Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 42

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 42   World class sense of direction

It seems that the two children who somehow became friendly through a game of Dekopin are out of sight, as Ars, who still hasn’t had dinner because of the gluttonous prince, retrieves portable food from a subspace.

Although all the seasonings were used up to make a large amount of stew, portable food was prepared just in case of emergencies.

Well, if necessary, I could return to the base once to replenish supplies, but since I’m undecided on how to deal with this prince, I couldn’t just teleport alone.

First, I must inquire about why Prince Hades is running away from home to such a place as this.

“So, you’re Hades, right? Why were you collapsed here in the middle of nowhere on the Eastern Continent where no one lives? You said something about running away from home, but even so, you wouldn’t just be doing survival in the heart of nature without any purpose, would you?”

“Ugh…”

As Hades, who had been playing around, seemed to struggle for words next to Ars, who was munching on the portable food I offered, a feeling of strangeness welled up within me.

Why am I feeling this sense of urgency here?

The clear sense of urgency and agitation reflected in the devil’s eyes, along with a fluctuation of emotions resembling shame, indicated that he was hiding something.

It seems I need to delve a little deeper.

Prepare yourself for the devil’s whisper, the lethal whisper in your ear!

“Come on, it’ll be easier if you just talk, Hades. Is it okay? If you keep silent like this, you might disappoint Ars, who might have become your friend.”

“What!? What do you mean…!”

“Aren’t you going to say anything? Come on, aren’t you going to say anything, Hades? Isn’t that attitude a betrayal to your friend? Oh?!”

“I-Is that so!? B-But…!”

Ah, yes, yes.

You’re conflicted because you don’t want to lose your precious, newfound friend, Hades.

But how long can you resist against me, who is taking advantage of the gap in your heart and shaking you with the relationship with Ars, which will create the most hesitation at this timing?

By the way, even if Hades were to remain silent here, Ars, who has no speck of impurity in his heart, would not be disappointed by something like this.

What I’m saying is just nonsense, taking advantage of Hades’ ignorance about Ars’ personality.

However, in this situation where we’ve only just met each other, neither of us can make such judgments.

Come on, what’s wrong, Prince of Darkness?

It seems like the walls of your heart are about to collapse soon, aren’t they?

Hehehe.

“I-I get it…! I’ll talk! I’ll talk so you won’t be disappointed, Ars! I wouldn’t hide anything from you!”

“Huh? What? I wouldn’t be disappointed in Hades-kun for something like that, no way~”

“What…? What do you mean…? Ahhh~! You tricked me, you old man!!”

Yes, success~! Got the confession!

Thank you very much, Prince Hades!

It’s too late to realize that Ars doesn’t care about anything now!

And I’m not an old man yet, I’m a big brother!

However, despite being called a prince of darkness, he seems more like an immature greenhorn. Moreover, with his unnecessarily high pride, he seems quite easy to handle.

“Well, even so, words have consequences. Now, let’s hear it.”

“Ugh… Your words are right, but it just makes me more annoyed. Why does a handsome guy like Ars have to be born from such an evil old man like you? What’s going on, it’s unbelievable.”

Sorry for being evil.

And again, I’m not an old man, I’m an eternal big brother.

“There’s no choice. I promised, so I’ll swallow my pride and speak, but you better not tell anyone, okay? Absolutely not!”

“Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. I won’t tell anyone, so spit it out quickly.”

Encouraging Hades like that, after a grumbling noise, he blushed and began to tell the truth.

“I… I got lost.”

“Huh? What? I can’t hear you?”

“I said I got lost! I actually wanted to go to the Holy Kingdom!!”

“What…?”

…N-no way.

And then, his explanation began to trickle out amidst his embarrassment.

First reason.

He heard rumors from the castle’s retainers, and it piqued his interest. Apparently, there was a young man with black hair and eyes, accompanied by a five-year-old blond child, who was so famous in his own country. He decided to sneak out of his house to catch a glimpse because it sounded intriguing.

I have way too many suspicions about this, but it was amusing to see when he’d notice us, so I kept silent. Seriously, don’t run away from home for such silly reasons. And don’t let such things slide, oh Prince of Darkness.

Well, I won’t meddle too much in their family affairs over there, but surely there’s some ulterior motive.

And secondly.

He left home on impulse, but couldn’t find the person he was looking for, and couldn’t bring himself to go back. Probably due to his pride, he was trying to make his way to a place called the Calamiera Holy Kingdom, where those two were rumored to be, but somehow ended up on this Eastern Continent while wandering, and ended up surviving here for two years.

Yes, at this point, I have a pretty good idea of who this Hades kid is. He’s undoubtedly a natural-born klutz. No, more like cosmically directionally challenged. He shows me a worn-out map of the Western Continent from his pocket, but how in the world did he manage to land on this Eastern Continent across the sea from the Holy Kingdom on the Western Continent?

I couldn’t close my mouth from the sheer incomprehensibility of it all.

Certainly, as a wizard, Hades surpasses Ars at the current moment, and considering his immaturity, which should be seen as a flaw, it’s mostly attributable to his youth as a fledgling member of the demon race. But even so, crossing the vast ocean is a bit much. You’re quite something, Hades.

“Hades’s power is amazing.”

“Hades-kun, you’re really bad with directions, huh…”

“S-Shut up, shut up, shut up! I’ve never even left the castle alone before! What can I do!?”

Even Ars, who is quite something himself, can’t help but smile wryly at this grandeur.

But indeed, if you consider Hades as the crown prince who has never once ventured out of the castle alone, then such a situation could be possible.

However, if that’s the case, this could be a good experience for Ars. Fortunately, it seems that even though Hades ran away from home, it was apparently sanctioned by the demon king as there doesn’t seem to be any ulterior motive from Hades himself.

So, it wouldn’t hurt to look after him for a while. And not only for his sake but also for Ars’.

My son’s perspective is still narrow, and he doesn’t know the breadth of the world. His peers are limited to Ein-kun from the Holy Kingdom and Saintess Isha-chan, and there are people in the world with values like Hades’. This could be a good opportunity for him to learn that there are various kinds of people out there.

That’s what I thought, anyway.

“Alright, fine. In that case, I’ll take care of your basic needs for a while. It seems my son Ars has taken a liking to you as well.”

And besides, if I leave you here, it’s clear you’ll just collapse again.

So rather than letting that happen, it’s fine to look after you for a bit.

“What!? Really!? Is it okay, old man!?”

“I’m not an old man. I’m a big brother. Or you can call me Kakyu.”

“All right!! Thanks, Ars! I’ll count on you for a while!”

“Yeah, you too, Hades-kun.”

Yeah, you’re not listening, huh?

Well, my son seems happy about it, so it’s fine, right?

But at least, I hope you’ll forgive me if I insist on being called “Uncle Kakyu” or something.

With such thoughts in mind, considering the sudden incident on the Eastern Continent, I pondered how to adjust the training that was the theme of this occasion.