Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 36

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

“Then, Pumpkin-san and Mother, I’ll be making supper so please call me if you need anything.”

“Oh”.

“I will leave it to you to take care of it then.”

After saying this, Rio left Pumpkin and Ryoko outside the room.

It was now drawing near to dusk. Not only did the surrounding houses emit a pleasant smell as it was supper time, but Rio’s house was also planning to prepare a more extravagant meal than usual with the various ingredients purchased today.

As for the reason? Either Ryoko-san’s health has somewhat improved, or it is because I will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning.

“So what is it about the story that you want to ask?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Well, leaving that aside, I suppose we should talk about what needs to be discussed here.

“First of all, you are a reincarnated person, right, Ryoko-san?”

“Yes, though I don’t remember much about it.”

With that said, Ryoko handled the dagger that was under her pillow with brilliant dexterity and instantly transformed the apple that had been placed there as a visitation gift into the shape of a beautiful rabbit.

This kind of dagger handling would certainly not be something that can be mastered merely from this lifetime.

“Hmm. Then I have a question for you, Ryoko-san, who is both a reincarnated person and a high-ranking adventurer, what exactly is a catastrophe or a large-scale act of destruction in this world?”

“Catastrophe…”

Ryoko looked as if she was slightly distressed by his words.

“As far as I can think of, there is a type of magic that falls under the category of black magic. In the past, when I was working as an adventurer, I once stopped a group of believers of the God of Destruction from using such magic in the royal capital.”

“Ngh. What were the specifics?”

“When I stopped them, they summoned a part of the God of Destruction and destroyed a designated area of land. Had I failed to stop it, history might have been different by now.”

Hmm. That’s fearsome in its own way.

But then, I wonder if “Kage-Ochi” is something related to the God of Destruction.

From what Lean-sama said, I wouldn’t think it’s such a trivial thing.

“But this is only a story within the scope of my direct involvement.”

“Hmm?”

Ryoko’s unexpected statements at this precise moment prompted Pumpkin to contemplate.

“In my work as an adventurer, I occasionally come upon phenomena that defy explanation. There were canyons and craters so massive that they could not be explicated even if they were caused by the summoning of the God of Destruction themself… these were evidently created by external factors.”

“…”

Ryoko’s words drew an involuntary gasp from him.

Even a being bearing the name of God of Destruction would not be able to inflict such magnitude of destruction… but this is likely to be part of the devastation caused by “Kage-Ochi”.

“Where are those… canyons and craters?”

“The nearest one lies north of the town, just beyond the mountains. But be cautious if you go there, as the area is practically unexplored due to the magical beasts that inhabit the region.”

“…Yes.”

Looking at Ryoko’s serious gaze, Pumpkin’s back straightened unconsciously as he responded.

Given the amount of magic power she possesses and the way she handled that dagger, Ryoko-san must still be quite adept despite having already retired from the front line and having her body weakened by the curse… I guess I ought to develop a fair amount of competence before going there…

“So, is that all you have to ask?”

“Ah, actually, there is another thing.”

“Is this about Rio?”

“!?”

As he was about to ask her about one more matter that was bugging him, Pumpkin gasped again at her words.

“I can tell what you want to ask. Besides, your question is not about her father, but about the magic she is using unconsciously, isn’t it?”

“Um, am I that obvious…?”

When Ryoko said that, Pumpkin unintentionally scratched his own cheek and asked back.

The truth was, he didn’t want to inquire about Rio’s father as he felt that even the mere knowledge of his father would lead to complications. More than that, what he wanted to learn was why Rio was so trusted by the people around her.

Their trust in Rio was obviously in excess of her own ability (the ability here includes her personality), and Pumpkin felt that it would be difficult for her to be trusted that much unless there was some kind of power working in her favor.

But still, her magic at the unconscious level… what exactly is that?

“I would say this is a result of our different experiences in life. Including my previous life, I have lived for more than 50 years. Oh, I’m getting off track here. The magic she uses unconsciously is called various things, and unless you are very well-versed in magic, you would recognize it as a part of her personality, character, and training, rather than magic in the first place.”

“Hmm.”

“The magic she’s using is called regal presence (charisma) or charm magic. That being said, it only affects the likability of the person to some extent due to their personality and magic power.”

“…”

Um, Ryoko-san? Is it my imagination or did I just hear a magic with a very dangerous name?

Uh, the likability level? Isn’t this like a gal game… Ah, Ryoko-san is a reincarnated person, so it is possible that she knows about gal games? If so, is she able to explain it in a way that is easy to understand… Why did you leave such knowledge behind to her, Lean-sama…

“Well, don’t worry about it. Even before she was born, I knew she already had that kind of power, and I took steps to ensure she had a decent moral education to prevent future mishaps.”

“That’s all well and good, but…”

Despite what he said, Pumpkin wasn’t really worried about it.

Even though they had only known each other for a few days, Pumpkin didn’t think Rio would get her bright and honest personality twisted so soon.

“In the first place, you seem to have similar powers to her and to the person I served in the past (previous life). This may be a trait of those with immense magic power.”

“Eh!?”

“The supper’s ready!”

“Oh, you didn’t notice this huh. I’ll leave you with a hint then. I’m coming?”

“Eh? What!? Huh!?”

Ryoko then left, leaving Pumpkin stunned by her shocking revelation, and headed to where Rio was.

Wait!? I am not aware that I possess that kind of power though!?

————-

T/N:

The words in the bracket are furigana that is not spoken in the conversation but instead revealed to the readers only. So like regal presence and past, those are the original words used, and the brackets with words are stated above them (in Japanese writing system, they are written above, not beside or using bracket, I don’t have that function to put it above those words so I used brackets and they share the same meaning with charisma and previous life respectively). And typically I will ignore the Japanese text and opt for the furigana but since this chapter’s furigana is somewhat different from usual, I will include it. So when Ryoko said she served someone in the past (previous life), Pumpkin may or may not know she is talking about her current lifetime or her past life as Houki.

(the ability here includes her personality), this line has nothing to do with furigana. It’s included in the paragraph by the author