s no country or city with those names in this world!” (Uther)

“N-No way!” (Sumire)

The girl raised her voice in distress.

It seems she thought we were accusing her of lying. 

“Wait. I said ‘this world’. In other words, the world Sumire-kun came from actually had the places called Japan and Tokyo.” (Uther)

“…What does that mean?” 

“Could it be…” 

“…No way!” 

Not only the jury, but even the audience was growing noisy. 

I see…so that’s what it is. 

“Uhm…what does it mean?” (Sumire)

The girl asked me in a whisper.

It would be better for me to not answer, right? 

I glanced at Principal Uther and he grinned at me. 

“Sumire-kun, welcome to the Lykeion Magic Academy. We shall welcome a parallel world reincarnator!” 

“……Eh?” (Sumire)

The girl opened her mouth wide in shock. 

Looks like the girl I found was a rare stray from a parallel world. 

A parallel world reincarnator. 

That’s the general term we have given to the people that come from a different world. 

Their traits are that, when they come to this world, the Gods will often give them excessive blessings or they will reincarnate as special races.

This is my first time meeting one, and it will mostly be the first time for the people in the courtroom too.

“Fufufu, it has been a while since we have had a guest from a parallel world. I am looking forward to what you have to say.” (Uther)

Looks like it is not the first time for Principal Uther. 

Well, I don’t know how old he is, but he has apparently been the academy principal for more than 200 years. 

I can’t even imagine how much information he has. 

“Please wait! The first one to find her was an explorer from the Blue Waters Federation! Doesn’t her ownership fall onto us?!” 

The Federation gets agitated here. 

Didn’t you say just before that you would turn her into a guinea pig? 

The girl called Sumire hid behind me as if uneasy. 

“Hmmm, by the first ones who found her, do you mean the men that were about to assault Sumire-kun? Or maybe the ones who shot arrows at her? It is certainly true that they seemed like explorers from the Blue Waters Federation, but would you really call that ‘found’?” (Uther)

“T-That’s…” 

“Also, if you are going to be taking her in, you would need to pay for the damages that were caused by the fire on the 5th floor… How much was it?” (Uther)

Principal Uther asked the lady at his side who seemed to be his secretary. 

“It is only a rough estimate right now, but it is approximately 5 billion G.” 

“5 b-billion?!” 

“We are having High Tier and up mages in the dungeon city all working on the restoration. Paying them that much of a reward in total would be the most reasonable thing to do.” 

“So?” (Uther)

“……We won’t.” 

The person from the Federation groaned. 

“King Uther, what will you do about the sin of destroying the dungeon though?! The sin of destroying the construction of the Holy Gods is not light!” {TLN: It is unknown whether they are referring to Holy God in singular or plural}

The next one to complain was the jury member from the Sacred Union. 

“Have you forgotten? ‘Visitors of other worlds must be protected’, is the teaching of none other than the Holy Gods though?” (Uther)

“I-I know that, but…” 

“She is not an evil demon which you were worried about. She is the reincarnation of an ancient resident, an Ifrit. Moreover, she just arrived in this world and lacks the knowledge, so she ended up causing an unfortunate incident. Fortunately, there’s no deaths within the explorers. Wouldn’t showing an open heart here match the teachings of the Holy Gods?” (Uther)

“…Understood.” 

The person from the Sacred Union has also withdrawn.

“……No…deaths?” (Sumire)

Sumire-san muttered. 

“Is something the matter?” (Eugene)

“N-No, it is nothing.” (Sumire)

She shook her head to the sides when I asked.

Is something bothering her?

“Your Majesty, Eugene Santafield is from the Empire. If Eugene was the one who brought her back, doesn’t the duty to shelter her fall into the hands of the Empire?” 

The last one to speak was the teacher from the academy that was silent the whole time and comes from the Empire. 

—The residents of the Empire will always have in their heart to act in ways that will make the Empire prosper. 

The background of the teacher has a quote like that If I remember correctly. 

He didn’t seem to have much interest at first, but it looks like he couldn’t let her be after knowing that she is an otherworlder and an Ifrit. 

Hearing this, the Principal brushed his beard as if thinking of something.

“You do have a point. Then, let’s have Eugene from the Empire be designated as the guardian of Sumire-kun. After that, she herself can decide what to do. How about that?” (Uther)

“No objections.” 

The teacher didn’t hang onto it and agreed. 

In the dungeon city, King Uther’s words are absolute. 

There’s no people who would go against him. 

…Me, a guardian? 

Her guardian? 

I looked at my side, and the reincarnator Sumire was also looking at me. 

We stared at each other without noticing. 

Her big eyes were looking at me uneasy. 

“And so, Eugene, it is up to you now. Don’t worry. If you are troubled by anything, come consult with me. Of course, I will provide a satisfactory allowance!” 

“O-Okay…” (Eugene)

I nodded at the words of the Principal. 

This is progressing further and further. 

I once again directed my gaze at the girl by my side. 

My heart skipped a beat. 

I didn’t notice until now because of how hectic everything has been, but she is incredibly beautiful. 

Glossy pale yellow hair, big eyes, and pink lips. 

The skin that can be peeked at from the openings of the robe were white like silk. 

I felt this the first time I met her in the dungeon, but…

(She really is one pretty girl…) (Eugene)

Is it because she is a parallel world reincarnator? Because she is a special race like an Ifrit? Or maybe because she herself is special? 

No, don’t think unnecessary things. 

Let’s face her properly first. 

“Nice to meet you, my name is Eugene Santafield.” (Eugene)

“I am…Sumire. Nice to meet you, too.” (Sumire)

Sumire nervously held the hand I offered to her. 

And in this way, one more job was added onto me in the form of being the guardian of the reincarnator and Ifrit, Sumire. 

◇◇

“And so, because you were so busy taking care of the girl that came from a parallel world, you were late in coming to my place?” 

The Demon Lord Erinyes was glaring straight at me.

Eri was sprawled slovenly on the bed with really suggestive underwear. 

It is poison for the eyes. 

I answered her while trying to not look too much over there.

“Sorry about that. This week has really been packed.” (Eugene)

I put both hands together and lowered my head at Eri. 

“Hmm, I see. Looking after a girl, huh.” (Eri)

“You seem to want to say something there…” (Eugene)

“Have you put a hand on her?” (Eri)

She said something outrageous.

“As if!” (Eugene)

“Hooh~, is that true?” (Eri)

Saying this, Eri moved her face close to my neck.

“I smell the scent of another woman from you, Eugene. It seems like you were sticking pretty close to each other.” (Eri)

“…I am her guardian after all.” (Eugene)

“Spit it out! The truth is that you have already done it with her, right?!” (Eri)

“As I said, I haven’t done anything!” (Eugene)

I feel as if I am being questioned for infidelity. 

I am not the boyfriend of Eri, and I haven’t done anything to Sumire. 

I sighed and continued answering the questions of Eri. 

The Demon Lord Eri of that day was really persistent. 

I vowed to not talk about Sumire to Eri in the future.