The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 170

Chapter 170: I Was a Dragon
ㅤAfter Popolack-san had a heartwarming reunion with his son, who had been held captive as a Dungeon Master, the Gnomes abandoned their old home and came to the Demon King’s Castle.
ㅤ
ㅤPrior to that, the evacuating adventurers led by Shizu-san had also entered the Demon King’s Castle.
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ㅤFor the first time in a while, all the members were gathered in the Demon King’s Castle’s strategy room.
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ㅤFrom the Demon Kingdom: me, Almi, Grunblin, Boroneal, and Bearnov.
ㅤFrom Loft: Shizu-san and Arne-san.
ㅤAnd the newest member of our group, Escavelm.
ㅤ
ㅤIn addition, we are relaying this scene to the Dream Weaver who is in the new water sphere room we built in the Demon King’s Castle.
ㅤ
ㅤSharion is sleeping soundly, the tension having left her.
ㅤPopolack-san is still constantly by his son’s side, who hasn’t regained consciousness （According to Escavelm, there’s no need to worry about his condition）.
ㅤ
ㅤ”My, my, a lot of things have happened, haven’t they?”
ㅤ
ㅤBoroneal said, sounding exasperated.
ㅤHe used to be dressed in rags, but now he’s wearing a crisp suit tailored by a Celesta tailor. He often acts as the representative of the Demon Kingdom.
ㅤ
ㅤ（He’s quite handsome when he’s dressed properly, isn’t he?）
ㅤ
ㅤI even made him shave his stubble, but he still has an air of sloppiness about him, which is typical of him.
ㅤ
ㅤ”But the situation has become clearer, hasn’t it? In short, all we have to do is defeat this Cretias, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤIt was Grunblin who said that.
ㅤShe’s wearing her usual Valkyrie-like battle attire, not much different from before.
ㅤ
ㅤ”But the Royal Capital is covered in petrifying ash, so we can’t get close, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi asks me.
ㅤAlmi is wearing a light blue, feather-like robe that she recently had made. Since Almi lacks dignity, we are adjusting her appearance to emphasize her mystique.
ㅤ
ㅤBy the way, I’m wearing a red and black cool trench coat over a white blouse with a tie and a pleated skirt that reaches just above my knees.
ㅤ
ㅤ”My petrification immunity ring seems to prevent immediate petrification, but it seems that the closer I get to the denser ash, the more I start to petrify.”
ㅤ
ㅤAfter Escavelm joined us and we freed Popolack-san’s son, I went to the surface knowing the danger.
ㅤI tried to approach Loft alone, but as the ash got denser, I started to feel numbness in my hands and feet.
ㅤI heard a creaking sound from the ring and hurriedly turned back.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Minato. What were you planning to do if you had been petrified?”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi glares at me intently.
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-Well. I heard that Domo-san was petrified.”
ㅤ
ㅤI still have the Cockatrice beak.
ㅤI couldn’t just go back and do nothing when there was a chance he might be saved.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato. I agree with Almirash on that. A general of the army shouldn’t recklessly expose themselves to danger. If something happened to you, the Demon Kingdom would collapse. If that happens, far more people will suffer.”
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ㅤGrunblin looks directly at me and admonishes me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-Yeah…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, it’s that kindness of yours that’s keeping this country together.
ㅤPerhaps Master Hamilton couldn’t truly believe in the Twin Demon Kings’ kindness.
ㅤBut he wanted to believe it, in his own way. That’s why he gave his life to try and sever any future grudges.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m speechless. I understand Hamilton’s concerns, but I wonder if there was another way.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh? Grunblin has softened up too. In the past, you would have said something like, ‘Purge those who oppose us.'”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmph. That’s true.
ㅤCertainly, in the short term, that would be the cheaper option.
ㅤBut in the long term, it’s better to create a country where people can live in peace.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe two former Four Heavenly Demon Generals speak, their eyes gazing into the distance.
ㅤThey must have a lot on their minds after the death of Hamilton, who was also one of the Four Heavenly Demon Generals.
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ㅤ”More importantly, shouldn’t we prioritize the petrification ash and 『Holy King』 Cretias right now?”
ㅤ
ㅤEscavelm said.
ㅤThe blonde-haired, red-eyed dragon girl, dressed in a Chinese-style dress, glances at Arne-san.
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san says.
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ㅤ”To be honest, I don’t know anything about the petrifying ash.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Elminarsh, do you know anything?”
ㅤ
ㅤI ask Elminarsh.
ㅤA black octahedron, Elminarsh’s terminal, is floating at the conference table.
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ㅤ『Unfortunately, there was no information in the Demon King’s Castle database that could be helpful. We can only hope that the hidden village of the Elves knows something.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Did you figure out the area where the petrification ash is spreading?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Yes. I flew the Demon King’s Castle’s reconnaissance aircraft and found that the ash is spreading throughout the central and western parts of the Zamzaria Kingdom, centered around the Royal Capital, Zalbuck. By the way, the spread of the ash doesn’t seem to be related to the wind direction.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Does it reach the Mistradia Tree Country?”
ㅤ
ㅤ『It reaches the edge of the Mist Forest. But we can’t be complacent. I’ve already issued a warning to the Mistradia Tree Country in the name of the Twin Demon Kings.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”If that ash is what it looks like, it might be difficult for it to spread in the Mist Forest, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『I don’t know. Since it’s not affected by the wind, there’s a possibility that the “ash” doesn’t have a physical form.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ash that petrifies anything it touches, huh. It feels like the Ash of Ruin.”
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ㅤEscavelm responds to my murmur.
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ㅤ”Well said. I’ve never seen anything like the 『Ash of Ruin』 before either. I’m not sure if the Elves know about it, but…”
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ㅤ”More importantly, is it true? That the Demon King’s Castle has the means to fly into orbit?”
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ㅤArne-san asks Elminarsh.
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ㅤ『It’s true. Part of the Demon King’s Castle’s information was corrupted and I couldn’t operate it, but I was able to fill in the gaps with information obtained from Minato’s world.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m surprised, but grateful.
ㅤStill, to think that Minato came from another world… No wonder she’s so unconventional.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… Well, I didn’t think anyone would believe me if I suddenly told them.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Preparations are complete. I’ve also identified the location of the Elf Village in orbit.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”H-How!?”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san is surprised.
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ㅤ『I simply observed the celestial sphere, referencing the astronomical technology of Minato’s world. When a satellite moves across the celestial sphere, it blocks the light from the stars in its path. If you accumulate observation data, you can naturally calculate the orbital path of the Elf Village.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”T-That’s amazing.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Minato, Almirash. When you’ve decided who will go to space, come to the runway.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”Okay, I understand.”
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤA single black aircraft was parked on the runway of the Demon King’s Castle.
ㅤI think it’s called a delta wing, it has a rounded, isosceles triangle-like form.
ㅤ
ㅤ”It looks like a normal airplane.”
ㅤ
ㅤ『Takeoff and landing are the same as an aircraft within the atmosphere. Unlike the space shuttle you know, Minato, it’s not a vertical launch.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Wait, what do you mean by ‘normal airplane’?”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san retorts.
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ㅤWe board the shuttle.
ㅤIn the end, five of us are going to the Elf Village: me, Grunblin, Arne-san, Escavelm, and Sharion.
ㅤIt was decided that it would be a problem if both Demon Kings were absent, so Almi reluctantly stays on the ground.
ㅤSharion didn’t really need to come, but she insisted on coming after hearing that we were going to the edge of the sky.
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ㅤ（Even if the negotiations break down, it doesn’t seem like there’s any danger.）
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ㅤWe’ll leave things in the hands of Almi, Boroneal, and Shizu-san.
ㅤElminarsh wanted to come too, but it would exceed the usable range of the terminal. We won’t be able to communicate after a certain point.
ㅤThere’s no problem since the shuttle is mostly on autopilot.
ㅤ
ㅤWe entered the living space inside the shuttle.
ㅤThe interior is simple, but spacious and has everything we need.
ㅤSince inertia can be canceled out with magic, we don’t need seatbelts unless we get into a fight.
ㅤ
ㅤ『I apologize that we don’t have time to enjoy the journey, but we’ll be taking off soon.』
ㅤ
ㅤWith Elminarsh’s words, the display on the wall of the living space showed the outside scenery.
ㅤThe outside scenery flows backward.
ㅤThe shuttle takes off with a smooth motion.
ㅤI barely felt any G-force during that time.
ㅤThere’s a video of a 500 yen coin standing upright on a windowsill in a Shinkansen bullet train, and it doesn’t fall over. It was about that smooth.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wow! We’re flying!”
ㅤ
ㅤSharion exclaims, glued to the display.
ㅤShe seems to think it’s a window, but it’s a display.
ㅤ
ㅤ”This is amazing.”
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ㅤArne-san is also holding her breath.
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ㅤEscavelm, being a dragon, wasn’t that surprised just by flying.
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ㅤ”Hmm. I see, so you can fly through the sky with a machine like this. If you can just catch the wind, even a lump of iron can fly.”
ㅤ
ㅤEscavelm is impressed by something a little more advanced than the others.
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ㅤ”However, Minato.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I hear the Grandmasters are from the same land as you. Then, they must have also known about this advanced civilization, like this 『shuttle』, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes. At the very least, they should have come from an era with video games, so there shouldn’t be a thirty-year difference between us. Naturally, they would know about airplanes and space shuttles.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Nevertheless, there’s no sign that they brought advanced civilization to this world. All they did was transform the world into an entertainment device for their own selfish, stimulating adventures.
ㅤThat’s what I can’t understand. Was that more important to them than enjoying the benefits of advanced civilization and living a convenient and comfortable life?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see…”
ㅤ
ㅤEscavelm’s question might be valid.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, I’m not them, so I don’t really know. But please listen with that premise in mind.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes. Of course.”
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ㅤLooking around, I see Arne-san and Grunblin are also facing me. Only Sharion is still fixated on the ground below.
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ㅤ”Even if civilization becomes advanced, not everyone can live a life of leisure. Everyone works and earns money to live. There are differences in innate abilities among humans, and differences in the environments they are born into. Of course, there are times when one’s efforts are rewarded, but there are also times when the results change due to simple luck. Such factors create disparities among people.”
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ㅤ”That sounds similar to this world.”
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ㅤArne-san says.
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ㅤ”Yes. Well, it depends on the country, but I think it’s better than this world. There are fewer people who starve to death. Even those who don’t have much money can go to the hospital, and they receive a pension in their old age, so they are guaranteed a minimum standard of living.”
ㅤ
ㅤ…I’m not sure if I can say that for sure, but that’s the principle.
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ㅤ”What a wonderful world.”
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ㅤEscavelm says.
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ㅤ”Overall, yes.
ㅤBut human greed is deep. It’s not enough to just have enough to eat, they want delicious food, fashionable clothes, and a big house.
ㅤNo, that’s not quite right. If you didn’t compare yourself to others, you’d be satisfied with a moderate amount. But humans are creatures who get anxious just because their salary is 5,000 yen less than their colleagues who joined the company at the same time.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Uh, that’s like… when other adventurers who started adventuring at the same time get better jobs from the guild than you, and you can’t stand it.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Exactly. And it would be fine if you could overcome it with effort, but in reality, it doesn’t always work that way. There are various factors like talent, achievements, connections, and luck, and many of them are beyond your control.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Even if the results are a fair recognition of your efforts, that’s often not the case in reality.”
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ㅤ”Humans are creatures who love to do better than others and be praised. It’s called the desire for recognition. Not having that desire for recognition fulfilled is sometimes a bigger problem than not having food, clothing, or shelter.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I-Is that so?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I think it depends on the person.
ㅤBut not everyone can satisfy the desire to 『be superior to others.』”
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ㅤ”Uh, if someone is superior to others, it means there’s someone inferior to them, so the inferior person can’t have their desire for recognition fulfilled, right? It’s like how not everyone can become a titled adventurer.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes. Well, if you’re not good as an adventurer, you might be able to fulfill it by being useful in other ways, but unfortunately, there are people who are no good at anything. Also, there are people who desperately want to make a name for themselves as adventurers, but they simply don’t have the talent, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
ㅤIn that way, the desire for recognition is quite difficult to fulfill. You need a kind of mental skill to come to terms with reality.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san nods.
ㅤEscavelm seems to understand somehow, but I’m not sure about Grunblin.
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ㅤ”But the desire for recognition can be pseudo-satisfied in ways other than reality.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Sorry, I don’t quite understand.”
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ㅤ”For example, stories. Readers who empathize with the protagonist feel happy when the protagonist is praised, as if it were happening to them.”
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ㅤ”Ah, I see what you mean.”
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ㅤ”Humans have a deep-seated karma, but at the same time, they are surprisingly simple, or rather, flexible. The desire for recognition is something intangible, so if it can be virtually satisfied, it’s easier and more cost-effective. It doesn’t bother others either. Some people call it escapism, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s much better than letting your desire for recognition run wild and causing trouble for others.
ㅤSpecifically, like Latifa-san or Cretias.
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s also a valid perspective. But what about the Grandmasters?”
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ㅤEscavelm asks.
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ㅤ”The Grandmasters tried to turn this world into a game. They tried to turn it into a story where they could be the protagonists.
ㅤGames are a place where you are given tasks, and if you complete them successfully, you are praised. It’s a very comfortable world. Reality doesn’t work that smoothly.
ㅤAs I said before, there’s nothing wrong with games themselves. I like them too. I wasn’t very successful in reality, so I used games to compensate for that, but I think they’re fun even without that.
ㅤThe Grandmasters’ mistake was that they had the reversed question of 『Why doesn’t reality work as smoothly as a game?』”
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ㅤ”Reversed question? I don’t quite understand.”
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ㅤEscavelm tilts her head.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, normally, you’d think like this, wouldn’t you?
ㅤ『Games are fun because they work out well, unlike reality.』 Clearing a game and feeling good about it is not a bad thing in itself.
ㅤBut when you take it for granted that you can feel good in games, and you start thinking, 『I can’t feel good in reality. That’s strange! Reality should be as satisfying as a game!』, then you’ll only accumulate frustration. Not only will you not feel good in reality, but even the games that should have made you feel good will start to feel boring.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm… I think I understand what you’re trying to say.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I don’t really get it.”
ㅤ
ㅤBoth Escavelm and Arne-san seem to understand, but they don’t quite get it.
ㅤ
ㅤ”In my opinion, the way they set their expectations was wrong.
ㅤReality doesn’t go your way. So you shouldn’t expect too much from reality.
ㅤGames should go your way. Games that don’t are just poorly made. You can complain to the people who made them.
ㅤI don’t know what kind of lives the Grandmasters led in their world, but they must have been lives filled with so much dissatisfaction that they didn’t want to see reality. Ironically, because they didn’t lack food, clothing, or shelter, they had plenty of time to think about how miserable their lives were. That in itself is a different kind of suffering than lacking food, clothing, or shelter.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Was that the case for you too, Minato?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”My expectations were low from the start. Instead of feeling dissatisfied, I just felt like 『This is tough.』 I know various ways to get through that.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”T-That must have been hard.”
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ㅤ”I think the reason the Grandmasters didn’t seek modern comforts here is because they took them for granted. What they felt was lacking was something else. As I said before, it was the desire to be recognized by others.”
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ㅤ”But what good is it to oppress and be feared by others?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Maybe it’s better to be feared than to be ignored or looked down upon. Like, ‘It feels good to have others scared and make way for you!’ kind of thing.”
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ㅤ”They knew about advanced civilization. Wouldn’t it have been better to spread it, enrich people’s lives, and be recognized for their achievements?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That would mean making others happy. Truly oppressed people can’t stand to see others happy. They delude themselves into thinking that the more they make others unhappy, the happier they become.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So that’s why they created a system where they could be the protagonists. What a deep-seated karma.”
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ㅤEscavelm groans.
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ㅤ”Then, what about you, Minato? Why were you able to avoid that?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Me? I wonder why.”
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ㅤNow that you mention it, that’s true.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm. I don’t know, but I think that if those around me are unhappy, I can’t be happy alone. Sure, if someone I hate has a misfortune, I might think ‘serves you right,’ but…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You really are like a saint, Minato.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What!? No way! I only think about myself!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”But, what was it called, the desire for recognition? You don’t seem to have much of that, Minato.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m satisfied if I can feel good playing games. I don’t really feel the need to be recognized by others in reality. If I want to be recognized by others, I have to act in a way that will be recognized by them.
ㅤBut that means being at the mercy of others. It means changing who you are based on whether or not others will approve of you.
ㅤBut the approval of others is something fickle and unreliable, influenced by the atmosphere of the moment. It’s ridiculous to work hard just to get a gold star from Sensei.”
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ㅤEscavelm responds to my words.
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ㅤ”Hmm. Minato’s way of thinking is similar to that of our dragons. We do not like to flock together. We believe that 『self』 is not something that is established by being recognized by others. We dragons, first and foremost, try to be in a state where we can recognize ourselves.”
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ㅤ”Ahaha… It’s not that cool. It’s probably just a twisted logic that a child who wasn’t recognized by others came up with to be okay with not being recognized by others.”
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ㅤ”If you can maintain your 『self』 with that, then it’s a respectable belief.”
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ㅤ”I hope so.”
ㅤ
ㅤWhile we were having such an embarrassing conversation, the color outside the shuttle gradually changed from sky blue to indigo.