Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 4 Chapter 5

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Chapter 5: Survival race on the snowy mountain

Three days after arriving to the undead tribe’s lands.

At last the day has come. It’s the day the hundred deaths course is held on.

On the huge three thousands meters tall snowy mountain that had become the race course, we resolutely went to the hundred deaths reception hall at its foot.

Though that’s fairly obvious, right now we have the highlight right before our eyes.

In the reception hall there were gathered monsters of varied looks that came from all of the Netherworld.

According to Zonmi.

Though in the quickly developed Netherworld it’s become customary to live in human form for the purpose of convenience, it seems that that custom has yet to permeate into every nook and cranny of the Netherworld.

For that reason, among the monsters gathered at the reception hall there’s a fair amount that have not adopted human forms. Monsters that look like mummies and monsters that look like vampires… It looks like the core of the participants comes from the undead tribe.

Before the reception hall there are many stalls in a row, there’s a mood like it’s some sort of festival.

“Muu. This…Intoxicatingly mellow fragrance that resembles a forbidden fruit crafted by the devil… Candied apples!?”

“Do candied apples have such an exaggerated smell!?”

“Monster hunter. I have recalled that I had some business to take care of. I shall go wait in line around here.”

Iris slurped the drool that spilled from her mouth while wiping it with her robe’s sleeve.

“… So it seems. Do we need to remain together from here on?”

Nonetheless, Iris being alone leaves me with a dreadful unrest.

She may have that haughty attitude, but a stranger wouldn’t have it difficult to lure her with a piece of candy.

“Chiharu-sama. Rather than worrying for others you should first worry about yourself.

If it’s about Iris-sama, leave it to me. I’ll watch her so that she doesn’t get hurt.”

Lowering her voice so as to not be heard by those around us, Lilith-san secretly whispered to my ear.

“Lilith-san. Thank you very, very, very much.”

That’s right.

It’s as Lilith-san has said.

I have to attain victory in the race and get my existence as a human acknowledged among the ghoul clan.

It would be unsightly to forget about my main objective because of being worried about others.

It seems that the development of the competition will be broadcasted in real time via monitors and the rest of your group can cheer you from there.

I haven’t told this to Kyouko and Manami, who had disappeared after saying they had issues to attend, though.

“… Chiharu. Let’s go to the tent on the other side of the reception hall.”

Zonmi tugged my sleeve while looking around, worried by the public notice.

Even supposing that she hadn’t come back to the Netherworld in a long time, if word gets out that the country’s princess was at this place, things would get a bit rowdy.

For that reason, today Zonmi was wearing glasses & a hood that covered the upper part of her face so as to disguise herself a little.

How troublesome it is to be famous.

“Now let’s follow the succubus’s words and finish with the registration asap.”

“Understood.”

This way, Zonmi & I, while feeling grateful for Lilith-san’s actions, set foot on the reception hall.

Having the majority of the monsters finished with their registration, the inside of the tent was more deserted than I had expected.

Speaking of the most important registration… It happened so easy that it was even disappointing.

“Hey, Zonmi. Wasn’t the hundred deaths course the biggest event for the ghoul clan?”

“Yes. Didn’t I explain it to you beforehand?”

“… But, isn’t it weird?

They don’t even hold any preliminaries for such an important event… You can participate this easily on the same day.”

Lilith-san called the hundred deaths course the Olympics, Netherworld-style, but to me, that example didn’t fit it.

Surely, judging by the number of participants and the scale of the venue alone, this race may deserve to be called the Olympics, Netherworld-style.

However, with only this, it’s unnatural that despite being a large-scale event, there’s absolutely no selection of the participants.

Well, since if they did have preliminaries there’s no doubt that we wouldn’t be able to participate in this race, it’s not like I have complaints.

“… It’s easy. Though it sounds cruel, this competition not having preliminaries is due to being more exciting to mix strong people with weak people.”

“? What does that mean?”

“Since there’s no rule that guarantees the participant’s lives, that way they get naturally sieved… As expected from the Netherworld’s sports, how nasty.”

“Whoa, Kyouko!? You… What have you been doing until now!?”

The one who answered my question instead of Zonmi, was Kyouko, who appeared all of a sudden.

“What have I been doing… Don’t you understand seeing me like this? Sorry, but… Waiting and cheering is boring.”

On Kyouko’s chest there was a badge with a registration number that identified her as a participant in the hundred deaths course. In this badge, it seems there was a transmitter that served to locate the participant in case they got stranded on the snowy mountain.

“Eeeh. Could it be that you're also participating?”

“What’s with that face of open disgust?”

“Because…”

It’s simply that my chance of winning have gone down.

But I desisted in my heart on giving in and saying aloud my honest feelings.

… Is there a need of saying that now?

If it’s Kyouko, since she knows what’s the reason behind this competition, she should be able to properly read the mood.

For the one in a million chance that I can win… There’s no doubt that she’s giving me all of her support.

Thinking that I have one more ally, it’s rather reassuring.

“Ufufu. I won’t lose to the zombie!”

“…”

Laughing fearlessly, Manami wore a badge with an registration number on her chest.

The one who can’t read the mood in the least has comeeeeeee!

“Hey, Manami… Is there any merit from you participating in the race?”

“There’s merit. Oniichan. Did you forget the purpose of this race?”

“As if I could forget.”

I’m repeating myself, but by winning this race I’ll have the ghoul clan acknowledge humans.

“Then there’s no problem if Manami wins ♪”

“… Eh?”

“I mean. Since we aim to show to those cheeky zombies the true value of us mighty humans… Rather, wouldn’t it be more effective if Manami wins?”

“Yeah. Now that you say… It is?”

Even if it’s acceptable, I want to be spared from that development.

I mean… Could you picture it?

Just thinking on having to tell Zonmi’s father “my sister has won, so accept my contract with Zonmi!”… Too lame.

“… Besides, ever since coming to this town, I’ve been having a bad hunch.

More than this, so that the relationship between oniichan and the zombie doesn’t advance, I have to cut it off this bad progress early on… Ufufufufu.”

*SPARKLE* Manami’s eyes let out a dangerous gleam.

“…”

I think that I have found the mightiest foe right beside me.

If I’m not careful… She’s quite capable of tripping me up.

I think that my sister’s physical capabilities, strongly inherited from my mother, a living legend among monster tamers, still haven’t shown their whole depth yet.

“Chiharu. You can’t afford to lack in concentration. No matter who participates… We absolutely must not lost this race.”

“… Yeah. That’s right.”

Though I’ve said it just before, as expected, I think it will be difficult to persuade Zonmi’s father if Manami wins this race.

At the end of the day, the one who wins should be none other than me.

And if we’re speakung of wanting even more… I want to attain a great difference with the second place.

If I manage to stand out like that… From the results of the race it won’t be difficult to propose a negotiation with Zonmi’s father.

Having recognized the situation anew thanks to Zonmi’s warning, my enthusiasm got renewed.

× × ×

When I reached the snowy mountain that had become the racecourse, there were already lots of participants starting to position themselves as they pleased on the starting line.

Those numbers… five hundred, no, making a low estimate, there were around six hundred?

Since the girls had gotten delayed, changing their clothes, I who had finished my own arrangements stood all alone on the snow.

Since I had no choice but spacing out, I think I’ll check one more time the rules of the hundred deaths course.

The rules are easy.

The one from the participants who reaches the top of the snowy mountain the fastest is the victor.

However, monsters that can fly are forbidden of doing so.

Engaging in direct attacks against other participants is also forbidden.

… Though, at first glance, it may look like a half-baked competition, negligence is taboo.

As even at the best of times just traveling by a path with deeply poled up snow can have you break a bone, if you add going up a steep slope, many a monster will easily have his stamina exhausted.

“Haah… Even though I went out of my way to warn you… You’re quite eager to die.”

“Chiharu-sama… We have heard the circumstances from oneesama. Go for it!”

“Meruru. Even Aruru…!! Have you come to cheer me on!?”

“… Humph. How conceited. We were going to participate in this event since the very start.”

“… Eh. Could it be that you will be participating in this race?”

“No. Chiharu-sama. We are not contestants…”

The instant after Aruru started to tell me something.

“Ah! Isn’t the one there princess Aruru!?”

From somewhere on the venue, someone shouted that.

“So does that mean that the person next to her is princess Meruru!?” “It’s true! I… It may be my first time seeing them in person.” “I had heard rumors, but… They are very beautiful girls…” “The truth is… I’ve only participated in this race because I wanted to meet them.”

“…”

As a chain reaction from that voice, other voices kept popping up and the venue became an uproar at once.

“… Tch! They noticed us?”

Meruru muttered in a spiteful voice unbecoming of a beautiful girl.

“Chiharu-sama. Continuing with my earlier statement, we are not contestants in the hundred deaths course, we’ve been entrusted with the award delivery… We’ve been invited to this event as special guests.”

“I see. So it was like that?”

“For that… I case that you manage to win this race, Chiharu-sama, I think that we’ll meet again at the awards ceremony.”

“Human. Do your best not to die.”

“… Understood. Thanks!”

Thereafter.

The AruMeru sisters, so as to slip through the glances from those around, quickly left my side.

I thought that with Zonmi’s case, but… as expected, being a country’s princess may bring with it various hardships.

× × ×

Several minutes after.

In the blue sky without a single cloud… The fireworks that signaled the start of the hundred deaths course were launched.

At the same time, around six hundred monsters, raising a sound like a tremor, strived to be the first to reach the summit.

“Chiharu… Don’t leave my side!”

“… Y-yup.”

Had I not firmly grasped her hand, pushed by the surge of people, I would have lost Zonmi in a flash.

After standing for a bit at the start line, the forerunner group disappeared from sight before you could say Jack Robinson and at last we could chat peacefully.

“… But, is this right? It seems we’ve blundered charging ahead at ful strength from the beginning.”

“There’s no problem. In this competition people who make a head start are not bound to have an advantage.”

“…”

Certainly, Zonmi’s speech seemed to have a point.

It seems that around three quarters of the participants had rushed out with the starting signal, and in contrast, the remainder quarter seemed to be taking it at leisure.

According to Zonmi.

In this race, along the way, there were set diverse traps and, in the worst case, it seems that one has to be prepared to face the danger of losing one’s life.

This means that starting on vanguard = demerit of being more prone to falling into a trap, while those at the back, as they have the merit of being able to retain their stamina, they can progress better in the race.

“… Nonetheless, it’s not like we can remain here forever doing nothing. Chiharu, we will go on soon.”

“… Yup.”

Like this, we started the race about one minute after the starting signal.

× × ×

After that.

I think we kept going up the mountainside for around thirty minutes.

Have we been able to avoid the traps as Zonmi expected?

After going up the snowy mountain for a while, we found a bunch that appeared to be the leading group.

“… Chiharu. Be careful. Up there… There’s something.”

Right after Zonmi’s warning.

There were a succession of tremors in the ground and, as a result, big holes appeared here and there.

And from inside those holes, around a hundred monsters appeared all at once.

Their length is about… 5 meters or so?

They were cute monsters with tufty white fur and round eyes.

Though it’s not like their size it’s specially big compared to the monsters that I’ve met till now, the highlight was their numbers.

Surprisingly, it may be the first time I’ve seen so many of the same monster before me at the same time.

“Zonmi… What are these monsters?”

“These children are snow moles. Properly speaking, they are not monsters, they are beings called magical beasts that don’t have intelligence. At a glance, they have charming looks, but their true nature is that of ferocious carnivores. They hunt other beings in groups and eat their prey alive.”

“…”

So that means this situation is quite dangerous?

… Zonmi may say so, but I can’t quite believe it.

First, this lovely creature, there’s no way it could do such a wretched…

At that time when a question mark was floating above my head.

“Guh! Ugaaaaaah!”

A mummy man (?) that was running in the attack group<ref>This is a pun; “attack group” and “leading group” sound the same.<ref> raised a cry of agony having his head gnawed by a snow mole.

I withdraw my statement.

With such a cute face. What a wretched thing to…

“Zo-Zonmi. That guy, look! Isn’t that guy in danger!?”

Chiharu. We cannot afford to worry about other people.

Moreover, I told you. This competition is more exciting with some weak people mixed in.

More or less, having victims makes the show more exciting.”

“…”

Thinking about it, Zonmi boldly speaking without hesitation about these dreadful things gives me the chills.

References and Translation Notes

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