Isekai Nonbiri Nouka Chapter 1049: Ancient Devil Yame

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Previously on Isekai Nonbiri Nouka...

Ursa secures an uninhabited island and encounters an ancient devil, delaying her return. The Ramen Golem faces an identity crisis after being told its ramen lacks soul, prompting it to add interaction with customers. The village chief contemplates future travel plans amidst political concerns.

In front of the mansion.

Ursa finally returned to the village.

She was not injured.

Thank goodness.

Ice and the angels who had gone with her were also safe…

Though they looked exhausted.

Thank goodness.

And behind Ursa stood a woman I had never seen before.

She looked to be around….fifteen years old.

Blonde twin tails.

Her outfit was covered in pastel-colored frills.

It might be rude to say but she looked like a magical girl.

She must be Yame, the ancient devil who had been on the uninhabited island.

Ursa had already informed us before returning to the village.

So this is Yame-san.

Welcome.

I am Hiraku, the Village Chief.

Well then, before anything else…

Would you mind not using Ursa as a shield?

Hakuren and Zabuton are getting rather tense.

No?

You cannot even stand without a shield?

In that case…

How about using this shield covered with dragon scales instead?

It is much sturdier than Ursa.

Yes, yes.

Look, even if you hit it, it will not leave a scratch.

It is incredibly durable.

Go ahead and try it.

With that, I handed the shield to Yame-san.

Figuring it would take a while, I stepped back a little.

Then one of the High Elves standing behind me quietly whispered,

「Village Chief. Isn’t that the shield you use as a target for the spears with Kuro and the others’ horns attached?」

It is.

That is why it is so durable.

「Weren’t the angels trying their hardest to break it?」

As long as we do not mention that part, it should be fine.

「If she raises that shield over her head, won’t Kuudel-san throw a spear at her?」

……She definitely would.

I had better warn Yame-san.

-0-

After warning her, she scolded me for handing her something so dangerous.

Fair enough.

Then, after she saw Kuudel’s spear-throwing demonstration, Yame-san’s legs gave out beneath her.

Even though it happened from quite a distance away.

I suppose that is the normal reaction if you are not used to it.

It seems I had gotten used to it myself.

I should be more careful.

Now then, I would appreciate it if you could let go of Ursa.

Ah…

Do you see Hakuren and Zabuton over there slowly getting closer?

They are smiling, but they are actually angry.

They have been kept waiting to welcome Ursa home.

I’m glad you understand.

Ursa, you can go over to Hakuren and Zabuton now.

Leave Yame-san to me.

-0-

Yame-san.

At the moment, she was holding a massive iron shield large enough to cover her entire body.

I thought the same thing when I gave her the dragon scale shield.

It really did not match her outfit.

The shield looked far too rugged.

Is there any cuter shield?

……

No.

We do not have one in the village.

Sorry.

We do have a few decorated with intimidating designs, but the children disliked them, so they have been gathering dust in storage.

At the very least, it would have been nice if we had a transparent shield.

You know, like the ones riot police carry.

It would not clash with your outfit.

………..

No, that would not work either.

It would still get in the way.

A shield simply does not suit that outfit.

A heavily decorated staff would fit her much better.

Yeah.

Thinking about things like that, I kept my distance and watched over Yame-san.

I had tried talking to her several times, but each time she simply hid behind her shield and barely responded.

I guess we had only been able to hold a conversation earlier because Ursa was there.

In any case, we could not leave things like this, so I asked for either Bulga or Stifano, who both knew Yame-san, to come over.

If they were acquaintances, they should be able to talk to her.

Or so I thought…

The moment Yame-san saw Bulga, she let out a scream, collapsed, and was crushed beneath the shield she had been carrying, knocking herself unconscious.

Um… did Bulga do something to Yame-san in the past?

「No, no. I always treated her quite normally. She was never my enemy.」

Then why did she faint?

「Because Yame is Yame.」

In any case, Bulga asked where she should carry the unconscious Yame-san.

I told her to take her to one of the mansion’s guest rooms.

-0-

In one of the mansion’s guest rooms.

After having the unconscious Yame-san carried to the bedroom, I spoke with Bulga in the adjoining sitting room about Yame-san.

「Yame is one of the oldest devils, and her divine authority is Immortality.」

Immortality?

So she cannot die?

「No, she can die.」

「She dies, but she immediately comes back to life.」

Comes back to life?

…Ah, is she like those fake Heroes who were causing trouble in human nations?

「Yes. That is a good comparison.」

So people feared that power and sealed her away.

「Well… not exactly.」

Hm?

「Yame sealed herself.」

What do you mean?

「To put it simply, Yame picked a fight with a human general who was stronger than she was.」

I see.

「Naturally, she lost…. Afterward, she tried to save face by saying that since she was immortal, she would simply wait until he grew old. Then she threatened to go after his descendants as well.」

Ah…

That is a terrifying threat.

「But the general shot back with his own reply. He said he would tell every one of his descendants to kill her on sight.」

That general was impressive too.

「Those words terrified Yame so much that she sealed herself away and went to sleep until everyone had forgotten about her. That was about two thousand years ago.」

Hopefully, they have forgotten by now.

「Actually, the general remained unmarried his entire life, so he never had any descendants.」

……..

「Ah, please keep that a secret from Yame. She would cry if she found out.」

Y… yeah.

I will keep it a secret.

But if you already knew all that, why did no one wake her up?

「Partly because the seal was stronger than we expected. But at the time, the devil race was in turmoil over whether or not to serve the dragon race. Even if we had awakened her, she would only have been dragged into the fighting.」

I see.

If you were that close, then why did Yame-san react like that when she saw you?

「Because Yame is Yame.」

You said that earlier.

「Whenever Yame sees me, Stifano, or Gucci-sama, she always reacts like this.」

Always?

「Yes. She either faints or runs away. Though she has never actually managed to escape.」

I… see.

Well then, let me ask again.

You are not on bad terms with each other, right?

「Of course not. We are good friends.」

I will take your word for it.