Reunion with the Gate Guard and a Fake Name

Translated by AmaLynne
Edited by AmaLynne

 

Now, we arrived at the town of Cid without any problems, although there was a bit of a twist of fate when the Zero Field disappeared.

 

…but,

 

“Oh? Y-You guys!”

 

At the main gate of the town, we were stopped by the gate guards.

 

I admit that the Demiurge is quite conspicuous in appearance, but it is their good looks that attract the attention of the public.

 

It wasn’t that we looked like a suspicious group or anything like that that caught their attention.

 

The person who approached us seemed more at ease, as if he had found an acquaintance and approached us rather than being wary.

 

I stopped at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him.

 

“Hey! Long time no see!”

 

“Oh, it’s you. I’m indebted to you for that. Are you on guard duty at the front gate again today?”

 

“Well, yeah. That’s my job. I’m late in introducing myself, but I’m Kane. I don’t know, but I think the number of beautiful women around you is increasing rapidly.”

 

The man who called out to me… Kane, was the gatekeeper who let me and Demiurge into the town when we visited Cid before.

 

We stopped in our tracks when he noticed us and called out to us.

 

It was late in the day when I first came to this town, and I didn’t have any money on me at the time.

 

The gate guard in front of him had heard this and had given him money for lodging.

 

In other words, I was in debt.

 

He also advised me to get a bill from the commercial guild to facilitate my entry and exit from the town.

 

We had only met once, but I remembered his face because I rarely saw anyone else except Demiurge and her friends.

 

Moreover, it seemed that Kane also remembered us, and that’s why he called out to us.

 

Well, I think it’s more likely that he remembered Demiurge than me, though.

 

“Thank you so much for your help before. Thanks to Kane, I was able to stay at the inn and not have to stay out in the open, so I appreciate it.”

 

“Haha, don’t worry about it! It’s just that I couldn’t let a pretty girl stay out in the open!”

 

“I’m still grateful. That’s right, this is the money I borrowed from you. I’ll pay you back.”

 

“Oh… come on, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

 

I took out a bag of money from my pocket and handed the two gold coins inside to the gatekeeper man.

 

It was obviously more than the amount I had received from Kane before.

 

He was puzzled, but I told him to take it.

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve borrowed anything, so just think of it as interest. Also, it’s『double payback』, right?”

 

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, you said something like that before! Hahaha, you’re so diligent to remember!”

 

“I think I have a reasonably good memory. I’d like to thank you for all the help you’ve given me, not just with the money, but with learning about the Commercial Guild. That thank you is included. Please accept it.”

 

“Oh, really? Well then, I’ll take it without reservation. If you have any more problems, let me know. I’ll do my best to help. Anyway, are you doing business here again?”

 

“That’s one thing, but this time I have some business with the Adventurer’s Guild. And a little shopping. I’m thinking of getting a complete set of household goods.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Just be careful. This town has good security, but there are still some crooked people and people who can’t help themselves. If they know you’ve got money, they’ll steal it.”

 

“Thanks for the advice. See you later.”

 

“Okay.”

 

So we exchanged brief greetings and left the main gate.

 

◆◇◆◇◆

 

We entered the town of Cid, with Kane seeing us off.

 

Compared to the last time we had been here, there was no sign of any change.

 

A quiet stone town. It’s not exactly lively, but it’s not quiet either.

 

The big streets are paved with cobblestones, and the whole town doesn’t give the impression of being poor.

 

As Kane said, it must be a safe place to live.

 

There was a laid-back atmosphere unique to the countryside.

 

As soon as we entered the town, we left the main street and took a side street.

 

“Now, we all knew that it would be a bad idea to use our own names here in town. That’s why I’m going to ask each of you to use an alias while we’re inside.”

 

“Umu. It’s the same as last time. I am『Demia』, right?”

 

“Yes. And I’m not Ares, I’m『Alexei』.”

 

Well, maybe I don’t have to force myself to lie about my name, but it’s still a good idea to be cautious.

 

I’ve become infamous in the world as the worst『Hero』ever.

 

Just the fact that I have the same name as such a person might attract some strange attention.

 

There’s no need for me to get myself into troublesome trouble.

 

Besides, the names Demiurge and Titan are also out.

 

The residents of this town may not directly associate them with demons or phantoms.

 

However, the fact that they have the same name might make some people uncomfortable, and it would make them look bad.

 

It is best to use a fake name.

 

As for Yggdrasil… I don’t see any problem with it as it is.

 

This is because the information about the World Tree is not widely known to humans, to say the least.

 

The only thing people know about the World Tree is that it’s a big tree that produces mana in fairy tales.

 

In the first place, people don’t even know that there are spirits in the world tree.

 

“For now, Titan, while you’re in town, call yourself『Tia』. It’s really bad to just call you Titan.”

 

“I’ll follow my master’s orders, but… Tia is a little too feminine for me, don’t you think?”

 

“No, you’re a woman now. Also, it’s hard to remember something if it’s not quite the original, right? There’s also the possibility that we’ll call you by your real name on the spur of the moment. If that’s the case, it’s better to keep it close to your real name from the start so that you don’t feel uncomfortable.”

 

It’s like a nickname, you know?

 

“So that’s how it is… Well, okay, okay. As long as I’m in this town, Tia, that’s all that matters, right? Alexei.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Keep up the good work.”

 

It’s true that with Titan’s image, the cute name of Tia doesn’t seem to fit. However, this is a pseudonym, so there is no need to be so concerned about her image.

 

“Now we’re ready to move around the city. Let’s start…”

 

“Wait a minute~~~!!!”

 

As I was about to walk out into the street, Yggdrasil suddenly stopped me with a loud voice.

 

“What’s up Yggdrasil, you’re shouting out of nowhere.”

 

“What? It’s not! Everyone else has a new name, and I’m the only one who gets to keep mine! That makes me an outcast! Give me a name too!”

 

“What are you going to do about it, husband?”

 

“Ehh~~… Yggdrasil’s alias…?”

 

Demiurge was taken aback by Yggdrasil, who suddenly began to waste her time, but asked me for my opinion.

 

To be honest, there’s no need to use a pseudonym when it comes to Yggdrasil.

 

The name Yggdrasil may be unusual, but it doesn’t have the same negative public image as Demiurge, Titan, or my Ares.

 

Hence, there’s no need to change it…

 

And Yggdrasil… I have no idea how to play with it to make it more natural.

 

“I don’t know, we only use pseudonyms because we have to, but I think Yggdrasil is fine as is…”

 

“No! You have to come up with a name for me too!”

 

“No, honestly, I can’t think of any.”

 

“Don’t give up there! You’re the hero!”

 

“Ex? I’m an ex-hero.”

 

“Yggdrasil, your name is not widely known among humans. Husband is right. Don’t be too selfish.”

 

“Puu～～～～.”

 

Oohh, she’s teasing.

 

She crouched down at the edge of the road, poking her fingers into the bare pathway.

 

The way she puffed up her cheeks, she looked just like any other young child.

 

No, well, she might indeed feel a little left out if she’s the only one being called by her real name while the three of us are using pseudonyms…

 

Yggdrasil… It’s a bit of a pain in the ass to twist this, but I’ll give it a shot.

 

But I can’t help but sigh and think that I’m really naive too.

 

“Huh~… Can’t help it. I’ll think about it…”

  

 

“Really?!”

 

“You’re back?!”

 

And this World Tree in her child form is also a shrewd one, she can easily change her mood like this.

 

No, maybe she was just firing me up to pretend to be in a bad mood?

 

……That seems to be a good possibility.

 

“Husband, this girl is much tougher than she looks. From now on, don’t take her words and actions at face value.”

 

“……I’ll be careful from now on.”

 

“Ehhh~? Do I sound like an evil person~?”

 

“In fact, aren’t you evil… at all?”

 

My head hurts… and Demiurge holds her eyebrows.

 

I could only give a small chuckle to her.

 

The reason for this is that Yggdrasil is still smiling and demanding, “Hurry up, hurry up!” I can’t wait to see what happens.

 

“Um, Yggdrasil, Yggdrasil… Oh, Rasil?”

 

“Don’t do that, it sounds like some kind of weird liquid.”

 

No, what do you mean, “weird liquid”? …It’s part of your name.

 

“Can’t you make it sound nicer, prettier somehow?”

 

“I can’t think of a good nickname for you because your name is so unique.”

 

“Do something about it!”

 

“That’s easy for you to say…”

 

“Ygg, Ygg… not this one… then dora, dora… dragon?” ¹

 

“Whoa, wait?! Dragon?! Absolutely not!”

 

“Wait, no, no, no, wait a minute… sil… sil… sil.. sil… ciel”

 

“Oh, that’s good!”

 

Yggdrasil affirmed with a glow on her face, perhaps because she liked the name I had slurred, Ciel.

 

She bounced up and down, her wavy hair swaying softly.

 

“It looks like it’s decided. So you’re Ciel, I’m Demia, Titan is Tia, and husband is Alexei…”

 

“Yes. It may take some time to get used to it, but it is a measure to avoid troublesome problems. Be careful, everyone.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Yes ye~s!”

 

“Ah!”

 

And with that, we all had a name for our activities in this town.

 

It was a bit of a hassle, but now we could finally start working in the town.

 

“Let’s go, then.”