Vol 7 Chapter 11.

Arrogance
Isaac was sweating bullets in the audience hall.
(W-what’s wrong with this person!? You’re telling me this is my brother?)
He had seen Liam only once before when he was young.
It was almost half a century ago.
He had visited the Capital for Liam’s award ceremony and had seen him
from a distance.
His grandfather and father had invited him to the ceremony since it was one
of their relatives being awarded.
At that time, he had stood far away from Liam, but now, he was scared
witless.
The knights lined up at his sides looked very different from the knights that
he had brought with him.
Everything felt so different.
His head knight appeared rather pathetic as he tried to make up various
excuses in front of Liam.
“Lord Liam, please hear me out. We had left because of our duty to protect
the previous head of the family.”
Disinterested, Liam ignored the excuses that he gave.
However, he soon felt a sense of discomfort when he observed the dolls that
were lined up in the audience hall.
“Hey, why am I missing a maid here?”
Noticing that one of the maids was missing, he asked Klaus about the
situation.
After a moment of hesitation, Klaus replied.
“—We’ve sent it back to the manufacturer in order to have it repaired.”
“Huh? But why? Isn’t the scheduled repair time much later on?”
It was as if Liam knew the schedules for each and every one of his dolls.
He sounded displeased—or rather worried—that one of them was missing.
“—Isaac’s knights deliberately destroyed it.”
“Destroyed?—Isaac, was it you who ordered for its destruction?”
Subjected to Liam’s glare, the words just stuck in his throat when Isaac
tried to speak.
He shivered, terrified.
(U-uh…ah…)
He was so terrified that he couldn’t organize his mind.
Instead, it was Klaus who made a report based on the investigation.
“Lord Liam, according to our investigation, Lord Isaac’s knights acted on
their own. We have sufficient evidence to back this up, so it’s most
definitely true. We’ve left them alone so that Lord Liam could deal with
them when he’s bac—”
It happened immediately afterwards.
Before the head knight could come up with an excuse, Liam appeared next
to Isaac and swung down his sword.
The knights beside Isaac were hacked up, but they were left alive.
As he was furious, Liam did not bother hiding his rage, resulting in Isaac
fainting due to the pressure.
◇
“—Send Isaac back to the Capital. A man who faints this easily isn’t
suitable as my successor.”
I put my sword back in its scabbard and stare down at Isaac’s subordinates
that are still alive.
I purposely didn’t kill them in one blow.
“M-mercy—”
I step on the man who seems to be Isaac’s head knight.
“I was thinking of going along with this farce, but I’ve changed my mind.
Kukuri.”
“Present.”
I hand over the human waste, that harmed my maid, to Kukuri who has
emerged from the shadows.
“Do whatever you want with them.”
“Hihihi, are you sure?”
To be honest… I want to torture them myself, but I’m afraid of accidently
killing them in a fit of rage.
Besides, Kukuri and his subordinates are better versed in the art of torture
than I am.
“Yes. If I were to deal with them, they’ll probably die immediately.—Now,
I heard there were some idiots that helped them?”
Traitors that betrayed me for Isaac.
The officials are clinging to me and begging for forgiveness, but my knights
are holding them down.
“Lord Liam! Please have mercy!”
“I-it was all their doing! Please forgive us!”
I’m tired of hearing all these excuses.
“Execute all traitors and expel their families from the territory.—Take them
out of my sight.”
The knights drag the officials away from the audience hall.
My heart’s boiling right now, and I can’t help it.
It’s really frustrating.
I didn’t think all this mess would happen just because I was gone. They
even destroyed one of my maids!
“It’s been a while since the last clean-up. It’s time to clean the house
thoroughly.”
Klaus rushes over to me and asks what I meant by clean-up.
“Clean-up, my Lord? The mansion’s always in a pristine state though?”
From how much he’s sweating, it’s clear that Klaus is asking while being
fully aware of my true intentions.
“No, too much trash has built up. It’s time to clean them all up.—Track
down all traitors and punish them accordingly. You know what… let’s do
things thoroughly this time. Investigate and punish even those that haven’t
necessarily betrayed.”
I’m fully prepared to hear words of protest, but Klaus simply nods.
“Understood.”
He’s surprisingly cool about it.
Now that I think about it, he was here to keep things under control even
while I was absent.
He’s much more reliable than Tia and Marie.
—He should do.
I clap my hands and give out instructions to everyone.
“It’s clean-up time! Go back and clean up your workplace.—Make it spot-
free, understood? If there’s any trash remaining, you’ll be held accountable
for being lazy.”
Everyone at the scene kneels before me and heeds my order.
“As you will!”
It’s time to clean things up.
◇
Klaus was, in many ways, at his limit.
He had exhausted himself trying to maintain order during Liam’s absence.
As such, when Liam ordered for a massive clean-up, he went along with it
thinking, ‘do whatever you want’.
(Well, traitors didemerge, so I guess it makes sense to tighten things up. In
any case, what will happen to Chengshi? It seemed as if she had *crossed
the Rubicon.)
With more work piled onto him, he felt like giving up.
Liam looked at everyone in the audience hall before tilting his head.
“Huh? Where are my junior sisters? And where’s Chengshi?”
“Those three are…”
Liam’s junior sisters and Chengshi, the most bloodthirsty female knight,
were in a messy situation.
◇
Rinho and Fuuka were using the training facility that Liam had set up, and
they were facing Chengshi who had given up her human form.
Chengshi looked like a terrifying mechanical insect, one which sent shivers
down both Rinho and Fuuka’s backs.
“She keeps challenging us regardless of how many times we cut her down.
She has guts, I’ll give her that.”
“I’m getting tired of this.”
Every time they cut her down, she would revive and challenge them again.
Each time she did so, she would become stronger, and now, she was strong
enough to threaten them.
They initially considered it a pastime and went along with her challenges,
but they had landed themselves in hot water.
Fuuka slashed at Chengshi’s legs with her twin swords, but they turned into
liquid metal and re-attached themselves to Chengshi’s body.
It didn’t matter how much they tried to cut her down, she would always
recover.
“I’m sick of this! Rinho, she’s all yers now.”
Rinho was also getting sick of it.
“No, you do it. I’m tired of it.”
There was a core inside Chengshi’s body holding the liquid metal together.
However, it was constantly moving around inside her body, making it
difficult to detect.
This had given Chengshi the opportunity to observe the techniques of the
One-Flash, until finally, she managed to dodge Fuuka’s strike.
Shocked, Fuuka distanced herself from Chengshi.
“She actually dodged it.”
Fuuka was surprised that Chengshi had dodged one of her serious strikes.
Chengshi spoke to them.
“Thanks to you two, I’ve learned much about the One-Flash. Now, I can
challenge Liam.”
Frustrated, Rinho lunged at her and slashed down, but Chengshi split her
body into two and avoided the strike.
She kept splitting her body until she surrounded them from all sides.
“Tch!”
Rinho lowered her body posture and readied her sword.
Fuuka was equally wary of Chengshi.
“I’ve horsed around for long enough.”
Chengshi was fully intent on killing them where they stood.
“I’ll show Liam your dead bodies. Then, he’ll fight me seriously!”
Chengshi’s only purpose in life was to battle, so she didn’t care what the
future had in store for her.
Her only desire was to defeat Liam.
It was then that the door to the training ground opened, revealing Liam’s
figure.
He had a sword in his hand as he entered, and he made a disgusted face
when he beheld the sight of Chengshi.
“What a sorry figure.”
“LIAAAAAAMM!!”
Chengshi rejoiced, and the mechanical insects converged into one.
She had abandoned her human body to fight the One-Flash.
She charged at Liam to finish him off.
Seeing this, Fuuka tried to warned Liam.
“Senior brother, she can—”
However, Liam had no interest in what she had to say
“There’s no need to worry. Chengshi, you’ve betrayed my expectations.”
As Chengshi tried to see through Liam’s One-Flash, she was blown away,
and liquid metal splattered on the wall.
There was a spherical object in Liam’s left hand.
It was Chengshi’s core.
“You found my core that quickly?”
Chengshi was shocked, but Liam remained indifferent.
He tossed Chengshi’s core to the men behind him.
“Hey, create a new body for her. If she’s only at this level despite being a
machine, she’s better off with her original body.”
Having lost the core, the liquid metal stopped regenerating.
Chengshi seemed frustrated.
“Are you pretending to be merciful? Just kill me! If you don’t, I’ll keep
aiming for your life!”
“It would be a pity if I were to lose a playmate. But then again, at your
level, you’re not even fit to be my playmate. Since that’s the case, I’ll have
you play with my junior disciples from now on.”
Inside the spherical core, Chengshi let out a scream when she was told that
she wasn’t fit to be his enemy.
“Are you trying to break your promise!? I’ll be the one to kill you!”
Liam laughed.
“Nice joke.—You can’t even finish off my juniors, yet you wish to defeat
me? Just play with Rinho and Fuuka in the future. Oh, and I’ll let you play
with Ellen as well in about 30 years.”
Liam turned his attention away from Chengshi and started to lecture Rinho
and Fuuka.
“Care to explain why you two are struggling against someone like her? Are
you trying to smear dirt on the School of One-Flash? Huh?”
Facing Liam’s wrath, Rinho and Fuuka shrunk in fear.
“W-we’re reflecting on it, b-but it wasn’t like this before… ”
“—W-we kept sparing her because we thought she was a good practice
partner, a-and hey, we’ve won so many times…i-it’s just that we were
pushed back a little today.”
Liam stared coldly at the two as they desperately came up with excuses.
“It looks like you guys need to be trained again.”
The two were disheartened by Liam’s words.
◇
Rinho and Fuuka haven’t grown as much as I predicted.
As someone that belongs to the same school of swordsmanship, it’s
embarrassing to see them struggling against Chengshi.
That’s why I’ve decided to have them undergo vigorous training with me
from today onwards.
Seeing the two collapse from exhaustion, I start meditating and unifying my
spirit.
My two juniors are wearing tank tops and leggings, and they’ve fainted
after sparring with me for a while.
I told Ellen to participate in the beginning as well, but since she’s not yet
fully trained, I had her withdraw in the middle.
Right now, I’m doing meditation training by myself.
“Master has entrusted the girls to me, but with only this much to show, I’d
too be embarrassed to stand before him. There’s also the fact that I
struggled against a no-name.”
The no-name in question was the so-called Demon Lord.
It’s shameful that I had to use my favorite sword to defeat that guy.
I should’ve been able to kill it even with a spare sword.
I feel frustrated by my incompetence.
“How can I strike down an enemy that can’t be slashed?”
There are enemies that can’t be harmed through physical or magical means.
That just means I must train myself to be able to cut them.
But how?
I’m pretty sure I can do something about it if I continue to train rigorously,
but that will take too much time.
I tell myself to concentrate and not lose focus.
I’m meditating to figure out a method to cut something that can’t be cut.
Compromise isn’t an option when it comes to swordsmanship.
An evil lord should stand above the rest and stare down at them arrogantly.
I must be serious and come up with a countermeasure.
◇
After Liam released them from their training, Rinho and Fuuka had to use
their wooden swords as crutches in order to walk.
They hadn’t experienced this type of training ever since their days with
Yasushi.
Rinho looked like she was about to cry.
“Senior brother’s a devil.”
The same went for Fuuka.
Their bodies were screaming in pain and trembling uncontrollably.
“We should have killed her when we had the chance. Senior brother
mentioned that we’ll be training for a while, so we’re stuck doing this for
the foreseeable future.”
They were both licensed members of the School of One-Flash, but Liam’s
training regime was enough to make them tear up.
They wouldn’t be able to escape from this hellish training until Liam
decided to return to the Capital.
As they lagged behind Chengshi, Liam had forced them to participate in
more training.
The two girls sat down on a nearby bench.
“I hope senior brother quickly returns to the Capital.”
“Same. Isn’t he still training to be an aristocrat? Why’s he even back?”
The answer to that question; to deal with the upstarts that wanted to take
advantage of Liam’s absence.
The Banfield Family’s territory was going through an upheaval as traitors
were being mercilessly cracked down upon.
Officials and military officers were being executed on a daily basis, and
their families were being banished from the territory.
Rinho took out her terminal and checked the news.
“Eh?”
“W-what’s wrong?”
Seeing Rinho curiously reading the news, Fuuka asked with her body still in
pain.
It appeared that the Banfield Family wasn’t the only place going through an
uproar.
◇
—At the Capital—
“They were annihilated?”
Inside the palace, Calvin was listening to the reports from his subordinates.
His eyes shot open when he heard the contents of the report.
The aristocrat that was giving the report also looked as if he couldn’t
believe what he was reading.
“Indeed. All the agents that we’ve sent to the Banfield’s territory have
disappeared. Also, many of the aristocrats that rushed over were killed. The
exact number isn’t clear, but not many have survived.”
When Calvin learned that Liam had disappeared through summoning
magic, he had manipulated some thoughtless people into wreaking havoc
inside Liam’s territory.
Calvin had leaked the information to them on purpose and watched on as
they celebrated excitedly.
Of course, he had also reminded them not to touch the people in his faction.
“He’s really gone and done it. How bold of him to do this at such a critical
juncture.”
“Your Highness?”
Calvin held himself back from sighing and explained what was going on to
the clueless man that was giving the report.
“Since the Cleo faction grew so quickly, he decided to sieve through the
faction members. If he had failed, the Banfield Family’s territory would
have been in deep trouble. However, he was able to get rid of the fools that
bit on to the bait and expelled them from the Cleo Faction. As we had
predicted, it was a trap.”
“I-is that so? Then we basically—”
“Yes, we walked straight into his trap. The good thing is that our forces
didn’t directly participate in this affair, so we were able to conserve our
strength. Only the fools and Liam-kun suffered from this, so it’s not a bad
result.”
What Calvin just said was a lie.
If he had given his all and attacked, he could have left a big scar on Liam’s
territory.
(I was being too paranoid and lost the chance.)
In addition, they had lost all their agents, meaning they wouldn’t be able to
gather information as easily in the future.
(But it could have been worse.)
At least the damage that they received was minimal.
Calvin proceeded to ask about the fools that invaded Liam’s territory.
“What happened to the fools that attacked Liam-kun’s territory? Were they
all really killed? Couldn’t he have captured them to use as bargaining
chips?”
Capturing for the purpose of ransom, between aristocrats, this was
considered the smart way to resolve things.
“—They were all labeled as space pirates and mercilessly killed.”
However, Liam was different from the others.
“Everyone? That’s rather extreme of him. A lot of people will resent him
for this.”
Although Liam was the victim in this case, people would resent him for his
extreme measures.
The families that had their leaders and officials executed would surely have
a bone to pick with Liam.
This wasn’t a bad thing for Calvin since they would no doubt pull Liam
down.
“We can make use of them. Support those families from now on and—”
“Your Highness, there is something else that’s important that I wish to
report.”
The person that spoke up had a bitter look on his face.
“What is it?”
“It’s like this. The households of the aristocrats that Liam killed declared
that they would join our faction. They desire Liam’s downfall.”
“W-what!?”
“The aristocrats that hate Liam have formed a group, but they didn’t have a
clear-cut leader, so they’ve declared that they’ll join our faction.”
“What selfish behavior.”
Calvin boiled with anger upon being told of their selfish behavior.
These aristocratic households had sent people to act as pirates, but since
they were beaten back, they decided to switch their allegiance to Calvin for
revenge.
Even if such people decided to join his faction, they would only get in his
way.
As a result, a large number of undesirable people left Liam’s faction and
declared that they would join the Calvin Faction.
(Either Liam-kun is being blessed by the Goddess of Luck, or I’m being
cursed by the God of Misfortune.—What a tricky opponent he is.)
As things had already progressed to this point, Calvin decided to do
something that could at least minimize his worry about the future.
“Make a list of the names of aristocrats that declared that they would join
us. We can’t afford to have them pull us down.”
He had the person that gave the report withdraw.
Then he braced himself knowing that he would be busy organizing his
faction again.
Thus, Calvin’s hands and feet were bound at this critical point in time.
The Reincarnated Corporate Slave
Will Not Rest Until He Becames the
Strongest in the Other World
In return, Barrage of Icicle Rain falls on the enemy rearguards.

The enemy rearguards were completely divided between those who

devote themselves to barriers and those who chant attack magic.
A barrier of the two wizards prevented Senior Christel’s magic.
Still, Senior Christel, who is competing against the barriers of the two
magicians, is not fazed.

I touched the ground on the side of Senior Christel.

This handcuff certainly absorbs magical power and is disturbed.

However, it can be activated in the intermediate class.

“Grand Lance”

I pour my own magical power into the ground and use earth magic.
The handcuffs add weight, but the load is light because they touch the
ground.

Multiple earth spears attack the enemy magicians.

The barrier that managed to stop Christel’s magic is shattered into pieces,
and the earth spear overruns the magicians.

“Woah !?”
“What happened–“

When I let go, the weight of the handcuffs left a mark on the ground.
After all, it hurts normally.
If I hadn’t strengthened my body with energy, it would have been torn off
from my wrist.

“Huh, Sirius is a significant addition to the team.”

With the bitter smile of Senior Christel, he heads for Senior Zion, who is
struggling in a lonely army.

To be honest, senior Zion’s ability is outstanding in this school as well.

Not many, including other schools, can defeat him who is defensive.

Due to the senior’s fighting spirit Spiral drive, Bob had a face that
seemed to bite a bitter worm.

“The one that my brother and Zion team up with is crazy … I don’t think
there was any strategy or shit!”
“I’m sorry, but to be honest … I don’t think the handcuffs make much
sense. I haven’t measured the bottom of Sirius yet …”

Behind Bob, who is talking about such a story, he instantly closes the
distance in Shukuchi.

“No, this hurts a lot. Does it have a messy effect?”

“Huh !? Big brother-Gaha”
 When he slammed the bottom of his palm into a gold crushing stick
that had been interrupted by the defense, Bob jumped back while spitting
blood.
Hmmm, I tried to imitate Mao and release my energy at the moment of
hitting, but it worked unexpectedly.
It’s not as powerful as her, but it should be enough for a surprise hit.

Then, on the back of Bob, who was immediately surprised, Zion, was
flanking around.

–Zashu

When Zion did not hesitate to slice at Bob’s neck with a chakram
attached to his back, he was sent off from the arena.

The rest of the members were trying to take the blind spot of Zion-senpai
until the moment he was hunted, but they can’t forgive it in this situation
where the number of people they have is almost gone.
On the contrary, they were cut by Rainagi’s Iai, who were conscious of
senior Zion, and there was nothing but us from the arena.

Ah, my arm got tired. I want to end this quickly.

When I touched the handcuffs, I heard an unpleasant sound from the
handcuffs.

“Bo, Bob-senpai, can you take this?”

“Big brother !! I’m sorry for the inconvenience! I’ll take it off right away
!!”
 Senior Bob flew with his eyes shining like his dog.
The moment Bob tried to unlock the handcuffs …

— … Bakan! ………… Gan

“” “…” “”

“… Well, wasn’t it a messy mon?”

“… Ah, I heard that he forced his father to borrow it for research. “
“… Hey.Head I’m trembling … “

In the silence, I can only hear the stories of the members.

No, this is bad for me, isn’t it? I didn’t do anything, right? Rather, I’m a
victim, right?

……sorry.

“Ah … Bob, no, Black-senpai. This was an unfortunate accident. Nobody

was bad, just unlucky.”
“Ah, ah, ah, big brother … my father … killed …”
“Oh, that … I’m sorry …”

When I apologized, Bob was shaking his head with tears.

“Oh, my brother isn’t bad … but I’m sorry, could you meet my dad with me
…? No, of course I apologize! You shouldn’t get so angry if you have …
maybe … I’m sure … “
 Meet Bob’s father …? I don’t remember that …

“Ah … I’m sorry, I don’t remember meeting the senior black’s father …”
“Oh, that’s right? I’m sure my dad said he had met big brother at the royal
castle.”

Royal Castle … Royal Castle! ?? Eh, who is Bob’s dad …?

“His father is Alessandro Bean, the chief of the magical division of the
Court Magic Division. He is the leading magician in the country.”

I don’t know the name, but I remember that there were some court
magicians in the room when I received a reward from His Majesty the
King.
Probably one of them.

Anyway … Alessandro Bean … that means …

“… Bob Bean …?”

“Buh … yes … his full name is Bob Bean.”

Senior Zion desperately endured his laughter … No, I couldn’t endure it

at all.
Seeing such a senior Zion, senior Bob was grinding his teeth.

Anyway, what a bad wordplay, Bob Bean.

It’s a naming that even feels malicious.
 I’m wondering if the name is black hearted, but I can’t help but
sympathize with it.

However, his father is a court magician, or he is finally an elite.

“Let’s stop talking about my name … My dad is usually staying in the

dormitory next to the royal castle. Will you come with me soon?”

Next to the royal castle … Oh, by the way …

“I had business to go to the royal castle tomorrow. I’ll go with you before or
after that.”

It was a little fading from my memory, but there was an event in the royal
castle.

“Oujou … Ah, that annual event”

“It’s one of the prizes for the winner of the fighting festival.”

so. The winner of the martial arts festival had another prize.
That is the mock combat and training with [single number].

The [single number] I’m supposed to meet is the eighth-ranked [Kensei]

Central White Knights Leader Lin Sword Fair.

The Central White Knights are active as the first unit of security and
protection from foreign enemies in the royal capital “Central”.
Lin is currently a member of the Knights and is not active as an
adventurer, so he is considered an honorary guild member, but he seems to
be reigning in the eighth place in the ranking due to his strength and
achievements.
The sword technique is praised as the best in the kingdom.

It can be said that having such a person train you is a very valuable
experience.

“Wow, lucky !! very lucky !!”

Senior Bob is pleased while doing a guts pose because I will go with
him.
“Welcome, Sirius. Welcome.”
“Knight Captain Lin … No, [Kensei], thank you for your time today.”

At the Knights Training Center of the Royal Castle, I was shaking hands
with [Kensei] Lin Sword Fair.

The knights around me were training seriously without worrying about

this.
Of course, the knights have high physical abilities and training is very
advanced.
As expected, it is the Central White Knights that protect the front lines of
this country.

Lin-san said happily that it was impressive with the training of the
knights while looking sideways.

“Fufu, how about the training scene of my knights? Isn’t it great?”

“Yes. I’ve never seen interpersonal training in group battles, but it’s
amazingly powerful … I feel like the spirit of a knight who has gone
 through actual battles. The atmosphere is completely different from our
student training.”
“If we, the guardians of this city, are unhappy, the people will be anxious.
And if we neglect to train in our duties, it will lead to death. It will all be
frantic and chaotic.”

A knight sounds good, but they’re actually a soldier.

In particular, the Central White Knights are the knights who should be
called the shield of this country.
It will be a tough world of training or dying.

The leader of such a knight group proudly smiled while looking at them.

“Well, today was your job as an adventurer. I’m a lowly person at the end of
[single number], but I’ll teach you.”
“No, it is a great honor to receive guidance from a lady called [Kensei].”

I head to the vacant training space with Lin-san.

When I came to a space where no one was using it, she gradually picked
up the wooden sword that Lin-san was leaning against.

“Well, let’s do it.”

“My wooden sword is …”
“For Sirius, please use the sword hanging on your waist.”

–Hmm?

Apparently, Lin-san will meet me with a wooden sword.

 It is true that the ability is isolated, but if it is Rainagi, it will be cut off
due to the difference in weapon performance.
Thinking so, when I tried to use Yoruichi, Lin-san mysteriously asked.

“Mu? Sirius can display your full power when using Rainagi no? You can
do your best from the beginning.”

No, that’s true! The opponent is using a wooden sword! ??

“Well … Rainagi is a very sharp sword, so I wonder if a wooden sword

would be cut off …”
“Oh, you were worried. It’s okay. My sword can never be cut.”

Lin-san replied as if it were taken for granted.

Certainly, if she has the ability, it is expected that even a wooden sword
will be harder than iron by using energy.

Even so.
Rainagi, who I really shake, cuts iron like paper. It’s refreshing.

Perhaps she saw my feelings, Lin-san held her sword.

“Well, I won’t resent it even if I die from it. Come and kill me.”

…… I would be rude to Lin-san any more.

Above all, she is strong.
She may not even be hurt by my attack.

I put my hand on Rainagi and get ready.

“All right. Let me show you the sword of [Kensei], the unsophisticated Lin
Sword Fair.”

I strengthen my body with a lot of energy and witness Lin-san.

Lin-san is weak and seems to be full of gaps, but when I try to attack, I
can’t find any gaps.

However, we have a huge difference in weapon capabilities.

She won’t be able to receive my sword against a wooden sword.
If I hit the swords against each other, that’s it.

If so, you may accept it.

With that in mind, there is room for attack.

“Shukuchi”

”Shukuchi” that can be moved at the moment of blinking

As a result, I moved diagonally behind Lin-san in an instant.
I slashed at Lin-san without a break.

–Gin! !!

“–!?”

Something flew in the air. No, a sword.

While holding down his numb right hand, he jumps back in a hurry.
“…”

What happened?
No, what happened I could see it, but I couldn’t help it.

“Dear Sirius, your true essence was a combat technique that used both
magic and swordsmanship.”

Lin-san picks up Rainagi who has fallen to the ground and slowly walks
here.

“Fighting spirit Kenshin Ichiyo . My Weapons Will not break unless my

heart breaks. With your sword my heart can not be slashed. Please take it
seriously with confidence. “

I move my hands to remove numbness and receive the sword.

I see … Was it the fighting spirit to harden the weapon?
It meant hardening an uncut wooden sword and training me.

Feeling embarrassed about my overconfidence, I regained my feelings.

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best this time!”

“Yes, I was looking forward to receiving the full power of Sirius. Please
show me your sword to your heart’s content.”

I confront Lin-san again.

This time, I won’t imitate such rudeness.

“Lightning Aura”
I strengthen the body by magic.
I thought that Lin-san had a happy expression for a moment, but she
immediately switched to battle mode.

“Well, let’s go.”

This time, instead of using “Shukuchi”, I approach with purely enhanced

agility.
”Shukuchi” is a movement technique that allows you to move in an
instant, but it is weak when you read the movement because you can only
move in a straight line.
Lin-san was waving her sword here the moment I stepped behind her.
Of course, she has high physical ability, but she has even greater senses.
If the reading is so sharp, “Shukuchi” cannot be used so easily.

In an instant, they get close to each other.

“Blitz accelerator”

Physical strengthening is repeated, and in addition, thinking is

accelerated.

“Fushiikazuchi”

Unleash attack magic without any hesitation.

As expected, [Kensei] is also a human being.
if Fushiikazuchi hits someone directly, you can hinder the movement
even for a moment, and even if they take evasive action, the chance is too
big within that time.

–Tan

Lin-san jumped lightly and avoided it.

With that chance, I will release the spell without emptying.

Lin-san was already reading and was already moving to interrupt with the
wooden sword.
However, the other party is in the air. The previous attack Is dangerous,
but if you take my attack in this position, she should be in a bad position.

While preparing for the counter-like attack I mentioned earlier, I just

shake off Rainagi.

–Yin

There is a terrifying sound that makes it hard to believe that a wooden

sword and a sword collided with each other.
When I thought that it was received by Lin-san’s wooden sword, it was
pardoned in a slippery manner, and Rainagi was tearing through the floor
slab.

“Soft sword”

I pull Rainagi out without any resistance and strike again at Lin-san, who
is still dodging.

–Guin! !!
 Lin-san receives it from the front with a wooden sword.
The wooden sword has no scratches, anything would be too hard.

After that, he hits several swords, but he is handled without danger.

“It’s heavy when you receive it from the front.”

When I thought that Lin-san muttered, suddenly I felt no resistance from

Lin-san’s sword, and my posture was about to collapse.

–Spaan! !!

I was shocked by that and stepped on to endure it as it was about to

collapse.

“Soft sword”

She dodged the attack and I was hit on the head with a wooden sword.

Lin-san relaxed the moment she hit my head and tried to suppress the
damage as much as possible.
Even so, it hurts so much that I was able to keep my consciousness at the
last minute thanks to the physical strengthening by energy.

“Hmm, you seem a little weak to be a swordsman, but you have a

tremendous basic ability that I can’t think of at that age … and I think you
still have some spare capacity … No, I feel like you’re not used to exerting
power? I will be your wall. Come on, come on. “
 Lin-san gives off energy with murderous intent.

I endured the intimidation of tearing my skin and put my hand on

Rainagi.
Yes, I haven’t done my best yet.

“Lightning Rain”

I create a thunder spear in front of my eyes and shoot it parallel to the

ground.
The number is no less than thirty.
Before I knew it, I could hear the breathtaking sounds of the knights
around me who were starting to watch the mock combat between me and
Lin.

Lin-san runs at right angles and avoids it.

While running, Lin-san swung her wooden sword several times, and the
blade of energy came flying here.

This also was avoided.

To Lin-san, who approaches the gap at a tremendous speed I release
Lightning ray to shift impact.
Lightning Ray Is one of the top-class attack speeds in lightning magic …
but …

“Strong sword”
 Everything was prevented by the sword attack that was swung at an
unnoticeable speed.
She’s a monster to prevent it without difficulty even though the speed of
magic and the speed of running over there are added! ??

I used Iai on her who approached my range and it felt like my hands were
about to fall off.

” You want to meet head on, I think it’s ok to raise the level even more…”

–Gin! Gee! Gigi Gin!

Lin-san’s sword speed goes up one step further.

I managed to surpass it with the continuous activation of the Blitz
accelerator, but the feeling of my hands has disappeared.

Even though I collide with Rainagi at such a tremendous speed and

power, Lin-san’s wooden sword only has small pieces flying around.
It is a terrifying effect of the fighting spirit “Kenshin Ichiyo” that there is
no sign of breaking just by hitting with a Mithril sword except for a small
scratch on the surface …

“Fufufufu !! It’s still rough, but this is certainly Mira-san’s sword …! And
even Regulus-san’s thunder magic … Sirius-kun, it’s wonderful …! Please
try it! “

Lin-san smiles more and more.

The way the tension rises is approaching devilishness. I’m scared.

But for some reason, I’m having fun too.

 If you are this person, you can do your best!

“Shiroki Matoi”

using White Qi The sword attack that unleashed the sword jumped up
Lin-san’s wooden sword.

“Ku !!”

A small gap was created for Lin-san, who has the reflexes to pull back
the sword in an instant.
However, I wanted this moment.

“Mugenraiei! !! “

I put all my energy into Rainagi held in reverse just in case.

I am dizzy with the sudden decrease in energy, but I shake Rainagi
regardless.

Rainagi emits a dazzling thunder light and turns into a slash at the speed
of light.

“Senkou”

Even during the slash, Lin-san pulled back the wooden sword in an
instant and matched it.
However, Rainagi approaches Lin-san.
“–!?”

Fresh blood spilled from Lin’s cheeks who had an astonished expression.

The only attack I was convinced that I had taken was able to scratch Lin-
san’s cheek, who had withdrawn with a reflex that was far from human.

After all, it is not straightforward …!

As it is, I wield the second sword with Rainagi who lost the light.
Due to the large amount of energy consumed, my sword, whose energy
and magical power cannot be balanced and whose “White Qi” has been
released, has greatly lost its power from the previous sword attack.

However, Rainagi, who seemed to be easily accepted, broke Lin-san’s

wooden sword from the middle.

fighting spirit Mugenraiei Is a technique to do great damage.

…… At this stage, it is a flawed technique that is full of energy to pour in
all the energy into the sword for a really short time.
It’s ridiculous to use a lot of energy, and it’s a flawed technique of
whether or not it can be used unexpectedly, but the role of burning
“Unbreakable Wooden Sword” from the inside was fulfilled brilliantly.

I whip my body on the verge of exhaustion, turn into energy and strengthen
the magic Physical strengthening Boost To raise the level of physical ability
and jump into Lin-san’s flank.
Liberate

Lightning Aura and Blitz accelerator Is added to the sword attack and
released.

“‘False sword”

Lin-san stopped the whole blow with the index and middle fingers of her
left hand.
My view went upside down due to the release of all that energy.

“Ku !?”

Recognizing that he was thrown into the air and spinning in an instant, he
let go of Rainagi and pulled out Yoruichi.

–Yin

“Soft sword”

Lin-san had jumped towards me while deflecting it with a broken wooden

sword, and grazed my abdomen.

“Senkou”
“Gofu !?”
 He lost the air in his lungs, blew about ten meters, rolled on the ground,
and then slammed into a wall.

When Lin-san satisfactorily brushed her hair up, applause came from the
increasing number of spectators.

As the surroundings got noisy, Lin-san and other knights approached me

as I lay down for a while, holding my abdomen due to the shock.

“What are you doing !? If you really hit me, even an oak would be minced
with your bare hands!”
“Shi, Sirius … Are you ok !? I’m sorry! I’m so excited !! Is that okay !?”
“Isn’t it okay !? Bring your potion soon!”

Yeah, it’s important when I’m resting.

I wanted to rest a little longer, but I can’t sleep anymore …
I got up slowly while holding down my throbbing abdomen.

“It’s okay … it hurts a lot …”

The knight had his eyes rounded when he saw me getting up.

“No no no !? You received it without armor !? There is no hole in your

stomach !? It’s not a mess !?”
“Hey !? Do you think I’ll do that without thinking !?”
 There is a blue streak on Lin-san’s forehead.
The beauty’s sub-zero smile was more terrifying than I had imagined.

However, in fact, since I was able to concentrate the remaining magical

power on the abdomen and mitigate the attack, it seems that there is no
damage to the internal organs, but I think that it was a power that could
have a hole if it was received by itself. ……
No, Lin-san probably identified this last-minute line and minimized her
attack, probably …

“Dancho, you’ve completely lost yourself … Sirius, please take this for the
time being. I can’t leave the student injured.”

That said, the knight gives him a potion.

“Sirius, I’m sorry …”

It seems that Lin-san is also feeling guilty.

“No, I’m just grateful for training in the actual battle format. Thank you.”

When I answered that, Lin-san was very happy and stroked my head.

“Look! It’s good because Sirius says it’s good!”

“… Yes, I understand.”

The knight smiled and received an empty potion bottle from me and left.
“Sirius, I will see you again.”
“Yes, thank you for your guidance.”
 Sirius bowed down and went home.
He’s such a cute boy that I can’t think he was the one who had a sword
fight with me.
Looking away from the door he had left, I suddenly stroked my cheek,
which healed with a potion, remembering the previous battle.

The other day after he won the festival I immediately thought of training
him as the prize.
…… The only [single number] currently in this royal capital was me and
[rainbow] …
[Rainbow] seems to be training him on a daily basis, and he was willing
to give it away.

I fought him seriously and thought again, but he shouldn’t be there

without tremendous effort in addition to his innate talent. I can’t imagine
how much training he’s been doing at that age.
At that time, the fourth place in the ranking was defeated. It is
understandable that he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Astel who succeeded in
subduing the pair even though they were out of the order.
Although it was a wooden sword, it was probably the first time I was hurt
by a sword and used the “imaginary sword” since the mock battle with my
father.

However, he lacks the experience of fighting overwhelmingly strong

people.
[Rainbow] is not good at adjusting … It’s easy to imagine that he
couldn’t compete with him.

I have made a promise with him that I will continue to give guidance, and
I am excited to see his growth in the future.
 It also stimulates me and the members who have been sluggish recently,
yeah.

By the way, the other members must be squeezed so as not to lose to

him!

After leaving the Knights Training Center after parting with Lin-san, I
head to the castle gate square, where I meet with senior Bob.
Although my energy and magical power have recovered to some extent
due to the potion, I am honestly sick.
Suppressing my desire to go home, I managed to drag my legs to the
plaza, and Bob was sitting on the edge of the water and reading a book.

“Senior Bob, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Big brother!? … You look tired !!”

Senior Bob bowed apologetically.

“Even for my big brother, it seems like it was a pain to get along with
[single number] … I’m really sorry to have you do my errands even when
you’re that tired …! I’m okay. So go home and take a rest … !! “
“Please stop saying that I’ve been on equal terms … I’m in a position to
practice. I’m sure I’m tired, but if it’s about Bob’s errands, there’s no
problem at all. .let’s go”
“Big brother … !!”

Bob looks at me with his eyes shining. Stop it.

 But apparently, I was pretty tired from the perspective of others …
If you’re not Bob, you might have noticed that my magical power is
much less than usual.

When I walked along the wall with him, I arrived at a square building.

“This is my dad’s lab. My dad is a weirdo, so I’m just going to stay in this
private lab rather than the magic division’s lab …. Huh … Would you like
to go …”

Senior Bob takes a deep breath and reaches for the door. The hand was
shaking slightly.
Is he really scary father? Indescribable anxiety runs through my mind.

“… Father, I’m sorry”

When I entered the laboratory, various materials such as magic tools and
magic stones, books, reports, etc. were scattered all over the place.
Simply put, it’s dirty.

And the mage in the black robe at the back glanced at me.
He is a dandy old man with a well-organized beard and hair for the owner
of the dirty room.
… Sure, he was in the throne room when he was called by His Majesty
before. I remember it because he had strong magical power.

“What is Bob … you are …”

“My big brother, Sirius.”
 Senior Bob is proudly turning back.
Isn’t it strange to call such a child a big brother and turn around?
I shake off such a silly question and bow to Bob’s father.

“I’m Bob’s junior, Sirius Astel. Nice to meet you …”

his Father squinted a little and stood up and turned to me.

“Alessandro Bean. You never remembered me.”

Was that so?

“Yes. Because you were using magical power among the thrones …”
“Hmm … Well, that’s a good story. Bob, Sirius, what are you doing today?
Without anything, you wouldn’t be in a place like this.”

When Alessandro asked, Bob’s shoulder bounced.

Alessandro seemed to have guessed something and stared at Bob with a
questioning look.

“Ah, ah … that’s … I’m sorry, I’m sorry !!!”

DOGEZA.
In an instant, Bob rubbed his head against the ground with a beautiful
dogeza.

“… Huh … What the hell did you do this time? That’s okay, so raise your
face and talk.”
 Alessandro sighed and looked down at Bob with a tired face.

“Actually … I broke the” Sealed Cangue “that I had borrowed from you
father … I’m really sorry!”
“What the heck is” Sealing Cangue “…?

Alessandro, who was looking at Bob with suspicious eyes, seemed to

have come up with something and turned his eyes to me.

“To be exact, I broke it, I’m sorry.”

As I bowed, Alessandro glanced at me and immediately took the crystal

ball out of his pocket.

“Hmm … you broke the cangue … I see. Sirius, I’d like to check your
magical power, is it ok?”
“Yes, it is okay”

Upon my consent, Alessandro stared at me through the crystal ball.

“Hmm … this is …”

I’m curious about the reaction.

“Hey, dad …?”

When Bob took a step, Alessandro waved to control it.

“The upper limit of the advanced measuring stone has been exceeded …”
 Measuring stone ……? It’s a magical tool I don’t know.

“That’s my big brother!”

For some reason, senior Bob is proud.

“That … what the heck …?”

When I listened, Alessandro nodded and began to explain.

“Hmm, a measuring stone is a magic tool that can quantitatively measure

the amount of magical power of the target. If it is an advanced magical
stone, it can be measured by the magical power of most court magicians
… It seems to be a fact that he broke the sword … “

…… I felt that the magical power of the court magician was less than I
expected, but … I’m a little worried whether the defense of this country is
okay at a level where the magical power is inferior to such a child.

“This … may have been just right …”

Alessandro grinned while muttering something in a whisper.

“Sirius-kun, I guess you couldn’t help it because of my stupid son. I’m not
telling you to compensate, but one experiment … Can you go out with the
test? A person with magical power like you? The test is valuable, so it
would be helpful if you could cooperate. “
“Well … May I tell you what it is …?”
 Hey, you said an experiment, right?

“Oh, that’s okay. Like the Sealed Cangue, I’m currently researching
magical tools to detain high-ranking criminals, as you’ve experienced. In
the cangue, I have to be a little uncomfortable to restrain the S-rank
magician. I’m developing a new magic tool. I’m still in the planning stage
… Try to see if you can destroy this material with your bare hands. You can
use your energy and magic. “

Then Alessandro put a black metal block on his desk.

It seems like you’re familiar with it somewhere …Kurogane is not it.

“Kurogane……? “
“Huh, did you know that it’s a minor metal?”
“I just happened to know it because it was the material for my sword …”
“What ?? Katana … then …!?”

Alessandro grabbed my shoulder suddenly.

scared.

“Huh … yes …”
” Can you show it to me !?”
“Well, please …”

I remove Yoruichi from the scabbard and hand it to Alessandro.

“Be careful because it’s heavy, right?”

“Oh, I know …!? Fugu … !!”
 When I handed it over, his face turned bright red and he began to step on
it with a terrible appearance, so I immediately supported the sword from
below.

“I’m sorry.”
“No, thank you. It was heavier than I expected … But this is a tremendous
processing technique … I’ve never seen black steel processed into such a
thin plate … Sirius, where on earth? I’ve never heard of the technology of
the Kingdom of Dwagraph that made it so thin !? “

Kingdom of Dwarves … Was it a dwarven country? It wasn’t possible

there either. Gantetsu-san, he’s a really amazing person.

“I asked a blacksmith I knew who created it …”

“Wow … Sirius, can you introduce me?”
“Well, I don’t mind … May I talk to him and then reply?”
“Of course it doesn’t matter. If you hear a reply, come to report
immediately, is that okay?”
“Oh, I understand.”

After the turmoil, we came out to the square next to the laboratory.

“Well, give it a try”

“I understand”

I touch the black steel again.

After all, this is energy … Even if I use white energy, it is difficult to
crush it with your bare hands …
If there is a possibility, it will have to be blown by heat.
 Gantetsu also said that he processed it with an ultra-high temperature
Mithril cutter.

However, my flame magic will not produce enough heat to melt black
steel.
Then … Is this the only one?
I can’t use the magical power replenished with the magical potion again
…

I place the black steel on the rock and step back a few steps to begin to
fill the magical power.

“Lightning blade”

I generate a thunder sword in my right hand. And I put more magical

power into that sword.
The thunder sword scatters sparks and tries to rampage, but I further
apply pressure with magical power to suppress it.
I hold the thunder sword with magical power up to the limit of the
outburst and swing it down.

“Huh !!”

–Don’t! !! !! !!

Along with the dazzling light, a roaring sound that makes you think that
lightning has fallen hits the eardrum.

–Shuuu ……
 White smoke blows out from the attacked part, and it is not clear what
happened to the black steel.

“No way so far …”

Alessandro was blinking while raising his eyebrows.

The smoke faded and I could see the black steel.

There was a shallow groove on the surface as if it was about to be
melted, but it was not possible to cut black steel.
By the way, the rock on which the black steel was placed was split into
two, and the cut surface was molten red.

“… I couldn’t cut it.”

I looked with a bitter smile at Alessandro, Alessandro nodded and began

observing the black steel.

“Hmm … Is it this much damage even if it receives an attack with that

much magical power … Thank you Sirius. I got valuable data.”
“No, I haven’t done much …”
“That’s not the case, thank you. The rest is about the introduction of the
blacksmith that I asked. I can put up as much money as I can, so I really
really ask you!”

Alessandro approaches closer. stop.

“Wow, I understand! I’ll do my best, too!”

“I asked!”
“Father !! You’re too close to my big brother !!”
“Mu, I’m sorry …”

Alessandro quickly withdraws, perhaps because he was struck by Bob

and returned to his sanity. He’s really serious about researching magic
tools.

Then, while receiving Alessandro’s hot eyes on my back, I left the royal
castle.
Since I worked and there was no blame for the cangue, Bob gave me a
high-class meat while apologizing for not doing anything. I feel like he did
something like a senior for the first time.
The meat after physical labor permeates the muscles …

――After that, Gantetsu-san and Alessandro hit it off, and it seems that
they rapidly improved their technical capabilities through technical
exchanges.
“By the way, have you met everyone else yet?”

It is highly likely that Luke and Grace, who went to Pseudo Adventurer
School, and Chloe, who went to Isten Adventurer School, are also in the
city.
…… Chloe had trouble coming to watch the game, and may be resting
due to a case of false illness …

“Yeah, I just arrived, so I haven’t seen them yet!”

“I was surprised because she suddenly started running as soon as I got to
Domineus.”

As far as I heard the story, it seems that they came in from the opposite
gate … As usual, Lara’s ability to detect me is unusual.
As I listened to the story with a bitter smile, Cecilia approached me with
a smile.

“By the way, is it true that you taught Lara how to heal?”

Cecilia muttered in a small voice that only me and Lara, who was
attached to me, could hear.

“–!?”
“Eh? Eh !?”

When I glanced at Lara while wondering how she knew, Lara was
looking at me and Cecilia alternately with her eyes wide open.

Originally, healing magic is a magic that must be practiced and learned at

a school accredited by the Healing Bureau, and is kept secret.
…… Although it is originally the case, it is a beginner’s healing
technique, many adventurers who can use magic actually use it secretly.
This is because the chanting I heard when I was treated by a healer can
be reproduced by a magician with a certain level of skill.
It’s such an open secret, but if you get caught by the Healing Department,
you’ll be fined or imprisoned.
 Similarly, my father Regulus used healing magic and after reading about
it in a note I was able to use it.
And I taught Lara, who wants to be a healer, the structure of the human
body at the basic level of biology that I know.
I should have reminded Lara that it was a secret, but … I don’t think Lara
would easily break her promise …

I took a step in front of Lara, who was quivering, and faced Cecilia.

“I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

Escaping responsibility. It is an essential skill when working with

government offices.
It’s a dirty adult’s special move, but it should be very effective in such
cases.

“Oh, you’re very careful though it’s small … Yeah, I understand. I’m sorry
Lara-chan, I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.”
“Is that so !? Uh … Cecilia-san, it’s terrible …”

Ah, was that the case … After all, Lara didn’t say that.

“Lara-chan’s healing effect was so high that she wouldn’t tell me why, but
Sirius usually said it was amazing, so I thought … I’m sure after I met
you today, Sirius is Lara’s teacher! “

With that said, Cecilia pointed to me as a detective.

“I’d be happy if you could give me some tips too.”

“Ah …”

On the other hand, Lara next door turned bright red and looked down.

Lara’s healing effect is high probably because she was taught about the
human body structure to some extent …
While magic and healing are widespread in this world, science, biology,
nutrition, and medicine are rarely widespread.
Perhaps because of this, people in this world are overwhelmingly lacking
in “understanding of the target phenomenon,” which is the basis of magic,
including healing.

Although it is classified as “healing” by the Healing Bureau, the reality

is that it is just non-attribute magic.
Healing is a miracle brought about by faith and blessing of God, but they
just want to monopolize the medical field and raise the cost of treatment.
Well, the upper management of the Healing Bureau is only sucking up
the profits, the healers at the end are people who have a precious desire to
help people purely.

I hear that biology is hardly taught at a healing school, and I understand

that healers who rely on chanting or Lara who is learning human body
structure even if it is easy,it’s obvious which will be more effective.

I couldn’t figure out what Cecilia was thinking about, and Aria quietly
talked to Cecilia as she was checking.
“Ah, uh … Cecilia-san, maybe you’re that [Truthful saint] Cecilia Starlight
……? ……? “
“Hmm, I’m sometimes called that.”
“Wow !?”

Saint … Then …! ??
Surprisingly, now I understand why she has a different kind of magical
power.

[Saint] is an entity that can handle “sacred magic” in the same way as
[Brave].
However, unlike [Brave], the sacred characters do not appear on the back
of the hand, and it seems that it is not possible to handle “sacred weapons”.
However, it is said that healing and purification techniques by “sacred
magic” are incomparable to ordinary magic.
In addition, the saint of this generation is [Truthful saint], And it is
rumored that she can read people’s hearts.
If that’s true, there’s no point in deceiving her …

“It’s okay, it’s just a rumor that I can read people’s hearts.”

I’m pretty sure you’re doing just that.

“I’ve heard that you have the ability to spot lies, not read the heart …”

When Aria said that, Cecilia smiled after showing a slightly surprised
expression.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve made it public so much, but you know it well. it’s
not such a big ability. I don’t know if I’m swayed like Sirius.”
 Hey … It’s an amazing ability, isn’t it …
You can use any method to pull out the truth, and it will be very useful
for cross-examination.
Whether or not [Saint] is used for cross-examination though, is a
different matter.

“Yeah, I understand. Well, I’ll be staying here for a while, and Sirius may
talk to me!”

Cecilia-san would have wanted to wink … but it wasn’t done well and
she left with sparkling eyes.
She’s a character that I’m not sure if it’s sharp or natural.

“See you, Lara will go too!”

“Sirius-kun, see you again !!”

Lara also returned to the west gate while being dragged by Kino.
From the day I received guidance from Lin-san, I was training with Lin-san
on weekends.
After school on weekdays, in addition to the guidance from Beatrice-san,
collaborative training for the school competition with senior Zion.
On holidays, there are also meetings to develop new menus and improve
store operations by visiting Cafe Astel and Torne Shokai for more income.

Even though I thought I could finally dive into the labyrinth, I could only
dive up to about 20 levels, and after that I couldn’t go to the 40th level.
Well, the reason I went to the labyrinth was to earn experience points and
gain practical training, so there is no particular problem because I have been
accumulating practical training for White Qi and fighting spirit through
training with Lin-san.
Rather, it is too valuable to practice swords with [Kensei], so I decided to
give priority to that.

And, as I was spending even more busy days, the school competition was
approaching before I knew it.

The school competition will be held in the fighting capital “Domineus”,

which is about three hours by horse-drawn carriage from Central.
Domineus has the largest colosseum called the Domineus Arena, where
the fighting is usually held.

It seems that the seats that are usually said to be more than 70% filled,
but almost all seats are filled during the school competition.
In addition to the students of the five colleges, their relatives and royal
aristocrats also come to watch the game, and Domineus’ shops and inns
profit a lot.

Actually, Torne-san had been asked if he would open a coffee shop in

Domineus by the time of the school competition …
We don’t have enough time to educate our employees, and we are
worried about the safety of our staff because there are many gladiators and
other rough people outside the school competition.
There seems to be a black trend in this world that you can do anything as
long as you pay wages, but at least the stores that are run by me, I don’t
want it like that.
I wonder why, I don’t know why employees often run away in this
country because all that is done.
 As I was thinking about that in the rattling carriage, I heard an ominous
noise from the neighbor.
Faced with the reality that I didn’t want to face, I looked at him.

“… Muskel, are you okay?”

“Oh, it’s okay …”

Lancelot and I are as far away as possible from Muskel, who has a deep
blue face.
I just want to get out of the carriage and run on my own.
It is said that carriage movement is also one of the training for
adventurers, and it is annoying that I can’t run along.

“Muskel isn’t good at carriages … I don’t think people like that really
existed.”
“Well, there is also a problem with my constitution. Should I faint if I really
get it?”

When I said that and raised my knife, Muskel shook his head.

“Please refrain from it… My muscles will cry if I can’t stand this much.”

Muskel took a muscle pose without force and at the same time barfed.
Thanks to Lancelot thrusting Muskel’s face into the window, the inside of
the car was safe, but the smell did not disappear and I desperately endured
that I and Lancelot were about to get out, and I managed to arrive at
Domineus at the last minute. It was horrible.

◆
 Except for Muskel, who went straight to the inn with a deep blue face,
when I started walking along the main street as a member of the S class for
a year, Airi was giggling next to me.

“Muskel had such a weakness.”

Lancelot and I had to laugh bitterly, but it seemed to be interesting for the
women who were in different carriages.

“It’s a stone’s throw to weaken Sirius so much”

Rose seems to be grinning, too. It’s precious.

“Huh … I should have given you the anti-sickness potion first … I’m sorry
…”
“Aria-san, please go home …”
“Yes! My sickness potion has a good reputation, so leave it to me!”

It goes without saying that Aria-san’s goddess was so much that I and
Lancelot could see a light behind her.

Domineus is a city where many gladiators fighting in the fighting party

live.
As a result, the food stalls were very meat-based, and there was a wide
variety of meat, making it a place where walking and eating progressed
tremendously.
I would have been happy to chew a lot of meat if Muskel was there, but I
think I should buy some as souvenirs.
 After eating the stale-tasting Mad Bull skewers, I was wondering what to
eat next, and suddenly I was blown away by a terrible shock from behind.

“Ugbohe !?”

When I hit my face against the ground and twisted my neck with tears, I
saw fluffy milk tea-colored hair in front of me.
Apparently a girl hit me on my waist.

“Sirius-kun !!!!!! Sirius-kun Sirius-kun Shiriusukun !! Real Sirius-kun !!

This is … I tried to get up, but I couldn’t get up because I was hugged by
her tremendous strength.
The power that I trained so much can be suppressed …?

“Hey, you! What are you doing !?”

One beat later, Airi rushed in and tried to pull the girl off, but the girl
wasn’t moving.
When everyone was disappointed, I heard someone running here.

“Wait a minute! What are you doing !?”

When I twisted my neck and turned towards the sound, a girl with a
blonde pigtail opened her eyes and looked at me.

“Oh, oh ~”
 Furthermore, from behind, a woman wearing the same clothes and was
having a mature atmosphere was approaching with her hands on her mouth.
As expected, this situation is too painful … I think so, the Girl Lara-chan
stroked my head.

“Lara-chan, it’s been a long time. Will you move away soon …?”
“Shiriusu-kun … !? Shi, Sirius-kun !? Sorry!”

Maybe Lara has returned to her sanity, with her face bright red she
jumped away from me.
When I got up and rubbed my cheeks, Lara rushed up in a hurry.

“Sirius, I’m sorry … I’ll cure you now. High heal”

When Lara chanted briefly, the soft light wrapped me around and the
pain in my cheeks subsided.
Looking at it, I felt a small breathtaking sign behind Rose.

“Lara! What were you thinking when you suddenly start running !?”

A blonde twin tailed terrorist grabs Lara’s neck.

The woman behind me was watching over it with a soft smile.

“Uh … because I felt Sirius …”

“I don’t know what that means!”
“Ufufu, Lara is an interesting girl after all”

The two who came after Lara also wore the same loose dress as Lara,
suggesting that they are students who belong to the same school.
 They’re probably classmates and seniors at the Westen Healing School
that Lara attends.
Anyway, this woman’s magical power … this is …
Rose seems to have noticed, and she is wondering if this is real.

“Hey, Sirius, please explain what’s going on.”

At that moment when Airi was next to me with a small voice, I felt
something from the direction of Lara. It was really a moment, but I wonder
if it was because of my mind … I think it’s because of my mind that Lara-
chan, who is so smiling, is looking scary.

“Everyone, this kid is Lara, a childhood friend of my hometown. Lara, this

is a friend of the same class as me. Well, that …”

When I looked at the two people next to Lara, the mature woman
started talking.

“You’re the rumored Sirius.I’m Cecilia, Lara’s senior.”

“Wow, I’m Kino, a classmate with Lara!”

Starting with the introduction of the two, it was a self-introduction fest.

By the way, I was very curious about what that “Rumor” was, but I didn’t
have the courage to ask about it.

(Who the heck is Lara? Is that clara or lara?).

World’s Fastest Level up! ~as a
Result of the Awakening of My
Incompetence Skill [Transfer
Within Dungeon], I Became the
Strongest Without Being Restricted
by the Rules of the Dungeon. - 188
After that, the days of treatment continued smoothly for a while. However,
because I forcefully moved my body the other day, my condition worsened.
Because of that, the number of days I had to get treated was more than it
originally was.
And as the number of days we initially scheduled to be here had passed,
Claire and the others went back to Yoizuki first, leaving me alone in the
Classion. Even so, I am very grateful to Nanami-san who is still continuing
the treatment despite that.
Anyway, after receiving the treatment, Nanami-san told me to move my
body to familiarize myself with my current magic power, 2 sets a day. As a
result, my condition is getting better day by day. At the same time, I also
noticed a change that happened to me.
“… My perception towards magic power is clearer than ever.”
In the battle against Cain, due to receiving a large amount of magic power
from Cursed, a lump of magic power that wasn’t mine was created inside
my body. Perhaps this phenomenon was caused because that lump of magic
power has melted, training my body to blend those magic powers with my
own magic power. As a result, compared to before, my perception towards
magic power became stronger, and I also could control my magic power
better than ever. Indeed, there is no visible change in my status. Or maybe
you could say there is one, which is a title that has evolved. Even so, I felt
that I had definitely grown.
“I want to dive into the dungeons soon.”
That makes me want to test my current ability as soon as possible. And of
course, I want to become stronger, as that feeling also has become stronger.
Then, the day the treatment finished, I coincidentally got the opportunity to
do that–
◇◆◇
“—–!”
“Fufu, you’re too naive.”

In a training ground in Classion, Nanami-san and I were having a mock

battle. This is, in fact, a part of the treatment, which is to familiarize myself
with my magic power.
Both of us are fighting with our bare hands, and Nanami-san adjusted her
status to suit mine. Hence, our condition should be exactly the same, but for
some reason I am on the losing side. As expected of a veteran adventurer, it
is quite difficult for me to hit her.
“Un, let’s stop it here.”
Just like that, the final mock battle has ended.
Thanks to Nanami-san, my physical condition has returned much earlier
than we had expected. With this, I finally can dive into the dungeons again–
I can become stronger again!
Looking at me, who was overjoyed inwardly, Nanami-san giggled.
“I’m glad you are that energetic. For the time being, the treatment has been
completed.”
“Yes. Thank you very much for treating me, Nanami-san.”
“Raise your head. Besides, it’s a direct request from Claire-kun after all. I
owe her a lot. Thus, there is no way I wouldn’t accept it.”
“You owe her…?”
Claire and Nanami-san are both S-rank adventurers with levels over
100,000. And according to what I’ve heard before, Nanami-san became an
S-rank first before Claire. Despite that, Nanami-san owes Claire a lot, huh.
Once again, it made me wonder what kind of relationship they had before.
However, I couldn’t ask that. Because–

“Hiss, this is!”

“An earthquake? No, this is different. This tremble is…”
The entire building of Classion slightly trembled. And I actually have an
idea what this earthquake is. As follows, after looking at each other,
Nanami-san and I opened our mouths at the same time.
“”Dungeon Collapse.””
Simultaneously, a man entered the training room we’re in.
“Guild Master, there is an urgent matter.”
“I know, Ukyou. A dungeon collapse, right?”
“Yes. But the problem is the place…”
“Fumu, I can only think of one place among the surrounding dungeons
where I don’t want a dungeon collapse to happen.”
“It is likely just as you expected, Guild Master. It seems it occurred in the
A-rank dungeon in the south, 【Meijuu Dungeon】. And the association
has requested us for a rescue operation urgently….”
“Understood, let’s head there immediately. I’m glad I’m off duty today. I
want you to wait here and instruct various places instead of me.”
“Understood.”

After such a brief exchange, Nanami-san tried to leave the training room,
until I said.
“I will go too.”
“… Alright. Well then, let’s go together.”
Thus, we head to the place where the dungeon collapse occurred, 【Meijuu
Dungeon】.
A rank dungeon – 【Meijuu Dungeon】.
As soon as we arrived, the scene of multiple adventurers fighting beast-
shaped monsters entered my sight.
“Gha!”
“Ugh!”
Perhaps because adventurers don’t usually fight on the surface, the
encirclement that they made was imperfect, creating a gap that allowed a
monster to slip through them. That monster avoided all the tanks and
swordsmen and aimed at the healer behind them.
“Kyaa!”
“—!”
At this rate, that healer girl would be in danger. With that in mind, I tried to
summon Greed in my left hand, but there was someone who moved faster
than I could.
“Magic Barrier.”
As soon as Nanami-san muttered, the movement of that beast-shaped
monster stopped. This is… a barrier, huh. However, it wasn’t a normal
barrier, as it was created by the magic power in the atmosphere using
Nanami-san’s unique skill, 【Magic Power Interference】. From the
activation speed to the strength, the level of that barrier was far beyond the
normal barrier.
“You wouldn’t think I’m done with just that, right?”
“This is…”
Suddenly, the shape of the barrier changed. The transparent barrier that
swayed just like waves then spread, locking every monster in the area,
excluding the adventurers. And then–
“Sky Rebellion.”
–Multiple lumps of magic power ran around the barrier. The lumps gained
more momentum every time they hit the barrier and reflected, annihilating
the monsters inside in a blink of an eye.
At that moment, silence spread all over the area. But that, too, lasted just for
a moment, as everyone in the place soon cheered.
“It’s Nanami-san! Nanami-san has come!”
“The rescue from Classion has come. With this, we will be able to handle
it!”
As expected of an S-rank adventurer. People instantly got their spirit back
just by her appearing here. Well, since this is also the area where the
headquarters of Classion is located, it’s natural for people to trust them
quite a lot.
However, the person in question didn’t respond to their words and just
displayed a grim expression on her face.
“Fumu, the worst situation has not come yet, huh. But at this rate, it seems
it will take quite some time for this dungeon to completely collapse….”
Which means, from now on, we have to prevent the advancement of the
monsters. But, in actuality, there is a way to avoid that.
“Will you defeat the last boss?”
“I really want to do that but unfortunately, I’m in the middle of
intermission. I can’t go inside.”
“That means…”
“It would be best to endure the advancement of the monsters until the
collapse is over and defeat the last boss that comes out after that. Needless
to say, there are risks, too.”
“….”
Those risks are most likely because we’re fighting on the surface, not inside
the dungeon. Due to that, there are many things we have to be aware of. But
the most important one is damage to the surroundings. Even the monsters
that come out of an E-rank dungeon can already threaten the lives of
ordinary people. Thus, there isn’t even a need to think how much damage
the last boss of an A-rank dungeon could cause.
Still, as Nanami-san is here, I don’t think it has that much risk, because as
long as she uses the same barrier as before, she should be able to fight
without having a need to mind her surroundings.
However,
I looked at Nanami-san and said,
“Then, I will go.”
“… Are you serious? It would probably take a considerable amount of time
to go to the deepest part of the dungeon now. So, I think the probability the
dungeon collapse ends before you reach there is higher, though… and to
begin with, I feel like it will be quite dangerous to fight the last boss with
your abilities–”
“Even so, I want to go.”
“—-”
Interrupting her, I declared strongly. And looking at this, Nanami-san
stopped speaking.
I want to protect everyone here– I certainly have that feeling. And the best
way to do that is to go along with Nanami-san’s plan. Of course, I knew that
from the beginning.
However, there is something that I think is more important than that right
now–
Perhaps because my feelings were transmitted to her, Nanami-san’s heavy
expression became relaxed.
“As expected, you really just like her…”
“Eh?’
“No, please don’t mind that. If you can say that much, then go. But please
don’t overdo it.”
“Yes”
“And then before you rush inside, I will give you a brief explanation–”
Having heard some points to note regarding the dungeon from Nanami-san
for one minute, I passed through the newly emerged group of monsters and
rushed into Meijuu dungeon. And then–
“Transfer Within Dungeon.”
I shortcut-ed the floors and headed to the boss room as fast as possible.
“Transfer Within Dungeon.”
While I was making my way to the deepest floor of the dungeon by using
[Transfer Within Dungeon] consecutively, I recalled the words that Nanami-
san said to me earlier.
A-rank dungeon 【Meijuu Dungeon】. The dungeon boss that awaits on
the lowest floor of this dungeon is a monster with a recommended level to
subjugate of 40,000— Orthrus. It is a powerful two-headed A-rank monster
that could freely control flames.
And Nanami-san also said that as a dungeon collapse is occurring right
now, such a strong monster definitely already has several times more power
than it normally has.
However–
『However, I’m sure it won’t become 10 times stronger like the bosses of
other dungeons. Although there are several patterns in which monsters
become stronger, the most frequent are just two. The first one is when a
monster raises its level by eating other monsters’ corpses including their
magic stones– or what is commonly called a【Monster Eater】. And the
other one is when a monster becomes stronger after absorbing the
dungeon’s magic power when a dungeon collapse occurs just like this time.
But what they have in common is that there is a limit to what extent they
could become stronger.』
『Limit?』
『Aa. This is the same for every monster but, no matter how stronger they
became, their level is unlikely to exceed level 100,000. Although there are
some very rare cases where some monsters exceed that number, at least,
they won’t appear in a normal dungeon. I guess perhaps that fact itself is the
limit of monsters.』
『…..』
If I look back, certainly, even Ifrit that I fought that day was also level
100,000. That was probably the ‘limit’ that Nanami-san just said. However,
if I put it the other way around–
“… They could normally reach level 100,000, right?”
While thinking about that, I reached the lowest floor after repeatedly
transferring. And I immediately found the boss room. When I entered, the
sound of the huge gate being closed reverberated throughout the room.
And then, that thing appeared.
With a huge body that is covered with jet-black fur, which seems to have
boiled in the deepest part of the darkness, an overwhelming pressure could
be felt with it just being there. Then, just like a hunter targeting its prey, the
monster turned its six eyes sharply at me. If ordinary people receive such
murderous intent, I’m sure their knees will collapse and their head will be
blank at this time. That’s how overwhelming its aura was.
In the meantime, I laughed a little, then used [Appraisal] on it.
—————-
【Cerberus】
・Recommended level to subjugate: 10,000
・Last boss: Meijuu Dungeon
—————-
“… I see. Not only its level, even its shape also has changed.”
This is without a doubt an S-rank monster, Cerberus. It is an
overwhelmingly superior enemy, boasting the same level of ability as Ifrit
that I fought that day. Can the current me beat this monster–
“… No, that is wrong. That’s not it.”

— At that moment, I remembered the back of hers that I saw. That day, I
saw it, the peak. The overwhelming power that could even easily beat an S-
rank monster.
That made me think I want to be stronger,
I want to catch up.
Yes, that’s what I swore to her.
That’s why.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow myself to be stopped at this kind of place.”
No matter how inferior I am against this strong enemy, I won’t allow myself
to retreat. I will just follow this urge, and keep seeking to be stronger.
Hence, I will– I will use everything I have, and overcome this wall.
“Well— here I go.”
As follows, I took a powerful step.
—————
——————–
Amane Rin – 19 Years old – Male – Level: 44286

"
"

Title: Dungeon Conqueror (10/10) ・Nameless Swordsman ・The One

Who Brings The End (ERROR)・The One Who Inherit The Will of The
Sage
SP: 29250
HP: 348400 / 348400 MP: 94460 / 94460
Attack Power: 80300
Endurance: 68780
Speed: 82900
Intelligence: 72470
Mental Strength: 68370
Luck: 70040
Unique Skill: Transfer Within Dungeon Lv30・Plunderer Lv1
Passive Skill: Body Reinforcement Lv10・Herculean Strength Lv10・
Perseverance Lv10・High-speed Movement Lv10・Mental Strengthening
Lv10・MP Recovery Lv2・Magic Power Increase Lv10・Abnormal
Status Resistance Lv4
Active Skill: Superhuman Strength Lv10・Adamantine Body Lv10・Gale
Lv10・Indomitable Lv10・Resilience Lv1・Beginner Magic Lv3・
Cladding Barrier Lv5・Purification Magic Lv1・Enemy Detection Lv4・
Stealth Lv4・Appraisal Lv1・Item Box Lv8・Concealment Lv1

——————————————————————–
Transfer Within Dungeon Lv30
MP Consumption: 1 MP x Distance (M)
Condition: Transference possible within all dungeons.
Transfer Distance: Up to 1000 meters.
Activation Time: 0.2 seconds x distance (M)
It is possible to transfer in 0 seconds if it’s within 10 meters (100 MP will
be consumed uniformly)
Target Range: The caster and what the caster wears.

【Derived skill: Time Zero】

Allow the user to transfer in 0 seconds within a radius of 20 meters by using
100 MP.
【Derived skill: Peace Ruler】
By consuming the same amount of MP as the magical power required to
activate the target, the user could transfer anything reflected in his field of
vision. Cannot be used on people, monsters or anything they wore.
Duration: 10 seconds
Cooldown time: 10 hours
———————————————————————-
【The Nameless Knight’s Sword】
・The sword used by the Nameless Knight
・Recommended level to use: 10,000 (MAX)
・Attack Power +100%
・+100% to all statuses except HP and MP if the enemy’s level
(Recommended level to subjugate) is higher than the user.
——————————-
【Magic-Plundering Dagger】
・Reward given to the one who conquered the Isolated Demon Tower
・Recommended level to use: 32,000

・Attack Power +72%

・Able to absorb magic that touches the blade by consuming the same
amount of MP to activate the said magic. Activating the absorbed magic is
also possible and MP will not be consumed upon activation.
・Number of magic that can be stored: Up to 7 types.
——————————————————–
【Blood-Sucking Dagger】
・Recommended level to use: 40,000
・Attack Power +60%
・When you cut through an enemy (Human or monster), the blood that
touches the blade could be absorbed. It is also possible to convert the
magical power contained in the blood into HP or MP.
——————-
The One Who Brings The End (ERROR)
・The title given to the one who subdued the last boss alone.
・All statuses +30% when fighting a last boss.

・An ERROR has occurred. Some conditions that haven’t been met have
been confirmed. The effect of this title will not be effective until the
conditions are met.
“Now– Here I come.”
I strongly kicked the ground, approaching the mightiest beast that reigned
over this place. Its size might be inferior to the Tenraijuu that I once fought,
however, to put it the other way around, that small body contained a power
that far exceeds that of the Tenraijuu. It’s definitely not an enemy that I
could fight while holding back. Hence, I activated every skill that increases
my statuses, [Cladding Barrier], and then prepared for a short decisive
battle.
『Guruooooooooo!』
“—-!”
Suddenly, the three heads of Cerberus looked at the sky and roared at the
same time. The angry roars that raised synergistically were just like an
explosion, making the space and earth tremble, and then they became a
wave of winds that destroys all the surroundings–
“Time Zero.”
–However, even quicker, I used Time Zero and transferred behind Cerberus.
Then, I took the Nameless from my [Item Box] and unstably swung it down
with all my might right after transferring.
“Uooooooooo!”
*Clank*
Along with a high-pitched sound, the blade that I swung with all my might
is mercilessly deflected by the hard skin of the Cerberus. But, as expected
of an S-rank monster, half-hearted attacks don’t work on it!
“While Ifrit was protected by flame armor, Cerberus was simply protected
by its super hard skin, huh…”

Simple yet troublesome. Because that means I wouldn’t be able to deal any
damage to it unless it was my most powerful attack. On the other hand, if I
get hit by Cerberus’s attack even once, my body will surely be crushed
alongside the [Cladding Barrier] that protects my body.
“Goooooooooo!”
“Hiss?!”
Shortly after I had finished my thought, one head of the Cerberus
approached me, showing its ferocious fangs. Looking at this, I immediately
moved my body in the air and slashed its neck using the centrifugal force.
However–
“As expected, it’s impossible, huh.”
As expected, it seems that it would also be difficult to even injure it with
such a desperate attack. Let alone cut its neck, the blade was easily
deflected by its skin. Having deflected my blade, the three heads then began
to attack me. And judging that it would be difficult to stick to trying to use
that plan, I activated Time Zero right away.
“Time Zero.”
I temporarily took a distance from the Cerberus and readied myself for
another attack. However, looks like I still couldn’t be relieved yet because,
“Guruuuuuuu!” “Rwaaa!” “Bwaaaaaa!”
“Wha!”
The three heads of the Cerberus launched an attack at a speed that I couldn’t
even imagine. Such a reaction speed was as if that monster already read
where I would be transferring… No, it is possible that my movement was
really read by it.

Now, after getting treated by Nanami-san and with my perception towards

magic power being stronger than ever, I discovered… That when the Time
Zero was activated, something like a stagnation of magic power occurred at
the place I used the transfer on and at the transfer destination. And I think it
is not strange for an S-rank monster to be able to read it intuitively.
“… And that’s really troublesome.”
While dodging the attacks that were rushing at me, I calmly analyzed the
situation. Cerberus doesn’t only have the sharp five senses peculiar to beast-
type monsters, it could also sense the magic power, and above all, it could
freely control its three long necks. By using those aspects, the monster in
front of me doesn’t have any blind spots. For that reason, no matter where I
launched an attack, this monster would respond in a blink of an eye, and I
would end up being the one who got chased by it. In other words, it is not
an enemy that could be defeated by a simple tactic such as just
consecutively using transfers and attacks.
The situation was very unfavorable and also hopeless for me, as if
something was telling me ‘You have no other way except defeat’.
However–
“What about it.”
— It has always been the same.
In the battle against the Nameless Swordsman. It was the first time I fought
a superior monster that I thought I couldn’t win, no matter how I struggled.
But at the edge of that despair, I confronted the reason why I continued to
be an adventurer and was able to stand against it.
In the battle against the Orc General. I know my foe was far stronger than I
was. Even so, I swung my blade to protect the people important to me. And
in the end, I managed to save her.
And it was the same for other battles. The battle against Tenraijuu, Yanagi,
High Ogre, Ifrit, and Cain. In all those battles, there is always a wall in front
of me, a wall that overwhelms me with despair. Even so, I still stood up and
continued to fight. To be stronger and to protect those important to me. And
that has paved a way for me to my objective.
That is why, right now, at this place. No matter how strong the enemy
before me, it would never be a reason to give up. Because… the only thing
in my mind was just how to overcome the wall before me and gain more
power.
Therefore–

“GURUOOOOOOOOOO!”
“—-”
Along with the roar, a huge mass of flames was released. This means, this
monster must be getting impatient engaging in a close combat with me, who
was devoted to a hit-and-run tactic while maintaining my distance from it
with Time Zero. And a magic attack is indeed an effective means against an
opponent who tries to maintain distance.
— However, that was only if its opponent wasn’t me.
“Greed!”
“!?”
I summoned Greed in my left hand and brandished it towards the
approaching mass of flames, which dyed the transparent blade in crimson
red, consuming my MP at the same time.
On the other hand, Cerberus apparently didn’t expect the whole mass of
flames to be wiped out by a single swing of a dagger, causing its movement
to stop for a few seconds. Needless to say, this was an opportunity for a
counterattack.
“Release!”
『Guruu!?』
The mass of flame that was released from Greed and directly hit the body of
Cerberus, causing it to groan. However, as that flame was originally
something that Cerberus released, adding to the fact it also has a very hard
skin, I didn’t think that mass of flame could do any damage to it. But, I
didn’t really mind that, as I had another objective from doing that.
At the same time the mass of fire hit Cerberus’s body, smoke arose, stealing
the sight of Cerberus. Furthermore, the magic power that spreads around it
due to the fireball also weakens it’s sensing ability.

— Hence, if I want to attack, it’s now!

Activating the Time Zero, I transferred to just below its abdomen, which
seems to be somewhat less protected than the rest of its body. In other
words, the perfect place to aim!
“UOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Along with a powerful step, I swing my blade up in a flash, cutting deeply
into the abdomen of the Cerberus. As a result, blackish crimson blood
spilled vigorously from the wound I inflicted.
『GUGYAAAAAAAAAAA!』
That one swing most likely dealt a lot of damage to it as I intended, causing
the Cerberus to raise a roar full of grudges at the same time.
However, I’m still not finished!
“Bloody!”
I replaced Greed in my left hand with Bloody and pierced the scar caused
by Greed with the same momentum. At that moment, I felt like I could hear
the sound of heartbeats from Bloody.
“”GAAAAAAAAA!”””
“Time Zero!”
Realizing that Cerberus is trying to counterattack by roughly swinging its
legs, I promptly activated Time Zero and retreated temporarily. It seems it
wasn’t going to chase after me right away this time, as it just crouched
down while raising a low grunt. But, while enduring the pain, its eyes never
left me.
In my eyes, its eyes were as if telling me that it will never forgive the
inferior who turned his fang against him.
Without running away from the glare that it gave me, I activated the effect
of Bloody. Then, the blood that my blade absorbed earlier is converted into
magic power and sent into my body. Looking at how the magic power I
used for activating Greed was restored, I laughed a little.
“I see, this is truly good stuff.”
Whenever I fight, Time Zero and Greed are the things that consume most of
my MP. Because of that, I wasn’t excellent at long-lasting battles. But, as
long as I use the effect of Bloody, I can always replenish my MP even
during a battle. Although this was the first time I used this dagger, it looks
like this will be quite useful in the future.
“… Nn? What is it doing?”
When I was thinking about that, Cerberus initiated a very strange action. It
shifted every eye on its three heads off me and lifted its heads. Will it roar
just like the first time? Then, in front of me who assumed that, a large
amount of magic power gathered in each mouth of its.
“That’s…”
『RUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!』
While I was wondering about that, a giant mass of flame was released from
each mouth. Those masses of flame gathered at one point in the air, and
along with a deafening boom, they transformed into dozens of fireballs,
before falling like rain on the entire boss room. And it is not an amount that
Time Zero or Greed could handle.
That scene reminds me of my battle against Ifrit. That day, I could only
avoid and endure such attacks. However– it’s different now.
Because I already know how to face this.
Towards the strongest attacks that approached me– towards everything that
could be seen before my eyes, I chanted.
“Peace Ruler.”
Simultaneously, the dozens of fireballs that could kill me instantly become
magic that could aid me. And those fireballs attacked Cerberus one after
another.
『GURUUUU!?!?!?!』
A devastating storm and raging heat wave. The confused roar of Cerberus
that was being swallowed by them echoed throughout the room. In the
middle of that, I rushed with all my might. Even if the land before me has
already become the sea of fire,
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
I just strongly,
quickly, ran.
Just to push forward, breaking through every wall that stands before me.
Greed, Bloody, and Nameless. I will attack again and again using
everything I have. I will nullify everything my enemies had, and just crush
everything of me to the opponent before me.
As time went by, Cerberus gradually lost its stamina and magic power,
making his movement dull. On the other hand, my movement keeps
accelerating until hundreds of sword flashes begin to overwhelm Cerberus.
And then, the final moment finally arrived.
『GARUAAAAAAAAA!』

Aware of its unfavorable situation, the three necks of Cerberus rushed at me

head-on, just like the stubbornness of the weak. And I also greeted it head-
on. To prove that in this place, I am the weak one.
Then, I strongly gripped Nameless and brandished it with a roar.
“This is the enddddddddddddddd!”
The god-speed blade that surpassed the strongest blinked in the space, and
the slash that I swung without a slight delay cut off the three necks of the
Cerberus at the same time, leaving three half-moons, which were the after
effect of the slashes remaining in the place where the blade has passed. At
the same time, as the three heads fell to the ground, the giant body of
Cerberus collapsed.
『Last boss has been defeated』
『Experience acquired – Level has increased by 1563』
『Last boss subjugation reward – Level has increased by 1000』
『We have confirmed that you have defeated the last boss alone』
『Title: 【The One Who Brings The End】 was obtained』
After a delay, the sound of the system reverberated in my mind. And that
was undoubtedly the proof that I had defeated Cerberus, and also proof that
I obtained a new power.
However, without the slightest hint of joy, I opened my mouth. Because I
already knew I haven’t reached my goal yet.
Yes,

"
"
“This is only the start.”
Like that, I defeated the S-rank monster Cerberus.
Trash skill Gacha – Volume 2 Idle
talk Leon Hauburst
“What happened with Albert!? Why isn’t he back yet!?” With the family
gathered together, we began a meeting. I, as the fourth song, lightly
chuckled seeing the now vacant second son’s seat.
…It’s good to have my rivals decrease by one person. I thought. With this,
though my chances of taking over the house were narrow, they were there.
All that’s left are the eldest son and the third son. It would be good if those
two disappeared.
As I was thinking like so, the third son began reading a letter as sweat
flowed from his forehead. “…I, it say’s it’s likely he was attacked by
monsters in the lower world. They found the bodies of some knights, so the
lower world managers sent a letter.”
Father yelled in frustration after the third son finished reading the letter.
“Do not mock me! What happened to my important Albert!”
“It doesn’t seem… that they found his body. There’s a chance monsters
took him away…”
“Ahh! Why! Why does god treat our family this way!? All of this… it’s that
unwanted child’s fault!” Yelled father with blood shot eyes, ripping out his
few remaining hairs. …I agree with father. My younger brother was
seriously useless.
Why didn’t he try harder to tell us about the power of gacha when he got it?
Our house could have been peaceful right now if he just pushed harder…
What an idiot for not finding its power quicker.
He’s been like that back since he was in the knight academy. He was a
major embarrassment for me. A younger brother is supposed to respect and
honor his older brother. But when I would challenge him to a duel, he’s
straight up just beat me.
It’s like I can’t help but not care about him. I checked everyone’s haggard
expressions. …It should be about time. I had a secret plan.
“Dear father. Shall I go to bring that fool back here?”
“…C, can you do that? But… you know several elite knights were killed
right?”
“It’s not good to rely too much on knights. The lower world shouldn’t be
confused for the upper world. In addition to knights, I should bring along a
lower world manager who is familiar with the lower world. Brother…
didn’t seem to bring any lower world managers with him.” This was written
in the letter as well. Everyone looked at me in surprise.
“…I, I see! It’s brilliant that you realized that!”
“…Yes. And so, I would be appreciative if I could go prepare to go bring
him back at dawn.” When I said this, the fourth son Gwell’s shoulders
flinched up in surprise. He glanced at me to the side. His eyes were sharp.
…I returned a smile back to him, while inside me I was cussing him out
with all of me being.
By bringing him back, I’ll be able to win against my older brothers. Within
noble society, the position between brothers is fixed. Normally it would be
impossible for a younger brother to inherit the house.
This caused an outbreak of incidents such as assassinations to occur.
“But father, you know what happened with Albert. Wouldn’t it be
dangerous for Leon to face that?” However Gwell tried to get in my way. …
Well, I suppose he feels threatened by my position. I can’t say that for sure
though.
Father looked at me in worry. “W, will you be alright?”
“Yes. I have a secret plan. Is everyone aware that my fighting prowess has
been on the increase lately?”
“Ah, yeah… I suppose so. I didn’t expect you would have that much
strength tucked away inside you.”
“Yes, so leave it to me. I’ll definitely bring that idiot back.” Father still
looked worried. This father of mine was fundamentally incompetent, but
the one point he was strong in was his love for our family. Those feelings
became much stronger after losing my mother. Of course, after killing
mom, Crest wasn’t a part of our family.
“…I’ll leave it to you, Leon.” But father still gave me permission to go.
“Yes, leave it to me.” After replying, I left the conference room. As I was in
the corridor on my way to my room, Gwell came over to me.
“…You’re not trying to pull me down in succession, right you punk?”
“What could you mean? Isn’t that something for Crest to decide, not me?”
“You’re not gonna get away with it if you’re trying to make light of me!”
Shouted Gwell as he glared at me, before heading to his room. A smile rose
on my face as I watched his back. He’s got an insane superiority complex,
and that Gwell is afraid of me.
When I realized this, an inexpressible feeling electrified my body. Once I
got back to my room, I summoned a maid over. It was a woman I employed
as my maid recently.
She had a top quality appearance. However… this woman was not a human.
Originally, all non-human races were sent down to the lower world.
However I employed her as my maid so I could make use of her.
“Did you call for me, lord Leon?”
“Yeah, I called you. Come quickly when I call for you, blockhead.” She
quickly bowed her head as I shouted at her. At the same time, she cancelled
her transformation. From the top of her head appeared fox ears, and a fox
tail appeared from the bottom of the skirt of her maid clothing.
Apparently she was known as a youko. Of course, she’s still just like a
monster’s relative in the end. Her skill in making things such as magic tools
was what caught the attention of my brilliant mind. …By secretly having
her make me various things, then those can become my own power. That
was the true reason for the increase in my ability for the past few days.
“I will be setting out tomorrow as well to go search for Crest.”
“Crest is… your younger brother, right? I heard he has an interesting skill.”
“Right. I will bring him back and put a slave collar on him. That will make
Crest do what I tell him.” I glanced at the youko’s wrist. She had a slave
bracelet on her wrist. She was my slave after all.
“…I see, so you want me to make a powerful slave collar then.”
“Yeah. Of course you’ve already ready, right?”
“Yes. I’ve also created a more powerful magic stone.”
“Really?” I chuckled with a grin. The magic stones she makes allow you to
experience a temporary increase in strength by swallowing them. With that
power, I would become much stronger than I am now.
It’s flawless. The Mysicilian and Refield houses were currently unable to
part with the needed personnel to search for Crest for the time being, as
they were tied up in dealing with monsters in the upper world.
Additionally, I possessed a powerful chess piece. …Everything was flowing
in my direction.
“With this… I’ll become the lord of this house!”
“That’s wonderful.”
“I’m done with you now. Go find somewhere else to be right now.”
“Understood. Enjoy the effects of the magic stone to your heart’s content.” I
sent her out of my room as her lips curled with a smile.
I left the village and headed south. Rufina’s sense of smell paired with my
detection technique to perceive our surroundings. …There were some
monsters, but no traces of a human.
Guess we’ll need to head a bit further south. Once I made it back down
south, near the tree I used to use as my base, I noticed something. …Fire.
Looks like someone is burning a fire. One Rufina noticed as well, she
turned to look that way. We slowly made out way closer. Erasing all signs
of our presence, we peeked out from cover at the place that was once my
base.
…There were five humans in the fields and the old cabin I made. Two of
them were knights. Another two were… probably lower world managers.
The lower world managers wore clothing that would blend nicely into
shadows. They were likely clothes designed for living in the lower world.
But the knights were really conspicuous in their armour. In the middle of
them was the most conspicuous man. …Leon Hauburst. The fourth son in
the Hauburst household, as well as my next oldest brother.
He was donned in armour showy enough to strut out into a parade. …
Maybe it has really good performance? I tried checking it out with appraisal
with that possibility in mind… but it didn’t have any skills on it or
anything.
I could tell from the result of appraisal that it didn’t have any particular
abilities advantageous to battle. …I guess he probably came here to search
for me.
He might be aiming to take me down one-sidedly in a surprise attack later
on. Though, it’s not like he came here to kill me or anything. If I had to
guess, he might be here to persuade me.
Anyone else coming from the Hauburst house to bother me would really be
a pain.
I’ll negotiate then. I’ll talk to Leon, ask him never to come here again, and
send him back to the upper world. Even though I had come up so close to
them, those guys were just carefreely eating some meat.
…Well, I did learn that they weren’t particularly perceptive when the
werewolf told me about them. They did let the werewolves get back to the
village without even noticing them after all.
When I unnaturally shook a tree, they turned over here.
“Who’s there!?” Looks like they finally noticed me. The lower world
managers had already been standing from the start, and the knights drew
their swords late. Leon took his time standing. …He was acting somehow
dignified.
The knights and lower world managers were really frightened though… I
was a little curious about that. As I approached the fire, they were also able
to see my face.
This was finally enough to make Leon’s eyes go wide. “If it isn’t Crest, you
seem to be doing well.”
“More or less. So did you guys also come here to bring me back like
Albert?”
“Albert? What, did you meet him?”
“Yeah. After I dealt with him, I guess he should be getting along great with
some goblins somewhere.” After that I have no clue what happened to him.
When I shrugged and said that Leon gave a bitter laugh.
“I see. He doesn’t really matter. Right now the one I need is you, Crest.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. God gave an oracle in the upper world you see. It
touched on how good of a skill gacha is. It’s a power that’s meant to save
the world from danger. Likewise, it’s the same for Minue from the
Mycelian house and Ellis from the Refield house as you know.”
…Minue, huh. That’s a nostalgic name there. If I remember right, Minue
was also pretty hated by the Mycelian house. She also entered the knight
academy for that reason. We got along pretty well since due to our similar
circumstances.
“What’s Minue been up to?”
“The Mycelian house was lucky to be in that position. It’s the same with
you Crest.”
“…Because God said it was a good skill?”
“That’s right. Right now, you’re also able to become a lord. Isn’t this a good
chance to show up your older brothers you hate?”
“I don’t really care about showing anybody up. I’m fine with living out a
relaxing life. The upper world is stifling. I don’t plan on going back.” …
Sounds like Minue will be getting a decent position in the upper world.
That’s good. As I said so, the smile Leon had on his face up till this point
cramped up.
“…Do you really not want to go back?”
“Yeah, I don’t.”
“Even so… it will be really inconvenient for us if you don’t return. I don’t
know what will happen to our house if you don’t come back.”
“I see. That’s a nice thing to hear. Now I want to go back even less.” When
I said this he furrowed his brow.
“…Crest! Are you being ungrateful for all the time we spent raising you!?”
“I don’t feel any gratitude. So, what about it? You don’t seem to have any
of your previous composure though.” When I said this, Leon drew his
sword from his hip. At the same time, the knights and the lower world
managers also drew their swords.
“…Alright you guys. Like I told you before, break that idiot’s arms and
legs, then we’ll go back once you but the slave collar on him!”
“…Understood, lord Leon.” The knights grasped their swords with smiles
rising on their faces. …I see they’re definitely looking down on me.
“Lord Crest. We used to do sword practice together.”
“…That may be the case.” The knights used to play around with me
occasionally.
The knights would do sword practice with me on Leon’s orders. Of course
‘practice’ is a rather kind expression. In actuality they would just torment
me while I couldn’t do anything. Then Leon would enjoy a good laugh as
he watched me.
“You weren’t able to become a knight. That’s the level of your ability. You
ought to just surrender.”
“It’s not that I couldn’t become a knight. That man got in the way of it.” …I
have enough skill to become a knight. I mean I always had the top score in
the knight academy. But someone got in the way of things and closed of the
path of a knight for me.
My ignorant father and brothers called me a dropout. However, I’d heard
that even that was arranged by Leon. The edges of Leon’s mouth curled up
into a smile.
“Your expression of despair back them was really funny.” Snickered Leon.
Then he pointed his sword my way. “Do it everyone!”
The moment Leon ordered them the knights flew towards me.
Too slow. That was my impression of them. Although the knights came at
me all at once, I was able to see their movements with ease.
…I had Rufina and Goblia waiting on standby in the sidelines, but it seems
I won’t be needing them.
I dodged the knights’ swords and swung my own sword through a gaps in
their armour. My sword glided through without meeting any resistance.
Soon enough, they let out a delayed scream.
“Guaa!?”
“How-!?”
Surprise, astonishment. The knights screamed with a mixture of those two
feelings as their arms fell. Blood dripped down, soaking their feet.
“What!?” Leon’s eyes shot open in surprise. Then he raised his sword and
charged towards me, but I rotated to dodge him.
“Shall we do some practice? You’re full of openings.” I wholeheartedly
struck Leon’s back. His armour dented inward as Leon tumbled face first
into the dirt. After rolling across the ground, Leon raised his head.
I pointed my sword right towards his eyes. “…This is my current power. If
you get it, then go back to the upper world already. Then do not… have
anyone come here again. I will be spending my time comfortably here in
the lower world.”
“…” I turned my gaze towards the lower world managers as they tried to
move. They had their hands on the hilts of their sheathed swords, but they
didn’t draw them. The knights staggered up, but they only glared at me with
cramped expressions.
Then, the next moment. One of the knights brought a magic stone to their
mouth.
“…No way, that’s!” Why do the knights have those…? The next instant,
power surged through the knight’s body. Leon got up and retreated with a
smile growing on his face. He looked pretty pathetic with tears forming at
the sides of his eyes.
“D, do it! If you use those magic stones, you’ll become twice as strong as
usual! Crush that idiot!” …Looks like Leon knows something about the
magic stones. Guess this is a more fruitful endeavor than I expected.
“Ooogh!!” Their war cry was like that of an animal. The knight
immediately jumped at me and swung down their sword. As I dodged that, I
sliced their arm off.
However, the knights still didn’t stop. The other knight put a magic stone in
their mouth before throwing himself at me.
I jumped to dodge his rush attack. The knights had already lost all
semblance of reason. All that remained were monsters. They slashed their
sword at me while letting out uncanny voices. I took in a small breath
before chopping the arms off of the two knights1. Not even stopping at that,
as they charged at me, I pierced my sword through their chests.
…Finally, they stopped moving. Leon let out a short squeal behind me.
“M, murderer! K, killer! The knights will arrest you!”
“…Where are those knights? There is no law here in the lower world. All
that’s here is life and death. …Leon, what were those magic stones? Does
every knight have something like that?”
“…” Leon went silent at my question. His lips were shut tight, but I didn’t
want to spend that much time on this. I lightly cut through his arm.
“O, ouch!? Wh, what are you doing!?”
“Spit it out already. What are those magic stones? Did someone make
them? Also, what do they do?”
“A, a maid I hired made them. S, she’s a youko, and they strengthen your
body… she said.” …A youko, huh. I think Livia mentioned them. She said
vampires and youko2 specialize in making magic tools.
…Hold on, there are youko in the upper world? And they’re being
employed.
“…And this youko is fine with working for you?”
“She’s, my slave…”
“Even still, I thought humans in the upper world hated other races. Weren’t
all the other species sent down to the lower world before?” It was an old
story, but it was part of the upper world’s history. Although no one likely
remembers that time, those who do remember would definitely hold a
grudge against humans for it.
“S, since I’m watching her perfectly, it’s fine.” …I doubt that’s the case. I
glanced at the dead knights before looking towards the lower world
managers.
“…Could you take Leon with you and head back to the upper world? Also
make sure to tell them not to come meet me again.” The lower world
managers shivered as they nodded their heads. I sheathed my sword and
took a look at Leon before turning my back to him. …But then next
moment, magic began to swell up from Leon’s direction.
“Guh!? A, aaaah!? W, what is this!?”
“…Leon! Don’t tell me you had a magic stone too…?”
“H, help me! M, my body… something is, eating away at my body…!”
Leon stretched his hand towards me with tears streaming down his face. …
What exactly is happening here?
“Hey, Leon, what did you do?”
“T, this is wrong! I, I could control this power up until now! But, but…
why…!? Ahh! AAAHH!!” …In the end his words turned into the
incomprehensible war cry of a monster. He looked at me with eyes like that
of a zombie before charging at me. Fast.
He’s a different person than when we faced each other before.
“Lower world managers. Do you know the way to turn that back?”
“N, no… We didn’t hear anything about those magic stones. He just handed
them over and said it was a tool to get stronger! I don’t want anything like
that!” Looks like the lower world managers were also given those stones.
The lower world manager pitched their magic stones away, so I picked it
up. Then Leon looked at the lower world manager and shot towards him.
The lower world manager hurried to draw his sword, but Leon swung his
arm, destroying his sword and piercing his body.
“Leon! Your enemy is me!” When I shouted this, Leon leisurely turned to
face me. The remaining lower world manager ran away with tears
streaming down his face. …As long as one of them is alive, they can relay
what happened back to the upper world.
“K, k… k Crest!” …Looks like he still possesses some semblance of reason
in him. I don’t intend to take long with this. I flowed magic throughout my
entire body before kicking off the ground. I slipped in before Leon could
raise his arms. Then I slashed my sword.
I used Livia’s iai as my base. I released a single slash matching that speed,
bisecting Leon’s body into two. His body crumbled before melting into the
ground like liquid.
…I examined the magic stone the lower world manager left behind. …If it’s
the same as the one that the werewolves were using, then I wonder if
someone in the upper world arranged that.
As I was about to examine the magic stone with appraisal, “C, Crest!” I
turned my head towards the voice calling my name. There was a werewolf
there. With their face drained of blood, they held onto a tree and shouted
once more. “The slime village is under attack! Right now, Orphe and Livia
are leading a charge to protect them!”
…What?
Chloe
Inside the room was a girl.
She has shoulder-length purple hair.
Her age is perhaps around 13 to 14.
She is sitting on the sofa inside the room.
The moment I entered, she turned her eyes, which are also purple, toward
me.
“You are?”
“Name?”
Our voices intersected.
After several blinks of her eyes, the girl gave me her name with a bitter
smile.
“Chloe. Ok, it’s your turn.”
“This person is an SS-rank Adventurer, Silver-dono.”
“SS-rank adventurer……?”
Perhaps she is unable to comprehend that word yet, Chloe tilts her head.
Then, after a moment, her eyes opened wide.
“SS-RANK ADVENTURER!!??”
“You are leaving our school today but you are given the chance to talk to
Silver, an SS-rank adventurer. Consider this an honor.”
“Principal, can you leave us alone for a minute?”
“That’s……you want to be alone with her?”
“She can’t use magic but her magic power reserve is enormous. This is
quite interesting for me. We will only talk. Can you give me some time
alone with her?”
“I don’t mind but…….I can’t give you much time either. Her carriage will
arrive soon after all.”
“Don’t worry. I can send her back myself.”
Hearing that, the principal looked a little uncomfortable but he gave me a
nod before leaving the room.
At that moment, I covered the room with a barrier.
With this, no one would be able to get in without my permission. Moreover,
our voices will not be heard from the outside.
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Silver.”
Sitting facing Chloe on the opposite sofa, I folded my arms and looked at
Chloe.
“U, Uhh…….! Why do you want to talk to me?”
“You read the ancient tome, right? I came to hear your impression about it.
So, did you try it out yet?”
“How did you know…….!?”
Surprised, Chloe stood up from the sofa.
However, she immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
She probably thinks that it would be bad to say it here.
“I covered this room in a barrier. Even the principal won’t be able to hear us
from outside.”
“Glad to hear that…..”
Relieved, Chloe stroked her chest.
Then, a slightly cloudy expression floated on her face.
“Let me change the question then. Why didn’t you tell the principal that you
could read it? You realized that you couldn’t use modern magic right?”
“That’s…….”
Chloe mumbles and casts her gaze down.
Seeing that, I gave up the idea of letting her talk by herself.
I already have some information after all.
“You were stopped by the son of Altenburg house, right? The only one who
could decipher an ancient tome. That boy seemed like he wanted that title
for himself.”
Chloe doesn’t answer.
However, her expression seemed like she was holding in her pain.
She would never answer me like this.
“Did you come here……to teach him ancient magic……..?”
“Apparently, the principal summoned me with that intention. Well,
unfortunately for the principal, his name was Wim, was it? That boy didn’t
have the talent to master ancient magic.”
“He doesn’t have the talent……?”
“Ancient magic consumes enormous amounts of magic power. He doesn’t
have that. Unlike you.”
“I’m……”
“There’s a spell that you can finally use. Don’t you feel bitter about it?
Don’t you want to try using magic for once?”
Chloe’s shoulders trembled at my words.
Then.
“Of course, I’m bitter! I’ve been working hard! I finally found a spell that I
can use……! I tried so hard……!!”
Her emotions were so high that tears came to her eyes as she stood up from
the sofa.
When I saw her like that, I smiled.
“That boy. Did he give you money?”
“…..my mom is ill…..so I had no choice…….”
“Have you sent the money to your mother yet?”
“Yes…..”
After nodding, Chloe sat back down like a doll with its strings cut.
Since she already blurted everything out, she probably sees no point in
hiding it any longer.
“It would be rude of me to ask how much you got from him huh. Well, it’s
probably a sizable amount. But is it enough to offset the chance a lifetime?
You are a mage who is capable of mastering ancient magic. Surely, you will
have a bright future ahead of you.”
“…….I didn’t know that it was ancient magic……and I promised……I’ve
already taken the money too……”
“I see. If that’s the case then let me buy your future.”
I took out a coin from my pocket.
It is a coin that shines with rainbow colors.
The only kind of coin that can move the SS-rank adventurers.
“This is……?”
“A rainbow coin. You can use this to return the money you got from him.”
“A RAINBOW COIN…..!?”
“Don’t worry. This is only a change for me. Considering that I am buying
your future, this is only a cheap price.”
“Wh, why do you do this!? Is it because I can use ancient magic like you!?”
“I can understand your confusion. I have a lot of reasons but…….the main
reason is that the drive behind my action is also my mother. You gave up
the chance to learn ancient magic for yours and I started learning it for
mine. Everything is for my mother. I don’t know if it’s the right reason
but…….I think that it should be a good enough reason to help you.”
This child is the same as me.
While possessing tremendous magic power, we immediately turned into a
disappointment because we couldn’t use modern magic.
We got our hopes up by ourselves and were let down by ourselves.
But both of us possess a certain talent.
The talent to wield ancient magic.
However, the path to the future for this child was closed before she could
tread it.
I can’t overlook that.
The path that was once open for me should be available for Chloe to walk
as well.
“But…..I’m a drop-out……..”
“You don’t have to stay at this academy. Rather, it would be more
convenient if you leave. You will only be bound by its rules and motives if
you stay here. I don’t want to teach ancient magic to someone like that.
Think for yourself about how to use it. That is the best way to use it.”
With that said, I offered my hand to Chloe.
However, I also did not forget to give her one final warning.
“So how about it? Do you want to become my disciple? But be warned.
Once you walk this path, you will never be able to return to your everyday
life. This world will not allow someone who possesses such power alone.
You will have no choice but to affiliate yourself to a country or the
Adventurer Guild. If you are alright with that then take my hand.”
“……do you want me to take your hand or not?”
“I don’t care either way. This decision is up to you.”
“…….if I can use magic……can I change the world?”
“The world will not change. It’s you who will. Even if you learn this magic,
the world will forever remain a dark place for you if you think that it is
worthless……..but if you think that this world is not so bad, this world
might be able to surprise you.”
“…….I see……then I will be in your care! Teacher? No, that’s not doing it?
Master!”
Chloe took my hand with a smile.
This will be a big decision for Chloe.
There might be a day where she comes to regret it.
However, she will definitely regret it if she doesn’t make this decision.
It would be better to regret taking my hand rather than living her life
regretting that she didn’t.
That way, her future will look somewhat brighter.
I shook Chole’s hand and took down the barrier.
“Silver-dono! What were you thinking creating such a barrier here all of a
sudden!?”
Without a knock, the principal entered the room.
However, I speak to him without explaining my action.
“Principal, I can take it that this student has already dropped out from your
academy, correct?”
“Nn? Of course. We can’t reverse our decision. It may seem cruel but our
academy can only accept qualified children.”
“I see. Then you can go say goodbye to your friends. I will be waiting at the
main gate.”
“Un!”
Chloe cheerfully replied and left the room.
She will probably use this time to return the money to Wim.
After that, she can begin her new life.
“I wonder which of us is the cruel one now.”
“What do you mean? Silver-dono.”
“Just talking to myself here. Don’t worry.”
I already gave him enough hints.
I even gave him one last chance.
With this, no one can say that I forcefully took her from the academy.
While smiling to myself, I walked past the puzzled principal.
In front of the academy’s main gate.
When I was waiting for Chloe there, she ran toward me, running out of
breath.
“Haa Haaa…..thanks for waiting! Master!”
“………”
I say nothing in return and reach for her cheek.
Her cheek was red and swollen.
It’s easy to treat her here but……
“Did someone hit you?”
“Un…..I screamed really loud and the teacher came to help me.”
“That’s smart. There’s no way that you would be able to get something like
a rainbow coin after all. He should be able to tell who gave it to you.”
“Ahaha……”
Chloe laughed and put her hand on her cheek.
It must have hurt.
I can see she frowns from the pain.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little……but, I broke my promise so……..”
“You kept your promise. You didn’t tell anyone that you can use ancient
magic. You could have reversed the teachers’ decision to make you a drop-
out but you didn’t. Moreover, you’ve already returned your debt using the
rainbow coin as well.”
“But…….I can understand why he’s angry…….”
“Being able to understand such a thing is good. But what is unreasonable is
still unreasonable. He only got angry because he didn’t get what he wanted.
He has nothing to justify hitting you like that.”
Saying so, I make a light bullet float on my palm.
I reduced the power as much as possible.
Even so, the impact from this should feel like you got hit by someone with
all their strength.
“Lesson Number One. If you are my disciple then you must retaliate against
such unreasonableness.”
“Eh?”
“If you got hit, just hit them back.”
Using a barrier, I identify the location of Wim in the academy.
Then, I threw the light bullet.
It immediately entered the academy and disappeared from sight. However,
it is still remotely controlled to head toward Wim.
Then, the light bullet made an impact on Wim’s head, while he was still
rampaging against the teacher who tried to calm him down.
With a single blow, Wim fainted.
“Right now you still lack the power. That’s why I’ve done it in your stead.
That concluded the lesson. If you leave such unreasonable actions alone,
more and more people will fall victim to that unreasonableness. Remember
that.”
“Don’t tell me, you hit him just now!? That’s no good!? He might die
right!?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. He just fainted.”
“The power behind the hits were just too different……don’t you think it’s
strange that the master interfered in his disciple’s quarrel?”
“Can’t say I do. If you get hit then it is also unpleasant for me.”
“Master is surprisingly childish, aren’t you? How old are you?”
“Who knows?”
I open a transfer gate with a smile.
I already knew about the village she came from from the report I snatched
out of the principal’s hand.
“Go on inside. First, we will visit your mother. It would be bad if you make
her worried after all.”
“This is the rumored transfer magic? Can you go anywhere with this?”
Chloe looks at the transfer gate in wonder.
While she was doing that, I pushed her back.
“Hurry up.”
“WHAAAA!!??”
Losing her balance, Chloe stumbled into the transfer gate.
While listening to her scream, I look back at the academy.
With that bullet impacting Wim’s head, they should already know that I was
involved.
Chloe the drop-out.
If they still see her like that then they would never arrive at the truth. But if
I sided with her this much then, anyone should be able to realize it.
But it’s too late now.
“So long, Imperial Magic Academy. Thanks for the invitation fee and the
talent introduction.”
After giving it a bow, I entered the transfer gate.

Chloe was born in a village near the border between the Empire and the
Kingdom.
She must have been a migrant from the Kingdom.
Because of the abundant land in the western region of the Empire, the
people and aristocrats there are mostly kind and gentle.
Even if she migrated from another country, no one would treat her badly
there.
Chloe and I arrived at the outskirts of her village.
“What was that for! Master!”
“I just pushed your back. It’s your fault for not entering it sooner.”
“No one would be able to just jump into a strange hole so readily right!”
“You are training to become such a person.”
When I said that, Chloe poutingly turned away.
Then, just like that, she started walking toward the village.
After I followed behind her for a while, Chloe stopped in front of a small
house in the corner of the village.
In front of that house, a thin woman was chopping firewood.
Seeing her, Chloe immediately rushed toward the woman.
“Okaa-san! You should be resting inside the house!”
“Chloe!? Why are you here!?”
“You don’t have to worry about that! Where’s your medicine!? Were you
properly taking them!?”
“I couldn’t use that money……you should be using it for yourself when
you graduate……”
After saying that, Chloe’s mother makes a small cough.
Her appearance overlaps with my mother’s when her health deteriorated.
That’s why, before Chloe could say anything, I called out to her mother.
“Excuse me. Are you Chloe’s mother?”
“Eh…..? that is correct but…..you are?”
“I’m an SS-rank Adventurer affiliated with the Imperial Capital Branch
Adventurer Guild, Silver. I need to talk to you about Chloe. It’s nothing bad
so do you mind giving me some of your time?”
“Umm…..are you a great adventurer?”
“He’s one of 5 strongest adventurers on the continent you know…….if we
compare him to an aristocrat then he would be something like a duke I
think?”
“It would be great if you do not lump me in with some dukes. I can even
speak on an equal footing with the Emperor himself.”
“Wasn’t His Majesty just being polite……..”
“I take it that you are a great person…….I’m sorry, I don’t know much
because I do not leave this village that often……”
“Please do not worry. Now, let’s head inside. Your body will get cold if you
stay out for too long.”
“My house couldn’t possibly welcome a great person like y-……!”
“In the end, I am simply an adventurer. The fact that you have a house is
already making you better than me. Now, let’s get in.”
Chloe’s mother hesitated at first but she soon guided me inside her house
Chapter 52 – Building conditions

I want to praise the former me who made the spell [Meditation].

It's because of that magic that I can get rid of any fatigue if I sleep
overnight.
 It was only with the existence of that magic that I could act with the
craftsman, Gran.

Otherwise I might have died from overworking from an early age.

"Finally, the leather armor is complete ... I'm tired ..."

"Well, we made something wonderful, desu. However, I think that

Baito-dono is still in his growth spurt age and this will soon become
unusable."

"It's okay. If he grows out of it, I can just use it."

I decided to make leather armor, but there was one problem.

It's about size.

The fur of a large wild boar is tanned with the Mana Recovery
Medicine (that tastes like shiitake tea) and processed into leather to
make armor.

However, there was a problem— that my body was a little too small
to make the armor specifically for me.

Once you cut the leather into smaller sizes, you can't make it any
bigger.

Therefore, I decided to make leather armor for my older brother, who

is bigger than me, instead of me.

For some reason, the existence of Baito-nii who has other people
successfully allocate land-work is a big presence, and it is also a small
bonus for him.

(TLN: As in bonuses you get from work or stuff.)

We measured each dimension of his body and make the armor

exclusively for niisan.
 However, my older brother, who is a part-time worker, is still
growing in height, and if the size is too close to his actual size, the
armor may not fit after a while.

Therefore, I made it larger and made it so that I could make some

adjustments for each part.

If this is the case, I will be able to use it as a hand-me-down when my

older brother can't wear it anymore.

"It's been fun every day since I came to Ars. Now, Ars, what are you
going to make next?"

"Why moving onto anothee project so quick? I don't feel like making
things."

"That's a troublesome thing. Ars intends to take away the fun from me,
desu."

"If you say so then please tell me how to make a product that sells to the
people who work at home."

"Hmm. I'm still going to be here for the time being, so that's okay, but I
always want to make new things."

"Hmm, that's right. Then how about this?"

If you want to make things that much, there was something I wanted
you to try.

It's something I can't make well.

And maybe it was a buuld that could satisfy Gran's creativity to some
extent.

***

"Here is the bricks I prepared. I want you to make a building using these
bricks. However, it is a condition that you must never exceed the
number of bricks here."

The manufacturing I proposed to Gran was not weapons or armor, but

building.

Gran was very versatile and knowledgeable about medicine as well as

armor.

If so, I thought he might have some knowledge about architecture.

And I decided to put some conditions on the crafting.

The condition is a limit on the number of bricks used.

The upper limit is the same as the total number of bricks I needed
when I magically reproduced the inn.

When I try to magically create a building that I imagined in my head,

it consumes magical power in proportion to the volume including the
entire internal space of that building.

Therefore, it is not possible to make a very large building with just

the image.

However, I once used magic to build an inn in another way.

It was realized by examining the actual inn with magical power and
completely grasping the structure.

If you can accurately grasp the shape of the building you want to
make with magical power, you can build with the amount of magical
power consumed by the amount of building materials, not the volume.

In other words, to put it the other way around, the number of

successful constructions I can make is about the same as the total
number of bricks currently used in a two-story inn.

So I decided to hand over that number of bricks to Gran and have him
build a new building.
 If Gran can build a good building, I will [Remember]* it with
magical power.

(TLN*: [Remember] was introduced when Ars learned magic from the
priest's book as he was getting named, I believe. I might have called it
another name, though. I'll get solid names for spells spon enough.)

That way, the building can be recreated anytime and any number of
times in the future.

"Can you do it? Let me tell you, use bricks as efficiently as possible to
make it a spacious building. Tofu architecture* is out of the question."

TLN*: Easily destroyed stuff.

"I see, it's okay to have the building built conditionally. It's an
interesting request. It's a simple condition that makes it a showcase for
ideas. Normally, you can use as many bricks as you like, for how big
and luxurious it is. I'm afraid I'm thinking about building a mansion. "

"I don't need such a big building for now."

"I'm sorry to ask you a question, but is it that only bricks can be used,
desu?"

"You can use mortar to fix the bricks together. Oh, I just want you to
make it like something that people live in."

"I will accept this challenge from Ars-kun. I will get to making it right
away, desu!"

In this way, Gran received my order and started building.

"Well, should I give it a try before Gran is there?"

 I've been busy making things with Gran for days, and I think it's a lot
more complicated than what I've learned yet, but I actually wanted to try
something.
I came up with it when I saw the hard-fang sword that Gran made.
A hard-fang sword is a straight sword made from the fangs of a large
wild boar.
Even in the state of being just a fang, it has the hardness to easily
penetrate human beings when combined with the destructive power of the
charge that is unleashed from a giant boar rampaging.
The fangs have the characteristic of increasing their hardness by being
changed into a sword shape and pouring more magical power into it.
However, it is a mysterious substance that still has considerable hardness
even without passing mana through it.
To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of principle is used to do that.
However, what is certain is that the special effect of [Strengthen] is
exerted by the effect of the material of large boar fangs and the catalyst of
valkyrie horns.
If so, is it possible to exert its effect on other things?
After Gran was gone after I asked him to build a dwelling, I went to the
furnace alone to try this idea.
I have a material in my hand.
My idea was very simple.
It was about making the bricks I'm making, harder.
I arrived in front of the furnace and lined up the ingredients.
A heat-resistant brick that I made magically.
Clay made by magic.
Large boar fangs.
Valkyrie's horn.
Mana Recovery Medicine.
 At first, the heat-resistant brick is easily crushed by hitting it with the
hammer used in blacksmithing.
This is the knowledge I have heard in my previous life.
In order to make heat-resistant bricks from clay, there must have been a
production method of crushing heat-resistant bricks and mixing them with
clay.
It is difficult to make heat-resistant bricks from ordinary plain clay, but if
there is a material called heat-resistant bricks, it is easy to make by mixing
them.
With that as a reference, I'm trying to make my own bricks by mixing
finely crushed bricks with clay and baking them in a furnace.
But, of course, I don't want to actually bake bricks that can be made by
magic.
Here I mix in other things to realize my idea.
Along with the crushed bricks, the finely crushed fangs and horns were
mixed with the clay, and the clay was mixed with a liquid Mana Recovery
agent.
For the time being, let's divide the amount of each material into about 10
ratios and knead them.
The clay made in this way was packed in a mold and baked in a furnace.
I repeated this many times.
Most of the baked products were unsuccessful works that crumbled when
touched.
Perhaps I wasn't used to the brick-making process itself.
However, I gradually became accustomed to the production work, and
gradually adjusted the blending ratio while baking the clay.
Then, after baking countless bricks, the desired product was finally
completed.
***
"Kachikachiyazo"
The bricks I made were horribly hard.
 The color is different from the reddish-brown bricks that had been made
by magic until then, probably because the fangs and horns were mixed.
It is a little whitish or milky white, but the black pattern is spreading
instead of all white.
The surface is so smooth that you can't think of it as a brick.
I get the impression that it is more like marble than brick.
This newly made brick will be called a Hardened Brick for the time
being.
I hit this hardened brick with a hammer that has been swung up countless
times in the previous work.
Gakin.
Such a sound was generated by the impact of a brick and a hammer.
If it was a brick made before, it would definitely have been crushed.
However, the Hardened Brick was not even slightly scratched on the
surface even after being hit by the hammer.
"Wow ..."
It was more than I expected that such a thing would be completed just by
using materials and catalysts.
Even if you have the technological capabilities from my previous life,
you may not be able to make such a brick.
Somehow, I developed a tremendous thing and my heart was filled with a
tremendous sense of fulfillment.
I feel that I can understand the feeling that Gran got which made him
devoted to manufacturing now.
But what I wanted to do didn't end here.
Developing Hardened Bricks may be the first step in itself.
What I want to do is not to develop hardened bricks, but to magically
create hardened bricks.
I think magic is awesome.
 I think tha the most amazing thing about it is that it is activated by
completely ignoring the scientific knowledge I know.
Like making bricks from plain soil, it is possible to make glass or white
porcelain from the same material.
There was the inconvenience of not being able to make metal-based
materials with hardness higher than that of habitual soil, stones, and rocks.
But what about this Hardened Brick?
Isn't it possible for me to make a brick that is as hard as metal and has a
hardness higher than that of a normal brick?
I always thought so.
However, no matter how hard the bricks were in my head, I couldn't
create anything more magically than before.
Probably, I think that my knowledge and common sense interfered with
the image, saying, "There can be no such thing."
That's why I really wanted to make it.
Brick with metal-like hardness in this world.
I lifted the Hardened Brick with both of my hands and sent mana into it
from my body.
What I'm going to do is the same as I've done before.
I wrap the actual Hardened Brick with my mana with such focus that
even a micro-sized detail is not removed.
After spending a lot of time soaking the brick in Mana until I was
satisfied, I cast the [Memory Preservation] spell.
[Hardened Brick Generation]
Then, while remembering the hardened bricks, I chanted [Hardened
Bricks Generation].
The experiment was successful.
Instead of the reddish-brown bricks that had been made with the spell
"Brick Generation" until then, bricks with tremendous hardness that looked
like marble appeared in front of me with the activation of magic.
"Hmm, it's no longer a cobblestone road ..."
 I succeeded in creating a new spell called [Hardened Brick Generation].
The bricks produced by the spell are harder than ever.
What's more, even if you don't have the fangs of the wild boars or the
horns of Valkyries used as materials, you can create Hardened Bricks from
the soil just by activating magic.
Once again, I realize that the convenience of magic is amazing.
I was considering whether the Hardened Bricks could be applied to other
things.
First of all, I decided to use Hardened Bricks for the spell "Road
Creation", which was not completely finished since I need to give it a spell
name.
TLN: Basically copyright/trade mark.
After trying various things before, I was thinking of trying to make an
ancient Roman cobblestone road when I made a road in the future.
By digging the ground to improve drainage and laying large and small
stones, clay, gravel, etc., and making heavy stones in a loose arch shape, a
road that can be used for a long period of time can be created.
I thought about making the road by putting these hard bricks on the
bottom and adding stone on top.
The width of the road will be about 6 meters, and sidewalks will be
installed on both sides with a slight steep to raise the height.
By doing this, the carts that Valkyrie would pull on the middle road
would pass, and pedestrians would be able to walk safely on the sidewalk.
However, when I made it with magic, it turned out to be something that
wasn't the cobblestone road I imagined.
The reason is simple.
It was hardened bricks that were laid on top.
Hardened bricks that are as beautiful as marble.
They're all the same size and tightly packed.
The road looks like a monolith.
 I think that the stone pavement would be more uneven, but there is no
such unevenness here.
If this is the case, vibration should be reduced even if you are riding in a
carriage.
"It's different from the image in my head, but it's okay. This is much better
than if it was bumpy."
It's a little different, but I didn't want to reproduce the ancient Roman
roads completely.
I thought that it would be useful enough, so after inputting the completed
road with the magic of [Memory Preservation], I made it a spell name so
that it could be made by conditional reflection.
***
"Ars. The new construction you requested has been completed. Please have
a look."
It was around the time when I finished laying roads on the land inside the
walls by making hardened bricks and doing the [Road Creation] spell name.
Gran came and told me that the building I had requested was completed.
Gran counted the total number of bricks I prepared and drew drawings
many times based on them to think about how to make a big building
without waste.
"I see. Is the number of windows increased to save building materials?"
"That's right. had seen the dust-covered glass in the warehouse before.
When I asked Kyle, he said that it was made by Ars but left unsold. Seeing
that, I came up with an idea, desu. "
The building built by Gran was different from the ones that were seen in
the city before, which had few windows.
Almost every room had large windows, fitted with the window panes I
had left.
By the way, I've heard it in my previous life.
It is said that there is a merit of reducing building materials by making an
arch shape when making a building with stones.
A common arch is a bridge that you set up to cross the river.
 First, build a wooden bridge at the place where you plan to install the
bridge.
The wooden structure is arched, and the stones are lined up according to
the arch.
After arranging the stones from the left and right, finally insert the key
stones into the top of the arch.
By fitting this keystone, a strong bridge that can withstand the weight of
people and objects passing through the bridge is completed, even if the
original half-timbered part is removed.
In other words, the merit of arched construction lies in the fact that the
building materials that were originally required for the timber frame can be
completely omitted and the strength of the structure is increased.
Bridges are not the only technique that use this arch characteristic to
reduce building materials and increase strength.
Gran used that characteristic a lot in the building he built this time.
We recognize that entrances, room doors, and windows are shaped like
rectangles.
But what if the doors and windows are not rectangular but semi-circular
at the top?
It becomes a semi-circle, that is, an arch shape.
By drilling all the holes in the wall that fit the doors and windows in an
arch shape, Gran succeeded in reducing building materials and increasing
the strength of the building.
"It's amazing. The previous building was an inn, but it feels quite large
compared to that. And because there are many windows, the feeling of
openness is completely different. This is very good."
"It looks like you liked it, Ars."
"It's great, thank you Gran. I'll pay you a reward as much as you want."
"Thank you. If so, would you please give me the right to build a house?"
"Home? Here?"
"That's right. I want a place where I can live without hesitation, even
though I'm traveling, desu. I think that I might see something interesting
again near Ars, so I'd like to ask this of you by all means, desu. "
What should I do?
In fact, some people are gradually asking me to live in the walled area
after having surrounded the land with a wall.
However, it has not been allowed so far.
It's because I can only think of this place as basically a living space for
Valkyrie and other familiars.
However, if Gran wants to live, I may allow it.
I can't really meet people who can make so many things often.
Thus, Gran was chosen as the first person to have a house on my land.
"If I build Gran's house, I'll also move in the process."
After hearing Gran's remarks, I began to think about my place of
residence.
I still have my parents' house in the village as the basic residence.
Of course, I sometimes stay in the inn building at the base, but my
mother cooked homemade dishes and waited for me, so I usually only slept
there.
However, the situation has changed about housing.
Recently, my eldest brother got married.
Originally, the priority within the family was highest for the father,
followed by the eldest son.
However, it can be expected that the situation will change when the
eldest son gets married.
In this world, even if a child gets married, he or she rarely lives apart
from his or her parents unlike in my previous life.
In particular, the eldest son will live with his new family, inheriting his
current home and land, and will reign as the new top when his father dies.
In that case, the eldest son is the first in the family, followed by the eldest
son's child, so if a brother like me or Baito-nii stays at home without getting
married, we will be treated like half slaves. It will end up that way.
 I don't think my relationship with the whole family is terrible, but I don't
feel like spending my whole life under the eldest son.
If so, it's safe to try becoming independent at this point.
After hearing Gran's story, I started thinking that way.
"Okay, I decided. I'm moving."
After a lot of thought, I decided to leave the house and live by myself.
***
I will leave my parents' house and live alone.
In that case, in my case, I would naturally live in the settlement.
But it wasn't just about moving to the base's house.
Anyway, I thought I'd try to improve the settlement a little more.
Currently, the settlement is on the north side of the village where I was
born and raised.
The original northern forest is being deforested, and the land is
surrounded by walls in a 4km square.
Until now, due to convenience and the location of the first hideout I built,
my base was on the land inside the wall, near the south wall near the
village.
I decided to change the location for this move.
It's a bit far from the village, but I made my house the center of the land
inside the wall.
The new house built by Gran was rebuilt in the center of the land
surrounded by a 4km square wall.
It's easy to remake.
I magically remembered the original house that Gran made and
reproduced it in the center.
However, when reproducing it, I changed the bricks of the building
material to Hardened Bricks.
As a result, a house that looked as if it had been cut out of marble
appeared in the central part of the settlement.
 And I installed a new wall around my house.
The wall around the new house was about 1km on a side.
I also turned the walls into hardened bricks.
It's a similar wall, but unlike the wall made of reddish-brown bricks, it
may have become a magnificent wall with a sense of luxury.
From this central wall to the outer wall, I laid a road.
I made a road using the [Road Creation] spell in four directions, north,
south, east and west.
The road leading to the village from the center to the south.
There are fields on the east and west of this road.
And I built Gran's house by the road.
Or rather, I gave Gran the land of this place, and this time I started
making it myself.
The architecture is a little different from my house, so I will save it later.
I decided to build Baito-nii's house on this south road.
I built some inn-type buildings here.
Apparently, my brother, Baito, was willing to leave the house like me.
However, although he will come to my land, he will not enter my house.
My brother, a part-time worker, lived in the same inn-type house as his
close friends, and rented an inn room to a person who worked in a field in
the settlement and wanted to move.
There is still a forest on the north side of my settlement.
Basically, I will continue to cultivate it.
However, the forest in the northeast direction will be managed by
forestry.
We plan to continue cultivating in the northwest.
As a result, people working in protected forests, including Maddock-san,
have also migrated.
We decided to use the northeastern area inside the outer wall as a forestry
area to manage the felled timber.
 By the way, I thought I would use the northwest area for charcoal and
blacksmithing, but at the moment it is just uselessly far away, so I decided
to put it in the northeast.
My house is in the Chuo Ward.
There is a stable for Valkyries and a plantation of magic mushrooms here.
These two are absolutely essential to my cash income.
Especially the Valkyries with horns were decided to not leave here.
Gradually, I'm not hatching the Familiars myself, but the Valkaryies
already born (horned) are the ones managing that.
In this way, I proceeded with the land readjustment of the settlement.
It was finally completed and I was nine years old by the time I moved.
"Hey, I heard, Ars. You seem to have given the traveler land. Why don't you
also give some to me?" (Peddler)
"Hmm? An old peddler like you doesn't need land, right?" (Ars)
"Don't say that. We've known each other for a long time. I'd like to open a
store, and not just be a peddler. That's right, Ars. Give me the land to open a
store, won't you? "
An old peddler who has been doing business with me for a long time
voiced out.
Apparently, he had head that Gran, who is traveling around, has a house
in my territory.
I'm impressed that his ears are quick to catch onto rumors.
"But, I was fooled by you, ojiisan, when you said that the Familiars couldn't
use magic."
"Agh, I've told you already that I didn't even know that."
"I don't know if what you're saying is true."
"We were both in the same boat, I tell you. We both didn't know that
Valkyries could use magic."
Well, I guess so?
 Familiars that can use magic are precious and are traded as super-luxury
items even in the already-expensive Familiar market.
It seems that the old man who is a peddler did not know that.
Strictly speaking, the current Valkyrie transaction price may not be
appropriate.
But originally I didn't talk about Valkyrie's ability to use magic in the
first place, and the old man didn't even know.
It would be meaningless to say who is in the fault.
The peddler ojiisan already knows that Valkyries, who are Familiars, can
use magic.
Or rather, many people guessed it when I surrounded my territory with a
wall.
It was impossible to hide the Familiars' figures moving around to build a
wall for months while helping me.
However, although the Valkyries' transaction price has risen slightly, they
are not treated as luxury items.
This is because I cut off the horns from the beginning and sold them in a
state where magic cannot be used.
Only the villagers know that the Valkyries have the power to use magic,
and they look like normal Familiars used for riding outside of the village.
No one knows the price of a Familiar in the village, and no one will
wonder for the time being.
"Alright. I'll allow you to open a store. If possible, I'd be happy if it was a
store that served food."
Although I argue that something might be wrong, I trust this peddler
because I have been interacting with him for a long time.
If you want to open a store, that's fine too.
However, it is doubtful whether it makes sense to open a store in a place
where only bartering is done.
Since I have been spending time doing housework after I left my parents'
house, I would be happy if there was a restaurant so that I could at least
save the trouble of needing to cook for myself.
 I was thinking about that.
***
"Yes, there was something else I wanted to say to Ars."
"What? I'll be a little flexible if the talk's about the location to open your
store."
"Thank you, but it's not. I've been hearing disturbing rumors."
"Disturbing rumors?"
"Oh, it's about this land. It's said that there is a dangerous person here."
"A dangerous person? Is that the case?"
"You weren't aware of it, it seems. Well, this rumor is about you. People
think you're the dangerous person."
"Why is it me? No one is as pure and innocent as I am, right?"
"... Let's not talk about what you think of yourself for the time being. Be
aware that some people might think bad about you, anyway."
"Hmm. Even if it was for a joke or anything, I shouldn't have done anything
bad to be called dangerous... Why would that be the case?"
"Hey, you're stupid. What do you think the thoughts of the aristocrats who
rule this area are? There's a huge walled fortress in the northern village. It's
strange to NOT feel a disturbing sign, right? "
"But this wall is a countermeasure against the wild boars' damage, so I can't
demolish it now."
"I understand that. But they're probably surprised that it was made so
suddenly. I think aristocrats will come to see it soon. Explain the reason
behind it properly."
"Oh, I understand. I'm glad I heard it beforehand. Thank you."
So that's it.
For the time being, I had a permit for this land, so I thought there was
some discretion.
In fact, I don't think it was said that anything changed when we went to
pay taxes last year.
 But if you think about it, is that possible?
I was wondering why the aristrocrats were talking about it before the
next tax payment.
"What? Could you please repeat that?"
"Don't have me say it over and over. From now on, this place will be under
the direct control of the Fontana family."
It's been a while since I heard the advice from the peddler ojiisan.
A tax recipient came to the village from an aristocratic family.
It's a so-called tax collector.
Basically, the village collects poll tax and tax according to the size of the
land as wheat.
However, it seems that each person does not make detailed calculations
like in my previous life.
On behalf of the village mayor, they collect taxable wheat from the
villagers and come to the warehouse where they are collected.
However, I am paying using money, not wheat.
Therefore, the tax-collector was supposed to come to my house to collect
taxes separately after going to the village mayor.
This time it was the same.
Taxes are collected once a year, so I have to save a reasonable amount of
money for myself.
In addition, I had to give a minimum of hospitality to those who received
work from the aristocrats, so I cleaned my house thoroughly, prepared food
and liquor, and waited.
Until now, the collector would eat and drink properly and then receive
the tax and go home.
It was supposed to be just that.
However, the tax collector who came in did not drink alcohol and gave
me a notice from the aristocrats which was written on parchment..
Suddenly I my brain stopped thinking for a moment, but immediately
restarted and I read the text written on the parchment.
 There was definitely the following notice written there.
The Fontana family requisitions my land.
All things and people on the land should belong to the Fontana family.
It also talked about protecting me.
The parchment is engraved with the same coat of arms as the permit I
received years ago.
It's not a fake.
"Wait a minute. What does this mean? Why so suddenly? I can't accept
this!"
"Shut up. This is a decision by the aristocrats. If you go against it, we can
force your hand."
"That ..."
"And this decision is for your benefit. There may be bad people in the area.
It's a necessary step to protect you, who produces precious Familiars."
Perhaps it means that a person from another land like Gran has settled
here.
No, is that really the case?
The peddler said he had heard unpleasant rumors.
Regardless of the aristocratic family, such rumors may have spread from
the perspective of the common people.
Or were the aristocrats simply trying to figure out when to make a
statement like this and chose this as the perfect opportunity?
Thoughts come to my mind one after another.
What does it mean to protect me?
Certainly, it makes sense.
I heard that a Familiar that can be mounted can be a substitute for
strategic supplies.
If they were stolen by others, it would hurt the aristocrats who ruled this
land.
 Therefore, protecting the Familiar breeder in advance may be a part of
their plan.
But that's an unacceptable story for me.
So, what if I were "protected" in a way?
Perhaps it would be possible to live a decent life.
However, I think it will be a life in which I am not allowed to go out even
one step from my "protected place".
If I were really just a resident of a remote village and a kid who knew
nothing, I might not have been dissatisfied.
But I'm not.
For some reason, I have memories other than of life in the village.
The memories of my previous life.
I want to eat more delicious foods, and I also want to travel around
freely.
I don't want to live like a domestic animal that just lays eggs, under
"protection".
Gatan, don, dogashan.
It was when I was staring at the parchment and drowning in my sea of
thoughts.
I heard a loud noise that forced me to bring my consciousness back to
reality.
Is this coming from outside the house?
I heard a sound from the stable built next to my house.
I heard something louder from the stables, which shouldn't normally
make that loud noise.
Damn it, what's happening next?
I was cursing to myself, but rushed to the stables to see what the cause of
the sound was.
***
What is this?
 What kind of situation is it?!
What I saw when I came to the stables was a soldier with a bloody
sword, my knight-type Valkyrie bleeding from her head, and Kyle lying on
the bloody floor.
"What are you doing! What did you do to Kyle?!!"
"What, that kid? First, will you also get in my way? I was just saying I'll
take that Familiar with me, but this kid got in the way."
"Don't be silly! Do you know what you did!?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? Do you want to hurt yourself!?"
The soldier tried to extend the tip of a bloody sword toward me.
Seeing that figure, I was alert.
Magic that has never been used for people nor intended for them.
I had unknowingly thrown a [Shotgun] at the soldier.
"Ars! Is Kyle safe?"
"Ah, Baito-nii .... it's okay, he just fainted."
When Kyle, who had lost consciousness and fallen down, was laid down
on the bed at home, a rattling footstep was heard and Baito-nii came in.
Apparently, he flew in immediately after hearing the story.
Confirming Kyle's safety while breathing out with Zeeze*.

TLN*: onamonapetia for heavy breathing.

Kyle, who fell to the ground, had been lying in blood.

When I saw that, I just thought Kyle had been cut by the soldier's sword.
But apparently it was different.
Kyle's body had no cuts or puncture wounds.
Apparently Valkyrie protected it.
Perhaps Kyle trid stopping the soldier when he saw him trying to get on
Valkyrie.
 The angry soldier pulled out his sword and slashed at Kyle.
However, Valkyrie stopped it by herself.
Valkyrie entered between the soldier by pushing away Kyle.
The impact caused Kyle to fall to the ground with a loud noise, and
Valkyrie was injured on her forehead.
It was Valkyrie's blood that was spreading on the floor.
"Yes, but are you okay, Ars?"
"I think I've calmed down a little. For the time being, I can't leave this
problem alone. I'm calling people because I want to hear the opinions of
other people."
"... Yes, that's fine."
It's my mentality that my brother, Baito-nii, asked if it was okay insteadof
me, physically.
However, I dared to stagger the answer to that question.
The soldier I attacked with a shotgun had died instantly.
I didn't really want to think about it.
Then, after a while, the people I called gathered.
***
"... That's why I killed one of the soldiers who came to collect taxes. Of
course, I didn't respond to what the other side requested and came back
here. What do you think will happen in the future?"
"After all, no matter how you think about it, you can't go without blame.
Maybe if they report to the Fontana family, they'll gather soldiers and head
over here."
I gathered people and started talking to think about what to do in the
future.
The merchant ojiisan answers my question.
"... Should I think about throwing everything away and running?"
"That's just one choice. I'm sure there's a good chance that you'll be able to
escape to a land governed by another aristocrat."
"Isn't the Fontana family demanding delivery of Familiars?"
"You can do it. However, if it is an aristocrat who has a bad relationship
with the aristocrats here, you shouldn't try to run to their territory. After all,
Ars has hatched precious Familiars for the aristocrats here. Rather, you
might be treated like a slave. "
"Is that the case? Then I should consider running away as a last resort."
"If that time comes, I will guide you. However, if you ask for asylum like
that, you will still be "protected" by the aristocrats in the new territory."
That's right.
Escaping may save lives.
But in the end, my freedom will be gone.
I think it would be nice if I didn't die, but isn't life deprived of freedom
the same as dying?
"What are you talking about? If this is the case, it will be a thorough fight.
Are you willing to be robbed of this place? What about you having done
your best for all these years, managing your land?!"
"Baito-nii ..."
"And you killed a soldier. The next soldiers sent are supposed to catch
every one of our relatives. Kyle might be killed this time too. Then why not
fight? That's the only path! "
"Baito-nii, you say so, but how will I fight? No matter how much magic I
use alone, I can't win if there are a lot of soldiers."
"Don't be stupid. I've decided to fight with you. It's an older brother's job to
protect his siblings!"
"... Ars, if you will face the aristocrats, I will also cooperate with you."
"Maddock-san? You're saying that, but Maddock-san has nothing to do with
this, right?"
"I've known you since you were little. You'rr like a grandchild to me. It's a
nobleman's orders, but you can't be killed just because of that. Is it so
strange that I want to help? "
Did you think of me as such?
 However, is it really just a matter of trying to rebel on a person in power?
"And it's because of you that us lumberjacks' lives started to get better.
You've helped maintain the forest, stored the wood in a safe place, and
started making furniture and charcoal, so everyone can earn a living to feed
themselves. I'm no longer in trouble with things. Now I don't want to go
back to my old life. In other words, Ars-kun is the central figure of us
lumberjacks. I will help you no matter what. "
"Thank you, Maddock-san!"
"Ah, shit. We can't have your parents doing nothing when other people are
saying such things. Ars, Dad got angry. Let's do it together. Mom will agree
anyway. We'll help you since it's a parent's duty to protect their children. "
"Dad ... is this really alright?"
"Of course!"
I can't believe it.
The only people I called up were people who seemed to be on my side,
but I didn't think they would be on my side so much.
But that might be good too.
It'll be bad for everyone, but I don't like living deprived of freedom by
people like aristocrats.
Even if I was born into a poor farmer in this world, I have been able to
live happily as it is because I lived freely.
Apparently, there is no choice but to fight in order to continue that type
of life.
Then I have no choice but to decide.
I will fight the aristocrats to gain freedom and protect my family.
Thus, I hurriedly took action to repel the soldiers who would come.
"If that's the case, I'll help you. I'll contact my fellow merchants to gather
information."
"Ojiisan ... is that okay? Are you not doing something that has no merit to
you?"
"Don't be stupid, if you're gone, my Familiar eggs will no longer be sold
exclusively. And it's the same as the old man Maddock there. I'm fond of
you, Ars."
"Thank you, I'll prepare a huge piece of land for you if this is solved
safely."
"Anyway, is there a chance of winning? No matter how many people are
here, no matter how hard you try, we can still be killed."
The peddler is right.
Certainly, the few people here can't help.
Even if we decide to fight, recklessness is not a good thing if you don't
even have the minimum number of people needed.
I have to gather a number of people.
No matter what.
"First of all, let's gather people. I need someone who can fight with me and
give their life if needed."
"What are we going to do? Forcibly take those who are helping maintain
the fields?"
"Baito-nii, if you do that, we MIGHT get them to help. It's not just forcible,
it's not about volunteering for them."
"Then what about what you always say, 'hire for money', isn't it? Even if the
number of people gathers, they'll run away as soon as it's dangerous, those
guys."

"Maybe. Then I'll reward them with something better. What everyone will
think is worth the effort towards rebelling the aristocrats."
"Is there such a thing?"
There is.
Perhaps it's worth it.
Something that makes people think that even if they might spend their
life, if they survive they can get a lot of things.
However, I have never tried to see if 'it' can be achieved.
 That's why I decided to show my best trump card to my brother, dad,
Maddock, the merchant ojiisan, and Gran.
***
"First of all, I have to say that what I'm going to show is my inner hand. I'll
definitely ask for help to show this. If you're a little scared, please leave
now. "
I said so, staring at everyone with a serious look.
I look at each person's eyes as if they were shot dead.
The area calmed down as if the air in the place had cooled.
"I don't understand. If Ars says so much, I'll give my life too."
"Is it okay? You can't turn back once you agree."
"This happened when I was thinking about settling down here, desu. I want
to help, too. I'd like to see the cards that Ars says he has."
"Well, that's fine. Isn't everyone else good?"
"Oh, no problem. What are you going to show? Don't be afraid to show it
quickly, Ars."
"Okay. What I will give to my collaborators is 'magic'."
"... Life Magic?"
"No, of course it's not life magic, it's my own magic. I will give my magic
to everyone."
"What are you saying? Ars, Dad doesn't know what you're talking about."
"Alright, dad. I'm going to call myself Ars Barca. So, I will name myself
after this villiage, and I'll ask everyone to call me by 'Barca'."
"The name of the land ... Ars, that's ... it's too much. Then you'll be like an
aristocrat ..."
"Yeah, Maddock-san. From now on, we're a family named Barca. It may not
be comparable in size, but it's on par with the aristocrats. That's the only
way I can go negotiate with the Fontanas. We have to raise our position to
that level at least. "
"But Ars. Isn't it difficult to become an aristocrat? It's not possible to be
equal to an aristocrat just by giving yourself a name."
"That's why I'm saying that I'll be giving magic. Decide on whether or not
to call yourself a Barca with me!"
I raise my voice and say.
After all, it seems that I am just nervous when I suddenly say something
like this from others' prespectives.
But my eyes have always been clear.
I looked at everyone in this placr.
I'm not just pessimistic about the bad situation and saying crazy things.
It must have been transmitted to the people around me.
After a short while, everyone here came to a conclusion.
If you give yourself the surname of Barca, you'll receive magic.
Seeing that, I take a deep breath.
I started breathing deeply, over and over again, as if to replace all the
oxygen in my body.
I took in all the magical power that exists in the air by those breathes.
I knead the mana taken from the outside with my own mana near my
belly.
The mana is refined with the image of turning a thin mana-like air into a
liquid and then boiling it into a muddy and viscous one.
I filled every corner of my body with that magical power, took a deep
breath again, and took in new mana.
Then, I gradually squeezed out the mana that I kneaded to the limit from
my fingertips.
Magic Circle.
I will reproduce the magic circle that I saw for the first time in the
naming ceremony.
With [Memory Preservation], I drew a magic circle into the air using
mana as I remembered it perfectly in my brain, and fixed it in place so that
it does not scatter.
 It was a difficult and delicate task since it was a different type of magic
than the Earth Magic I always used.
I worked on the Magic Circle for a long time.
After all, I hadn't used this magic circle since I used it for the Valkyries.
I wasn't sure what would happen if I used it.
The first Familiat was named Valkyrie, but magic appeared on all the
children born after that.
What if you use it for someone who already has a name?
I didn't understand what might happen.
However, the name given by this magic circle is arguably the best trump
card I have.
For farmers, my magic, especially [Leveling] and [Soil Improvement],
should be something that they would tear their throats out for.
I don't think there is no end to the people who want it.
That's why I decided to use this magic circle, albeit it was a bit risky.
However, the names of others are already recognized as blessings from
God.
So, instead of abandoning that name, I decided to take the name of the
village where I was born and give them a new surname, Barca, in order to
give the people here a new name.
"Name, Baito Barca"
"Name, Assila Barca"
"Name, Maddock Barca"
"Name, Trion Barca"
"Name, Gran Barca"
I gave each person a new name while trying to present the magic circle to
each one.
In this way, magical warriors who would fight with me were born in
Barca village.
Chapter 60 - Mobilization
"Uh, this is amazing. So you hid this kind of thing, Ars?"

"... Hmm, it seems that it was successful. I wonder if everyone other

than Baito-nii can now use magic?"

"I can use it. Even so, it's a tremendous amount of magic to give to a
person."

Concentrating on the magic circle, nii-san broke the tension in the

room by saying that.

After all it is nerve-wracking to use this magic circle.

However, it seems everything went well.

All five I named had learned my own original magic.

"Okay, I'm going to use this as a trading material to gather strength from
the village. I'll give the name and magic of us Barcas to those who
cooperate with me now. OK?"

"Okay, you should go right away."

"And I want to ask peddler ojiisan to do something, as well. Will you go

to the city as soon as possible and collect information?"

"I understand. Let's find out how many people the Fontanas will gather
for the time being."

"Thank you. Be careful."

"That's my line. Don't die, Ars."

The peddler says while reaching the door quickly.

While waving his hand backwards, he answered, of course.

But 'don't die' ...

 I never dreamed that I would live a life where people would say this
to me.

I couldn't help think that life was getting harder.

***

"78 people? I've gathered quite a lot."

As a result of running around the village on that day, a reasonable

number of people gathered.

We divided ourselves and scattered all over the village, demonstrating

the magic and persuading fellow villagers.

I spread a slightly dramatized story of how the aristocrats tried to hurt

Kyle, a villager who was an innocent.

On top of that, we declared that we will stand up and rebel against the
aristocrats.

Of course, that alone is not something that will get the villagers on
our side.

They won't want to get close to the guy who will rebel against
aristocrats, after all.

However, the magic is actually shown at this point.

Now, if they cooperate, they can use this magic, and I am willing to
provide new land.

In that way, I presented the actual benefits as well as the emotional

aspects.

However, it is highly possible that the number of people that will

fully gather won't be much.
 It is not trivial to resist those in power, no matter how profitable the
reason to rebel may be.

However, I was able to break through that problem.

I have a person who has a deep relationship with our village.

I, at one point, used to clear the forest and turn it into my own land.

I couldn't get enough work done myself and hired Baito-nii.

Although he was only the 2nd oldest brother in our family, Baito-nii
had a considerable presence in the village.

There is no one who tries to fight against my growing brother, who

has been honing his fighting skills over time.

In addition, I used to allocate rewards such as food to the children in

poverty who worked under Baito-nii.

In other words, the young and the poor were very friendly with me
and my brother in the village.

Everyone combined has gathered quite a few people.

Maddock-san also approached the lumberjacks and gathered a

number of people.

As Maddock-san said, people who were greatly influenced by the

forest management I carried out gathered here.

After all, it seems that the lumberjacks' current lives are better than
their previous lives of just cutting trees in the forest where dangerous
animals come out.

I think it's because Maddock once informed me of the lumberjack's

dissatisfaction with me.
 Even in the village where people usually wield an ax, stronger-than-
average men gathered with me through my connection with Maddock-
san.

However, it was Hector who had the greatest influence on the village
in the end.

Hector is the man who is the elder brother of me and Baito-nii, and
from the perspective of my parents, he is the first child to be born.

And he's the one who just got married the other day.

Actually, even though he got married, Hector is still 14 years old.

Marriages in this world can happen earlier than marriages in my

previous life.

Why did he get married so early?

It was because the marriage partner was pushed onto him.

The house where Hector got married into was the mayor's house in
this village of Barca where we live.

The village mayor who has been aiming for my settlement for a long
time.

He aimed at my family, my brother, not me, who was still too young.

If his daughter marries Hector, who will eventually become the head
of my family, he will have the right to legally squeeze into my land.

I think the mayor thought so.

However, I have to say that that decision was premature.

The village mayor would not have thought that the other party's house
would quarrel with a powerful person immediately after his daughter
got married into it.
 Well, it's not unreasonable.

I never had that idea myself.

However, even if it was an unfortunate event for the village mayor, it

turned out to be a thankful marriage for me.

I indirectly threatened the village mayor that he would be killed in the

collective punishment if we lost against the Fontanas since he had
become a part of my family and asked for cooperation from the
villagers.

As a result, we succeeded in mobilizing people using a house that has

little connection with our house.

In the first place, on the scale of Barca village, the normal

mobilization force is about 50 people.

This is because not all male hands come out every time a battle is
played.

Although there are still pre-adult children, more people than I

expected gathered.

At this point, there will be no one in this village who has no kinship
with the rebels.

In this way, the village of Barca was quickly transformed into a land
where the entire village rebelled against the aristocrats.
WM – Chapter 297: Takatsuki
Makoto reunites with the Sun
Oracle
“Hoh… This is quite the good raw ham.”
The black cat was munching on the ham.
That’s what I ordered from the room service of the inn.
Unfortunately, there was no fish.
“Isn’t it salty?” (Makoto)
Wouldn’t the salt concentration of food that’s for humans be too high for the
small body of Tsui?
Well, it is a demonic beast, so I think it should be fine though.
“It was tasty. I am full.” (Tsui)
It didn’t answer my question and simply rubbed its stomach.
That gesture was cute, but its voice was that of a middle-aged dandy man,
so it feels really off.
“So? How can you talk?” (Makoto)
“Well, who cares about that, My Master?” (Tsui)
“I do. Fess up already.” (Makoto)
“Master really gets bothered by the small stuff… The reason why I can use
human speech is thanks to the Moon Princess-sama and…” (Tsui)
This is what the black cat said.
After I went off to the past, Furiae-san was the one who looked after Tsui.
Furiae-san, who had become a Holy Maiden, had obtained new Skills.
Her Skill apparently can bring out dormant potential.
It is called The Miracle of the Holy Maiden.
“And so, you can now talk thanks to the Skill of Princess?” (Makoto)
“Demonic beasts with age on their backs can speak human language. It
normally takes several decades, but thanks to the Moon Princess, that has
been shortened. What a handy thing.” (Tsui)
The black cat groomed itself while saying this.
But a Skill that can bring out the dormant potential, huh.
Laphroaig; the country that has obtained national power that can compete
with the other 6 countries in just 1 year.
It seems the new Skill of Furiae-san had something to do with this.
The current Moon Country is apparently overflowing with talented people.
“So I am not needed now, huh.” (Makoto)
I don’t think there’s any work for me as her Guardian Knight.
While I was thinking that.
“Right, that’s what was bothering me, Master.” (Tsui)
The black cat jumped and got onto my shoulder.
Its weight is as light as a feather.
It was a bit shocking.
“The Moon Princess-sama seems to regret what happened today greatly.
Even though she was desperately holding back her happiness from meeting
you again, which was so strong she was about to faint, it was way too pitiful
that Master was still misunderstanding.” (Tsui)
“…It didn’t look that way though? In the first place, why was she so cold?”
(Makoto)
Tell me an explanation I can agree with, is how I approach the black cat.
“Isn’t it obvious? The Moon Princess-sama doesn’t want you to fight
anymore.” (Tsui)
“Then, why doesn’t she just say that?” (Makoto)
Why is there a need to be cold?
“Not being able to be honest is the cumbersome part of the tsundere Moon
Princess-sama. She is trying to get in the way of you coming back to being
a Hero. If you are not a Hero, there’s no duty to fight the Demon Lords after
all.” (Tsui)
“Isn’t this too roundabout?” (Makoto)
Is that true?
Isn’t it simply because she is more influential now having become a queen,
so she has estranged from her old acquaintances?
And most of all, I don’t know how trustworthy the words of a cat are.
“Haah~, what a pain my dense Master is.” (Tsui)
(Haah~, what a pain Makoto is.)
The voices of the black cat and Noah-sama overlap.
What, Noah-sama.
Or more like, didn’t you say before that mine and Furiae-san’s standing are
different now?
(Can’t you tell from the attitude of Furiae-chan~?) (Noah)
“You really can’t read the room, Master…” (Tsui)
Not only Noah-sama, even my familiar was baffled by me.
Eh? I can’t read the atmosphere even more than a cat?
“Fufu, how about I help you take a step, Master? With this Shadow Magic:
Shadow Ferry!” (Tsui)
“Oh?” (Makoto)
A whole lot of magic circles float in the air.
A black cat is casting such a complex spell?!
—A black hole of around 2 meters in diameter appeared midair.
“Here, let’s go, Master.” (Tsui)
“O-Oi, Tsui.” (Makoto)
The black cat enters the black hole without even turning back.
The small body of Tsui gets swallowed by the darkness.
(If I remember correctly, Shadow Magic: Shadow Ferry is a High Ranked
Spell, right…?) (Makoto)
A spatial spell that’s similar to Teleport which allows you to move from
shadow to shadow.
It is different from Teleport in the part where you can only move into places
that you have marked.
Even if so, it is still a pretty convenient spell.
This black cat even has a spell like that…
So it wasn’t only human language, huh.
Maybe it was actually an incredibly capable familiar?
“By the way, what’s it connected to?” (Makoto)
It went off without telling me this important part.
I look at the pitch black hole in front of me.
(Doesn’t seem to be dangerous.) (Noah)
Noah-sama’s voice resonates.
Well, I don’t think Tsui will be bringing me to any weird place with its
magic.
Alright, let’s try going in.
I hesitantly jump into the pitch black hole floating in midair.
My vision turned completely black for a second only.
(…Hm?) (Makoto)
I soon notice that I am in the room of someone.
The first thing that entered my vision was a faint pink.
The carpet and curtains were a cute flower pattern. It must be the taste of
the owner of this room.
It is a bit similar to the space of the Destiny Goddess.
Of course, it isn’t as big though.
“…Eh?”
I let out a dumbfounded voice.
What came into sight was a big painting.
A portrait.
The problem is the person that’s drawn.
The one in the portrait is…me.
I look around the room.
There’s a whole lot of drawings in the room.
All of them are me.
Or more like, now that I look closely, they are really elaborate.
It is already close to being a photo.
“Hey, Tsui…about these drawings…” (Makoto)
“Oh, Master, you don’t know? These are apparently called ‘photos’. It
seems they are produced from the thing called ‘camera’ that the Fujiwara
Company’s president invented.” (Tsui)
They ARE photos!
So this was the doing of Fuji-yan!
But when were these taken?
I don’t remember being photographed.
(You project the past by using Destiny Magic. It seems Ira helped out.)
(Noah)
So Ira-sama was in this too…
You can take photos even without the person themselves? Can’t you take
peep shots as much as you want then?
What a fearsome magic tool.
No, that’s not the problem here.
“Hey, Tsui, whose room is this…?” (Makoto)
“Oh? So you haven’t noticed yet?” (Tsui)
The black cat directs its shocked eyes at me.
Eyes as if telling me I should be able to tell.
In other words, the owner of this room is an acquaintance of mine.
Mine and also a person close to Tsui.
There’s only one person that comes to mind.
This is her room?
I once again look around the room.
The photos of me that are placed all over the room.
This looks just like the room of the stalker kidnapper in a movie I saw a
long time ago.
It is a bit scary.
No, pretty scary.
It is mostly from the fact that I feel like I have seen something I shouldn’t
have.
I have peeked into the abyss…
*Click…*
A sound resonated on my back.
The sound of the doorknob being turned.
In other words, the owner of this room has returned.
“……Eh?”
I heard a voice.
A female voice.
One that I have heard before.
I just finished speaking with that person not that long ago.
I slowly turn back.
At that place, there’s Queen Furiae with her eyes wide open and a stiffened
face as if she had met a fearsome monster in the middle of the night.
“Eh? Eh? …Wa. No way. Eh? Eh?! …Wait… Eh? Eh?” (Furiae)
No coherent words were coming out from the mouth of Furiae-san as if she
were a broken radio.
I glare at the black cat.
What are you doing?
You should at least give a heads up on the owner of the room.
What if she were in the middle of changing?
(More importantly, do you understand the situation you are currently in?)
(Noah)
While my thoughts were drifting, Noah-sama retorted to me.
I understand.
I am currently trespassing in the private room of the Queen of the Moon
Country.
Even I can understand as a person who is estranged from the laws of this
world.
I am without doubt going straight to the slammer.
“Heya there, Princess. There’s a reason for this…” (Makoto)
I approach Furiae-san with a wry smile.
I thought for sure she would explode here, but her confusion isn’t gone yet.
“Eh? …Wa? Is this a dream? It is a dream, right? Because this is my room,
and…there’s no way My Knight would be here…” (Furiae)
“Princess?” (Makoto)
“I-It really is a dream, right?! Yeah, I have been tired lately! Right! That’s
right! Aah, what a relief that this is a dream. Geez, don’t scare me~.”
(Furiae)
Furiae-san makes a dry laugh.
Looks like I have become a dream.
“Geez~, My Knight. I obviously am going to wake up from my dream as
usual when I touch him, right? I know this already.” (Furiae)
She says that and touches my cheek.
“O-Oh? Why…do I feel it…?” (Furiae)
“Princess…that hurts.” (Makoto)
I let her push and pull my cheeks as I spoke to her.
“N-No way… The…real one…?” (Furiae)
“I had Tsui bring me here.” (Makoto)
“…”
Furiae-san opened her mouth wide.
That’s a face a beauty shouldn’t be making.
And then, she looked at my face, looked at the photos all over the room,
and then stiffly turned her head back to me again.
Her pale face turned bright red in an instant.
Her mouth is flapping, but no words are coming out.
Wouldn’t it be better for me to be saying something?
“Nice shots you got here.” (Makoto)
(Are you an idiot?) (Noah)
That’s not it, Noah-sama.
I couldn’t think of anything considerate to say.
(There should be something else you can say, right?) (Noah)
Even if you tell me that, the photos enter my vision even if I don’t want
them to.
“T-That’s not it… This is…by some sort of mistake…” (Furiae)
“Hey, Princess, calm down for a bit.” (Makoto)
I soothe the panicking Furiae-san.
At that moment, the source of this -the black cat- finally cut in.
“Master, the Moon Princess-sama has been kissing this photo every day and
dancing. You can understand just how much she loves you, right?” (Tsui)
““?!””
The black cat said something outrageous.
There’s no doubt you are the one who can’t read the atmosphere.
It seems Furiae-san managed to regain some slight calm, the face of Furiae-
san was gradually turning demonic.
The angry face of a beauty really has that impact.
For now, it would be bad to stay here any longer.
“Well, I will be taking my leave for today.” (Makoto)
“Hm? You are leaving already? Just take your time here. Even though
Master and Princess-sama are the only ones in this room.” (Tsui)
“That’s why it is bad.” (Makoto)
If she were to call security, I would immediately get hung.
Just when I was about to jump into the black hole of the Shadow Ferry…
*gashi!* My arm was grabbed.
Of course, the one who did that was Furiae-san.
This is bad.
With my weak stats, I can’t shake her off.
“M-My Knight…” (Furiae)
“W-What is it?” (Makoto)
“……”
Furiae-san looked up at me with her face still bright red.
“Princess?” (Makoto)
“……What happened before… I am sorry.” (Furiae)
“What happened before?” (Makoto)
“I’m talking about…what happened in the park!” (Furiae)
“I am not bothered by it though?” (Makoto)
“Be bothered a bit by it.” (Furiae)
“You seem to be having a hard time as the queen after all.” (Makoto)
“Being a queen is nothing…compared to your hardships.” (Furiae)
“Really?” (Makoto)
“……Welcome back, My Knight.” (Furiae)
“I am back, Princess.” (Makoto)
I finally managed to say it.
Furiae-san lets go of my arm.
It was strength that would leave a mark.
“Then, I will come meet you again some other time.” (Makoto)
“W-Wait. Forget about this room!” (Furiae)
“…I will try.” (Makoto)
“Right! Erase your memory with my curse magic—” (Furiae)
“Oops, gotta wait for Lucy and Sa-san’s return. See ya!” (Makoto)
“Wait! Hold it!” (Furiae)
I get away from Furiae-san who said something terrifying, and jump into
the black hole.
I came out to the lodging room I was in before.
When I looked back, the black hole was gone.
Looks like the black cat closed it.
If she had come after me, I feel like I would end up as the kidnapper of a
queen.
But it surprised me…
A lot of things were unexpected.
But Furiae-san hasn’t changed.
No, she actually did, but…
At the very least, it doesn’t seem like I am being hated.
(It is impressive that you can wrap that up as just ‘not being hated’, you
know?) (Noah)
Isn’t that okay, Noah-sama?
She is just a tsundere.
(I don’t think that’s it.) (Noah)
I also think that’s not it.
Anyways, the misunderstanding with Furiae-san is gone.
I must tell Lucy and Sa-san.
I waited for Lucy and Sa-san to come back while I trained for a bit, but they
came back late in the night.
The two were strangely beaten up.
What kind of terrifying enemy was it?! -is what I asked them, but…
~According to Lucy and Sa-san~
“Lu-chan! Increase the accuracy of your magic more!” (Aya)
“You as well, Aya! Don’t just use short range weapons the whole time and
learn some long range attacks too!” (Lucy)
“I am a frontline, so isn’t that your job as the backline, Lu-chan?” (Aya)
“It is a party of two, so shouldn’t you try doing both?!” (Lucy)
“Your physical attacks are all shabby, Lu-chan.” (Aya)
“Your long range attacks are all just throwing big rocks.” (Lucy)
“I don’t know what else to do!” (Aya)
“I am telling you to learn other means!” (Lucy)
“You are also an idiot that only knows one thing. All you do is fire attacks.”
(Aya)
“Who are you calling an idiot, you brute strength woman?!” (Lucy)
“So you went there, you zero-control shamelessly dressed woman!” (Aya)
“…..Hah?” (Lucy)
“…..What?” (Aya)
“…..You picking a fight, Aya?” (Lucy)
“…..I’m gonna put some dirt in your eye, Lu-chan.” (Aya)
~End of the story~
Looks like they defeated the monsters real quick, and the other half of the
day, they were fighting.
That’s the reason they are all beaten up.
What kind of intense fight was that?
“Geez, you are so stubborn, Lu-chan.” (Aya)
“Aya, you persistent woman.” (Lucy)
Looks like the two of them have already reconciled. They went to the bath
together, and ended up going to sleep just like that.
Is this what they call getting along well enough to fight?
The two went to sleep straight after, so I couldn’t tell them about Furiae-
san.
◇The next day◇
I had arrived at a certain room on the highest floor of the Highland Castle
together with Princess Sofia.
The one waiting there is the most influential person in the Sun Country.
“I am glad you have come, Sofia-san. It has been a while, Makoto-sama.”
“Thank you very much for the invitation, Noel-sama.” (Sofia)
“It has been a while, Your Majesty Noel.” (Makoto)
I mimic Princess Sofia and kneel.
I thought for sure we would be meeting in the audience hall of the king, but
it seems like the visit this time around is being treated as an unofficial one.
It was one of the private rooms of Queen Noel.
“Please don’t be so formal, Makoto-sama. The world was saved thanks to
you after all.” (Noel)
Being told this, I raised my head.
I once again look at Queen Noel.
An appearance that resembles that of Anna-san.
Her attire is a dress that has even more presence than the one before.
Is that her attire as a queen?
By the way, there’s only us 3 in the room.
There’s brawny knights outside the room.
It is careless, but this is proof of her trust.
“I am honored. I somehow managed to come back.” (Makoto)
“The first ruler, Anna-sama, has told us to tell you something, Makoto-
sama; to surely tell you our gratitude.” (Noel)
Saying this, Queen Noel lowers her head deeply.
“Uhm…” (Makoto)
“Noel-sama?!” (Sofia)
Princess Sofia and I were flustered by this.
We didn’t expect the ruler of a country to lower their head.
So this is why there’s no one else, huh.
“Noah-sama’s religion was approved, so that’s enough for me.” (Makoto)
“That’s right, Noel-sama. Please raise your head!” (Sofia)
“I have managed to fulfill my duty as royalty of Highland.” (Noel)
Queen Noel smiles gently. It is just as I remember.
But it bothered me that she seemed slightly tired.
It must be difficult to manage a giant country like the Sun Country.
I think he should be supporting her at times like this though…
“Is Sakurai-kun not here?” (Makoto)
I tried to ask what bothered me.
I thought for sure they were together.
“He is…busy after all.” (Noel)
The expression of Queen Noel darkened at this.
Something happened?
“He defeated 2 Demon Lords, so it is truly the return of the Savior-sama,
right, Noel-sama?” (Sofia)
From the tone of Princess Sofia, I learn that the history has safely returned
to Anna-san being the Savior.
The Light Hero of this era is Sakurai-kun.
The fate of the world is resting in his hands.
(Thinking of it like that, you could say the pressure on him is even higher
than that of Queen Noel, huh…) (Makoto)
It is probably not the time to be trying to be considerate of others.
At any rate, the married couple of Sakurai and Noel really have a rough
position.
I look at the profile of the Water Country’s Princess-sama at my side.
The responsible princess that speaks to Queen Noel about political stuff one
after the other with a straight face.
This princess has been pushing herself a lot too.
“Is something the matter, Hero Makoto?” (Sofia)
Princess Sofia turns after noticing my gaze.
“Don’t push yourself too much either, Sofia.” (Makoto)
“…I am fine.” (Sofia)
She blushed slightly and turned her face away.
Seeing this, Queen Noel giggled.
“You two get along as well as always. It makes me jealous.” (Noel)
“N-Noel-sama?!” (Sofia)
Princess Sofia changed the topic hurriedly.
“Now that I think about it, you wanted to hear about the stories of the past
from Hero Makoto, right? Let’s hear about it! Actually, I myself haven’t
heard about them in detail either.” (Sofia)
“Oh, that’s a nice idea. To think I would be able to hear about my ancestor
from the very person that helped her, Makoto-sama; there’s nothing more
wonderful than this.” (Noel)
“…It will be a long story, you know?” (Makoto)
It was a journey of 3 years after all.
And all the adventures were really packed.
“Yeah, I want to hear about them.” (Noel)
“Please tell us, Hero Makoto.” (Sofia)
“Got it.” (Makoto)
I don’t know if it is okay to take away from the important time of royalty,
but I tell them about my adventures in the past as detailed as possible.
Princess Sofia was surprised, impressed, in suspense; she showed a wide
array of expressions while she was listening.
Queen Noel had sparkly eyes the whole time as she listened intently.
They were especially excited by the story of the Immortal King.
Did they not hear about it from Momo?
I asked about this later, but it seems like Momo has forgotten most of
everything aside from her conversations with me.
It is not like she has been sleeping for 1,000 years like me, so it can’t be
helped.
I mostly told them everything as it was -aside from one point alone.
I omitted my relationship with Anna-san.
It is embarrassing to say this with Queen Noel who looks like Anna-san,
and most of all, my fiancee Princess Sofia is here.
There’s no way I can say it.
Because of that, I told them the story as Anna-san being a party comrade,
but…
“Hero Makoto, was your relationship with the Holy Maiden Anna-sama
really…just that of a comrade?” (Sofia)
“…Of course. Is there something bothering you?” (Makoto)
“No, nothing.” (Sofia)
Princess Sofia asked doubtful.
W-Why?!
(The instinct of a woman is scary, isn’t it?) (Noah)
N-Noah-sama, were there any contradictions in my story?
(Sofia-chan is sharp after all.) (Noah)
Looks like I can’t fool her.
…I will tell her honestly later.
I recount the adventures of the past while drawing cold sweat every now
and then.
◇◇
More than one hour passed after that.
“Now that I think about it, Noel-sama, isn’t it about time for the meeting?”
(Sofia)
Princess Sofia said.
“Aah…it is already that time, huh. I am sorry, Makoto-sama. Please tell me
the continuation at a later time for sure… Even so, I don’t really feel like
going.” (Noel)
“It can’t be helped. I do understand how you feel, Noel-sama…” (Sofia)
Queen Noel and Princess Sofia sighed heavily together.
“Is there something after this?” (Makoto)
When I asked, Princess Sofia said…
“It is a meeting in regards to the next Northern Expedition.” (Sofia)
Is the answer I got.
“We have already spoken about this several tens of times already, but our
policy isn’t solidifying at all… The scars from the defeat against the
Ancient Dragon King are big… In the end, I might not be suitable as a
queen…” (Noel)
“That’s not true. You are doing your job splendidly, Noel-sama!” (Sofia)
“Thanks, Sofia-san. I am happy to be told this, but there’s a lot of nobles
who say that my brother is more suitable as the ruler than me…” (Noel)
When this topic comes out, Queen Noel’s expression losses its energy.
But well, there’s nothing I can do for the worries of the ruler of the
strongest country.
There’s nothing I can say, but…if I had to…
“Can I participate in that meeting?” (Makoto)
By the time I noticed, I uttered this.
I don’t know about politics, but I am acquainted with both the Great Demon
Lord and the Ancient Dragon King.
I might be of help somehow.
“Hero Makoto, you still aren’t back to being a Country Designated Hero, so
it would be hard to have you partic—” (Sofia)
“No, Sofia-san. It might be possible if it is only participating.” (Noel)
Princess Sofia said apologetically, but Queen Noel stopped it.
“Over here, Makoto-sama.” (Noel)
What Queen Noel gave me was a silver emblem badge modeled on
Althena-sama.
An emblem that’s heavy and is pretty intricate.
“This is…?” (Makoto)
“The emblem of my -the ruler of Highland- royal knights. I had one extra,
so I will give it to you.” (Noel)
““Eh?””
She gave it to me as if nothing, but isn’t this quite the object?
The royal knights of the Queen?
They are the elite of the elite within the knights.
“Let’s have you participate in the meeting as my bodyguard.” (Noel)
Her smiling impish face was the same as the Noel of before.
But that’s quite the forceful method.
“If that’s okay with you, Noel-sama.” (Sofia)
Princess Sofia smiles wrily.
I don’t mind anything as long as I can participate.
“Then, let’s go. The strategy meeting for the 3rd Northern Expedition is
down the stairs.” (Noel)
And in this way, I am going to be participating in the strategy meeting.
Chapter 24 – Wall Door
A large door was at the bottom of a long spiral staircase.
The atmosphere feels different from before. I feel like something is waiting
for me beyond the door.
“Standing in front of this door gives you a “finally we’re here” kind of
feeling.”
“That’s right. I’m looking forward to what’s in the deepest part of the
dungeon.”
I tried to open the door, but it doesn’t budge.
“How heavy is this door …”
“You can’t open it?”
“Maybe there is some hidden mechanism here.”
Until now, the mechanisms were relatively simple.
Some are harder to solve than the others, but more than half of the
mechanisms just test you for your understanding for ancient characters.
“Funui! Funuun! …… I can’t do it. This door is unmovable like a wall. “
Fafnir tried to push the door open by slamming himself into it but soon
gave up.
“Is this…”
After observing a little and noticed something.
“What !? Did you notice something!?”
“Yes, what we thought was a door, is actually just a wall.”
“What?”
[What!? So I hurt my body in vain!]
“Fafnir’s actions are not in vain. You led me to the idea that it was a wall. “
“I, I see.”
Fafnir still seemed a little unconvinced.
I continued to explain about this wall.
“The reason the wall looks like a door is that the person that made the wall
uneven to look like a door.”
[eeeh, so does that mean that after all that hard work, the reward is a dead-
end!?]
“I don’t know. I’ll have to look a little further to see if there is a way.”
I take a closer look at the surroundings.
I can’t find any important clues.
Not a trace of ancient characters can be found.
…… Is it really a dead end here?
I leaned against the painted wall while holding my head.
“Yun, I’m sorry. It looks like we can’t go further anymore.”
“What are you apologizing for! Noah has done a great job! You have
unravelled the mystery of the ancient ruins that haven’t been solved for 10
years! It’s already a great achievement!”
“Haha … I’m glad then.”
Yun kindly said so.
I am very happy with her consideration.
But ──.
I came this far already, I wanted to unravel the mystery of this ruin.
At that same time, my vision turned white and I saw a book in the center of
my vision.
A blurry white light was wrapped around the book.
I wonder what this is.
I wonder what I’m looking at?
Such a question came to my mind, but mysteriously, the book seemed to
know me.
Parapara the book flips its page by itself.
And it stopped at a certain page.
There were sentences written in ancient characters.
Is this an ancient magic spellbook that was in the hidden library?
I thought, but If I look closely, it’s different.
The content isn’t about magic.
But the content looked familiar.
Arrow traps, rock traps, spear traps … etc.
What I experienced at this ancient ruin was recorded in the book.
And towards the end of the page, there was a note about the wall in front of
me.
I didn’t think it was a coincidence.
It has to be something related to the wall.
I reached for the book.
Grabbing it, I instinctively cast magic.
“《Engrave》”
I erased the ancient character for “wall” that was written there.
And then put a new one──.
“《Engrave》”
I wrote an ancient character for “door”.
Then, the pages of the book started to move again.
When the book was fully closed, my vision suddenly returned to reality.
“Noah!? Are you alright!? Did you overwork yourself? I’m sorry, Noah.”
Yun, who looked worried, was looking at my face.
“Hmm, what was I doing?”
“You fainted and fell to the ground! But I’m glad that you’re safe. Let’s go
home now, it’s dangerous to overdo it.”
“I see, I lost consciousness.”
I stood up and touched the wall that looked like a door.
Gogogo …….
It was as I imagined.
The wall turned into a door.
The door opened slowly when I applied force.
“Whaaat? The door wasn’t a wall!?”
[How did you do it?]
Yun and Fafnir were surprised.
But ──.
“I’ll explain it later, but we have to defeat the last boss of this ruin first.”
At the end of the book, the last boss of the ruins was drawn ── The
Guardian Golem.
Unlike the Guardian Golem who we fought in the 《Garden of Puppet》,
this one was in humanoid form and made with Hihiirokane.
A legendary ore that does not exist in modern times.
In the center of the circular space, an unusual golem with a scarlet luster
was waiting for us.
Once I step into the door, the scarlet golem will recognize me as an enemy.
After preparing my mind for a while, I proceeded into the room.
“… Nothing happened?”
Even if I step into the room beyond the door, the scarlet golem doesn’t even
twitch.
Is it broken?
“Hm. Apparently, it’s broken. Do you want to move on? “
When Fafnir flew into the room, the scarlet golem’s eyes glowed red.
“Get down! Fafnir!”
In a flash, the scarlet golem moved to the entrance, with a fist in front of
Fafnir’s face.
Fafnir heard my words and quickly ran back behind the door.
[Isn’t it broken!]
“It looked like it was”
“What with this guy! It’s ridiculously dangerous! But why doesn’t it attack
Noah?”
Yun muttered mysteriously.
“I wonder why it doesn’t recognize me as an enemy?”
However, if that is the case, I can immediately defeat the golem.
I’m sorry, but Fafnir and Yun can’t move on if I have to do something about
this golem.
Marked on the chest of the scarlet golem were ancient characters
I guess the position is the same even if the shape changes.
“Yep, that should do the trick.”
I put the golem in the《Item Box》and felt a lot more at ease.
“A wall became a door, a golem that doesn’t attack Noah, there are lots of
mysteries … Maybe Noah has some kind connection with this ruin?”
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
“But not only can you read ancient characters? You can use ancient magic
too. I wonder if that has any influence on it?”
“I can make the same kind of Golem if I want to, but I don’t think that’s
related.”
“If it’s not related, the mystery is deepened! Fufu, it seems fun! Well, The
Golem was defeated by Noah so let’s move on!”
“I understand. Let’s hope that there aren’t any more gimmicks along the
way.”
The road continues deeper in.
At the end of the road, several magical tools were placed, illuminating the
place.
At its center was a magic tool covered in glass.
“W, what is this …”
[What a surprise…]
Yun was astonished when she saw the magic tool in front of us..
“Th, this, isn’t there a human in there!?? “
Yes, there was a person in the magic tool in front of me.
She had long silver hair with fine skin.
A delicate body with long eyelashes and a high nose with a small mouth.
A girl that was so beautiful that it should not have existed in this world was
sleeping in the glass.
“We came to the deepest part, and something like this is waiting for us.”
[U, umu, I’m not surprised at this at all]
“It’s amazing … I can’t believe it. I didn’t imagine a girl was sleeping in the
depths of this ancient ruin. But this child, I wonder if she’s not breathing? It
doesn’t look like she’s moving at all. …… “
The girl doesn’t seem to be moving.
Is she not breathing …?
No, that’s no it.
Time has stopped in the magic tool.
This magic tool may be a device that stops the flow of time and puts the girl
to sleep.
In other words, if you stop the effect of this magic tool, the girl will wake
up from her sleep.
“She’s alive. This magic tool has stopped time. I think she will resume
activity as soon as the magic tool stops working.”
“Does such a magic tool exist?”
“It seems to be possible to make such a tool with ancient characters? What
should we do? I think there is a certain risk of waking her up. It’s not
unlikely that she will attack us, and maybe she was sealed for safety
purposes. …… But I want to wake her up. She looks lonely in such a
place.”
[Umu. When I was sealed, it was a fight against loneliness.]
Fafnir nodded his head.
“Fufu, I can’t make a calm judgment when I’m shown something like this!
Noah, please stop the operation of this magic tool!”
“Ok, I understand.”
When I touched and operated the magic tool, the glass slid sideways.
This will start the time in the box.
Well, ideally, I hope this doesn’t cause any conflict …
She slowly opened her eyes.
When she was aware of us, she suddenly snapped her eyes wide.
“Who are you? Only those with the authority can reach this point … “
When she jumped out of the magic tool she was in, she lowered her center
of mass and was ready for battle.
“What are you talking about …?”
The language she spoke was ancient language.
Yun doesn’t know what she’s saying.
“What are you talking about? No way, a demon?”
She’s having the wrong idea.
If I don’t get rid of the misunderstanding quickly, the situation will escalate
“Yun, I’m sorry, but I’ll talk about it later. She seems to be a
misunderstanding about something.”
“I understand!”
First of all, she probably doesn’t understand the modern language.
I should avoid talking to Yun as much as possible, as not to make her feel
distrustful.
“It’s a misunderstanding. We just came here to explore. “
“You can speak the rune language”
“Yes, but I don’t think anyone else can speak the rune language.”
Rune language is basically the verbalization of the runes that I call ancient
characters.
It’s categorized as a lost technology, so I’m sure there are only a few people
other than me who understand it.
“Lies…”
She looked very depressed.
“Hey, what year is the rune calendar now?”
“Rune calendar? There is only one calendar era now. There is little
information left about the era before.”
“… What about the Rune Tribe?”
“I don’t know, but I haven’t found or hear anything related…”
“No way..”
With a desperate look, she sat down on the ground.
“After all, you’ve been sleeping since the era before. …… Unfortunately, I
think the world has been through a tremendous amount of time since you
fell asleep. At least now it’s the civilized calendar, year 779. You should
have slept for at least 779 years.”
“I just closed my eyes for a moment, but that much time had passed.”
I would be horrified if it were me.
Hundreds of years have passed in a flash, and you are thrown into a world
of unknown.
How terrifying!
“Would you please tell me why you were sleeping here? If you don’t want
to, you don’t have to answer. “
“……All right. I also have to understand the current situation. “
“Your brave.”
“No. That’s not the case. “
After taking a breath, she talked about history.
“I was the princess of the country called Kirukushiaa. This place was
created to protect me from demons and otherworldly monsters during the
Second Human Demon War. After the war, the plan was to wake me up
after the war and I would rebuild the country. “
“……wait a minute. What is the Second Human Demon War?:
“So, you don’t know. There seems to be no history recorded before the
civilization calendar you mentioned. The Second Human Demon War is a
battle between the Rune people and the demons. The demon camp also
summoned monsters from another world, and it was like the end of the
world. “
“There was such a battle …”
“That’s the about it. Why did you awaken me?”
She was staring at me as if observing me.
“Because I thought that you were pitiful to be alone in such a place and I
was also curious I guess?”
“You woke me up with those trivial reasons? How did you come here? Even
if you came to the deepest part ruin, there must have been a wall and a
golem that could only be dealt with authority. “
“I don’t know what you mean by authority, but I changed the character
“wall” into “door.” And the golem didn’t attack me at all. I’m sorry but the
Golem is decapitated.”
“Why can you, who is not part of the Rune tribe, do that? It’s something
that even ordinary Rune Tribe members can’t do.”
“It couldn’t be helped. Suddenly a book appeared in front of me so I
rewrote the characters on it.”
“Book…If I think about it, everyone with authority said so. In other words,
do you also have authority?”
“Well, I don’t know. By the way, what is with that authority?”
“I haven’t been told in detail, but I’ve heard that it’s a force that interferes
with the world.”
“Is it the power to interfere with the world …? That’s a lot of power.”
“You are also here because you interfered with the world. It’s strange to use
it without being aware of it. “
She was staring at me mysteriously.
Guuu, suddenly I heard such a sound.
“……I’m hungry”
She said so and put her hand on her stomach.
“Let’s leave and go get a meal for the time being”
“Yup. I have nowhere to go anyways.”
“… Oh, by the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Noah.
What’s your name?”
“I am Alexia”
“It’s a good name. Best regards Alexia”
“Yup. nice to meet you!”
Episode 21: I can now use the
water attribute
◇
The date has changed once again, today is a day to take a quest.
Even though I’ve become an adventurer I still need to earn my living
expenses.
“For my first subjugation request, let’s see, Subjugation of a Red Wolf —
How difficult is this?”
“Red wolves don’t act in packs, so it’s probably easier to beat.”
“It’s perfect for us who just reached D rank.”
“I think Yuki would be okay with stronger monsters, though”
Aleria seems to be quite overconfident in my power.
“Adventurers get tripped up when they’re proud. It’s always good to face
new situations carefully and calmly, cause you only get one life.”
I’m not sure since i reincarnated , but it should be the case even in this
world.
Manga and anime characters are generally caught off guard and fall into bad
predicaments. How many times have you thought that he could avoid that if
he was just less cocky?
I should be able to do better.
About this quest, instead of receiving one with high difficulty, we’ll take
things little by little, one step at a time. This gives us the highest chances of
survival.
“Didn’t Yuki say yesterday to be cool and confident?”
“Being proud is different from being confident. Even if it’s slow, going
gradually in a certain direction and building up successes is what leads to
confidence. Well, I can’t trade adventure for my life. It might be dangerous,
but I’m have to earn my living expenses. “
Aleria nods.
“Yuki’s an adventurer who seems least likely face a demon …”
So, this time I decided to take the Red Wolf subjugation quest..
The quest will be cleared by subduing 10.
However, this request is irregular, and it seems that you’ll be paid for as
many as you defeat.
In other words, if you defeat 100 wolves, you’d clear the quest 10 times.
◇
The Red Wolf, as it’s name suggests, looks like a normal wolf.. But unlike a
wolf, it seems to act alone.
We arrived at Mt. Carlon, It’s a place you get to after the Carlon forest
which stops at the foot of the mountain.
“Oh, There! It’s a red wolf!”
“Yeah. First of all, let’s check it’s status.”
I check it’s status with evil eye.
————————————————————————
Name: Red Wolf Lv.3
Class: Demon
Skill: Flame Fang
HP: 1025/1025
MP: 641/641
[Next >>] [TOP]
————————————————————————
————————————————————————
Attack power: D
Defense: E
Attack speed: E
Movement speed: E
 Magic attack power: E
Magic resistance: E
Mental strength: E
Vitality: D
Magical power: E
[<< Previous] [TOP]
————————————————————————
There doesn’t seem to be a problem.
I hold the magic sword Berserk in my hand and slowly sneak up on it.
The Red Wolf which notices me turns rabid. It jumps and attacks with
flaming fangs.”Haah”
I evaded and slash at the Red Wolf’s torso. I just grazed it slightly–
Jujuju …….
The Red Wolf died while rapidly dehydrating.
“Danna, was that your attribute attack?”
Sui, who was floating near me, asked.
“Attribute attack?”
“The Red Wolf dried up right?”
“Yeah, it felt strange when I cut it.”
“Well, Sui is now under the control of danna, so you can use my water
attribute also!”
“I see. But is there anything good about using the water attribute?”
“It will double the attack power against fire-type monsters!”
“That’s amazing. so that’s what killed the Red Wolf earlier?”
“Yeah, but with master’s power, you would be able to defeat it with just
your strength, without using your sword or attributes.”
Is a Red Wolf too weak to test my strength? Well, if you go by status, it was
a small fry.
“Hey Sui, is there a magic that can gather the wolves in one place?”
“Hmm, Not that i know off, but it may be possible to lure them in with my
magic power.”
“That’s enough. Please do it.”
Red Wolves don’t move in a pack, It may be favorable for beginner
adventurers, but if you can defeat them with a single blow, it’s more
efficient to deal with multiple opponents at once.
I ask Sui to gather the Red Wolves together. I can earn more for a higher
number of subjugations and it’ll be easier to rank up.
The D rank request turned out to be a bit unsatisfying.I want to move up to
C rank as soon as possible.
“I brought them!”
“Thanks Sui”
The number of red wolves Sui brought is about a 100.
I swing the magic sword Berserk lightly with one hand.
I didn’t cut the Wolves directly, but they get slashed.
Shubabababa!
The slash cut through the air and buried most of the Red Wolves..
We dispose of the bodies and take a break. If we keep going like this, it
seems that the achievement of 100 quests, required for promotion to C rank,
can be achieved immediately.
“Yuki’s amazing. I really want to do something useful …”
Aleria praised me as usual, but she seemed down. Did she hate how I dealt
with the monsters?
I’m a little worried. After defeating a 1000 Red Wolfs, we went back to the
guild..
Episode 22: My level has gone up

◇
Defeating a 1000 Red Wolfs raised my level, if you need this much to go
from Lv1 to Lv5, the experience given by monsters in this world is quite
pathetic.
Apart from an increase in my HP and MP , there’s no significant change.
However, the main benefit of leveling up is the ability to raise skill levels.
I’ll check it later.
We return to the royal capital to report the quest completion to the guild.
There’s proof because the guild card automatically records how many
monsters you have killed.
“Oh, Yuki-san, What outrageous thing did you do this time !?”
Before I knew it, I was getting known as an outrageous person, I haven’t
done anything special since a while ago
…”It’s normal today. It’s a quest to subdue Red Wolves. As you can see,
nothing special.”
The receptionist who received the guild card confirms the quest details and
the number of subjugations.
“How is this not ridiculous !? What 1000! That’s an unbelievable amount.
It’s normally in the range of 2 digits!”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Certainly, it was troublesome to defeat them one by one, so I proceeded
efficiently with the help of Sui, I thought I’d need at least three digits to
save time.
“That’s right! This is definitely record-breaking for Red Wolves defeated in
one quest!”
“Is that so? sorry, i was naive.”
” Do you finally see the anomaly? Then, please wait so we can process it
…, wait, isn’t this enough to rank up !?”
“The numbers match so yes.”
“I see, that’s why it’s 1000 …”
It seems the receptionist understood my intention.
“Then, both of you will recieve a D rank guild card, so please give me your
old ones, Miss Aleria?”
The receptionist asks Aleria to return her old guild card.
However–
“No, I didn’t defeated any monsters … I’m sorry.”
For some reason, she didn’t accept it.
“Eh …? Then what should I do …”
The receptionist seems troubled. She probably didn’t think she’d be refused
when offering a rank-up.
“According to guild regulations, old guild cards are to be collected when
ranking up.”
“I haven’t defeated any monsters, so I don’t need to raise my rank! I can
stay D.”
“… Huh? It’s the first time I’ve been refused when giving a chance to rank
up …”
“What happens in this case?”
“If the adventurer refuses, in principle, the current rank will be maintained.
However, there are no previous cases of refusal. Requests by lower ranks
can still be accepted …”
“I see …. Is this our only chance to rank up? Can we have some time to
think about it?”
“You don’t have to make a decision right awat, but If you don’t rank up
within three days, your rank up rights will expire. If you want to raise it
again next time, you’ll have to meet the conditions again from scratch …”
“I see. Three days is enough. Please put our rank up on hold.”
“I understand … what in the world…!?”
Rank up is a great thing for any adventurer party, Even so, if only I rank up,
I wouldn’t be happy.
“Aleria, let’s have a change of pace”
◇
Once outside the guild building, I asked her.
“Why don’t you want to rank up?”
“I didn’t want to bother Yuki. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize, I’m not blaming you. I just want to know
why.”
Thinking normally, you don’t lose anything by ranking up, you can receive
higher-level quests, and still receive quests for lower ranks. If she thinks it’s
too early for her, we can still take D rank quests.
“Yuki is different from me. It’s not like I’m trying to win…. But I think it’s
strange to rank up with a quest that Yuki did alone. Even if there’s such a
method …… “
“….Is that so …”
I wanted to raise my rank as soon as possible for Aleria and receive quests
with as high a reward as possible, so we can leave the capital as soon as
possible, but I guess I was being hasty.
Because of that, it is undeniable that the previous Red Wolf subjugation
ended up being solo. I thought it was a good idea, but I ended up hurting
Aleria.
“In other words you don’t think you’re strong enough to be a C rank. Then,
if you find out you can handle C rank missions normally, it’s okay to
increase your rank?”
“… I guess so?”
“Because if you have the power to handle C-rank quests, you can be
confident even if you suddenly start being a C rank right?”
“That may be the case. But i’m still trying to sort out my feelings …”
“You’re stronger than you think. For now, let’s go fight some C-rank
monsters.”
“Eh, but our ranks are …”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re just going out to defeat monsters.”
“But In that case, even if we defeat them, we won’t make money, right?”
“The money isn’t important, what’s important is Aleria’s feelings? I’ll
prepare quickly.”

Volume 3 Chapter 14 – Duplicate Impulses

One of the characteristics of the Toggolese region is the blessing of the sun.
In other words, it’s a land with a lot of sunshine, but it’s not a desert
surrounded by hot sand, and the moderate rainfall keeps the environment
lush and green
It’s good for crop protection.
「So the Empire tried to take control?」
「If there was a small country right next to yours, with a rich region, I don’t
know why anyone wouldn’t want it.」
Ren fluttered his hands up and down in the air, maintaining his aloof
demeanor.
「Ah, so that’s why people from Toggle have a slightly different skin
color.」
「Hmm? Oh, you sure do have dark skin. I guess that’s what happens when
you live in a place with a lot of sunshine. I’m sure you’re not the one who
has a problem with this.」
Once again, Ren was silenced.
「Shut up.」
The first step in Rei’s process of silencing her brother was to hit him. I was
getting used to seeing such a scene, but Ren himself seemed to be enjoying
it. In reality, it looks so painful that it’s not even funny, but maybe it’s just a
form of kinship between sister and brother.
…an advanced form.
In the end, it took a few seconds for Ren to resume his story.
I heard from Rei earlier that Toggle used to be a small country. I’m not sure
what to make of it, but I’m sure it’s a good idea. It’s a blessing disguise that
it didn’t turn into a major conflict.
The king, who did not like conflict, continued to be a mild mannered lord
and did his best to make the Toggle region prosperous.
However, not all descendants of mild-mannered humans will inherit the
same gentle nature. Some of them may be frustrated with the past tyranny
of the empire. Discontent eventually turns to anger, and anger can become a
driving force for action.
Once again, the man who wanted to make Toggle and independent country
began to gather weapons and soldiers.
「I see. I can understand why you’re upset. You’ve been accused of
violence and your land has been taken from you.」
What would I do… if I knew that my ancestors had been forcibly deprived
of their land and exploited to my generation? It’s a short sighted thought,
but I’d probably try to destroy the empire.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Domination for domination.
if you get hit, hit back.
…and well, I guess I’m a child for thinking this way. I don’t think it’s
wrong, but if I do, the world will be filled with conflicts. It’s the mature
thing to do.
I’ll do it, though.
「Haha. I’m kind of happy to hear you say that.」
「Hmm… Why are you so happy Ren?」
「Well, the Lord of Toggle, who was beginning to build up his strength,
had a wife and three children. The wife disagreed with her husbands ideas,
because it was clear to her that he was trying to do something reckless.」
「Ren. That’s enough already.」
Rei, who had been quietly watching, tries to stop her brother from talking.
Ren, however, didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.
「Of the three children, the daughter was very attached to her mother, and
naturally took her mother’s side. It must have been hard for her to see him
arguing with her when se was trying to force the plan through.」
「That’s enough.」
Just as Rei was about to raise her voice, the soldier on guard was
approaching us again.
It seems that this time they want Rei to fight, and they tried to grab her from
the cage.
「Don’t touch me. I can walk on my own.」
The way she dismissed the hand that was touching her shoulder in disgust
made me glad I wasn’t him. It makes me wonder if the soldiers on guard are
in good hands.
Unlike her brother, Rei quietly made her way towards the stage.
「Well, well. So there’s no one left to stop me. Do you still want to hear the
rest.」
「Well… after listening thus far…」
Nodding in understanding, Ren lay down on the other side of the bars.
「I don’t know where I’m going with this. The other two sons… are also
bad people. The older one is older than me, but he’s a real playboy. He
drank, made noise, and hit on women every day. He was indifferent to what
his father was doing. All he cared about was how to get close to the woman
he wanted. There’s no race barrier to…. that.」
Ren laughed in amusement, but in the silence of the prison, his voice
sounds strangely lonely.
「But for my brother, the playful older brother was closer to him than his
father who was busy with his duties. He also taught me many interesting
games. So my brother became indifferent to his father.」
「You didn’t have anyone around in your family who would agree with
your father’s ideas?」
If my wife disagreed with me, I’d be even more reluctant.
「Yeah, yeah. That’s why I was so happy just now. Your words of
understanding and support for my father’s feelings made me happy.」
What can I say. Where do I get involved in this?
「Well. There was obviously some personal feelings about the characters in
the middle of the story. Does that mean that the brother in that story is….
Ren?」
「Correct answer.」
「So, the daughter is called…. Rei?」
「Yes. It’s my sister Rei.」
Hold on a second.
This would mean that the twins are the children of the Lords of Toggle,
which means that even though it is a small country, they are originally from
royal blood.
Eeeeee!
So Rei is a princess by blood!
A princess is not only a beautiful figure, but also someone with refined
language and etiquette, and who has been raised apart from the world. She
has pure eyes that never doubt anyone, and a loving gaze that is filled with
affection for her cute pets. Even the way she wields her whip in her hobby
of horse riding is full of grace.
This is my own image of a princess, but the only thing that overlaps with
Rei is her good looks… or perhaps the way she wields a whip against
humans. It’s not that she’s a princess, but that she’s a queen.
「Wait a minute, if you say that to Rei nee-chan I think she’ll kill you.」
After a few moments of screaming in my brain, Ren quietly muttered to me.
「Yeah… which part of that was in your voice?」
「If Rei nee-chan is a princess than all of the women in the world are
goddesses.」
This guy just said something worse than me.
「No, I wasn’t thinking about that. I mean, that’s Ren opinion isn’t it.」
Perhaps amused by my reaction, Ren raised his upper body from his prone
position and held his stomach.
But still, you know?
If what you just said is true, why were these guys, the lords children, doing
this kind of work?
When I asked this question, Ren responded by laying his body down again.
「I’m sure you can guess by now.」
Imagine, right?
To say that Rei, the daughter, is devoted to her mother is a phrase you
would use with a young child. The twins are the same age as me, eighteen
years old, so the story they just told me must have happened a long time
ago.
If it was… then his father’s plan must have failed.
Toggle is still not independent.
「After all, they ended up being caught plotting a rebellion.」
「It’s over…」
「It’s over, literally. My father and mother were executed in front of our
eyes.」
「Yeah, what the heck.」
…Oh, it’s a bad habit of mine to get emotionally involved with other people
right away.
Just because you have a painful past doesn’t mean you can’t do anything
about it.
「And brother Riku was nominated as the heir to the throne. He was a
prodigal son. I guess they figured he was neither a poison nor a medicine.」
Hmm. Didn’t it lead to the execution of the whole family.
His older brother, who claims to be a playboy, is named Riku.
It seems that he is the current lord of Toggle.
As for Ren and Rei, they were forcibly conscripted into the special forces..
They may have been used as hostages to prevent Riku, the new lord, from
doing anything strange, but I don’t know the details.
He had been assigned to a unit after deathly painful training and had been
on duty under Serdio.
「Rei nee-chan was most shocked when her mother was executed. She was
trying to do her duty in her unit, just like her mother said she shouldn’t go
against the empire.」
「Yeah, well…. I kind of got a feel for that in the previous incident. But
normally, I’d be more inclined to resent the Empire.」
「I wonder…. I think it’s more accurate to hear those things from her.」
Ren stood up and made a gesture of dusting off his clothes, as if to put an
end to the conversation.
「Well, I guess that’s the end of our personal story. Is there anything else
you want to ask?」
I wonder. I’m sure it was a very serious story, but it didn’t feel that serious
because of the way Ren talked.
「How did they know you were preparing for the revolt?」
Ren’s face darkened slightly at such a question.
「I’d like to know, too. My sister Rei seems to think that Riku nii-san is
suspicious, but I don’t think so.」
For someone who was so close to their brother, he probably doesn’t want to
think that way.
「One last question–why are you telling me all of this?」
Ren turned his head towards the small window to peer into the arena and
said a few words.
「Because I wanted you to hear it.」
「… not an answer.」
But it doesn’t feel like you’re playing dumb either.
「Oh, look. It looks like Rei’s match is about to start. The opponent is…
some kind of robed man.」
I feel like I’ve been sidetracked, but after Ren’s words, I peeked through the
grate at the venue through a small window and saw two people.
One of them is Rei, and the other is–

(disgusting disgusting disgusting)

Rei couldn’t hide her frustration, though she didn’t say it out loud, on the
way to the arena.
Why would my brother talk to that man about his past. Whose fault does he
think it is that he is trapped in a place like this?
Even when I try to calm down, those feelings come flooding back.
He also said that he understood what his father was trying to do, how he
felt, etc.
From Rei’s point of view, it is not the Empire that she hates the most, but
her father.
He ignored his wife’s warning and recklessly thought about starting his own
business, which is what got him into this mess. This is the first time I’ve
seen such a thing.
Rei tried to keep her calm by analyzing the cause of her anger.
By the way… when that guy came to rescue the daughter of the lord of
Merveille, he said, “I’m just doing what I want to do. It’s a great way to
make sure you’re getting the most out of you’re money. He knows that he’s
just taking it out on her, but this part of his personality also subtly overlaps
with his father’s, which increases Rei’s anger.
「… it’s still disgusting.」
It’s not very commendable to let your emotions get the better of you before
going into a match. With those last words, Ray let the whip she had
received from the soldier settle into her hand.
–The opponent in the match was wearing a robe, so his expression couldn’t
be seen.
Rei took a swing to check her whip, and then called out to her opponent.
「It’s too hot to watch. Why don’t you just take that off and show your face
to the crowd.」
The man didn’t respond to Rei’s words, which resembled a provocation, but
he did say one thing.
「Sinners, huh? That’s a shabby thing.」
「Ha, ha, ha. You shouldn’t use that word with women.」
It was just irritating. It’s easy to rise to the boiling point.
The bell sounded, signaling the start of the match, and Rei readied her
whip.
But don’t be so foolish as to rush forward in anger. Keep a good distance, as
they may have a weapon hidden under their robes.
(… a small test first)
Several icicles form around Rei. This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing.
It’s a trick that can be down in order to change water magic into an attack.
「Eat it up」
The icicles were released with great force and headed straight for the
opponent, but none of them were able to hit him. The last one was also
avoided, but the man last his stance there.
「Nuh-uh…」
A whip is wrapped around one of his ankles. As soon as he turned his
attention downward, a block of ice flew in front of him and hit him. It was
an even bigger blow than the icicle that had just hit him.
No workaround.
「You can’t avoid this one.」
Timing wise, it should hit for sure.
But with one big swing of the man’s arm, the block of ice shattered into
pieces without a second though. The ice grains that misted up in the air
reflected the sunlight and disappeared.
「Stupid power. Then…」
The man tried to step forward, but this time his legs wouldn’t move.
What happened? The man looked over and saw that the leg the whip was
wrapped around had been covered in ice. She must have used water magic
to materialize ice on the tip of it through the wip.
「How about this?」
Small grains of ice formed around Rei. It is a kind of ice shot, and is
impossible to avoid if fired at you from all directions.
「–I’ll make you look shabby.」
Muttering, Rei mercilessly shot all the bullets into the stuck man.
The sound of stomping glass continuously echoed, and the scattered bullets
that were unleashed one after another turned into mist, scattering dust in the
air.
Whoever was in the center of the white mist was undoubtedly hit by a
decent attack.
「Well, you seem to have a strong body, so you won’t die.」
Mentioning it disinterestedly, Rei considered it while keeping her attention
forward.
–My brother is right, I’m not going to sit here and be a freak show forever.
There are things I have to do.
「Riku nii-san…」
As soon as the muttered words melted into the air, something jumped out of
the white mist. A green breeze pushed through the air and ran in a straight
line towards Rei.
Did her bright green hair, reminiscent of a prairie, remind me of the wind?
The outstretched arm caught its prey with such speed that the distance
between them was instantly reduced to nothing.
「Huh…」
Rei was grabbed by the throat, and the sensation of her body floating in the
air made her realize for the first time what kind of state she was in. She
could only breathe slightly, and the suffocation accelerated her heartbeat.
The man looked at his prey with his azure eyes and was completely
unharmed. He must have taken a decent hit from an ice pellet, judging from
the bits of robe stuck to his body.
「… Do you admit defeat?」
A low tone of voice was directed at Rei was if to threaten her. There are few
people who can resist overwhelming violence in front of them. The weight
of the pressure, which would immediately take away their lives if they
resisted, took over their bodies.
In her fading consciousness, Rei suddenly though, “I’m not sure what to
do.”
Her father was a fool for trying to start a reckless war against the Empire. It
is safe to say that he despised the man who ignored his mother, who tried
her best to stop him because she could see the consequences.
There are certain actions you should take in your current situation. All you
have to do is admit defeat.
Then Rei gave a self-mocking smile.
「What are you laughing at?」
The man’s question was met with a brief echo of a reply.
「I wont admit it…」
「… I see. Then die and atone for the sins you have committed.」
As the muscles in my arms expanded, the tightening force increased all at
once. It wasn’t just hard to breathe, but the supply of oxygen to my lungs
was completely cut off. On the contrary, my heart seemed to be beating
even faster.
（painful…）
This guy is serious. Probably in the next moment my cervical vertebrae will
shatter and break.
Even though killing opponents in the arena is forbidden, it doesn’t have to
be strictly adhered to if you’re dealing with sinners.
（That White Silver Peach… was delicious.）
How can you even think such a thing under such circumstances, Rei
thought to herself.
Taste is sometimes a reminder of the past.
Who was it that bought my mother and myself souvenirs when we went
away for work, etc… when we had a sweet tooth?
（Oh, I remembered something bad. I knew that guy was disgusting.）
「–The end」
Just as the man was about to say a few words and expand his arms further,
Rei’s body fell in accordance with gravity, as a jet-black trail of glitter
passed over the spot where the mans arm had been.
Instead of being thrown to the ground, Rei was held up by someone.
As she became able to breath, her hazy vision became clearer and clearer,
and you she understood who it was.
「is… you, why?」
The person didn’t answer Rei’s question, but looked at the man with a
disapproving look on his face.
「I thought I’d be fighting you a little later?」
「It would be against the rules to kill them.」
「…I’m not sure what you did was in compliance with the rules either,
though.」
「All I’ve been asked to do is defeat the desired person in the arena.」
I don’t know the details of Rei’s situation, but it’s a very forceful theory. It
sounds like the selfishness of a child.
That’s the part–
「After all, Muka….」
Rei lost consciousness there.
I, the sacrifice somehow killed the
evil god c16
「Wh……at……?」
Suddenly, the landscape in front of me changed. Light surged into my eyes
and I squinted in the glare. There were bright lights floating everywhere,
moving around erratically.
As I looked at the scene…
「Elt-kun. Are you awake?」
Yomi said so with a spoon in his hand. When I turned around, I could see a
kind of aura covering his whole body.
「Eh, already? It’s only been two weeks, you know?」
In front of me, Serena, wearing a rather thin aura, had a surprised
expression on her face. She was holding a loaf of bread in one hand.
「No, Elt’s aura was also growing. I figured it was about time.」
To his left, Phil nodded, fork in hand. He was in the middle of eating his
breakfast.
「Is this what you call…… spirit vision?」
I was confused by the sudden change in my vision, but I guessed so because
of my prior knowledge.
「Hmm. You are now qualified to use the spirits.」
I nodded at Yomi’s words.
「Well, let’s start training on how to handle spirits today.」
After breakfast, we gathered at the village square. The elves, who had heard
that I was able to use my spirit vision, were waiting for us there. All of
them seemed to have mastered spirit vision, as they all emitted auras of
various sizes.
「Ah, I’m counting on you.」
「First, let me explain the different types of spirits. There are many types of
spirits in this world. The most common are the spirits of the four attributes
of earth, wind, water, and fire, as well as the spirits of light and darkness.」
When Serena said this, the elves who can use spirits stepped forward and
showed us their spirits.
「There are different names for spirits: micro spirits, low spirits,
intermediate spirits, high spirits, great spirits, and spirit kings. The further
back they are called, the more influence they have on the world and the
more intelligent they become.」
「Can I use spirits to create wind and fire now?」
Serena shook her head at my question.
「In order to use a spirit, you must first make a contract with the spirit of
that attribute. The higher your charm status, the more spirits will come to
you. For example, my father, who has a charm of 2000, is under contract
with a high-level spirit. My brother has one attribute of low level spirits and
two attributes of medium level spirits. I have three low-level spirits and one
medium-level spirit.」
She then showed me each of the spirits.
「The light that’s floating around us now has a different shape than
everyone else’s. Are these micro-spirits?」
Each embodiment, whether it be a low spirit or a medium spirit, has the
same form as a person.
「A spirit can only take on the form of an individual when it is given a
name.」 1
My question was answered by Serena, who explained the capture.
「So you’re saying that everyone’s spirits are the way they are now because
they gave them names too?」
If you can transform a spirit to a human just by naming it, it means that the
elves here have done so as well.
「Some spirits are like that, but some aren’t.」
「What do you mean?」
I tilted my head and asked for a detailed explanation.
「If you have high charm, you will be liked by many spirits. Some of them
are even high-ranking spirits. When such a spirit appears, you can make a
contract with it if you have enough cost slots.」
The cost frame would be the part of Serena’s status that was (5/5). In the
case of Yomi (10/10) and Phil (7/7), the higher the appeal, the larger the
cost frame.
If you do the simple math, that’s 1 spirit per 200 charm.
Originally, the reason I stayed here and learned to see spirits was to get out
of this lost forest. It seems that spirits don’t lose their sense of direction and
can get out of the forest.
So I can start executing my escape from the forest when the conditions are
right for me to make a contract with a spirit…….
「The usual practice is to name and sign a contract with one of those minor
spirits first, and then when their power and charm gradually increase, sign a
contract with an intermediate or advanced spirit.」
However, it is better to sign a contract with a reasonably strong spirit
anyway.
At the moment, only the Evil God’s skills allow me to attack from a
distance. As I move through the forest, there will be times when I will need
to use long range attacks. And I don’t want to use the Evil God’s skills if I
can help it. Because I can’t replenish them since the evil god has been
destroyed.
By the time I get through the forest, I’m likely to encounter Bloody Ogre
and other opponents that I will need to defeat with the skills from the Evil
God. I thought there would be a difference in the number of times I
consumed depending on whether or not I could use my spirits at that time.
「Serena」
「Yes. What is it?」
I said, interrupting Serena’s explanation.
「I need you to show me where I can find some strong spirits around
here.」
「Yes?」
「Elt, come here. Hurry up.」
A few hours later. Serena and I were heading east of the village in search of
a strong spirit.
「Wait a minute… My vision is so bright that I can’t see Serena very
well.」
Ever since I became able to see spirits, I have been seeing the microspirits
flying around me. Because of this, my vision is obscured and I almost fall
when I walk on a bad platform.
「I see…. Oh, by the way, I never taught Elt how to suppress his aura.」
「How to suppress my aura?」
I tilted my head as I heard Serena’s words.
「We don’t always give off auras, but when we do micro-spirits like to
gather around us, right? When they do that, we have to use our eyes, and we
quickly get tired. That’s why we suppress our aura when we don’t need
it.」
「But didn’t all the elves have glow around them when I got my spirit
vision?」
I nodded my head at Serena’s explanation. When my spirit vision opened,
they were all covered in an aura, and there were micro-spirits floating
around everywhere.
「That was for Elt. You needed to see a lot of spirits to learn how to see
them. All the elves in our village who could use spirit vision were gathering
micro-spirits by giving off auras so that Elt could easily get the spirit
vision.」
That explanation convinced me. I needed micro-spirits to learn how to seem
them, but it seems that everyone was secretly helping me.
「I owe everyone a thank you.」
A warmth flows through me. I thanked them in my heart.
「Don’t thank us. Everyone seems to be having a good time since Elt
arrived. The other day, you prepared a lot of food for us. You’ve been good
to us too, so we’re even.」
I naturally smiled and asked Serena a question.
「So how do I suppress my aura?」
「You can see the aura coming out of your body right now, right? Try to
imagine that aura is coming out from your whole body and try to keep it
inside your body.」
I do as I’m told. Then….
「Yeah, that’s good. Your aura is getting smaller.」
With Serena’s words, the micro-spirit faded from my sight and disappeared.
「Leave it at that for now. If you remove too much of the aura, it will take a
long time to summon the spirits in case of emergency.」
Well, I guess I’ll have to get used to this aura.
「Then we’ll go again when you’ve gotten more comfortable with it.」
I followed Serena and walked through the lost forest.
「This is the place they call the Valley of the Wind.」
It was a place where the spiral staircase went on forever and it was very
deep, and at the first glance, you couldn’t see the bottom.
「Are there any powerful spirits here?」
「This is where the wind spirits like to live. The lower you go, the stronger
the wind blows, and there’s a good chance you’ll even meet some of the
higher spirits here.」
From below, I could hear the sound of the wind whistling through the air. If
I look closely, I could see greenish objects flying around. Each one of them
must be a spirit of the wind.
「Okay, Elt? This is a place where no elf has confirmed how deep it is. If
we go down and decide that it’s impossible to go down, we’ll go back,
okay?」
Serena warned me as she turned her serious eyes on me. I nodded to her.
「Ah, okay. I promise to abide by Serena’s decision.」
I think I can find a good spirit here.
「Good. Let’s go then..」
Satisfied that I had nodded, Serena took my hand in hers and started going
down the stairs.
★★★
『Has someone come to seek power once again?』
He opened his eyelids when he sensed the presence of an intruder in their
territory.
『Humans are stupid. They arrogantly think that they can subdue us.』
It has been thousands of years since they first appeared in this world, and
many elves have sought they power to reach the bottom of the valley.
『But only a few have made it.』
The lower you go, the stronger the spirits become, and the more the wind is
blowing. You need to have extraordinary strength to avoid being blown
away by it.
『Even if he gets here, that’s it.』
There have been many elves in the past who have made it all the way down
to the bottom of the valley. But there, they encountered “it” and felt despair.
『Will the next intruder make it this fair?』
This was the end of his interest. He 1 couldn’t do anything about it, even if
he reached him anyway.
『If you ask for power you don’t deserve, you will have to pay for it.』
Muttering so, he closed his eyes. He was called this name for thousands of
years.
――Valzedi, King of the Wind Spirits――
Spirits of light…. Please.」
A shining white spirit appeared on Serena’s palm. When the spirit heard
Serena’s words, it created a ball of light in the air and the size of it was like
a ball.
「So this is the spirit of the light power…. That’s a handy.」
Serena has a contract with low level spirits of wind, fire and water and
intermediate spirit of light.
In terms of cost, would it be 1 for each low spirit and 2 for each
intermediate spirit?
It seems that the spirits of light and darkness are more powerful than the
spirits of the four attributes.
「Well, let’s get down then.」
Serena begins to descend the stairs, the light was floating in the air.
I followed her into the Valley of the Wind.
「The wind is getting stronger…」
Serena held back her hair and skirt with her hands.
「Yeah, that’s about as far as we go, huh.」
We have descended quite a distance, but I looked down and still couldn’t
see the bottom.
I think that the spirits around here do have some strength…
「W, we can go down a little further if you want to.」
Serena blushed and glanced at me.
「It would be nice if we could go down a little deeper, but wouldn’t it be
difficult?」
I frowned at her hesitant expression.
「It’s not difficult. It’s just that you have to ask a wind spirit for their
blessings so that they can reduce the effects of the wind and then we can
still go further.」
「That’s great. Could you do it for me?」
Serena at my request….
「Kohon. 1 It can’t be helped if Elt asks me……」
For some reason she hugged me.
「What’s wrong, Serena?」
Serena’s breast are pressed against my chest. At close range, Serena was
bright red up to her ears.
「T, the only way to get the blessing from the wind spirits is to stick close
to me. I’m embarrassed too, so you’ll have to put up with it.」
I could hear Serena’s heart beating. I could tell that she was overwhelmed
by her own embarrassed and was still cooperating with me.
「I’m sorry, but you have to.」
If I were to get upset here, Serena would be even more embarrassed.
I tried to keep my composure and got close to Serena.
I heard the sound of the wind crashing. A strong wind was blowing outside
of Kago, and the dust around us made it difficult to see clearly.
But thanks to Serena’s wind blessing, we were able to proceed without
getting caught up in it.
「Serena, are you okay?」
She was currently walking down the stairs with her hand on my shoulder.
「Y, yes. I’m fine.」
Her face was red and hot, and she wouldn’t make eye contact with me. She
looks completely out of it…….
I guess she knows her own limits.
I walked down the stairs, believing in her words that she was still fine.
「Hey Elt. Can I ask you something?」
Serena asked me in a serious voice.
「What is it?」
「Elt is seeking the power of the spirits so he can get out of the forest,
right?」
「Well, yes. The other reason is that I wanted to have fighting power, but
that would be the main reason.」
「The Lost Forest is a natural maze that is impenetrable to humans. Even
with the power of the spirits, the threat of monsters still exists, and if you’re
on your own, you won’t be able to rest well and you’ll be putting yourself
in danger.」 2
Serena’s dark green eyes flickered.
「But you’re still leaving, Elt? If you stay in our village, your life will be
the same as before, you know?」
It was a very tempting proposition.
I spent these few weeks with Serena, Phil and the other elves. I felt warmer
than I had ever felt in my life.
They smiled at me, not dismissing me as a human or an incapacitated
person, but smiling at me.
I wondered how happy I would be if I could live here like this.
「I can’t do that. I have to get out of the forest.」
「Why do you want to leave?」
I hear a sad voice. I feel like I’m getting closer to Serena.
「I was sacrificed in place of my childhood friend. As a result, there will be
no need for a sacrifice, but the people in my country don’t know that. So
unless someone tells them, there will be an another sacrifice next year.」 3
As long as there is a possibility that the sacrifice will be Alicia’s, I have to
return.
「Is this childhood friend your girlfriend?」
I froze for a moment at the unexpected question, but…….
「No, we don’t have that kind of relationship. It’s just that Alicia was the
only person who was kind to me when I was stuck in the city. I have Alicia
to thank for that. If it wasn’t for her, I would have been more lonely in my
life.」
「Hmm, I see……」
She sounded like she was in a bad mood. I felt Serena’s pace quicken, and I
rushed to catch up with her.
「I… I’m going to miss you, Elt.」
Serena took a step ahead of me and turned around to tell me so.
She smiled a somewhat fragile and lonely smile, different from the past.
The ball of light reflected a beautiful image, and the micro-spirits gathered
around Serena as if to create a fantastic scene.
「I…. Elt. I….. about you――」
She has a serious expression and a nervous voice. I try to understand what
Serena is trying to say…….
『Don’t you dare make out in my territory!!』 4
Serena was about to open her mouth when she heard someone shouting.
The next thing I knew, we were on our feet at the bottom of the valley.
「Eh? Eh?」
The sound of someone’s voice made Serena look panicked. It’s as if she
was trying to tell me something she doesn’t want someone else to hear, but
there is someone here and she’s confused.
「Who are you? Show yourself!」
I tugged on Serena’s arm and protectively hugged her. The reason for this
was that I was wary of a hostile opponent at the bottom of a valley like this.
『You’re the one who trespassed into my territory without permission.
Well, I’ll let you have a look at me before I kill you.』
The wind gathered and a tornado erupted in front of us. Serena and I
squinted before the wind…….
「Did you call us here?」
It was a dragon with green scales that appeared in front of us.
『Yes. I am the king of the spirits who control the wind. My name is
Valseti.』
The dragon said as it opened its mouth, which could have swallowed a man
whole.
「You’re lying……right? The Spirit King of the Wind?」
Serena muttered as she grabbed my clothes tightly. Her hands were shaking,
as if she was terrified.
「You little human! What purpose have you come to my home?」
She seemed to have heard Serena’s words and affirmed them.
「Can I ask you a question first? I’ve heard that the higher a spirit is, the
more human it becomes. But you are a dragon, no matter how you look at
it. Are you really the King of Spirits?」
「You idiot, Elt! What are you saying?」
Serena’s face changed color and grabbed me with tears in her eyes.
「If you’re like me, you can change your appearance as much as you want.
I hate humans. That is why I have taken this form.」
The dragon’s eyes lit up and shot through me.
「I see now.」
I nodded to the Spirit King who kindly told me.
「I came here to make a contract with the spirits. In order to escape from
this place, I need the power of the spirits. I want them to help me get back
home.」
I answered the question he had just asked.
『Hahahahaha, you dwarf humans make me laugh. You’re not going to be
able to use my race!』
「Aah!」
The dragon’s shout frightened Serena, and she hugged me tightly.
『Don’t joke with me… It’s very silly. If you suddenly start flirting in my
territory and fool around… You guys will not get out of here alive.』
The dragon looked at us with cold eyes and said…….
『Disappear in the dust! 【Vayu Tornado】』
When the dragon chanted this, a tremendous density of wind was released.
It was incomparable to the strong winds that had just come in. It gouged the
ground and rolled up the earth as it approached. Even if you tried to catch it,
your body would be scraped off the ground as soon as you touch it.
『Hahahaha, not even a speck of dust will be left! You’ll die regretting you
flirted in front of me!』
I can hear him laughing loudly. I put my left hand around the frightened
Serena’s back and put my right hand out…….
「【Stock】」
『What the hellーーーー!?』
The next moment, my status screen was stocked with a wind god-level
magic called Vayu Tornado.
「Looks like we didn’t turn to dust, huh?」
I spoke to the dragon, who was letting loose with his big mouth open…….
『I, impossible… This magic attack could even hurt the evil god… And
you’re left unscathed?』
I could even put the Evil God’s Evil Beam in my inventory. To be honest, I
think it’s overpowered.
『No, that’s not possible! That was just luck! I’m going to shoot a
bunch of them at the same time. I’m not going to be able to get away with
this, even if it’s a fluke!』 1
It’s just like the evil god’s idea. The dragon unleashes a series of Vayu
Tornadoes…….
「No matter how much magic you shoot, they won’t work on me.」
I take the magic that’s flying at me in my inventory one after another.
The the next thing to do would be――
「I’ll bite into you directly, if this is how it’s gonna be!」
I knew it. Do overwhelmingly strong people have similar ideas?
I’ve had the same experience in the past.
――Shupan―― 2
A ray of light ran past the dragon.
『Ha?』
The dragon’s eyes darted and he froze.
「What did I just say? I’ve got to get us out of here alive.」
『No, that attack was…… supposed to be…… from the evil god.』
The dragon shuddered as it backed away.
「That means you’re thinking of me killing you, right?」
If you’re going to take someone else’s life, then of course you’re prepared
to have it taken from you.
I aim the Evil Beam at the dragon’s forehead.
『Wait! Wait!』
I ignored the dragon’s panicked look and tried to hit him with the Evil
Beam. ……
『You! You’ve come to make a contract with a spirit, haven’t you? I will
make a contract with you! So retract that beam!』
I put away my Evil Beam once I heard those words.
「Well, I guess I’ll forgive you for attacking me then.」
I achieved my original goal.

TL: We are going to take a 1 week break from posting chapters on the
website. Reason for this is so that I can finally make a schedule for when I
release chapters, and also stock up on translated chapters so we don’t need
to translate, proofread, post and do all that stuff on the same day. Pretty
stressing and sometimes I’m not even in mood for doing all that.
(Especially doing those previous and next “buttons”, my god.)
All jokes aside (the previous and next part) we are really sorry for this, you
can join our Discord to get updates (I will take an ss of how many chapters
we’ve managed to translate and upload it on discord XD) and also get
notified when a new chapter goes live.
82 Selfless appeal
Scary, Hakukyoku Tenko is scary
As expected of the last boss. I thought that I have gotten immunity since I
have always been in contact with a last boss, but 『4』’s last boss is
nothing compared to 『3』’s
After all, he’s not the complete last boss unless he’s completely eroded by
the beast aura
It’s incomparable to Hakukyoku Tenko, who is a complete last boss from
the beginning
In the first place, she is a beast who has obtained intelligence by living for
thousands of years
An existence comparable to god, there are only 2 beasts who have reached
that level: Hakukyoku Tenko and Tanu-sage
To circumvent beast god Beast, I obtained the beast piece to gain holy beast
mode. However, they are the existences called divine beast or heavenly
beast, who have exceeded that
Since they were originally beasts, they were followers of beast god.
However, they no longer have to obey him as their power have exceeded
him
Ultimate existences
「By the way……?」
I look around
It is disrespectful as I’m in front of an existence equal to god. However,
exactly because I’m in front of such existence, understanding the situation
is a matter of life and death
「This place is……!?」
The scenery I saw was indoor
Moreover, there are wooden floor, Shoji screens, vermilion-painted
handrails and plastered walls
The architectural style is pure Japanese style……, or more precisely, Heian
palace style
It’s indoor, but the room is unbelievably wide, the ceiling is high
That’s why Hakukyoku Tenko with her nine serpent-like tails can easily
stay inside
Moreover, although it’s indoor, there are several sakura trees, and the falling
sakura blossoms are scattering beautifully
This is not a normal space
「This place is……」
I remember
This is 『Beast Fantasy 3』’s last dungeon, 『Infinite lost hall』。
Was it revived together with its lord, Hakukyoku Tenko?
This is a room without limit, created by the distortion of space
I was freely falling a while ago, but it’s understandable if it’s the invitation
to this special dimension
『Are you thinking of escaping?』
「!?」
I was shocked as she hit the bull’s eye suddenly
「no no no no no! How can I be such impolite……!?」
『No need to be scared. You are the benefactor who broke that annoying
seal and freed me, aren’t you? There is no way I can reward you with
punishment』(1)
They are the same word, right?
The meaning of reward and retribution is used depending on the context,
but I feel they are the same
『Honestly, I was sealed and was unable to do anything with my power. By
those who cut a part of me down and sealed me, a young man and a young
girl……』
It’s about Raiga and Kuzuha-san
The implied last battle of 『Beast Fantasy 3』
『Because that seal was granted by god of event Rafar, even I can’t move
my hands and legs. There is no other way than breaking it from the outside,
but it can’t be done by some half-hearted person……you are an amazing
guy contrary to your appearance』(2)
Being called 『Amazing』 by the most amazing existence in the world
Can I boast about it?
No, this is not the time for such foolish talk
I want to finish my business and return soon
「Your gratitude for breaking the seal……I’m sorry for my impoliteness,
but I have a request」
『There it comes』
The youko’s expression looks like she’s saying “as expected”
『Well, if you are saving me, it’s natural that you are calculating
something. There is no one who would save this Hakukyoku Tenko for
free』
「Please don’t lose your nerve by some weird feeling……」
This absolute being, the more we talk, the more troublesome it becomes
Let’s get right to the point
「Your other self, the head of Ninetail, Kuzuha has died」
『Hou……』
「A normal person can’t be revived if they are dead. But if it’s your other
self, the immortal, indestructible you can revive her with your divinity,
right!? Then please! Please revive Kuzuha-san!!」
『No』
An immediate reply
She refused with all her might
『I think I can grant all the wishes of the benefactor who broke the seal, but
that is out of the limit. Think about it. That Kuzuha is one of the
perpetrators who sealed me. If you are my benefactor, she is my enemy』
「Yes……」
『Why would I save my enemy? Rather, I’m satisfied to hear they had a
bad time. Refreshing!……So refreshing』
I can’t say anything because it’s too correct
That is right
I have many things to say, but it’s true that Hakukyoku Tenko and Raiga-
Kuzuha couple had fought each other
It’s unreasonable to tell the loser to not hold a grudge
『…………Then?』
「Yes?」
『Kuzuha was dead, but how about Raiga? Did they go to the other world
together?』
「No, Raiga is still living in this world. But the sorrow from losing his
beloved one is deep, it’s not strange for him to follow her eventually」
『…………』
Hakukyoku Tenko remains silent for a while……。
『……Hmm, serve them right. That is the retribution for opposing this
heavenly beast, this Hakukyoku Tenko, isn’t it? The sorrow of my hateful
enemies is sweeter than nectar! Hohohohohoho!』
As Hakukyoku Tenko laughs, the surrounding space also laughs itself like
an echo
This 『Infinite lost hall』 is a different dimension created by Hakukyoku
Tenko’s youkai power
It directly reflects her emotion, as a part of Hakukyoku Tenko
For a trespasser like me, that is nothing but eerie
『…………The best thing is that it saves my effort to revenge. And you,
I’m satisfied, so you can go home』
「I can’t do that. I take the risk to unseal you for that reason. I can’t go
home without any result」
Hakukyoku Tenko, the last boss of a title, who once tried to destroy the
world
Breaking her seal is, in a sense, the evilest act
At least, if Tanu-sage knows that, I will be beaten to pulp for sure
『You talk too much』
The air cracked
『I am in a bad mood. Don’t be conceited with this debt of gratitude, lowly
human!』
Hakukyoku Tenko, who was elegant like a goddess until now, suddenly
released her beastly intimidation
Disappear if you don’t want to die
It’s as if the whole space is screaming so
「…………I used to think that it’s okay as long as I survive myself」
It was at the start
I reincarnated to this world, predicted the ruined future and struggled to
avoid that
「On the way, I met various people and was helped……each time I think
about that, I wonder if it’s okay for me to be saved alone」
I have a cute little sister
I have a junior disciple, who is like a younger brother to me
I have friends who tried our best together to climb up from the start
I have to wives
There are also two generation of rulers, who I don’t mind serving although I
said this and that to them
「I don’t want to survive alone. I want to go to the happy future with all of
them. I won’t abandon anyone for that」
In order to save Sero and Raiga, the dead Kuzuha-san must be revived by
any means
If Hakukyoku Tenko is only one person in this world who can do that……
「I will have you grant my wish no matter what……!」
『What are you saying』
Hakukyoku Tenko shows a shocked expression……。
『That is certainly Raiga’s wish. That is the wish of another person, isn’t it?
You want to seriously fight for another person’s sake. That’s
selfless……？』
The nine serpent-like tails begin to wriggle
『Then try it? How much is your selflessness? Will you worry about
another person when your arm is torn? Will you worry about them when
your leg is crushed? How far can you love other person than yourself? If
your feeling is not changed even when your head is smashed, it’s real!』
It has come to this after all……!?
I have partly prepared, but it seems like I must fight Hakukyoku Tenko to
make her grant my wish
『Then fight! Show your resolution to this Hakukyoku Tenko! In the event
where you convinced me splendidly! I won’t be hesitant to grant your
unreasonable demand!!』
Emotions
The Grass of Life has cured Raven and Rita. They seem to be surprised
why I used such a precious recovery herb. I just wanted to check it.
“I guess we’ll be fine now. Are you injured, Milsy?”
She seemed to be fine, but I had to check. I still have one more Grass of
Life left.
“I’m fine.”
She sticks her hands out in front of me to show that she is okay.
“Well, do you think you can make it back to the city? The city is in that
direction.” I ask them.
I can tell the general direction of the city by the position of the sun. I
wanted to hunt until the very last minute, so I memorized the position of the
sun and the direction of the city.
“Yeah, well, I’m fine. If I was not hurt, we wouldn’t have lost to the
Goblins.”
With that, Raven stood up, but he was unarmed, as if he had left his
weapon somewhere. Apparently, he had been injured farther away from
here. His weapon was also farther away from here.
Noticing his unarmed state, Raven picks up a rusty sword beside the
Goblin’s corpse.
“It looks okay.”
He said and tried to leave.
“What? Hey! Wait a minute. You’re the kid who was inside the
Adventurer’s Guild last time, aren’t you?”
He finally had enough time from the near-death situation to think about
Allen.
“Yes, but what about it?
Allen replied with a troubled look on his face.
(No, honestly, if you can get back to the city on your own, move along. I
want to get back to hunting.)
 Thanks to this, more than an hour of my time has passed. It’s a precious
day off. I want to resume hunting.
“I really want to thank you.”
“No, no, no, no. It’s okay.”
I don’t want to waste any more time.
(No, I have a quota to kill 60 Goblins today. Why don’t you understand
that? Please go away now.)
Raven will never understand that.
“What can I do for you?”
Raven asked me again and again. He doesn’t back down, saying he really
wants to thank me. I thought about it.
“So Raven you’re an Adventurer, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. As you can see.”
“I’m very busy today, so can you tell me more about being an Adventurer
next time?”
“Okay sure.”
Raven waits for the next words.
(No, that’s all. Why do you look like you are waiting for me to say
something?)
“And please don’t tell anyone about me.”
“Okay. I won’t.”
The other two also nodded. Raven is still looking for something. For
Raven, Allen has become the person who saved him from a bad situation
and spent two Mullerse flowers that cost many Gold Coins.
“That’s about it, among other things, I suppose. I’ll take all the magic
stones from the Goblins. Oh!”
(Ah, the magic stones!)
Allen said that he would take the magic stones of the five fallen Goblins.
Then he remembered something important.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have access to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Hmm? That’s right.”
“I’m looking for E-rank magic stones.”
I went to the magic tool shop but when I asked the shop owners to sell
me an E rank magic stone, they said that they buy them but do not sell
them.
“Hmm.”
“So, how about all the Goblin magic stones here and 100 E-rank magic
stones? How about this as a thank you?”
I asked them to collect 100 E-rank magic stones for me.
“Oh, are you sure about that?” He asked me
“Of course. Do you live in the city of Grandver?
“Yes, I’m staying at an inn in the city of Grandver.”
“I see. I’ll specify the date and pick it up at the inn. You can leave it with
the receptionist at the inn, saying that someone named Allen will come and
get it.”
They said that I could collect it in about a week. Raven wondered if this
was really a good idea, but then seemed to back down. Allen started to
collect the Goblin’s magic stones.
“So, have a safe trip back to the city.”
“Yeah, and thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome.” Allen replied.
Then, without looking back, he left the scene as fast as he could and
returned the way he came.
He ran for quite a distance and stopped.
(Thanks to you, I have wasted a lot of time. Well, I can get 100 E-rank
magic stones as a reward, so that’s good. Now, what should I do? I’d like to
go back to hunting, but I need to sort out what happened earlier.)
I have to check what happened with the adventurers.
(First, the Grass of Life. It’s definitely an HP Herb. I never thought I’d
check its effects like this. It turns out that the effect is activated when it
touches the wound.)
(There are two types of recovery potion, though this one is probably a
fixed-value recovery potion.)
Allen had played a lot of games when he was Kenichi. In every game,
there was a number that indicates the amount of HP (health points) or life
points. This indicated the amount of health the game character had and
would die when it reached zero. To recover this amount of health, there
were recovery potions or food or so on.
There are two types of ways in which recovery potions work.
-Recovers a certain percentage of your maximum health
-Recovers a fixed value
For example, a character with 1000 health will recover 300 health if the
potion recovers 30% of the maximum health.
And if the potion recovers 500 health at a fixed value, the character will
recover 500 health regardless of his or her maximum health.
Considering the difference between Rodan and Raven, Rodan took more
than a month to start walking even after using Mullerse’s Flower. When
Raven used it, he regained consciousness on the spot and got up and picked
up his sword. It was like his wounds were reversed.
(If you think about it, the flower of Mullerse is a percentage healer, and the
grass of life is a fixed value healer.)
If the Grass of Life is a percentage recovery type, then it would have a
100% recovery effect. That’s too much of a performance jump. It’s still an
E-rank after all.
I quickly noted my findings in my Grimoire.
(Well, that’s about it. Then the Grimoire.)
“Killed 1 Goblin. You have acquired 160 experience points.”
“Killed 1 Goblin. You have acquired 160 experience points.”
“Killed 1 Goblin. You have acquired 160 experience points.”
 The cover of the Grimoire shows a log of the experience gained from
killing three Goblins.
(That’s 80 percent of the experience you get when you kill one alone.)
(Me and three other adventurers who were there. Hmm…)
I re-check the distribution of the experience value.
(I see. So the experience gained is not based on the total number of people
involved in the battle. If more than one player kills a magical beast, it’s
calculated as a certain percentage of the experience points as compared to
when it is defeated by one person.)
In some games, you have to hunt with a large group of people, and if you
divide the experience by the number of people, the experience becomes
very small, so the experience distributions were sometimes 60% or 80% of
what it would have been if the boss had been killed alone.
(Great Boar’s gave me 400 experience points. And it was defeated by a
group of 20-40 people. It means 400 is some percentage of its actual
experience potential. If I assume it as 60%, the actual experience value
would be around 600. But I don’t think the experience potential of a C-rank
Great Boar would only be about 2.5 times that of a Goblin. So the actual
experience value is 1000?) [TN: Experience Potential means the amount of
experience one would get if the magical beast is soloed.)
Allen’s estimate of the experience value distribution was:
-If 2-4 people killed a Great Boar, it will give 80% of the experience
potential
-If 20 to 40 people a Great Boar, it will give 40% of the experience
potential
(Well, that’s about it.)
I record an explanation of the effects of the Grass of Life and the
distribution of experience in the Grimoire.
(Okay, that’s enough of that. The problem is Eagle. Come out.)
An E-rank Bird appears. The visibility here is not as bad as in the forest
or woods. Therefore, Allen summoned the Eagle in the sky. Allen only
summons E-rank Tigers during battle or when collecting magical stones. As
much as possible, he doesn’t act with his summons out. This is to avoid
being seen by Adventurers.
Then I ordered the eagle to come down on the ground.
“Why did you ignore my instructions?”
When Allen said these words, the Eagle shrunk its body in apology.
“Did you feel sorry for him? Did you want to help that adventurer?”
The Eagle nodded lightly which left Allen quite speechless, and not just
for a moment.
“So you have emotions right?”
Then the Eagle nodded his head, listening to what I was talking about.
I didn’t know how much but yes, the summon had emotions and
intelligence.
Allen had always thought of summons as something that could only
move mechanically only when instructed to do so. They can only do what
they are told to do. He thought that they were only capable of following
orders.
(I thought they were just something that Summoners could use skillfully
based on their status and special skills.)
But that wasn’t the case. The highly intelligent Eagle prioritized its own
emotions over the Summoner’s instructions. It then led Allen to the
wounded and dying adventurer.
The summon had emotion and had also formed a will.
(So this is a Summoned beast created by God?)
If God had the power to create humans and the world, it would be easy for
him to create Summons with emotion.
“I’m not accusing you of anything, Eagle.”
I stroked the head of the E-rank Bird.
“Well, I’m going to change my instructions next time, so make sure you
follow them”.
“Peeeee.”
 The E-rank Eagle spread its wings and cried loudly. Allen interpreted it
as Eagle saying ‘Yes’.
Order
It was the end of December. The next time I went out hunting again, I
was safely able to get 100 E-rank magic stones from Raven. I told him that
he could leave them at the Guild’s reception desk, but Raven took the
trouble to wait for me to come.
There is a big difference between a summoned beast having an emotion
and not having one. I’ve been thinking about how to live as a Summoner,
and how to develop my skills, while I continue to work as a manservant.
(Well, for the time being, it’s fine as it is. It’s because if you ask me whether
it’s better to have an emotion or not, it’s definitely better too. It gives me
more things to do.)
“Good morning Allen.”
“Good morning.”
“What’s up? Something on your mind?”
I was approached by the Head Chef in the servants’ dining room. He’s
been talking to me a lot lately. I was lying on my back, thinking and waiting
for my turn, when he seemed to notice me.
“No no, there’s nothing on my mind.”
“Here, this is a bonus. Eat up.”
The Head Chef, who was about the same age as the Butler, put a slightly
larger piece of meat in Allen’s soup bowl.
“Oh, thank you, sir.”
“What? Why is it just Allen? I want some meat too”.
“Ahh, Rickel. You haven’t done anything. Allen has already caught ten
Horned Rabbits for us.”
”No way!” lamented Rickel, the head manservant.
I caught ten Horned Rabbits in two hunts. I’ve decided to take five
horned rabbits per hunt. I’ve been hunting from morning till night, so I’ve
caught five of them, which is about right. I’ve gotten 100 E-rank magic
stones from Raven and Co., but I still need more of them.
 When I caught five of them, the Butler didn’t seem to expect me to catch
so many. This world doesn’t have magical beasts that are densely packed.
The Horned Rabbit is a single entity. It would already be considered to
catch two in one hunt.
The Chef was happily dismantling ten Horned Rabbits the size of a
medium-sized dog. Thanks to this, the Chef started to talk to me. The meat
comes with a few extras. A meal of bread, vegetable scraps, and soup with a
few pieces of meat was a slight improvement.
“Next spring, Young Lord Mihai will be back.”
(Hmm? Mihai? The eldest son, Mihai, who’s in the Academy?)
Mihai is the eldest son of the Lord.
I listen to the Head Chef while holding the food.
“So, I have asked him to bring me some honey from the Royal Capital as
souvenir. Have you ever tried it? It’s very sweet.”
“No, I haven’t. I’d like to try it.”
“Well, the Big Toads will come out in early spring. If you get them, I’ll
sneak you some honey.”
“Oh! Really? Then I’ll do my best to get them.”
(I want to eat honey. Big Toads, they won’t come out until spring, are they
hibernating like frogs?)
“Hey! What are you talking to Allen about? It’s a D-rank magical beast
you’re talking about. You can’t take this seriously, Allen.”
Rickel reacts beside me. He was talking loudly, so it wasn’t stealthy at
all. The servants around us were also asking what’s going on.
I ate my meal and started the morning by cleaning up Cecile’s room as
usual. After the cleaning was done, I washed the laundry. Basically, I don’t
have to stay close to Cecile. I cleaned and did chores in the mansion
without saying a word.
While I was cleaning, the Commander of the Knight Order came into the
building.
“Welcome, sir.”
“Mm.”
 I greeted the Knight Commander. The Knight Commander does not live
in the mansion. He is the leader of the Knights, and he often comes here
because he has business with Baron Granvelle.
I asked Rickel about the work of the Knights. I asked him if the Knights
were at war with a neighboring country, and he said that they were not.
In the first place, he told me that this Granvelle territory is not in contact
with any other country.
The main job of the Knights was to defeat bandits and magical beasts.
They also ask adventurers to do the same, but in order to maintain
discipline in the territory, they deal with matters that adventurers would not
accept. Rickel tells me everything that I want to know.
He often comes to the mansion to receive requests from the Naron and to
report on his duties.
After the afternoon’s work was over, I served dinner. I was told that the
Knight Commander would be joining the dinner today. The Knight
Commander and the Vice-Commander sometimes join the dinner like this.
The servants have gotten used to it.
“Thank you, sir.”
”Oh! Rodan’s son. I’m sure you’ve heard that the village of Kurena has
successfully defeated twenty Boars again.”
The Knight Commander praised me.
“It seems so, sir.”
The village’s goal of defeating twenty boars this year was completed at the
end of November. We were forced to hunt them three times before the Lord
arrived. I recall Rodan saying that the rest should be done once every ten
days. It seems they’ve reached their targeted number of kills with plenty of
time to spare.
(If you have already hunted so much, why haven’t they arrived yet?)
Then Cecile’s brother, Thomas, gave me an ugly look. He said that Boar
meat used to be available in the winter.
(Hmm? If you put it that way, it does indeed not make sense. I’m pretty sure
the Boar we caught in October has already been brought to Grandver.)
 In December, the meat of the Boar caught in October should have been
processed and brought to the city. Tons of it must have been brought in, but
I’ve not been serving it and hardly seen any of it is either.
Thomas was disappointed when the Baron told him not to be selfish.
(You’re rather strict with children, aren’t you?)
(If the King is asking for it, does that mean the Boar meat is going to the
Royal Capital?)
When I was thinking about the destination of the Boar’s meat, Thomas
spoke to the Knight Commander.
“Zenov, are you going to catch Deer this year?”
It’s Tomas who speaks with anticipation. The Knight Commander,
Zenov, looks at Baron Granvelle. The Baron shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Master Thomas”
“Eh~?”
He was clearly disgusted.
“Thomas! That’s not a Knight’s job!”
Baron Granvelle finally gets angry at Thomas’s selfishness, and since
Thomas is very frightened. The Baron continues
“This year’s New Year’s greeting will be a very simple one. No boars and
no deers.”
He seemed to be referring to the New Year’s party to be held at the
mansion.
“Well, I guess so. Even if the main meat is simple, it can’t be helped this
year.”
It seems that the New Year’s party is held every year in a big way. Both
the Baron and the Butler seemed to be disappointed about this. A sigh leaks
out.
Baroness Granvelle looked disappointed. Thomas was looking at his
mother’s sad face. Thomas talks to Allen, who was serving.
“Hey, Allen.”
“Yes, what can I do for you?”
“You’re a great hunter, aren’t you? Go and get us a Deer.”
“Deer? Do you mean White Deer?”
Allen had already begun to catch the Horned Rabbits. In a world where
there aren’t many things to look forward to, food is a big part of the
enjoyment.
Even if you are a Baron, you can’t be that extravagant. Thanks to Allen,
the Baronial dinners have become more lavish than ever in recent days
because of Horned Rabbit meat.
In addition to the fact that the boy with dark eyes and black hair, who is
only eight years old, has become a manservant, he has attracted a lot of
attention. There was a lot of talk about who this guy was. As a result,
everyone in the house, including the servants, knew that Allen’s father was
a hero of the village, who was called Rodan the Boar Hunter, and became a
commoner because of his skill.
They are aware that the son of a hunting hero is using his talent to catch
Horned Rabbits all over the place.
At first, the Head Chef asked Allen to catch a magical beast. And now it’s
Thomas.
“Yes, catch it for me!”
He ordered me as if it was a matter of course.
White Deer is a magical beast that also appears in winter. Basically, we
hunt Boars because they have more meat.
(White Deer, maybe it’s a C-ranked magical beast like the Great Boar. Now
that I’ve raised my level, I should try to defeat it once to see how strong it
is.)
Thomas said to me with a carefree smile. He didn’t doubt Allen at all.
“Yes, sir. I’ll get a White Deer for you.”
Everyone was listening to this conversation. But no one stopped saying
that it was impossible.
White Deer (1)
It is New Year’s in three days. Since today was a day off, Allen left the
mansion in the morning as the snow was falling. He borrowed a pair of
boots made of woven straw.
“Oh, you’re going out again today? Do you have boots? The snow is deep
in some places, so be careful.”
“I borrowed the boots from the gardener. I thought I might need it today.”
The gatekeeper asked me and I answered.
A large shovel was strapped to Allen’s back with a rope. The rope used to
tie the shovel was also borrowed from the stable.
I said, “I’ll be careful,” and walked out of the gate.
It took more than ten minutes to walk through the snow. I left the city and
kept on walking until I came to a sparsely forested area.
(Well, what should I do? Maybe I should just hunt Goblins in the morning.
No, it’s going to take a long time, so I’ll just concentrate on hunting Deer
today. Come on out, Eagles.)
Six Eagles appeared in the sky.
(There is a large deer beast called White Deer. It has white fur and has two
horns over two meters long, so it is instantly recognizable. It can be up to
10 km away, so find one as close to me as possible.)
The Eagles dispersed and began their search.
(Okay, let’s get started. Mogusuke, come out. Dig a hole.)
Four G-rank Moles appeared in front of me. I instructed them to use their
special skill to dig a hole in the snowy ground. The snow was shoveled
away, and the four of them gradually created one big hole.
After finding out that the summoned beasts have emotions, I added a few
things to Eagles’ instructions.
I instructed them to look for the magical beast. However, if it is an
emergency and the adventurer needs help, come to me immediately. Stop at
a tree and chirp three times in a row if it is an emergency so that I can easily
tell if it is an emergency.
 Allen travels quite a distance around the city, several kilometers in a
day’s hunt. And after that much travel, he’s bound to come across some
dead or near-dead adventurers. There is no such thing as a safe adventure.
(I have to communicate well.)
Summoned beasts have their own emotion. And that’s why they
sometimes go against instructions. They were not complete dummies.
( Will a summon that has an emotion also vanish after 30 consecutive
days?)
When I was in Kurena’s Village, I checked the summoning time of
summons and it was 30 days. That’s 30 days regardless of their rank, which
means they can be active for a month without needing to eat. It can move
on its own accord. The possibilities are endless.
While I was thinking about this, three Eagles came back.
(Okay, is there any prey within a kilometer?)
They don’t come down. I gradually increased the distance and asked the
question, and at five kilometers, one of them came down.
(Five kilometers, huh. That’s a good distance.)
If the summon is more than 50 meters away, it can’t be instructed. Like G-
rank Mole for example, it is not very intelligent, so it stops digging holes
when it is more than 50 meters away from me. I have to instruct it to
activate its special skill even when it’s by my side at all times. It is still in
the process of digging a hole. I’m waiting for the hole to be completed
while using a shovel to compact the excavated soil in one place.
It took a long time because the hole was dug quite deep.
As soon as the hole was completed, I headed for the White Deer. Thanks
to my straw boots, I could make good progress walking on the snow.
As soon as I had traveled the expected five kilometers, I saw a magical
beast eating a horned rabbit. It was a little shorter than the Great Boar at
shoulder and height, but if you included its neck and head, it was about 3.5
meters tall. It had horns that were at least two meters long on each side,
extending from its head horizontally to the ground.
(Oh! Ohh!)
 It was the White Deer that we had caught in Kurena Village. I remember
that it was so rare that it was hard to find, and that we have only caught
about one, probably because the population of it was very small.
I summon the G-rank Insect behind a tree.
(Okay, provoke it.)
Since my opponent is a C-rank magical beast, I summon four of them,
one more than I did with Albaheron, a D-rank magical beast.
The G-rank Frogs that appeared out of nowhere jumped a little distance
and performed their special skill, Provocation.
“Bururun!”
White Deer noticed the Frogs and rushed forward through the snow
without a care. I retracted them just as they were about to be crushed.
The Frogs instantly disappeared and turned into a card. I summoned them
again a bit farther than the Deer and instructed them to use Provocation
again. The White Deer continued chasing the Frogs. Repeating this over
and over again, I led the Deer to the hole that I had dug earlier. I was
wearing a rather noticeable shade in the silvery-white world but thanks to
the Deer’s angry state, it didn’t seem to notice me sneaking around behind
the trees.
Finally, I led it to the end of the line, the hole.
The four Frogs jumped up and down with a provocative bounce.
“Bururun!”
White Deer jumped straight at them and tried to eat them. However, it
didn’t seem to notice the pit that I had hidden in the snow. It fell at once.
(Hmm, I wonder if Provocation lowers intelligence as well. It was pretty
easy.)
I pondered this as I looked at White Deer, who was stuck in the pit.
It hurriedly tried to get up to the surface, but it was impossible. The hole
was ten meters deep. However, White Deer did not fall to the bottom of the
pit. The width of the hole is a little more than two meters. The Deer’s horns
were longer than the width of the hole, so the horns got caught and
prevented her from falling to the bottom of the pit.
 It was as if White Deer was sticking out of the ground with just its face.
Before the pit collapses, Allen runs toward White Deer and grabs its
neck. White Deer tried desperately to shake him off, but all of its legs were
in the air and it was unable to exert any strength.
Allen, still holding on to its neck, puts all his strength into one hand and
thrusts the dagger into the Deer’s neck. A different cry from the furious one
it had just made filled the surrounding area, but Allen stabbed again and
again until he pierced a vital blood vessel in the neck. He had cut the artery
in the Deer’s neck. As soon as he pulled out the dagger, the fresh blood that
spurted out went over the edge of the hole and colored the silvery-white
world in red.
After a while, the White Deer stopped moving.
Allen opened his Grimoire and confirmed that a log was being shown on
the cover.
“You have defeated one White Deer. You have acquired 2500 experience
points.”
(Really?)
After confirming that he had defeated it, Allen dragged it up to the
ground with all his strength. He continued to pull it to a large tree. He tied
three ropes tightly to each of its hind legs and threw it over the branch of
the tree. As he pulled the rope hanging down with all his strength, the
White Deer hung upside down in the air.
Blood dripped from the veins in its neck.
(I’ll have to drain the blood. Still, it’s pretty heavy, hopefully, this will
lighten it up a bit. Well, let’s get this over with.)
(But then again, experience efficiency is so bad. Just 2500 experience after
a whole day of hunting.)
Allen, who has a quota of 100 Goblins, earns over 20,000 experience in
one day off. Today, I had to dig a deep hole, lure the Deer, drain its blood
and clean up after my hunt. It’s going to be difficult to go hunting from now
on. It took me a whole day to hunt just one White Deer.
(The meat alone weighs 500 kilograms, and at one Silver per kilogram,
that’s five gold coins. I’ll have to thank the Butler later.)
 Since I didn’t gain any experience, I think it’s not worth it if I don’t at
least get paid for it. There are many things I want to buy. I haven’t bought
any new weapons or armor since I came to this town.
After hours of bloodletting, it was already past 4 pm. The blood seems to
have drained off quite a bit. I slowly lowered White Deer to the ground.
I tied White Deer’s legs to its body so that they don’t get in my way
when I carry them. The shovel was also in the way, so I tied it too.
I changed my summons from G-rank Frogs to E-rank Tigers to increase
the Strength as much as possible. Then I put all my strength into carrying
White Deer on my back.
(Oh man, it’s really heavy. I’m going to have a backache. Let’s go back to
town.)
Now that the hunt for White Deer was safely over, Allen was going to
carry it back to the mansion.
Chapter 75: Don’t you dare laugh
this off
I thought that I would have been able to explore the dungeon without
getting noticed—especially by Selen—if I hid in a bag and asked Goate-san
to carry it.

“But village chief…”

“I really, really have to go to the dungeon to test something out.”
“But if Captain Selen finds out…”
“Of course, I’ll take on all responsibility. I’ll make sure you won’t get
punished in any way because of this. I promise.”

Persuading Goate-san like that, I managed to slip in with the exploration

team.
It was going so well. So much so that I managed to the enter the dungeon.
However, not long after…

“…hold on a second. Do you hear that? It almost sounds like breathing…”

Oh no. Did Selen notice me…?

Apparently, she found something odd with the bag I was hiding in.
Goate-san tried to deceive her, and when it seemed like it worked.

“Got ya!”

Selen suddenly grabbed hold of my body through the bag.

And then, she began moving her fingers. Because her hand was around my
sides, I wasn’t able to endure.

“…! Ah, wai–! Ahahaaha…! Ahahahahahaha!”

Due to Selen’s merciless tickling, I let out a laugh.

“Se–Selen! That tickles! Ahahahaha!”

“That’s weird. Provision shouldn’t mind what I’m doing, right?”
“Alright, alright, I get it! Stop already! Ahahahahahahahahaha!”
“Then come out right now.”

Accepting that I couldn’t hide anymore, I crawled out of the bag.

“Haa, haa… I thought I was gonna die of laughter…”

“““Village Chief!?”””

While everyone else was surprised, Selen simply glared at me.

“Didn’t I say it’s too dangerous here, so you should stay in the village!?”
“A…ahaha…”
“Don’t you dare laugh this off.”

…so scary…but, well, it can’t be helped now that I’ve been discovered. At
least I’ve accomplished my main goal.

But then…
“…! Something’s coming!”

The one who shouted was Marco-san, the one who had the [Danger
Perception] Gift.
When we directed our vision toward the depths of the dungeon, we quickly
saw a silhouette of a being approaching us at a high spped..

“Awoooooooooo!!”
“It’s a bloodhound!”

It was a wolf-type monster that was about 4 meters in length.

“Leave this to me.”

“Get behind us, village chief!”

While Philia-san moved forward and readied her bow, I hurried toward the
back.

Hmm, I think this can be a chance for me. If things go well, I might even get
Selen to reconsider.

<<20 village points will be consumed to build an earthen wall. Proceed?

*Yes||No>>

And so, before Philia-san let loose her arrows, I formed a wall in front of
the wolf monster.

“Gyaau!?”
The wolf monster crashed into the wall and cried in pain.
After confirming that I could build facilities even here, I proceeded use
Facility Customization on the wall. The result was a humanoid golem that
was about 5 meters tall.
I made that golem hit the wolf. Of course, the wolf fought back, but because
it was a golem, it felt nothing.

I then made the golem wrap itself around the wolf, completely restricting
the latter’s movements.

“Gaugaugaugau!?”

The wolf monster struggled to break free but to no avail.

“W-what’s happening…?”
“Philia-san, shoot it down while we have the chance.”
“R-roger.”

Philia-san then let loose arrows one after the other, and all of them hit the
bound wolf monster right in the head.
Before long, the light in the monster’s eyes faded.

“Amazing! All of them hit!”

“N-never mind that, what just happened!?”
“Yeah! Are those your walls!? How!?”

Philia-san and Selen both drew closer to me and asked so.

“I used the Territory Takeover skill and made the dungeon a part of the
village. Thanks to that, the things I could do back home like building walls
and making that golem-like thing fight, I can now do them here as well.”

I said so, proudly.

I thought that if I used Territory Takeover on the dungeon, I might be able
to make it a part of the village. In order to use it though, I first needed to be
within a certain distance of the place I wanted to takeover, meaning I
myself needed to go to the newly discovered dungeon.
Unfortunately, Selen, who was unaware of my plan, refused to give me
permission to come with them on account of it being too dangerous. So, I
decided to ask Goate-san to smuggle me in.
And just like I hoped, I was able to make the dungeon a part of the village.

“And that’s why I’m able to build things here as well. This should prove
useful to the investigation, I’d say.”

After all, I could build us a safe zone in this danger-filled dungeon.

“But Luke-dono, what was with that golem?”

“That’s the result of my most recent practice session. You see, I made a
golem that could be ridden the other day, but I thought there might be a
more practical use for it.”

The rideable golem I made didn’t turn out as great as I hoped. It was
uncomfortable to ride in, begging the question why I would want to be
inside it when I could control it just fine from the outside. Thanks to that
and a little practice, I could now control it to the point that I was able to
beat that monster.

“What do you think, Selen? I bet even you’d say I’m an asset now!”
I made the golem come closer, and then made it pose for better appeal.

By the way, making it move didn’t cost a point at all. What did cost points
was repairing it, but it was mostly an insignificant amount.

“Y-yes, but…”

As expected, even the overprotective Selen had no retort this time.

“And now that the dungeon’s a part of the village, there’s no more problem
for me to join the investigation, right?”
“Hmm, I agree. Besides, it’s only natural for a boy his age to be full of
curiosity. If you try to suppress that curiosity too much, you’d might end up
getting hated.”

Philia-san backed me up.

It didn’t feel great to be treated as a child, but then again, for someone as
long-lived as she was, I might as well be a toddler.

“F-fine! It’d be more troublesome if you decide to explore on your own

anyway. But you have to stay in the middle of the group, alright!? Noel,
guard Luke at all cost!”
“Yes! I’ll guard the village chief with my life!”

Like that, I was allowed to join the investigation team.

I didn’t mention it, but I haven’t incorporated the whole dungeon into the
village yet.
The reason for that was the specifics of the Territory Takeover skill:
<<Note, however, that the piece of territory you want to acquire must be
within a 50-meter radius around you.>>

This condition applied in this dungeon as well.

In other words, I’ve acquired nothing more than the entrance of the
dungeon. And to acquire more, I needed to dive deeper into the dungeon.

At any rate, we resumed the exploration.

We went down the gentle slope until the path split into two.

“A fork, huh.”
“Right now, I don’t sense danger coming from either one, but…”

Those were the words of Marco-san who had the [Danger Perception] Gift.

For some reason though, Kamuru-san who had [Dungeon Exploration]

seemed restless.

“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing, it’s nothing…”
“Please feel free to say whatever’s bothering you, no matter how trivial or
wrong it might seem to you.”
“……”

After waiting a while, Kamuru-san nervously spoke.

“I…I don’t know why, but for some reason…the path to the right seems to
be the correct one, but it also feels it’s the harder path…on the other hand,
the left path seems like the wrong one, but it feels like the easier path…”
“Hmm, I don’t really understand.”
“But if that intuition is because of his Gift, it’s worth checking out what it
means.”

This was the first fork in the dungeon, so we should check both paths
eventually.

“For now, let’s go check the path on the right.”

The Principle of a Philosopher by
Eternal Fool “Asley” – Chapter
198, Team Asley’s Great
Transformation
With everyone surrounding me in a circle, Pochi was the first to raise her
hand.

“All right! Make me a cute girl, sir!”

Oh, I see… Turning Pochi into a human… Right, right… now hol’ up a
minute – there’s no way that’s gonna happen.

“Nope, no way in hell!”

“HUH?! WHY NOT?!”

“You’re a beast and act like one, that’s why – I turn you into a non-beast,
and your disguise is as good as blown! Besides, I can’t do illusion spells
that high-leveled. You’d have better luck asking God for that.”

“Oh, God! Why are you God?!”

She actually started praying, and Chappie followed suit, imitating her
actions. I ignored them both and grabbed Bright by his shoulders.

“I-is something the matter… Instructor?”

His eyes were showing some wavering for once, perhaps since I’d done that
so suddenly.

“Master Bright, the heart of this operation rests with you.”

As if he could sense my passionate intentions, Bright quickly regained his

composure and looked back at me, his eyes full of determination.

“Anything you need, Instructor – you can trust me to get it done!”

He’s still got those innocent, childish eyes on him.

But I’m thankful for that. Never had I thought he would be so enthusiastic
as to say ‘anything’… I’ll have to give this my best shot.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Noooooo! NOOOOOO!!”

Pochi is now throwing a tantrum. Good thing we’re at a distance from the
enemy, so they didn’t notice, otherwise I’d have to scold her for her
carelessness again.
Well, I had been screaming quite a lot since a few moments ago, too… is it
THAT bad?
…Referring to this transformation, of course.

“But why?! WHY?! Do I really have to disguise myself as a heifer?!”

“Not like there’s any option – when you think of something to pull carts,
it’d be either oxen or horses, but a little cow is the closest you’ll look.”

“Then why can’t you at least make me a horse, sir?!”

“That’s what I’d like to do at first, but from what I’ve seen through
Telescopic Vision, it looked like this Nation uses carts more commonly than
carriages. That, and more oxen than horses. You know, it’s like how you
gotta hide a tree in a forest, yeah?”

“T-this is too much…”

Pochi covered her face with her paws, not even minding the fact that they
were covered in dirt. She’d normally wipe them clean first, so she must hate
what she’s being subjected to THAT much.
Chappie, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself…?

“I’m an ox! Look, father! I’ve turned into an ox!”

I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I’d prefer that you don’t talk…
Using an illusion spell applied with the formula of Swindle Sleight, the
body of a Violet Phoenix had been changed to that of a jet-black ox.
Being an illusion, it technically wasn’t an actual transformation, but since it
would deceive the eyes of both those looking at the target and the target
themselves, I suppose it could be considered as such.

“Here’s what you two will be saying.”

I handed them the script that I had just improvised.

“…Moo~~”

“Moo~~”

“……Moo~~”

“Moo~~!”

“Master!! Are you messing with me or what?! There’s nothing aside from
‘moo’ written here!”

Pochi threw the script paper flat onto the ground. I ignored her, turning
around and walking the other way.
It’s not like I’d had any other choice. If I hadn’t made up something to limit
them, they’d probably run their mouths however they pleased.
And normal cows weren’t supposed to even talk, after all.
Pochi hasn’t transformed yet, but thanks to the colors of her fur, changing
her form should be relatively easy.
Again, I’ve got to ignore Pochi for now, because there’s a more important
problem…
It’s a good thing we’d managed to take out a cart that had been kept in the
Storeroom, but the problem here was the beautiful boy shivering behind it.
His facial expression was utterly crumbled as he did his best to put up with
his new… head.

“This can’t be happening…! Whywhywhywhy…! How did I…?!”

Today, Bright was failing quite hard at hiding his personality, what with him
exuding a great deal of anger from just his mumblings.
I deliberately kicked the pebbles on the ground around as I walked up to
him, making it clear that I was approaching.

“…Excuse me?!”

Bright turned around, revealing the new style his hair had been done into –
one that I had seen at one point at the Colorful Food District.
On that occasion, Haruhana had taught me that this beautiful hairdo was
called the ‘six-section’, and was worn even by children in this Eastern land.
In styling Bright’s hair, I had made an illusion-induced wig by remembering
the difficult process I had been taught… and watching from afar the heads
of the children of T’oued.

“What’s the matter, ‘Aki’? We’re about to leave now.”

“Ngh…! Instructor! What is the point of me dressing like a lady?!”

“Oh, there’s a very good reason for that, Ma- I mean, Aki. It’s because you
are the enemy’s main target, you see? Since just your new face wouldn’t do
the disguise justice, I had to put some makeup on. Moreover, changing your
outward appearance to that of a girl would make them far less suspicious of
us. Fortunately, most of the people of T’oued have black hair, so I can say
with confidence – ‘Aki’ will fit right in with my coordination!”

Aki clenched his fists while looking quite frustrated, apparently still not
convinced.
In fact, he was squeezing so hard that he might bleed if he were to squeeze
any harder.

“..B-but, Instructor… Can you say the same for this dress…?!”
Aki grabbed the collars of his dress, openly expressing his dissatisfaction
with it.

“Quite impressive, is it not? It’s made by my senior… in fact, it’s her

masterpiece!”

One of the many Eastern masterpieces that Melchi had made while messing
around. Base color of light green, decorating patterns of autumn leaves.
She had said it was for herself, but had gotten bored of it after wearing it
just once, and in the end, she had me put it in my Storeroom. Well, more
like casually dropped it in.
I had tried measuring Aki’s stature to compare to Melchi’s, and they turned
out to match up quite well.
Perhaps thanks to having worn it for a few minutes already, Aki looked
more like an actual girl the more frustration and embarrassment he was
showing.

“T-this… this isn’t what I came to T’oued for… ngh-!”

“This is what you have to do to GO to T’oued. Please bear with it.

Besides…”

“Wh-what now?”

Not that I could tell myself, but… I must have laughed at least a bit there.
Creepy, menacing, unsettling… and invigorated.

“You did say ‘anything I needed’ and that I could ‘trust you to get it done’,
Aki.”
“Ngh…!”

All had been done in the name of teaching Aki the various ways of the
world and its people. I, on the other hand, wore a dark brown, Eastern-style
gown – one with ‘for Ash use only’ written on the inner side of its collar –
and cast an illusion to alter my appearance.
Pochi, who had been glancing at me to see what kind of face I would get,
was quite taken aback by the finished product… and burst into an old man’s
gnarly laughter.

“Hyahyahya! It’s Sir Tūs! A mini-Tūs! Ahahahahahyahyahyahyahya!”

Pochi slapped the ground so hard that she was scattering dust clouds
everywhere.
That’s right – I had transformed into Tūs. The most memorable face Pochi
and I had seen ever since we began our journey.
A loathsome face this may be, but the more memorable it was, the easier it
was to visualize.
The only modifications I had made were the darker skin tone, and switching
his mutilated ears for normal ones. And the size scaled for my body, of
course.
Hmm, this should do nicely.

“…Is there nothing else we could try, sir?”

Pochi dropped her shoulders, looking discouraged.

“This is the best my little brain could come up with.”

“I’ll just have to live with it, then.”

Pochi understood immediately, while I could not for the life of me
understand why she had agreed with that so easily. But since Pochi seemed
to have already resigned herself to fate, let’s just not press this matter
further. Damn it.
Pochi proceeded to adjust her body with Gigantification, matching her size
with Chappie’s.
On the cart, I pulled the reins on Pochi’s side, and Aki sat on a child’s seat
and pulled on Chappie’s side – this was how we’d be moving.
I proceeded to cast the illusion spell on Pochi – who still looked like she
didn’t want to do it – turning her into a magnificent, black-and-white, spot-
patterned cow.

“Moo~~”

Fast to act the part, I see… Oh wait, no, I saw tears in her eyes. She’s
actually crying.
And almost immediately following that, she noticed something.

“N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!”

What is it this time, though?

I heaved a deep sigh and approached Pochi as she thrashed around,
swinging her reins.

“What’s wrong, Shiro?”

She shook her head and kept on screaming in pain. I extend my hand to rub
her neck and try to calm her, but then…
“Ouch-?!”

She bit me… for some reason.

Okay, this is obviously not normal.
Could the illusion spell have triggered a change in her physical condition?
If that was the case, then I, along with everyone else, would have to be
careful as well.
Now… what in the world is wrong with her?

“E-e-e… e…! EVERYONE CAN SEE MY BARE CHEST?!”

…That IS a big problem. Yup. Definitely.

“Moo~~…”

The splendid cow shivered and cried, her head hanging down.
Normally she’d only do one at a time, but now… she sure is good at
multitasking when she needs to or wants to.
As I stroked Pochi’s head, I stared at the checkpoint that appeared before
us.
‘They’ seemed to have been aware of our approach from a good distance
ahead.
However, thanks to our easygoing atmosphere and my illusion spells, they
were not at all alarmed.
Both Chiquiata and Dīnō seemed to be on guard for a moment when they
saw us, but that was all – just a moment.
Hmm, these ‘transformation’ spells are quite convenient.
While we went on our way, Aki was the only one with a tense face. With
each step we took toward our pursuers, his expression grew more and more
anxious.
“Is something the matter, Aki?”

Startled by my call, Aki shook his head to expel any wicked thoughts that
may have surfaced.
When we arrived at Chiquiata’s checkpoint, a T’oued officer took one look
at our cart.
Not that there was anything to look at… it had been taken out of thin air,
after all.

“What, you folks just made a trade?”

“”Moo~~””

I’d written that in the script, sure, but did it really have to be at the same
time?!

“Yes. We’ve delivered our wares to Radeata and just got back.”

“Hmm… and you went without an escort? Gotta be pretty risky, isn’t it?”

Bah, oversight…
Now that I’ve thought about it, in this era, there was no way an average
person could have gone through that cave without at least a convoy of sorts.
Starting to get suspicious, the officer stared at us, prompting Chiquiata to
turn around and inspect us again… but before she could, a beautiful girl
stepped in between us.

“Ma…!”
“Ma?”

The officer tilted his head.

“M-mah pa’s strong as heck! He ain’t need no escort, foo!”

Aki insisted so hard that both us and our enemies were taken aback.
I mean, who wouldn’t be? This ‘girl’ is adorable!
It’s the ‘cringe’… Yes, the pure cringe reflecting in Aki’s teary eyes
prompted the officer to hurry and get things over with.
Even Chiquiata heaved a sigh and went away to lean on a wall.
Perhaps this was what Bright had been sent to T’oued for – Well, obviously
not, but the impression he’d made was so strong that the joke even sounded
plausible.
I dare say, he’s more like a girl than even Lady Ferris had ever shown to be.
After the rest of the process, we paid our entry taxes and proceeded through
the simple inspection process.
Now that I thought about it, this might have been the very first time I’d set
foot on another Nation.
Perhaps I should have worn clothes that were popular in the Holy Nation
instead… But then again, we were going through the process just fine, so I
suppose it was all good.
Anyways, this place was bound to have new information for me – things
one couldn’t find in literature. Now I’m feeling inspired to do some
research.
I sure would like to take a trip around this place, once the immediately
important things were settled.
And so, while we were waiting on the entry inspections…

“Moo~~ …no moo~~…”

…Our cow had a mix of dangerous cries in her noises.
What could have compelled her to improvise variations of her line, not to
mention ones that could get us in trouble?
Once the inspections were done, we moved away from the checkpoint.
Once we were on the other side of the hills, out of sight of the checkpoint, I
let loose and heaved a deep sigh.

“And so we’ve officially crossed the border… finally.”

“Moo~~~~ NO MOOORRRREEEEEEEEE!!”

Tired of Pochi’s constant thrashing and tugging of her reins, I disengaged

Pochi and Chappie’s illusion spells.
Mm-hm, the transformations sure were convenient.
I hadn’t expected it to fool the eyes of someone as perceptive as Chiquiata.
Perhaps it could be put to more use with the Devil King’s resurrection.
Right, I’ve got to think about a lot of things once there’s some free time.
I put the cart away in the Storeroom. Pochi and Chappie, freed at last from
their cumbersome forms, collapsed into the tall grass by the side of the
road.
Other than Bright, the one among us who had rendered distinguished
service was perhaps Chappie. Despite being the one I’d initially had the
most worries about, he had never stopped playing his part.
And of course, I didn’t forget about Leon. He had been hiding in my shirt,
and had not made even a single sound – quite amazing, really.

“Well done, Chappie.”

“Ngh… I never expected losing the ability to speak would be so
agonizing…! I don’t really mind becoming an ox, but it’s still something I
wouldn’t want to do often, father!”

That’s understandable.

“You did good too, Shiro.”

“Master… you pervert!!”

Bah… and Pochi’s angry.

But me, a pervert? Inconceivable. Still, I suppose I’ve got to commend her,
what with her going through with the transformation despite how much she
hated it.
Let’s just apologize and be done with it, I suppose.

“Sorry, I guess.”

“Now you owe me another favor, sir!”

“…Really?”

“YES!”

Looks like she’s in quite a bad mood.

I’d never expected this time and place for me to owe my first favor to her
since we had departed on our journey.
In the past 800 years, Pochi had invoked this ‘debt’ of mine only twice.
Just twice, but man, were they memorable…
The first time was about two-hundred years after Pochi had become my
Familiar, when I had accidentally eaten a dessert that Pochi had saved up.
What I’d had to do was invent new sweets for her every day until I got
something that she was satisfied with. It had taken me a year and two
months to get that done.
As for the second time, it was on our four-hundredth year together. Still
quite fresh in my memory.
After all, it was on the anniversary of the day Pochi had become my
Familiar.
See, I hadn’t realized that until much later, but I did find it strange that
Pochi had suddenly become selfish on that day, asking when the party was
going to start and telling me to massage her shoulders.
At the time, I had been busy researching introductory magecraft after
mastering large-scale magic, and had not been able to spend time with her.
From the next day on, Pochi’s attitude had been terrible. She wouldn’t talk
to me and kept getting in the way of my research, so I had resorted to that
second favor to get her to forgive me.
And what we’d done for that was switch our Lord-Retainer dynamics for a
month.
I’d had to keep calling her ‘Lady Pochi’ until my throat had gone dry, and
nod in agreement with her every statement – all in all, it was scary as all
hell.
For her to demand one again after four hundred years of mutual trolling…
she must have really hated what she’d gone through.

“Soooooo… what favor do I owe you exactly?”

Tilting my head so far down that it looked like my neck would break, I
asked Pochi…

“I’ll think about it!”

…And that was all she said. Weird.
Her grumpiness was gone in an instant. Now she started humming and
brushing her own fur.
Surely she’s enjoying thinking up ways to get her revenge on me. Feeling a
chill creep over me, I rubbed my shoulders.
Speaking of which, I wonder what’s going on with the beautiful young
lady- I mean young man, who hadn’t spoken a word since we were done
with the inspections?
Turning around, I saw Aki standing alone on the highway, covering his face
with his hands.

“Is something the matter?”

“Just… leave me alone for a moment, please.”

So I left him alone.

Still, Bright dressed as a girl… I kinda wanted June to see it. Kinda.
She would be either so enraged that blood would shoot up to her eyes, or so
excited that she’d bleed out halfway to death from her nose.
Maybe I could tell her about it just as I’m about to leave this era. She
wouldn’t be able to kill me then.
Right, I’ll think about doing that.
Taking a break on the side of the road, we sat ourselves on a patch of grass.
Once Pochi was done grooming her fur, Chappie had mentally recovered,
and Aki – still in his disguise – could bring himself to approach me again,
we got ready to head into Eddo, the capital of T’oued.

“Instructor! When will you let me change my clothes?! We should be safe

now, aren’t we?!”
I was tempted to keep him that way for a while longer, what with how
entertaining it had been… but Bright was clearly not having fun, so I undid
the illusion spells on him and myself, then we changed our clothes back.
Buying some local clothes for Bright to wear would be a good idea, too, but
we’ve got too many things to get done before that…
The first on the list would be to find us an inn, I suppose.

~~T’oued West Gate~~

In the distance, we could see the cliff we’d just been on, from where we’d
peeked down at the town so many times before… Now that I got a closer
look, Eddo sure looked like some kind of fantastical land.
The stores lined up in rows were the same as in any other territory, but all
the people here were short, relatively speaking. People of the Holy Nation
could be seen here and there, and they really stood out.
Taking a look around, I was reminded of the restaurant I used to frequent
with Gaston, Irene, and Billy.
T’oued… the atmosphere here didn’t feel any different from my era far in
the future, so perhaps this Nation was one that highly valued its traditions.
Hmm, maybe when I get back, I should take Haruhana, Natsu, and Fuyu on
a trip – they’ll probably appreciate it.
Still, I’m not sure if I could call this mystical or what, but all the women in
town looked and felt so… solemn. If someone as showy as Chiquiata were
to walk around here, would she be arrested, I wonder?

Anyway, I’d better get Bright’s attire set up – mine doesn’t matter quite as
much.
With that in mind, I went into a nearby ‘yorozuya’ – pretty much a general
store with added miscellaneous services – and picked some clothes for
Bright, getting them tailored to fit him.
Fortunately for me, all sundry expenses on our mission were covered by the
Adams household.
Though that still didn’t mean we could splurge, I was quite thankful to not
have to worry about money, what with it being the first issue that had
plagued us when we had first arrived in this era.
What I got for Bright was a gray and black stitch-patterned traditional dress,
tied together loosely with a black sash. Perhaps somewhat modest for a
member of an aristocratic household, but it suited him well, and more
importantly, since he had to hide himself from enemies, it was just right.
Bright himself had agreed to it, naturally. He changed into his new clothes
right here and picked for himself a pair of sandals before we headed for an
inn.
An ideal place would be one that’s not too cheap – somewhere that an
average person could not afford… and also permits entrance to Familiars.
We went around searching for one, and found that in T’oued, such places
were called ‘hatagoya,’ meaning travelers’ lodgings.
I was particular with my choice this time not only because of the presence
of a nobleman’s kid – namely Bright – within our ranks, but also for another
strange reason…
Once I arrived at the ‘Tougenshuku’, an inn a little north of the center of
Eddo, and went to our room, I immediately deployed a Spell Circle while
keeping an eye on my surroundings.
Upon activating it, the entire room was covered in a pale light and a black
silhouette appeared from within.

“Daah!”

Right – it was no wonder that Leon became more cautious.

What appeared from the Spell Circle – the Teleportation Spell Circle, was
the person who had cared for Leon, but one that Leon was not at all fond of.

“Hehehehe… As unfond of me as usual, I see.”

Bright, confused by what had just happened, had his mouth drop open.
Oh, right… he’d never seen a Teleportation Spell Circle be invoked before,
and I’d just gone ahead and done it so casually. Well, not that this was any
issue, what with him already knowing that the spell was a thing, but he
seemed to be more surprised by the person who emerged from it.
And because of a prior agreement I’d had with the person in question, I’d
only explained to Pochi that this would be happening, so Chappie seemed to
be a bit surprised as well.

“M-Master Polco?!”

Bright’s dry voice named the person in question. The name was Polco
Adams, the head of the Adams household.
Such an important man, sneaking into T’oued for a secret mission… What
is even going on anymore?
The Raven Dark Hero 58
-Kuroyume Headquarters, Operations Control Room
The Operation Control Room at Kuroyume Headquarters was a room that
was only used once a year or less, and only for very sensitive missions.

Currently the boss of Kuroyume, Number 1, Tatsuichiro Kiryu, is there with

Number 2, Jiren, the person that other members looked up as older brother.
Number 4, Vandeda, the sexy older sister.
Number 9 Evil, the mysterious sorcerer.
The jet-black birdman, Darkflash Bright.
The person in charge of operations, and also overseeing mission-related
matters and also the Number 2, Line.

These six people had gathered.

“Now, as I've told you guys beforehand, for this mission, we'll be waiting in
Shiroyume's hideout to cut down the NDF’s strength.”

First, Kiryu opened his mouth. Then Line followed.

“I'll give you the details. The NDF, which doesn't know that their
information has been leaked, is planning to come to the hideout tomorrow
with a small elite force, and we, Kuroyume, will fight them off YO.”

Line will participate in this operation as part of the information relay team.
The purpose of this operation is to transport Shiroyume's main unit to their
new hideout and to fortify the defenses in case the plan is read.

“A small number of elite soldiers from the NDF are scheduled to participate
in this mission. The main unit consists of 20 members of the Byakkotai.
Three members of Nature Stranger are also expected to join them. There is
also one lieutenant general who is in charge of the entire operation.
And the only ones who would actually enter the hideout would be the
Byakkotai, Nature Stranger, and possibly the Lieutenant General YO.”

The Nature Stranger will be in a group of three, since their leaders, Red and
Green, were killed by Bright. Now that Bright had already measured their
strength, they were not target to be feared.
However, the Byakkotai... that female major general bothered him a little.
It's not that he hates her so much that he wants to kill her, but he hasn’t
forgotten the debt she fired through his shoulder.

“Shiroyume's hideout, which will be the battlefield this time, is built like an
underground maze. If the NDF enters the hideout smoothly, the passageway
will eventually lead them to each of the four rooms at the end. And the
members of the Shiroyume will guide them to disperse them as even as
possible into each room so that you guys can fight to your heart's content,
even though you won’t know who or how many will come.”

The main group was just the four members of the Numbers, including
Bright. Each of them would wait in one room at a time, waiting for NDF’s
combatants.

“...What if they all came in one room?”

Bright asked a question. Of course, it was a possibility.

“I think it's unlikely, though, because the members of Shiroyume who are
guiding the targets are also very capable. But the truth is, there are hidden
doors in each room that lead to other rooms. So when such a case happens,
you'll have to rush to the next room for support YO.”

(As a result, the other side's forces will ultimately be spread evenly into the
four rooms... It's not that I really want to fight that female general, but if
someone else is going to fight her, I'd rather it be me…)

And here he noticed there are four rooms, but the participating members
numbered five.

Evil raises his hand to answer these questions.

“Ah, I don't want to get into a fight in a one-on-one. That's why I'll be on
standby in the back of the four rooms of Shiroyume’s hideout, which is like
a boss room. I’m not that suited for combat to begin with after all~.”

Bright thought Evil Eye's Evil Laser was an amazing ability, but he didn't
say anything because he didn't have any particular complaints about the
participant selection, but Line called out.

“Nope, I'll have Evil fight as well, okay? Boss is ultimately just in case of
an emergency YO.”

“Ehhh~”

Takahiko makes a blatantly disgusted sound. Then Kiryu…

“...there’s no choice. If you don't like it so much, I'll…”

“The boss is standing by. He's always doing whatever he wants, so please
be patient this time. That's all, the strategy meeting is closed YO.”

Kouki looked at the nice middle-aged guy who was dropping his shoulder
in disappointment. He thought that the battle-crazed Kiryu must have
actually wanted to fight~.

-National Defense Agency, Port Branch, Operations Command Center

“...This mission cannot fail! Each and every one of you, devote yourselves
to this mission with all your might!”

「「「SIR! YES SIR！！」」」」

In the mission control room, the participants of the "Shiroyume

Extermination" operation were responding loudly to the orders of Senzaki,
the Lieutenant General of the Army who was in charge of this mission.
The soldiers were tense, perhaps due to the presence of the Army general,
Gonda, in the room.

At this point, Gonda, who had been watching the strategy meeting from the
corner of the room, stepped forward.

“Our army is in overall command of this operation. We will not allow any
failure, so you must go about your duties with all your might. That is all.”

These were the words of the very top of the Army's general. Gonda was
said to be a little lenient with his own people, but extremely strict to other
soldiers in the Army.

Senzaki, who was in overall command this time, belonged to the Army.
Oddly enough, however, the Byakkotai, which was the main force in the
battle, belonged to the Air Force, while the Nature Stranger actually
belonged to the Navy. Everyone in the room knows it was a way for Gonda
to escape responsibility for his failures. In other words, every soldier in the
room knew that even if they failed, the entire blame would fall on those two
groups.

The meeting was over.

As each soldier left the room, Madarame Seiji, deputy captain of the
Byakkotai, gathered the members of the squad in place of Fuuka Mizutani,
the captain who was absent from the meeting.

“...Captain Mizutani may not be participating in the mission this time. I

don't have to tell you the reason since you all were there…”

The Byakkotai was at the site of the shopping mall that day. There, they
witnessed their captain looking shocked and stunned by the death of a
civilian man.

“...Well, she's just someone who got the job as a captain from overrated. It's
not surprising… Right?”

Overrated... Some of the members of the Byakkotai, including Madareme,

who were full of pride and bloodthirsty, held antipathy towards Fuuka, the
youngest female major general in the National Defense Force.

“That's why I'll probably be in charge on the day. Please take care of me.”

The Byakkotai members applauded. This was the situation of Fuuka's

environment in the Byakkotai.

“Ah, and by the way, I'd like to introduce a new guy to you all. The newest
member of the Byakkotai.”

The one who was introduced to Madarame was... Hiro.

“...I am Private Hiro Sanada. My gift, Area Master, was ranked at A+. I
look forward to working with you.”

For Hiro, being assigned to the Byakkotai was originally a wish come true.
An elite army full of promising young men.... In other words, it was a sign
that he too had been recognized for his abilities. However, Hiro's expression
was not good….

(Sure, joining the Byakkotai is an honour. But... why? At the Nerima

branch, I was mocked for running away, and at the shopping mall the other
day, I was knocked out by Bright with a single blow.
...more than anything, I've killed my childhood friend, Kouki... Why was I
recommended for the Byakkotai like this?)

“Sanada's gift is strong. He himself is also perfectly capable. But I'll tell
you one thing. We don't need a coward like you that was saved by a
civilian…”

All the members of the Byakkotai sneered at Hiro.

They knew. They knew that at the Nerima branch, at the shopping mall, and
at the critical moments, Hiro ran away from the battle or was a useless
participant.

There was still enough pride left in Hiro that he wouldn’t just keep quiet
and receive mockery.

“Nerima's case was the result of me, as a member of the NDF, carrying
Lieutenant Saejima to the infirmary on the orders of Lieutenant Iori!
Besides...I stood up to that Bright in the mall! Certainly, he knocked me out
but…”

“Yeah, you're right. You did the right thing. But as a member of the
Byakkotai, as a soldier, as a man, I don't need a shameless person like you,
and we wouldn't have gotten down by Bright in one blow. ...Now that
you're a member of the Byakkotai, you're going to have to pull your weight,
okay?”

Madarame walked away laughing. The other members of the group

followed him, smiling down at Hiro as they did so.
...In other words, none of the members of the Byakkotai recognized Hiro.
Hiro, who was left alone, bit his lip so hard that it bled.

“...Damn, so this is how I'm being treated after all......!”

Darkflash Bright came to his mind. All in all, Hiro's reputation had been
severely damaged by his involvement with Bright.

But the person he is now wasn’t a match for Bright. Because he understood
this, he could only be angry at the emotions he had no choice but to feel...
Unlike Kuroyume's headquarters, which was located underground in the
heart of the city, Shiroyume's headquarters was an underground fortress
stretched out from the mountains of Oume City in the former Tokyo.
It is comparable in size to the headquarters of Kuroyume, but the first and
second basement floors are also used for intercepting intruders.

This time, when the NDF attacks, the base is already a shell of its former
self. However, there is a possibility that they will leave after noticing that,
so the members of the Shiroyume will lure them to the room where the
Kuroyume’s Numbers, including Bright, will be waiting for them.

And now, in the boss's room at the far end of Shiroyume’s headquarters, in
addition to Bright and the boss of Kuroyume, Kiryu, etcs, a strange yet
beautiful woman named ‘Hakuda Yuki’ with her aides, ‘Genji’ and ‘Yone’.

“Thank you for coming... everyone of Kuroyume. It seems that there is

even a new face, so let me introduce myself. I am Hakuda, the boss of
Shiroyume. And these are Genji and Yone. They're our number one and
two. These two will lead NDF to your waiting rooms.”

“Hey, Gen and Yone, it's been a while. I'm counting on you today.”
They must have known each other because Jiren was chatting with Genji
and Yone in a friendly manner.

Even from Bright's point of view, these two seemed to exude a presence of
those who are strong.

“Well, then, I(Kiryu) and Yuki will wait in this room. If it gets dangerous,
we'll come to your aid... no, if you want, I'll take them all…”

“Shi-ni-chi-ro, you'll be on stand by this time. At the very least for now.”

Hakuda scolded Kiryu, who really wanted to fight. Bright was predictably
surprised to see this scene, and Evil chimed to it.

"This Hakuda big sis is an old friend of the boss, she's like a big sister to
him.”

“I see…. That’s why…”

For Bright, and for all the members of Kuroyume, Kiryu's existence is
absolute. As a person who could speak out against Kiryu, the name of
Hakuda Yuki had been imprinted in Bright's mind.

“All right, it's time for each of you to go to your rooms and wait. Don't let
your guard down, okay? You're dealing with enemies of the same class as
NDF’s main force. Bright, think of all of them as strong as that Saejima.”

Lieutenant Saejima... If it wasn't for Hiro's intervention, Bright at that point

in time would have been done in with a double knockout...or even defeated.
And if he had been killed at that time, if the Revived Hunter's hypothetical
rule of not activating if killed twice by the same opponent was true, he
would not be here now.

Nevertheless, the present Bright had further increased his gifts and became
much stronger. He believed without any doubt that the him now would not
fall behind Saejima.

“Understood... But as long as they are only at the level of Nature Stranger,
they are of no threat.”

The battle was about to begin. A battle against the strong, not like the one
with Glory the other day. In the face of such a battle, a feeling akin to
murderous intent was rising within Bright, but he himself was unaware of
it.

The only people who were aware of Bright's situation were Kiryu
and...Hakuda.

Each of them dispersed to their respective posts. Kiryu also disappeared,

saying he was going to take a look around outside. In the midst of this,
Hakuda stopped Bright as he was about to move to his post as well.

“You're Bright? ...I see, you are dangerous…”

“Dangerous? Me...?”

“That's right. You've got your foot in the situation where people who gain
power rapidly often find themselves in.
...No matter what time of day, no matter what the enemy, never let your
guard down, okay? Death is always lurking in the back…”
Maybe Hakuda knew about the Revived Hunter? Bright thought. If that was
the case, why was Kiryu telling his close friends about it when Kiryu
himself had told him to keep it a secret? He felt a little distrustful of Kiryu.

“...Ah, you don't like the fact that I knew about your gift? I'm sorry to
disappoint you but it wasn’t Shinichiro who informed me about your gift.
Even like this, I've been the head of the filth organization for a long time
now, so I have a lot of contacts. So, don't doubt Shinichiro. He has high
expectation for you more than anyone else so far.
Never... stray from the path, okay? And...please help Shinichiro.”

Bright wondered how she could say such a sorrowful thing to him before a
battle. That was why he hadn't yet realized the true meaning of Hakuda’s
words...

-In front of the entrance of Shiroyume Headquarters

Senzaki, a lieutenant general in NDF’s Army, felt an inexplicable sense of
unease at the atmosphere at the entrance to Shiroyume’s hideout.

“...It's too quiet. Did they already know NDF(our side)’s movement? Then
it’s conceivable that they've already abandoned their headquarters and the
core members have fled…”

Behind Senzaki are three of the Nature Strangers. Blue is temporarily

serving as the leader at the moment.

“Lieutenant General Senzaki... If the information was compromised, they

may have escaped or...waiting for us inside.”
“I guess so... Personally, I think it's wise to withdraw temporarily, but then
the top(Gonda) won't be satisfied…”

Senzaki is a man of extraordinary talent, both in combat and as a

commander, and he is even promised the post of general in the future. This
is not only because he himself is capable, but also because he is favoured by
the general, Gonda.

This time, Gonda's enthusiasm is unprecedented. If he made a passive

decision on such a serious mission, Senzaki's reputation could change
completely. That's the kind of man Gonda is.

“Lieutenant General Senzaki. Shall we, the Byakkotai, scout the area?”

In the midst of this, the second-in-command of the Byakkotai, Madarame,

came forward.

“I suppose so... Now, I'm going to have three members of the Byakkotai a
reconnaissance mission ahead of us. ...If there is any abnormality at all, be
sure to inform the main unit(me).”

“Copy that, sir!”

Madarame gathered the members of the Byakkotai who were standing by.

“You heard the man. We're sending out a scout. Anyone wants to
volunteer?”

Excluding Madarame himself, eighteen of the nineteen members of the

Byakkotai, raised their hands vigorously.
“Hey, hey, some of you don’t even have gift that is suitable for
reconnaissance at all, right? ...but that's the Byakkotai. Well, it looks like
there's one cowardly newcomer who hasn't raised his hand…”

The only one who did not raise his hand was Hiro, whose existence was not
acknowledged by anyone.

“With all due respect, my gift is not suitable for reconnaissance. So, I didn't
raise my hand for the reason as the vice-captain had said.”

The members of the Byakkotai were taken aback and said nothing to Hiro,
who looked as if he was the one who was right.

“Huh... that's not what I'm talking about, right? Obviously, I'll decide who's
in the scouting party. What I'm asking now is, are you prepared to take the
initiative and die for the army, for your unit? Isn't that what I’m asking? I
guess you cowards don't understand…”

The members of the Byakkotai also ridiculed Hiro.

I am not wrong in my thinking. Why do I have to be treated like this? Hiro

shouted in his heart. And then...

“I understand. I'll go…”

He volunteered for the reconnaissance mission...

[Their Resting Point]
When you knocked a door, you should knock it thrice, right?
Amanai gently knocked the door of a hospital room while remembering the
basic manner in the back of his mind. Hearing a voice permitting him to
enter the room from the other side, Amanai opened the door so as to make
as low noise as possible.
“Ah, Hayato!”
The one on the bed in the hospital room was his childhood friend, Akano
Reika.
Wearing a simple pajamas for inpatients instead of her school uniform, she
smiled like a blooming flower when Amanai entered the room.
“Reika. How’s your condition?” (Amanai)
“I have some bruises and other small things, but…I think I can return to the
school the day after tomorrow.” (Reika)
“I see, I’m glad you got no serious injury.” (Amanai)
Amanai started peeling the apples that he had brought as a gift while saying
so.
Apples were Reika’s favorite, and Amanai naturally came to be familiar
with handling kitchen knife as he spent his childhood with her.
Because when both of their parents were away from home, they often
played around in the kitchen.
Reika also naturally accepted Amanai’s act, and watched him in a relaxed
manner until the apples had been peeled off.
She ate the peeled apples little by little while chatting with him. And when
the topic about this time’s incident came up, she listened to him with a
slightly marvelous expression and agape mouth.
She was under the control of Luisina. Therefore, she hardly remembered
what happened in the opera house.
So, she still couldn’t believe the story that Diva Luisina cooperated with
criminals and disseminated ‘poisonous substances’ in the opera house.
“Hey, did Luisina really do that?” (Reika)
“Yeah, it’s true. The ones who were colluding with her were the big guy at
the entrance and one of the instrumentalist, Ethel and I were even attacked
by that instrumentalist.” (Amanai)
“It’s kind of frustrating. I was the only one who collapsed due to the
poison.” (Reika)
“But, I’m really glad you’re safe. There were others who were even more
seriously injured after all.” (Amanai)
Most of the audiences in the opera house that fell under control had been
more or less injured, while there were few deaths, many were injured.
To be only bruised among them was nothing short of miraculous, so to
speak.
“Besides, we’re just enrolled at the academy. You only need to use that
frustration as a drive to grow stronger slowly but surely.” (Amanai)
“…That’s, right. Un.” (Reika)
Reika nodded a little.
It seemed like she hadn’t swallowed that frustration, but she should be back
in shape by the time she was discharged from the hospital.
“By the way, were Higaki-san and co all right? They were also in the opera
house, weren’t they?” (Reika)
“——.” (Amanai)
Amanai’s words involuntarily stuck in his throat.
It wasn’t because Higaki Ao, but because of a man that came to his mind
when he thought about her.
Sakurai Tōru. A player and a reincarnated person just like himself.
The man who saw through the occurrence of the event of the opera house
and defeated Luisina in this time’s case.
Moreover, by assuming Amanai’s name as a pseudonym on the spot, he
pushed all the troublesome things such as reporters seeking for coverage
and the meritorious deed to him.
Amanai couldn’t help but feel bitter about it.
Amanai conjectured that he was also most likely had something to do with
the incident that occurred in the base of ‘Black Sword’ involving the Sword
Saint, which was treated separately from the incident at the opera house.
For the Black Sword and the Sword Saint came into contact accidentally or
such… he couldn’t believe such nonsense.
(In regard to his…Sakurai Tōru’s matter, it can’t be helped. I’m also at
fault.)
Thinking back, he thought that his own actions were thoughtless, and he
even carried himself conceitedly in some.
He didn’t think to the extent that every thing he did was wrong, but at least,
he likely made a lot of mistakes in this time’s case.
With that in mind, Amanai thought he should restore his relationship with
Sakurai in preparation for the future activities, but decided to put it in the
corner of his mind for the time being.
(The real problem is the fact that the opera house event occurred ahead of
schedule.)
The opera house incident perpetrated by Diva Luisina, which was held
almost half a year ahead of schedule.
At first glance, it seemed that Sakurai made use of it to bring Black Sword
and Sword Saint together to drive Black Sword to destruction, which upset
the original flow.
However, when he thought about it calmly, the original flow had already
thrown out of order when the incident occurred in April. Sakurai just saw
through it and took advantage of it.
There should be a corresponding cause for the original flow to go out of
order.
And the most probable being that could do so was probably a reincarnated
person.
It wouldn’t be strange even if there was a third reincarnated person in
addition to himself and Sakurai, two reincarnated people, that had already
exist in this world.
(If the third reincarnated person is a part of Black Sword…it would be great
if he’s not a dangerous opponent, but…that’s unlikely, isn’t it?)
“Hayato, what’s wrong…?” (Reika)
“——Ah, no, it’s nothing. No worries.” (Amanai)
Amanai cut his train of thought in an instant and turned his looking down
face toward Reika.
Then he made a small smile to reassure her who was looking worriedly at
him.
However, looking at his face, Reika lowered her eyebrows further, recalling
what was bothering Amanai, and asked,
“Did…something happened with that Sakurai guy?” (Reika)
“Well, I mean…yeah. I’m just a bit frustrated that I lost the bet I had made
with him. It has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to worry about
it.” (Amanai)
“Really? If something happened, I will be there with you.” (Reika)
“It’s okay, really. Ahh, also, Higaki-san and co were safe too. Moreover, it
seems that they defeated and captured one of the criminals; that’s upper-
class for you, I guess!” (Amanai)
Amanai evaded Reika’s pursuit and forcibly changed the subject.
He could not involved Reika with the issue of reincarnated people and the
original game, and even if she got involved, he couldn’t say anything about
the original game to her.
Reika also guessed that he didn’t want to dwell on the topic and avoided
mentioning about it further. Amanai decided to presume upon her kindness
while feeling a little guilty inside.
He started small talk in a somewhat humorous manner, and the subtle air
between them slowly changed to a relaxed one.
Their conversation was cut off by the sounds of gentle knocks on the door
of the hospital room, and Reika invited the guess in, “Come in.”
The one who entered the room with a “Pardon me,” was the nurse in charge
of Reika; after she entered, she stated her business.
“Reika-san, someone just came to cover the payment of your treatment
cost.”
“Someone has covered the payment of my treatment cost?” (Reika)
“Yes. He said that he is your acquaintance, however, I thought I would tell
you just in case.”
“Who on earth…” (Reika)
“It was a young man named Sakurai Tōru. He also entrusted me a letter
addressed to Amanai Hayato-san, however…”
“From Sakurai, to me?” (Amanai)
At the mention of Sakurai’s name, the two looked at each other, before
accepting the letter from the nurse.
In addition to the letter, several pieces of paper were enclosed in the
envelope with the name Amanai Hayato written on it as its addressee, and
seeing them Amanai involuntarily opened his eyes wide and started reading
the letter in a hurry.
[Dear Ikemen Protagonist-sama. In this occasion, we have cooperated in the
incident at the opera house and (omitted). I managed to achieved my goal
safely, and throwing cheques around like a rich guy is relatively fun, so I’ll
share some of my profit with you guys. No returning the given gifts, please.
I think the reporters will continue to hound you about the case for a while,
but please do your best not to give out my name, you can even think of the
money I gave you as a hush money.
[By the way, Ethel Tyner’s rosary was sent to me for some reason, so please
return it to her, I left it in the lost and found corner at the reception. Please
do your best to rise the flag of the heroines’ events.]
The pieces of paper enclosed in the envelope were cheques with the names
of himself, Ethel, and Reika, each with a large sum of ‘3 million’.
In addition, in the blank part of the letter, drawn a hand drawn rough map
that said, “Lost and found corner, here!” It gave the feeling that he did not
take Amanai’s threat to heart.
It stimulated the intropunitive part of Amanai, and he wondered what kind
of face he should make the next time he met Sakurai.
“Amanai! Amanai, you here!? My rosary was in the lost-and-found corner,
you know!! And a memo attached to it said that there is money for me!!
Where is it!? Where’s the moneyyyy!?” (Ethel)
And seeing Ethel Tyner rushing into the hospital room with a smile full of
hope, Amanai couldn’t stop himself from leaking a big sigh.
[Capturing Arms, Distant Backs]
“Iyaa, that was load off my shoulder. The feeling of being liberated sure is
great~.” (Sakurai)

Sakurai was walking in the middle of the city while stretching his arms and
shoulders to loosen his stiffness.

He, who had a cheerful smile on his face, had no leather bag on his back;
the leather bag, folded neatly, was carried by Iris who walked side by side
with him.

Now, the only items in the leather bag were what Sakurai dubbed as the
‘Three Sky Series’, not to mention the bankbook that had a lot of money in
it, even the cheques that could be used to withdraw money from it had
gone.

“Hey, Sakurai. Are you really okay with it? It’s a lot of money, you know?”
(Higaki)

“Don’t care.” (Sakurai

At the question of Higaki who walked behind him and Iris, Sakurai
answered immediately without turning his head.

Walking further back behind them, Luisina, who wore a cloak to hide her
appearance, recalled Higaki’s perplexed expression as she talked when they
had returned to the hospital room.

Sakurai, the key figure that made use of Black Sword’s plot to loot lots of
money from their base in order to repay his debt.

After paying off his debt with the money he got, he said that the rest was ‘in
the way’ and used up all of it within the same day.

Moreover, the way he used it was not normal, it wasn’t for his own pleasure
or investment for the future, instead, he ‘dumped’ that large amount of
money on Amanai, Akano, and Ethel, who could hardly be called his
acquaintances.
“But why did you give them such a large sum of money even though you
just met them?” (Higaki)

“I had them suppressed one of the bosses; as the helped side, I naturally had
to give them adequate quest reward.” (Sakurai)

Sakurai had skillfully browsed the list of inpatients at the reception of the
hospital, and when he confirmed that Amanai and others were receiving
treatment at the same hospital, he claimed to be ‘one of their party
members’ and paid for their treatment costs on the spot.

He then gave them 3 million cheques each, and he left Ethel Tyner’s rosary
with a note in the lost-and-found corner while he was at it.

Moreover, he forcibly gave the remaining still-large amount of money to

Iris and Higaki, and now what was left in his hand was only a small change
enough to have a little extravagant dinner for the week.

At Sakurai’s apathy or maybe, indifference toward money, Higaki and Iris,

who were given bankbooks, ended up repeatedly confirming it with him
unconsciously.

“If I raise my level in dungeons, I will naturally collect the money I require,
and I have no use for such a large amount of money anyways.” (Sakurai)

“But Sakurai-san, shouldn’t you save money for the future?” (Iris)

“There are absolutely people who will come flocking to you if they hear
you’ve saved up a lot of money, I just don’t wanna deal with them.”
(Sakurai)

To those words, Luisina, who had become an ex-diva, nodded deeply on the
inside.

While she was working as a diva, just how many people there were coming
at her with hidden motives when they learned that she was single woman
who had lots of money and status.

The lot, who were so many it was even bothersome to count, were
persistent in many ways, sometimes, there were even the likes of noblemen
who went as far as using drugs to try to rape her.

Of course, the level of drugs that affected human bodies were harmless to
Luisina, a demon-kin.

The people who did reckless actions to her were turned into puppets with
‘Blood Mist’ or she simply killed with her physical strength.

Luisina had not an ounce of guilty feelings toward that kind of people,
rather, she felt she had done good deeds by killing them.

She was disgusted by such people who was so dazzled by money,

appearance, and status, so she strongly sympathized with Sakurai’s dislike
for them.

“Well, if you say so, I’ll hold on to the money for the time being, but…just
say it if you need it, okay?” (Higaki)

“You could just use it as you like, though.” (Sakurai)

“Sakurai-san. People who won’t be confused when given a large amount of

money by someone else just because ‘they don’t need it’ are a minority, you
know.” (Iris)

“That makes it sounds like I’m a part of that minority, so please stop.”
(Sakurai)

“Then put away those knitting tools that you took out. Most people do not
knit while walking, and it is dangerous, isn’t it?” (Higaki)

Sakurai, who reluctantly put away his knitting tools at Higaki’s pointing,
started walking as though it couldn’t be helped.
He started to walk, but…the way he walked was eerie, as though he danced
a queer dance; the eyes of the surrounding pedestrians were visibly turning
frigid.

However, Sakurai ignored them and kept walking like dancing.

Rather – perhaps because he gradually began to enjoy it – he started to

increase his pace, which made the surrounding people immediately moved
away from the place.

Iris and Higaki, who were accustomed to it, did not say anything in
particular despite making bitter smiles and dismayed expressions, at most,
they pulled Sakurai whenever he was about to bump into something
occasionally.

“Hey, black hair. What’s that strange dance he’s doing? It’s creepy.”
(Luisina)

“The name’s Higaki. Higaki Ao. …What he’s doing now is practicing some
sort of movement technique. He’s doing it quite slowly now, but when
executed properly, it’ll be a skill called ‘Remnant Flash of Fire.” (Sakurai)

“Skill, eh.” (Luisina)

Come to think of it, when she was fighting Sakurai at the opera house, he
was saying about skill this and skill that, so Luisina remembered.

Sakurai was surprised that she hadn’t mastered any skills, but looking at
this circumstance, it was precisely because he always devoted himself to
train his skills that he was surprised at her who had power but couldn’t
utilized it properly, so she convinced herself.

Although it was only a few days since she first met him, or just a few hours
according to the time she spent in his company, Luisina had begun to
realize that Sakurai was an unrivaled training lover.

And him abandoning his shame and doing whatever he wanted to do

without being tied to the society made him closer to ‘freedom’ than any
human she has ever seen.

Luisina Mateos lived in pursuit of ‘freedom’.

And now she had been released from both the role of ‘a member of Black
Sword’ and ‘a Diva’, she gained a way to live just as a person, an
individual.

She had a lot of money, which she got as a reward, and she also had a
prospect of a temporary housing.

The necessities for life were all in order for the rise of the curtain to her
second life, that was no doubt the ‘freedom’ she had been seeking for.

However, Luisina lacked outlook of what was beyond this ‘freedom’, which
could be said to had come to her out of the blue.

What should she do from now on? What could she do? What did she want
to do?

She was someone who could make an effort to reach her goal if she had
one.

It could be tell by how she honestly kept treading on the path to becoming a
diva, and succeeded to becoming one with flying colors, despite it being
something she was ordered to do.

However, most of her goals in life to date had been given by Black Sword,
and therefore she had not been able to develop ability to find a goal on her
own.

“Yo, hap, hoi, ow.” (Sakurai)

Sakurai, who tripped on his legs and fell on his face, stood up and began
training again without paying any heed to the giggling voices from the
surroundings.
Every time he failed, he would slowly started over from the beginning, sped
up as he got used to it, and continued to start over it again and again.

His eyes were as serious as when he was counting money in the hospital
room.

Despite there being few people, she didn’t support his act of training on the
street in the middle of the day, but as a person who glorified ‘freedom’, she
thought he could be a reference.

By keeping an eye on him for a while, she might want to review what
‘freedom’ was to her.

With that in mind, Luisina quickly pushed through Iris and Higaki, grabbed
Sakurai by his arm, and dragged him away.

“Huh, hey!? What’re you doing!? I’ll fall over! I’ll fall over, I said!?”
(Sakurai)

“You’re being a bother to other pedestrians. And we’re going to go

shopping for my daily necessities now, so don’t dawdle around.” (Luisina)

“I haven’t heard of that! Rather, hold on, it hurts! I’m gonna fall! Let my
hand go! You, hey!?” (Sakurai)

“Stop struggling. Hey, Blue (Higaki Ao), lift this guy’s legs. Tan (Iris), take
his other arm.” (Luisina)

Luisina inserted magic power into her voice and purposely spoke in strong
commanding tone.

Iris and Higaki, who were startled by her sudden action, fell into a
‘fascinated state’.

“It can’t be helped.” (Higaki)

“I understand.” (Iris)

“They’re ‘fascinated’!? Luisina, What are you up to!?” (Sakurai)

The two who had heart marks on both of their eyes, as though to express
that they were in a fascinated state, began to restrain Sakurai as they were
told.

Sakurai, who was the only one having a skill to invalidate fascination,
began to resist, but was powerless against Higaki and Iris as he had been in
a collapsed posture in the first place.

The suppression technique that Iris cultivated in ‘Netherworld’ worked

particularly well on the rampaging Sakurai, and in the end, he was taken to
the downtown area without any meaningful resistances.

———

Akano Reika saw off the back of her companions as they grew distant from
the window of her hospital room.

Amanai Hayato and Ethel Tyner.

It hadn’t been a month since the two who were walking side by side met,
yet it was no exaggeration that their relationship was unmistakably that of
companions.

Was it due to Ethel’s bright personality or was it due to Amanai’s serious

personality?

In any case, there were dark feelings that could not be ignored swirling in
Akano’s heart looking at the backs of the two.

“…………”

She had no resentment to the person called Sakurai Tōru, but Akano
unconsciously crushed the cheque he sent.
The swirling feelings were not jealousy. They were just pure regrets.

Each member of the party led by Amanai had a distinct role.

It was assigned by Amanai, who knew the ability of Akano and Ethel as
‘characters’, with their abilities in mind; the girls, convinced by him,
accepted their roles.

Amanai Hayato acted as a front liner, guarding the entire party by attracting
the attention (hate) of the enemy.

Ethel Tyner, like a mainstay, was in charge of healing and support, and
sometimes wield her two-handed rosary.

And as a rearguard, Akano Reika would fire high-firepowered magic

attacks to rout the enemies when instructed.

She was proud that Amanai stood out as one of the most talented students
enrolled this year due to his ability to give accurate instructions while
fighting on the front lines.

However, on the other hand, she felt she was ‘inferior’ compared to Amanai
and Ethel.

It might seem a bit misguided to feel inferiority complex when their roles in
battle were very different, in the first place.

However, it was precisely because Akano Reika was a mage who had
excellent qualities that she got inferiority complex.

An outstanding mage had the ability to perceive the magic power that filled
the world and the amount of magic power that a person had.

And this world where all living things had magic power more or less, it was
generally accepted in the mage community the more magic power a being
had, the ‘stronger’ they were.
Speaking in game terms, it referred to the inevitable phenomenon that the
higher the level of a character, the higher their magic power value (MP,
magic points, etc.) would be, so it was a generally correct perception except
for some event characters with special circumstances and settings.

Regardless of whether a character used magic power or not, when their Lv1
and Lv10 stats were compared, the latter would naturally had a higher
magic power value.

And outstanding mages often had the ability to perceive this magic power.

Akano Reika was also a main character in the original game, ‘an existence
whose qualities were guaranteed’, so she had also acquired the ability of
‘magic power perception’.

That was why, she could perceive and compare her own magic power with
the magic power of the two.

That was why, she noticed the fact that she was far inferior (lower leveled)
than to the two.

Even before Akano aspired to be an adventurer, Amanai had been training

for his future enrollment at the academy.

Ethel had also said that she was born in a big church, so the education she
originally received might be of good quality.

The two had a proper reason for being better than her, Akano herself too
understood that.

Therefore, Akano had always felt anguished at the fact that she was seen as
‘equal’ to the two.

It wasn’t like Akano wanted to be under the two.

Of course, she had no thought of wanting to stand above them.

What she wanted was to be on an ‘equal footing’ with them as friends or as
companions, and in fact they treated Akano that way.

So the problem actually lied in the fact Akano herself could not admit that
‘Akano Reika was a person on equal footing with the two’ due to her
inferiority complex.

And because she herself knew that, she spent her days looking away from
her inferiority complex without confiding in Amanai and Ethel.

“…Only me.”

In the incident that occurred at the opera house.

Akano was the only one who fell to the poison during the incident; she
couldn’t do anything while Amanai and Ethel were fighting the perpetrator
of the incident for their lives, she couldn’t even stood on the ‘battle stage’.

“Only, me…”

She heard that the poison disseminated in the opera house had little effect
on the strong ones among the guards and the knights who came later, as
well as those attending the Adventurer Academy such as Amanai and
Higaki.

It was equivalent to being thrust with the fact that Akano Reika, who also
went to the Adventurer Academy but fell to the poison, was distinctly
weaker than her two companions.

Strength filled her hand crushing the cheque.

The large sum of 3 million given to her, which was the same amount as the
ones given to Amanai and Ethel, cornered her further.

Why, just why was she, who couldn’t do anything, given the same thing as
the two who were fighting for their lives.
She couldn’t understand it.

She didn’t want to receive it.

However, she couldn’t refuse Amanai, who handed it to her with a gentle
smile and said it was natural.

“…I want to become, strong.”

The feeling of inferiority lying in her heart became greater and heavier.

That, coupled with the regret that arose in her shook the ‘core’ of Akano
Reika.

“I want to be, strong…”

Tears filled her eyes that were looking out the window.

They gently flowed down her cheeks and fell to the floor.

Silence was the only reply to her mutter which continued to echo as though
to torment her in the dimly lit hospital room.

[The Level Idiot’s First Attendance]

May.
Around the time when the entrance ceremony and orientation are over, and
the grouping within the class is almost settled.
I am fully prepared, or rather, I finally decide to go to the academy for the
first time.
“I have never showed up in the classroom since I enrolled… Rather, I don’t
think I’ve been to the dormitory either, or have I?” (Sakurai)
I mutter while looking back on my memories of the hectic events that had
happened since April.
Higaki attacked me on the first day, and I trained with Uncle afterward, and
then Higaki and I ended up simultaneously killing each other.
In the Netherworld, I raised my level, got preached, beat up a DV shitty old
man for some reason, and stayed in the Netherworld to raise my level for a
while more before returning to the world of the living.
When I came back, I thought up a way to make money in legal way in order
to repay my debt, made a deal with Luisina, blown up together with the
base, and ended up being hospitalized again.
After that, in order to raise my level upper limit to 90, I did a subquest in a
gay bar and for some reason ended up serving customers dressed in
female’s clothing.
“…Strange. I didn’t plan to get into that many troubles, thought.” (Sakurai)
What the heck did I do? Even though in my original plan, I’m supposed to
be studying at the academy and have learned one or two magics around this
time.
However, I can’t change what has happened even if I look back on the past.
And it’s wasteful to spend time on actions that don’t earn me experience
points.
Like that, I arrive at the academy.
Because I don’t know the class allocation, I immediately go to the room of
the disciplinary committee, the only place I know the location of, with a
wooden sword in hand.
Sure enough, the disciplinary committee members doesn’t know that Higaki
and I have made up. As soon as I enter the room, the disciplinary committee
members charge at me from here and there to take me down.
“If I have my back on the wall, the opponents should only be able to attack
from three directions, then afterwards, I only need to deal with the
approaching opponents one by one, what a perfect tacti—, hey!? Don’t fire
magics at me from the outside of my reach!? And you call yourselves the
disciplinary committee, you bastards!” (Sakurai)
Although there was such a mishap, as a result of me continuing to endure
their attacks until they ran out of magic power, I was able to acquire ‘Anti-
Magic Power’ skill that reduces the damage of magic attacks, so today
would surely be a good day.
And after being given an exasperated look by Higaki who came after
hearing the commotion, I safely confirmed my assigned class from the
student register. Now I can finally go to my class.
“Don’t go causing troubles for your classma-…no, I mean, u~nn…”
(Higaki)
What kind of person do you think I am? I wish you believe in the harmless
me more.
But if something happens, I’ll immediately tell them your name, so please
do your best to maintain order, disciplinary committee chairman!
Despite such a commotion occurred, I manage to reach the classroom.
How can a new student who’s late by a month adapt to the class? The
answer is ‘they can only seriously do their best to socialize’.
You can tell how bad my interpersonal ability is from how I could only
came up with such an abstract answer, but as I have abandoned things like
human relationships, to begin with, I’d like to build relationships where
others and I don’t meddle with each other as much as possible.
Then what should I do to achieve that?
Dunno, don’t ask me, I can only think about it haphazardly.
If someone comes up and talk to me, I can tell them about the
wonderfulness of leveling, and if they don’t, I can continue leveling.
For me, the academy is a place to raise levels. I have no interest in this
microcosm of society now after all this time.
“So, shall I go in through the back door?” (Sakurai)
Only out of season transfer students would conspicuously enter the
classroom through the front; even if I’m also out of season, I’m still a
freshman like everyone in the class.
I can just nonchalantly mix in, nonchalantly take lessons, and nonchalantly
go home with a straight face.
(If someone talk to me, I’ll just pretend to be a gloomy person and reply
stammeringly like, “I-I-I’ve, I’ve been here, this whole, time, a-and yet, y-
you don’t n-notice me,” if I keep repeating that, no one will want to be
involved with me. Alright!)
Having came up with a perfect plan, I quietly and slowly open the door and
enter the room.
I completely erase the sound of my footsteps with my trained movement
skill, and successfully infiltrate in without being noticed by any of the
students.
Fortunately, now is classtime, so everyone in the classroom have their backs
turn to me, save for the teacher who is sending me doubtful glances for
some reason.
This is truly convenient, since the teacher doesn’t say anything, all I have to
do now is sit in my seat.
……By the way, where is my seat?
In the classroom, about 40 students are sitting in their seats, looking
forward. And as far as I can see, there’s no empty seat.
Is the seat have to be prepared by yourself? No, it should be something
that’s prepared by the academy normally.
(Then, why’s my seat not here?)
There’s one possibility I can think of. It might be because I hadn’t show up
for about a month without any contacts.
I’ve confirmed that I’ve been properly registered in the academy with
Higaki’s authority, but even if it says so in the official papers, they must
have thought that I was something like a ghost student since I had never
showed up.
It makes sense that they treated me like I didn’t exist and put away my seat
to save wasted space.
Now then, what should I do?
Class is currently underway. I’m afraid I’ll disturb my classmates who are
listening seriously if I were to speak.
‘Class’ was an important element of the original game, for it allowed you to
increase your status and acquire general-purpose skills in a way separate
from leveling. Whether or not you are taking classes is directly related to
the superiority or inferiority of your character’s ability in the end.
In addition, in this world that has become a reality, academics also seem to
be treated as a skill, so even if you just listen to the teacher’s words in one
ear and out the other like I do now, you’ll earn experience points, though
little.
This means that, as long as you gather experience points, it will sublimate
as a skill.
And if there’s a skill, then there’ll be skill level, and if there’s a skill level,
then I’d be able to raise level.
I can’t bother them. I can’t bother them.
Since I myself am striving to raise level, wouldn’t I be failing to properly
evaluate the importance of leveling if I were to hinder others leveling?
They must have acquired various skills during this month. And now, they’re
working hard leveling through class work in order to improve their skills.
What would they think if an unknown person suddenly appears and says,
“Please prepare my seat,” or such?
Moreover, the person is the ghost student and needs to be confirmed.
There’s no way they’d just accept me and say, “Okay, I see.”
How long would it take to get my identity verified? On top of that, how
much lesson time would need to be cut to prepare a seat for me?
If I were them, I’d just lift and carry me on my shoulder and throw me out
of the window.
No, the corridor, let’s just limit it to throwing out to the corridor. If it’s the
window, Iris would get angry, after all. But if it won’t get found out, then
the window it is.
(Let’s withdraw for now, and get to the staff room to explain the situation
first. And then…and then…)
Suddenly, my thinking stops.
I feel like I was about miss something important just now.
I look around them classroom to look for a clue about that important
something…then I see it at the edge of my field of vision.
It’s the system message that I keep checking every minute and every second
every day, and there appear messages of experience points acquisition that I
am getting in this situation now.
――’Hot Spring Appraisal’ +2. Congratulations, you have acquired ‘Hot
Spring Appraisal’ skill Lv1!
Along with the fanfare resounding in my mind, the option to get out of this
classroom disappears.
‘Hot Spring Appraisal’, it’s the kind of skill that I don’t know where to use.
But, however, since I’ve acquired it and it has skill level, I’m compelled to
raise it.
I immediately switch up my gear, dig up for what I’ve listened in my
memory and start playing it in my mind.
At the same time, I listen to what the teacher’s currently saying word for
word, and incorporate it into the lecture in my memory that is being played
back in my mind to reproduce the flow of the series of conversations and
their contents.
Along with that, the experience points I earn begin to increase, and since I
start listening to the class seriously, a part of my status increased slightly as
the effect of the class.
(If I have a notepad, I may be able to increase my experience points by
recording the contents and ruminating it, but there’s no way around it as I
don’t have one! There aren’t many situations where I can get experience
points for such skills, I must take this opportunity to farm them experience
points!)
I fully focus my mind on the teacher and have my free body start practice-
swinging
The wind-cutting sound of the wooden sword is almost silent, so I have no
problem listening to the teacher’s voice coming from the front.
While taking class, I earn experience points for new skills and improve my
swordsmanship skills. On top of all that, I don’t bother the other students.
(This is the perfect student life, I can kill not only two but three birds with
one stone.)
I’m fascinated with the very wonderful way of study and keep it up until the
end of the class.

Episode 98 Rescue
After the battle of the fort, I was taking a short rest before
moving on, when a rider came running towards me, looking
flustered.
“I’ve just heard from an enemy prisoner that the imprisoned
Princess Rhydiria and the others have been moved to the
Mardan base, which is just around the corner from here, and I
believe this is our best chance to rescue them!”
“Great chance……is that right?”
“Yes! We can’ t do anything about it in the palace, which is
highly defended, but the Mardan base is not that big, and there
are only about 100 magic machines guarding it. How about we
go and rescue them before they are transferred to a
troublesome place!”
The expression on the rider’s face was very passionate, and I
could tell that he wanted to help his master, Princess Rhydiria,
right away.
“All right, 100 magicrafts is the same as the number we just
fought, let’s just go and save them.”
“Ho……really! Thank you very much! I’ll let everyone know
right away!”
Then he happily informed them. In fact, it would probably be
better to meet up with Jean and the others, but as time goes by,
there is certainly a possibility that they will be moved again to
another place, and it would be better to rescue them right now,
even if we have to push ourselves a little.
“But will you be okay?”
Nanami said, looking worried about something.
“Nanami, is there something bothering you?”
“Yeah……not really, but there’s something weird about……”
“What do you mean, “weird”?”
“Princess Rhydiria and the dukes are important hostages,
would it be so easy to move them from the……easily defended
royal palace to a less fortified base?”
“There must have been some reason. But this is an opportunity,
so let’s make the most of it.”
“I’m not that worried because I’m sure Yuta will be able to
handle anything that comes his way.”
“I’m not that good at everything. I’m……”
“I’m just wondering how it’s actually going to work out.”
Now I knew that Nanami’s assessment of me was one of
wonder, the rider came to tell me that they were ready to go.
Everyone seemed to want to go to the rescue right away and
looked at me with a twinkle in their eyes.
“Alright then, let’s head to the rescue of the princesses!”
As I said this, the crowd cheered.
From a short distance away, I surveyed the Mardan base – at
first glance, it didn’t look any different, and it didn’t seem to be
on alert.
“It’s okay, it looks the same as always.”
One of the riders who knew the old Mardan base said so. But
the word “same as always” stuck with me.
“It’s kind of weird that everything’s the same.”
When I said that, he asked me curiously.
“What do you mean by strange?”
“There are some important hostages in that base right now,
right? If that’s the case, then it’s strange to have the usual level
of alert, isn’t it?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a trap.”
The riders look very disappointed. When they looked at me like
that, I couldn’t tell them to stop because it seemed like a trap.
“Okay, I’m going to go at it alone first, and you guys stay in the
back.”
“That’s……too much…….”
“No, if we all go to attack and it turns out to be a trap, there’s
nothing we can do about it, I can handle it on my own.”
“Hey, is Nanami on standby too?”
“She’s the one who has to protect everyone in case something
goes wrong.”
“You’re……being reckless again…….”
No, I really think I can handle it alone, after all, with
Viktor……honestly, I don’t think I gave my all yet…….
I asked Nanami and the others to stand by in the rear, and I
approached the Mardan base alone. When I got about a
kilometer from the base, I noticed a sudden change in the
appearance of the base. It was a trap after all.
Magicrafts appeared from the woods near the base and other
hidden places. It wasn’t just a hundred of them, it was the
largest army I’ve ever seen in this world……
When we arrived at the Mardan base, Arthur and Emina were
placed in an underground prison, and I was taken to another
place. I was taken to a room at the top of a high tower, where I
could see far into the distance and have a good view of the city.
“What are you going to do, bring me to the top of this tower
alone?”
“Princess Linnecarlo has been given a special seat to watch the
rebels come to her aid, only to be cruelly defeated in return, so
please enjoy it from here.”
“You have bad taste, Orlea…….Now I understand why I was
never attracted to you.”
When I said this, Orlea’s expression changed drastically, his
face became grim and he began to get irritated.
“No! That’s not true, Linnecarlo! You just didn’t see it that
way! There’s nothing wrong with me!“
“There’s nothing attractive about you, I’ve just noticed that.”
“Me……unattractive……commander Cruz said I was the best
man she’d ever seen!”
“I don’t care what Cruz says, you’re not attractive enough to
be my husband! I assure you of that!”
I don’t know why I made such a provocative statement, but I
don’t care.
“No, no, no……Linnecarlo! Do you realize the position you’re
in? I’ve been given permission by Commander Cruz to do
whatever I want with you! I can strip you of your clothes and
force you to be mine!”
“Hmmm, that’s funny, you think I’m going to be yours by
force, I’m sorry but I won’t be yours no matter what!”
“Hmm, interesting, let’s see if that’s really true.”
Then Orlea approached me – despite my expression, my body
trembled a little……I bit my bottom lip and tried to stop the
trembling, I didn’t want to show myself as a weak woman to
such a man……
“General Orlea! An enemy magicraft is approaching Mardan
base!”
Hearing this, Orlea released my hand from his grasp and
walked out onto the small balcony to see the approaching
enemy magicraft.
“Only one magicraft? I’m sure it’s just a diversion of the
enemy, so why did you send all the ambushers out?”
“If the enemy comes, we have orders to hit them with all our
forces at once.”
“That’s when the enemy army shows up! What were you
thinking, overreacting like that against a single magicraft?”
One magicraft……those words stuck with me…….No way……
I only know of one person who would venture into an enemy
base with just one magicraft…….I thought of his face…….I
don’t know why, but thinking of his face calms me down and
takes my mind off my bad feelings…….I wanted to go out on
the balcony right away to check it out……but I felt like if the
magic machine that was approaching this base was the national
treasure of our country……my mind would be trapped by
something.
After a great mental struggle, I slowly stepped forward……and
I walked out onto the balcony……I didn’t care what happened
anymore, I slowly looked up and saw the scene outside.
A large army from the Mardan base was rushing to a single
magicraft……far away but recognizable…….That was
definitely Viktor.
I didn’t realize I was crying until the tears started to fall down
my cheeks and onto the back of my hands……Why am I
crying?……I’m not sad at all……On the contrary, my chest
was heaving in a strange way, and I was even smiling.
“What are you crying about, Linnecarlo, are you out of your
mind?”
“Orlea, I told you that I had no lover, but that was a lie. I have
one now, the love of my life.”
“What the fuck! Who the hell is that?”
“See, that magicraft……my beloved is the one riding it.”
“It’s that magicraft…….Hahahahaha! Linnecarlo, your loved
one is unfortunately going to be gone from this world, look at
that scene……even you on Odin can’t do anything in that
situation.”
“It’s true that even I, riding Odin, would have difficulty getting
through that situation, but you don’t know that the rider of
that magicraft is the man who defeated me while riding
Odin…….”
“You’re lying……you’re lying to provoke me, Linnecarlo!
You’re one of the Twelve Heavenly Masters, and you lost…….”
No, it’s true. He’s stronger than I am…..and far more
capable……than you, Orlea, just the kind of man I deserve to
love!”
“Gggg……okay, I’ll test that story myself to see if it’s true!
Hey, get my Gadelure ready at once.”
“Is General Orlea going to be there?”
“Yes, go quickly.”
“Understood.”
“Linnecarlo, watch the end of your lover from here, I will tear
him to pieces!”
Unfortunately, in the back of my mind, I knew that was
impossible.
It would be too hard to deal with them all at once, so I decided
to reduce their numbers while moving around. Making use of
my high mobility, which surpassed that of ordinary magicrafts,
I moved to avoid being surrounded and destroyed the enemies
one by one as they approached.
I fought like that for a while, but there were so many of them
that no matter how quickly I moved, my escape route would
gradually disappear. At that time, there was a magicraft that
approached me while speaking something in a loud voice
amplified by the external output sound.
“Hey, you! Stay where you are! I am General Orlea,
commander of the Third Magicraft Legion! Put your manhood
on the line and fight me!”
Nope, something is wrong with this one……
“How can you say that when you attack me with such a large
number of……”
“Hmph……numbers are also power, this is the difference
between you and me! If you get down on your knees and beg
me, I’ll even accept a one-on-one match with you!”
“No, thanks, it looks like a pain in the ass, and I don’t want to
get down on my knees, so why don’t you just come take it with
the rest of them?”
“How dare you lump me in with the rest?……Fine, I’ll torture
you to death with as many people as you want!”
I noticed that while I was distracted by the conversation with
the commander, I was completely surrounded by enemy
magicrafts……which is a little bit dangerous…….I’m not sure
if I’m going to be able to handle everything.
There was no choice but to fight, and I had to get serious, so I
went into Ludia concentration mode……I calmed my
consciousness and sank my mind deeper and deeper…..Deeper
and deeper than usual…….
I saw a light …… far in the depths of my consciousness…….I
reached out to it – and touched something…….At that moment,
I heard the voice of a beautiful, transparent woman.
“Authorizing the activation of Ludia concentration mode…
Initiating scan to confirm the situation…Detected a large
number of hostile magicrafts in all directions on the ground, I
suggest we avoid their attacks.”
“What? Who?”
“I am Feri Rudia, Viktor’s support AI, and I advise you to
leave the encirclement as soon as possible.”
“We’re completely surrounded. Where are we supposed to run
to?”
“Sir, there are no enemy magicrafts in the sky.”
“Wait a minute, Viktor can fly?”
“Viktor’s flying ability is SS class. He can fly fast for short
periods of time.”
It’s true that Farma’s Garuda can even fly, so it’s not
surprising that this legendary magicraft can fly…….
I sent the image of soaring into the sky to the control sphere –
and then I felt a jolt of gravity and soared into the sky.
“Oh, my God! It really flew!”
“The number of enemy magicrafts is approximately 1,000…the
range is 2 kilometers…we can destroy all enemy magicrafts by
activating Viktor Nova from above… what should we do?”
“Can we destroy all of them with a single attack?”
“Yes, sir. I can’t see any enemy magicrafts that can deploy
defensive shields, so we can certainly destroy them.”
“All right, then. Let’s get them!”
“Yes, sir. Master authorization granted. Transforming to Nova
mode.”
As she said this, Viktor’s fuselage began to jiggle…As I
watched, his arms and legs shifted and changed shape like a
puzzle…Eventually they transformed into a cannon.
“Viktor Nova preparation begins – Ludia core, access – spell
‘Inferno’ chanting begins, spell ‘Earthquake’ connected
chanting begins, spell ‘Aqua Sphere’ connected chanting
begins, spell ‘Tesla Spark’ connected chanting begins – spell
‘Magic Boost’ simultaneous chanting begins – range Selection,
position correction, and aiming preparation complete──Victor
Nova ready to fire.”
I didn’t know how to shoot it, but I put my hand on the control
ball anyway and sent an image of shooting the cannon.
“Activate four-element cannon, Viktor Nova…”
Gwoon! Viktor shuddered loudly…and was enveloped in a
violent light…As the light fell to the ground, it caused a huge
explosion that swallowed all the magicrafts present.
Thank you KingPen for sponsoring 4 chapters but I can release
only 2 today. Tomorrow we’ll have another 3 releases.
“We’ve completed the annihilation of enemy magicrafts and
confirmed that all enemy magicrafts have ceased their
operations.”
Feri Rudia reports to me emotionlessly – when I look, there are
countless magicrafts lying destroyed on the ground. I flew my
Viktor and headed for the forest where Nanami and the others
were waiting.
When I met up with Nanami and the others, the riders of the
royal guard who had been watching everything came running
up to me with their magicrafts.
“You have shown me a miracle! So that’s Viktor’s Light Arrow
as they say! You are indeed the second coming of the hero
Luzak! I’m proud to fight with you!”
“Most of the enemies are down, it should be easy to overrun the
base now, let’s help our allies who are trapped!”
“Yes!”
The riders replied cheerfully and began to form up and
prepare to head for the base.
“Nanami, I’m going to the base first to kill the rest of the
enemies.”
“Okay, okay. Stay alert, Yuta.”
After leaving everyone in Nanami’s hands, I flew back to the
base. It’s convenient to be able to fly, after all, and I’ll be there
in no time.
At the Mardan base, a single-digit number of magicrafts
remained on the defensive. However, they were completely
freaked out by the battle they had just seen, and when they saw
Viktor, they threw down their weapons and started to run
away.
I was waiting for the others to arrive while I went around the
base to see if there were any other enemies – then I heard a
loud voice calling out for me.
“Yuta! Yuta, I’m here! No, not that way. Look up!”
I looked up and saw Linnecarlo waving at me from the balcony
of a tower-like building.
“Linnecarlo, why are you here?”
“We can talk about that later. Can you use Viktor to get me out
of here? There are soldiers guarding the outside of the room.”
The tower was too high for Viktor to reach, so I had no choice
but to fly slowly near the balcony where Linnecarlo was.
“Okay, hold on to my fingers, Linnecarlo.”
I reached out and said so, but Linnecarlo shook her head, as if
she was afraid of heights.
“Don’t be absurd. What if I fall from this height?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“You could put another person in the cockpit.“
Sure, there’s a little bit of space, but I do not want to open the
hatch while flying…….
“Feri! I need to get her into the cockpit, is it possible to open
the hatch while flying?”
“How long has it been since you’ve been called……Feri – yes,
it’s possible, but it can be dangerous if the wind or other factors
cause you to lose your balance even slightly, so I recommend
that you use the uneven surfaces of the structure to hold the
magicraft in place before opening and closing the hatch.”
“I see. Okay, I’ll try.”
As Feri said, I put my foot on the protruding part of the tower
to keep the magicraft in place. Then I opened the hatch and
guided Linnecarlo to the cockpit, supporting her with my hand
to prevent her from falling.
When we reached the cockpit, Linnecarlo walked in briskly
and hugged me.
“Hey, keep your hands off the control ball. Back off a little.”
“……It’s no use, we can’t fit two people in this small cockpit
otherwise.”
“No, you can. There’s a little space over there.”
“No, we can’t. Let’s get Emina and the others out of here.”
“Are they holding Emina?”
“Yes, and Arthur is being held as well.”
“Well, then we’d better get them out of here.”
It was a little hard to maneuver with Linnecarlo so close to me,
but I got Viktor moving and descended to the ground. Just as I
was getting on the ground, Nanami and the others arrived at
the base. For some reason, Nanami had dragged along the
magicraft that the general who had confronted me earlier had
been riding.
“Nanami, why are you doing that?”
“Oh, I brought it because everyone said it was a general’s
magicraft and we should take him prisoner.”
“Oh, that’s Orlea’s Gadelure, isn’t it?”
Linnecarlo said, seeming to know that magicraft.
“What, why is Linnecarlo in Viktor’s cockpit with Yuta?”
Nanami asked Linnecarlo and forcefully pried open the hatch
of the magicraft. The hatch came off easily, as the general’s
magicraft had been torn to shreds by Viktor’s attack.
“Gosh……what happened? Fire……rain of light……”
The man inside rolled out of the cockpit, shouting in confusion.
“Orlea! How do you like that? Do you see what a little man you
are?”
Linnecarlo told the man who came out.
“Linnecarlo……What happened to me?……Who the hell is
your loved one?”
“You’ve been defeated, defeated by a single blow, as you can
now clearly see.”
“I lost…….I, a man recognized by Commander
Cruz…….Ugh…….”
The man collapsed helplessly on the spot, then soldiers came
and restrained him. The haggard man seemed to be saying
something with his mouth agape, as if he was desperate for
something.
The enemy’s magicrafts have fled, so there are only infantry
left. My fellow magicrafts are scattered throughout the base,
taking control of it.
The enemy soldiers we captured told us the location of our
captive allies, and we headed there.
The place where my friends were being held was a warehouse
building. It was guarded by about fifty soldiers, who seemed to
have been ordered to defend the prison no matter what, and
they didn’t try to escape even when I and my ally magicrafts
appeared. I had no choice but to deal with them in a way that
wouldn’t be lethal.
“Princess Rhydiria!”
The cheers of my fellow riders went up when they saw the
person who was rescued from the prison. When I looked, I saw
not only Princess Rhydiria, but also Duke Reydemarte, Duke
Barelma, and Lord Theseus.
“Sister Rhydiria, I am glad you are safe.”
“Linnecarlo? I’m glad to hear you’re okay.”
Even in this situation of a happy reunion with her sister,
Linnecarlo refuses to get off Viktor, which makes no sense
when the base is already under control and safe.
Arthur and Emina were also rescued from the prison.
“Yuta! Find my Artemis!”
The first thing Emina said after being rescued was that she was
worried about her beloved magicraft, Artemis. To be precise, it
doesn’t belong to Emina, it’s just on loan from the Iron
Knights, but I won’t say anything about that.
“It seems that my Odin is also in this base, Yuta, so let’s
continue to search with Viktor.”
“Ew! Linnecarlo, you’re not going down yet?”
“Not until we find Odin. Come on, come on, let’s find him.”
Linnecarlo hugged my arm tightly as she said this. I don’t
understand why she’s hugging me so tightly when there’s
probably plenty of room.
Odin, Artemis, and Arthur’s Sentor were found more easily
than expected. Well, there were only a limited number of places
where magicrafts could be stored, but for some reason
Linnecarlo didn’t seem too happy about it.
“Open the hatch, Linnecarlo.”
“……It’s okay if we continue to explore the base.”
“No, what exploring, we saved everyone and found Odin and
Artemis, stop making excuses and get off.”
“Well, there’s no other way…….”
Despite the mumbling, Linnecarlo still got out of Viktor. She
then immediately boarded Odin – after that, Emina and
Arthur also came to this hangar and were happy to be reunited
with their beloved magicrafts.
After that, the ride carrier at the base was confiscated and
made into a temporary command center, and the leading
figures gathered for a strategy meeting.
“Mushym did what he wanted, but we’ll fight back from here.”
They all agreed with Linnecarlo’s words.
“Mushym, who has control of the national army, has many
magicrafts forces, and our forces are only the private armies of
the three dukes, so we have no chance of winning under the
current circumstances…….”
Duke Reydemarte said, and Linnecarlo quickly countered.
“No, that’s okay, we have the legendary magicraft Viktor and
Yuta, there’s no need to be afraid of the enemy no matter how
large their numbers are.”
“It’s only on magicraft, even if it’s a legendary one that’s…..”
The power of Viktor has just been proven, you may not have
seen it since you were trapped in prison, but the arrow of light
that wiped out a thousand enemy magicrafts, the divine strike
of Viktor, is very powerful.
“I thought it was……exaggerated folklore that the arrow of
light……wiped out ……1000 magicrafts in a single blow, but is
it true.”
“Linnecarlo, even if this is true, it is not in our best interest to
lose any more of the national army, so why don’t we find a way
to get rid of Mushym and his faction alone, instead of trying to
solve the problem by force?”
As Princess Rhydiria said, the opponents were originally from
the same country, and if we destroy too many of them there will
be problems in the future.
“That’s true, but I doubt that Mushym will give us a
chance…….”
While Linnecarlo was pondering something in silence, a soldier
came in energetically.
“I have gotten information from the enemy prisoners that a
large army led by Prince Mushym is now marching towards
the Duke of Reydemarte’s territory!”
“It looks like the Mushym knows where Yudin is, so we’d
better head there right away.”
“Iron Knights, Prince Mushym’s army of over 1,000 magicrafts
has invaded the Duke of Reydemarte’s territory from all sides,
and we are already surrounded with no way out. We will hold
off the enemy forces, so please take Crown Prince Yudin and
flee.”
The transmission from Duke Caron was a warning of the
hopeless situation.
“Tsk…….Alana, you still can’t get in touch with Yuta?”
“No, nothing yet.”
“What do you say, Yudin? Duke Caron and the others want
you to run away alone.”
Yudin made a difficult expression as if he was thinking about
something, but he quickly looked up and replied, “I can’t
abandon my allies who are fighting for me!”
“That being said, Duke Caron, Yudin want to stay here, so the
Iron Knights will inevitably join the fight.”
“……Can you at least move the ride carrier that Crown Prince
Yudin rides to the center of the army, it would be better for
morale.”
“All right, we’ll move right now.”
The enemy army has a force of over 1,000 magicrafts, and we
have about 300, so if you think about it normally, there’s no
way we can win…….
“Jean, you have a transmission from Emina.”
“Emina, how about that general Linnecarlo knows, did he
follow her?”
“Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.”
“What the hell, what are we going to do, we’re surrounded by
over a thousand enemy magicrafts.”
“But we got Linnecarlo’s Odin and Arthur’s Sentor back.
Later, I met up with Yuta and Nanami, and we’re on our way
there now.”
“Oh, you were able to meet up with Yuta and the others, right,
Yuta, Nanami, Linnecarlo, Emina, and Arthur……with that
much strength, we can manage, okay, we will hold out until you
get here.”
I changed the channel of the spirit box to the common line I
had prepared in advance for Duke Caron’s, Duke
Reydemarte’s, and Duke Barelma’s armies, and spoke.
“Crown Prince Yudin refused to flee on his own and decided to
stay here, saying he couldn’t abandon you, his allies. How
would you like to have a man who says this for you to be king?
We are promised final victory, soon one of the Twelve Heavenly
Masters Linnecarlo will come to reinforce us. If we can protect
Yudin until then, we will win. How about it, it’s not that
difficult. We just need to buy time, let’s defend rather than
attack!”
I’m sure this will boost morale a bit, and all we have to do is
stay on the defensive and wait for Yuta and the others to arrive.
“Jean, you might be a good commander. Not a bad speech.”
“I’m a big talker. It’s the least I can do.”
I said, and Alana smiled and got up from the chair she was
sitting in.
“Lorgo, Farma, we’ve got work to do.”
“Oh, Yudin, protect…….”
“I’ll do my best too. If Yuta and the others come back, we can
definitely win.”
“Don’t overdo it, guys. We’re just trying to buy some time until
Yuta and the others get back.”
“Excuse me, everyone…….Please take care…….”
Alana reacted to Yudin’s words.
“Don’t be afraid future king, you can thank me later with
something tangible.”
“It’s……Yes!”
As Alana and the others left, the enemy army came closer and
closer until they could be seen. There were so many of them
that my back started to sweat when I thought they were going
to attack us.
Yuta, Linnecarlo, come on, I don’t think we can hold out much
longer…….
The communications soldier was working in front of me in
frustration, playing with a number of spirit boxes. I called out
loudly and repeatedly, but there was no response from them.
“I still haven’t been able to reach General Orlea.”
“We’re using all means of communication…….Unconfirmed
reports say that General Orlea’s army has already been wiped
out…….”
“Wiped out……General Orlea has a large army of 1,000
magicrafts entrusted to him, what would he have to deal with
to be wiped out?”
“Oh, it’s……unconfirmed information and…….”
Pssst…
“Who needs a mouth that can’t give a straight answer?”
Irritated by the words, I cut the soldier’s mouth open with a
knife.
“Ughhhh!”
“The soldier held his mouth and rolled around on the floor –
the sight of him made me feel a little better.”
“Cruz, don’t stain my ride carrier with filthy blood.”
“I’m sorry, Prince Mushym, but these soldiers have irritated
me.”
“Hey, you’re an eyesore, take that guy rolling around out of
here.”
Thank God he’s a prince who knows what he’s talking about,
that’s why we need him to be king…….But really, what is Orlea
doing, I gave him this beautiful body so he wouldn’t turn on
Linnecarlo and he’s useless……
“Cruz, you’re not going to lose this battle, are you? We’ve got
Duke Hormel’s private army and Prime Minister Brom’s
troops. If we lose, there won’t be anything left.”
“It’s not possible. There’s a five-fold difference in strength, and
while the other side has only private soldiers, the majority of
our forces are regular soldiers from the national army,
overwhelming in number and quality.”
“But there is a rider over there that defeated twelve of the SS
elite, plus the national treasure, Viktor……to move that
thing…….”
“Hmm, Viktor is an antique, he must have moved by mistake,
and moreover, the twelve elite members of the SS that the rider
defeated, I can do the same.”
“Surely you, a triple Highlander, can do that, then, when that
thing comes out, you’ll go out and clean it up?”
“If that’s what you wish, I can make that happen.”
“Then I feel relieved, Linnecarlo’s Odin is in our hands, and we
have nothing to fear.”
In this situation where Orlea may have screwed up, it’s possible
that Odin has been recaptured by Linnecarlo. If it’s Linnecarlo
or the rider who defeated the 12 SS members, I’m fine on my
own, but it’s tough to take on both of them at the same
time…….
“Prince Mushym, may I activate that magicraft that I secretly
purchased from the Radol Company?”
“Do we really need to send out that 12-billion-gold magicraft
against an opponent who can’t defeat us? You said it was a
secret weapon for emergencies.”
“I have a few concerns about this fight, and I thought I
shouldn’t leave anything to chance.”
“In that case, you’re allowed to go out and smash the enemy’s
army once and for all!”
“Yes, sir!”
I turned around and gave this command to my subordinates.
“Prepare my Arc Angel! Also, hurry up and prepare
Gigantomachia for launch!”
My men responded loudly to the order and moved quickly to
carry it out. I take off my hard-to-move commander’s uniform
and change into my rider’s suit – suddenly naked in the main
room of the ride carrier, my subordinates pretend not to see me
and look away, but they are still glancing at me. That’s fine,
they should realize that my very existence is a reward.
When I finished changing, I headed for the hangar. I can’t wait
to see how the enemy army reacts when they see
Gigantomachia…
“Lorgo, we’ve got an enemy unit coming in. Move in front and
stop it.”
“Alana…….Okay…….”
“Farma, aim at stationary enemies, because you can’t hit the
ones that are moving.”
“Yeah, got it.”
The defensive capabilities of Ganesha, which Lorgo rides, are
quite impressive. Long-range attacks such as the enemy’s
arrows were repelled, and melee attacks such as swords and
spears didn’t seem to cause any serious damage.
Farma shot the enemies that Lorgo had stopped from the sky
with her arrows. The accuracy of the shots was high, and
Farma’s arrows were aimed precisely at the weak points of the
enemy magicrafts.
I target and destroy the enemies that Lorgo was unable to stop.
Four magicrafts charged towards the ride carrier after passing
by Lorgo. I put Bercya in a low position to save my strength,
then aimed at the enemies that had broken through and
accelerated at once. While spinning, I plunged into the enemies
and used the momentum of the rotation to swing my sword and
disassemble the four magicrafts at once.
Three more enemy magicrafts passed by Lorgo, and headed for
Bercya, it seemed like they were trying to get rid of the obstacle
first.
I pierced the neck of the enemy magicraft in front of me with
the sword in my right hand, and swung the left one
horizontally, sending the head of another enemy magicraft
flying. I kicked up and eliminated the magicraft that had been
pierced in the neck and had fallen toward me, and then I
crossed both of my twin swords over the last one that was
behind me and cut it in half.
However, we are in the center position, and considering that so
many enemy magicrafts are breaking through our side’s
defense line, the situation on the front line is not good, I wish I
could be on the front line, but it seems difficult to defend this
place with only Lorgo and Farma.
“Jean, what’s the status of our allies on the front line?”
“We’re doing the best we can, but there are too many of them.
The situation is getting worse and worse.”
“How long do you think it will take Yuta and the others?”
“I don’t know, maybe they’re concentrating on moving, but
we’ve lost contact with them.”
What to do……Let Lorgo and Farma take over here and go to
the frontline……As I was struggling, about ten magicrafts
approached us. I tensed up for a moment, but they didn’t seem
to be enemies.
“Members of the Iron Knights, we are here to defend the Ride
Carrier by the order of Duke Caron.”
Duke Caron must have been on a tight leash, but he still sent us
reinforcements.
“That’s great. Lorgo, Farma, you protect these guys and the
ride carrier, I’ll go forward and push the enemy back.”
“Okay…… Lorgo……I’ll do my best.”
“Alana, be careful.”
It would be very difficult to defend the ride carrier if the front
line collapsed, so I decided to leave this to them and reinforce
the front.
The situation at the front was worse than I had imagined.
There were far more enemy magicrafts than there were allies,
and the few allies were supporting each other to defend
themselves.
I concentrate on Ludia – I synchronize with Bercya with the
feeling that I will defeat all my enemies – my eyes glow and
Bercya responded to my feelings.
Don’t make any unnecessary movements, destroy the enemy
with a single blow, move efficiently, and defeat as many
enemies as quickly as possible… I muttered this in my head as
if I were giving myself a suggestion, and conveyed the image of
movement to Bercya’s control sphere.
I swing my sword as if I was dancing while moving at high
speed – it takes less than a second for me to slaughter one
enemy magicraft and move on, saving the magicrafts of my
allies.
Just when I thought the battle situation was getting better, I felt
a strong impact on Bercya. It was as if Bercya and I had hit a
large wall, and was flung backwards.
“Damn it……what the hell?”
I looked and there was a wall. No, what I thought was a wall
was the body of a magicraft……It was also the most massive
magicraft I’ve ever seen.
“Tsk……what the hell is this monster……?”
The giant magicraft has a large club in each hand, and swung it
around, lashing out at my surrounding allies. It’s fast for such a
large figure, and its armor looks thick and powerful…….
Even the allies seem to be startled by the huge enemy……. I felt
that the presence of this thing was bad, and I immediately
moved to eliminate this monster.
While dodging the attacks of the clubs, I go behind the huge
magicraft and attack its legs with my twin swords…
Click… It seemed to have thick armor and defensive
capabilities as it looked. My twin swords made of magnetite
were easily repelled.
“This is tricky…….”
I couldn’t immediately think of a way to attack a type of enemy
that I had never fought before.
On the way to Duke Reydemarte’s territory, Jean and Emina
talked, and it seems that Jean’s situation is quite bad. I tried to
fly, thinking that it would be better for me to go ahead alone.
“Master, the activation of Viktor Nova and continuous flight
has caused a shortage of stored Aether. In addition, the wear
and tear on the Ludia core has resulted in reduced
performance, please perform core maintenance.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You won’t be able to fly much longer. You’ll need to replenish
the ether.”
“How do I replenish the ether?”
“Aether will accumulate naturally, but it will take time, so I
recommend using an aether pot or something similar to restore
it as soon as possible.”
“There’s no such thing as an aether pot.”
“Then you’ll have to wait for the aether to recover naturally.”
“How long will that take?”
“At this level of aether, it will take about 10.368.000 seconds to
recover.”
I don’t know how long that period is but I know it won’t be a
quick recovery.
“What will happen if the Aether stays this way?”
“Viktor’s functions will be severely restricted.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“You will not be able to use Viktor Nova, and with the current
level of aether, your flight time will be limited to 300 seconds,
you will also not be able to deploy the defensive shield.”
“I guess I can’t fly over there anymore…….”
“Master, the condition of the Ludia core wear is also serious,
please perform core maintenance as soon as possible.”
“What is core maintenance?”
“It’s the optimization of the Ludia core by a core technician.”
Can I ask Liza to be my core technician?
“I can’t do maintenance right now, what happens if we keep
fighting like this?”
“Performance is still significantly reduced. In the worst case
scenario, a malfunction in the Ludia core could cause it to stop
functioning.”
It would be a disaster if it stopped in the middle of a
battle…….But even if I were to switch to Arleo, my magicraft
is still over there.
“Feri, I’m currently unable to perform maintenance or
replenish the aether, but I still need to fight with Viktor, can
you help me avoid shutting down?”
“I understand, and I will suggest the best course of action.”
It was a few hours later that we arrived at Duke Reydemarte’s
estate.
“Good, it looks like they are still fighting.
Linnecarlo said, relieved to see the fierce battle going on.
“Jean, what’s the situation?”
“Emina, you’re late! The situation is bad, we are just barely
holding on, come to the rescue quickly!”
“I’ll be right there! Yuta, you heard him, let’s head to the
rescue quickly.”
“All right.”
I wonder if I can fly from here…….As I was thinking that,
Linnecarlo stopped us for some reason.
“Wait a minute! That’s Mushym’s ride carrier over
there…….”
“What?”
It appears that our late arrival has put us in the rear of
Mushym’s main force…….We can target Mushym directly
from here.
“All right! Let’s get rid of Mushym!”
“Hey, what about the rescue?”
“Let’s split up, me and Yuta will take care of Mushym, and
Emina and the others will go to the rescue.”
“Are you sure you two can handle the enemy’s main force?”
“I’m one of the Twelve Heavenly Masters and Yuta has a
legendary magicraft, there’s no problem.”
It’s true that Linnecarlo and I can do whatever we want.
At this point, we split into two groups: Linnecarlo and I will
attack the main enemy force to take out Mushym. Emina,
Nanami, and Arthur were to lead the royal guards to the rescue
of Jean and the others.

I bit my lip at the situation, wanting to complain about……if

only Yuta were here. Most of my attacks didn’t work, and I had
to do my best to dodge and protect my allies from the attacks of
that powerful club.
It was a huge magicraft that had been chasing Bercya for a
while, but it suddenly stopped moving, then looked in one
direction and changed its course.
It’s heading for the ride carrier……
Worst of all, the giant magic machine began to move towards
the ride carrier – we can’t let this thing near the ride carrier,
this behemoth could easily destroy it……
I continued to attack the giant magicraft as I circled around it.
The legs of the giant magic machine have thick armor, however,
if that’s all there was to it, Bercya’s twin swords could cut
through it, but they couldn’t penetrate the armor, as if some
kind of defense mechanism was at work.
What to do……This thing is made to be extremely strong
against attacks from below, probably because of its huge
size…….
There was no way to stop the giant magicraft, and I found
myself allowing it to approach very close to the ride carrier.
However, from here I can launch a coordinated attack with
Lorgo and Farma, who are defending the ride carrier.
“Lorgo, stop that thing!”
Lorgo steps in front of the giant magicraft. The two large
shields attached to Ganesha’s hands are held forward, and he
hits the giant magic machine in the foot…….The sound of
something creaking echoed, stopping the giant magicraft from
moving forward.
“Farma, aim for the head of the giant magicraft!”
The head is filled with functions that serve as the rider’s eyes,
and if we destroy it, they won’t be able to do anything.
As I told her, Farma drew her Arrow and aimed it at the head
of the giant magicraft. And then, as though releasing the stored
power, she released the Arrow at once. A high-pitched clang
sounded, shaking the head of the giant magicraft, but that was
it, the Arrow bounced back, not even damaging the head.
“Guh……Alana……Ode……I can’t hold back anymore……”
The power of the giant magicraft seemed to exceed Ganesha’s,
and he began to lose ground.
Damn……is there a weakness……?
“Alana……sorry……”
With that, Lolgo’s Ganesha was flung away by the giant
magicraft.
“Lorgo!”
The moment the giant magicraft was about to move forward, it
was hit by a quadrupedal magicraft running at great speed
from the side. The huge body of the giant magicraft shook
unsteadily after the hit from Arthur’s Sentor.
“Arthur!”
Arthur’s Sentor’s assault threw the giant magicraft off balance
and made it dizzy. Vajra jumps high and hits the body of the
giant magicraft with the shield in her left hand. The giant
magicraft, which had lost its balance, fell to the ground.
“Alana! Aim for the gaps in the armor!”
As Emina shouted this, her Artemis appeared in front of me
with a buzzing sound. Artemis had already taken aim with her
bow gun.
I let Bercya run and stabbed my twin swords into the gap in the
armor of the fallen giant magicraft. At that moment, the bow
gun fired by Emina pierced the eyeball on the head of the giant
machine.
The giant magic machine tried to stand up; however, it was still
dizzy and unsteady due to the loss of it’s eye.
“Now is the time! Iron Knights, attack at once!”
In response to my voice, everyone began to move at the same
time. Lorgo stood up, held the shields of both arms in front of
him, and vigorously hit the giant magicraft with his body.
Arthur’s Sentor turned and gained momentum, then charged
with his lance outstretched.
Farma launched an arrow at the gap in the armor on his
shoulder, and with excellent aim, she stuck the arrows into the
small gap. Nanami ran up using the protruding legs of the giant
magicraft as a foothold and swung her sword at the gap in the
back.
Emina fired her bow gun repeatedly at the base of the arm,
aiming at the joint. I jumped high, using Lolgo’s Ganesha as a
stepping stone, then spun Bercya around fast enough to gain
momentum and slashed at the neck of the giant magicraft.
With that blow, the head of the giant magic machine was blown
off – and it collapsed helplessly, spewing a white vapor-like
substance from its body.
“There are more enemies than I thought, Yuta, can’t you take
them out instantly with that light arrow you used at the base?”
“Sorry, that one doesn’t work anymore.”
“Well, then it’s going to be a pain in the ass, but we’ll just have
to keep plowing through.”
Linnecarlo doesn’t seem to be that disappointed that I can’t use
Viktor Nova. I guess that’s how much she believes in her own
power and the power of Viktor.
The enemy seemed to have noticed our presence, and about
fifty magicrafts came towards us.
“Let’s get them out of the way first.”
As Linnecarlo lightly waved her staff, a number of lightning
balls appeared and shot towards the approaching enemies. The
ones that were hit by the lightning balls made a cracking sound
and collapsed on the spot.
I will fly Viktor and get behind the enemy group, it’s only a 10
second flight so it won’t be a problem.
After circling around to the rear and knocking down the enemy
magicraft at the far end, I took the large sword it was carrying.
I swung the sword out horizontally and destroyed the two
enemies that were approaching to intercept me, splitting them
in two. When I looked at Linnecarlo, I saw that she had already
taken out more than ten of them and was about to unleash
another ranged attack.
“Tempest!”
Lightning flashes and lightning bolts scatter all around. Dozens
of magicrafts were destroyed by the lightning storm. I can’t
afford to lose, so I accelerate into the group of enemies and
swing my large sword around myself, slicing four of them in
half at once.
Suddenly, a sword swung down from behind me. Sensing the
presence of an attack, I dodged it and flicked away the
attacking enemy magicraft with my left elbow. And as I raised
my sword to put an end to it, I realized that the magicraft that
was attacking me was that of my classmate Mamoru Mikage,
whom I had fought before. I couldn’t help but call out over the
external output sound.
“Mikage?”
“Is that Yuta’s voice?”
“Are you still fighting for Mushym? You should know better,
he’s the worst kind of man. If he becomes king, this country
will be finished.”
“But I’m…….”
As Mikage was about to say something, a familiar magicraft
appeared again, I believe it was the magicraft of the captain of
the Kingdom’s SS.
“Guard! What are you doing! Get up and fight!”
“Captain Bilkea, I’m already at…….”
“There is no time for whining! This is an order from
Commander Cruz!”
“Huh…….”
When Mikage heard the name “Commander Cruz”, he showed
signs of fear – who the heck is Cruz……my question was soon
answered.
“Yuta! It’s dangerous!”
Suddenly Linnecarlo’s voice rises, and I feel a sickening sense
of urgency to kill him.
From above, I saw that the ground where I was had been
deeply gouged.
“Tsk, I wish you hadn’t said that……Linnecarlo, when I had
the chance to put Viktor away.”
The magicraft that said so in the external output sound looked
like an angel with wings.
“Cruz, it looks like Mushym is finally running out of cards
since you show up.”
“Oh my, we have the advantage in the battle, I came out
because I wanted to kill you with my own hands.”
“Do you really think Ark Angel can defeat Odin?”
“Hmm, don’t think you’d be better than us forever, this Ark
Angel is different from the one you know! Besides, we have a
very special secret weapon reserved for you.”
As if waiting for Cruz to finish his words, two ride carriers
approached us – and their hatches opened with a squeaking
sound. A huge magic magicraft emerged from inside……much
bigger than the biggest magicraft I know of, Ganesha of Lorgo.
“The magicraft Gigantomachia! It’s a new standard magicraft
developed by the Radol Company, it has three Ludia cores and
is piloted by three riders, so it has the power of three Ludia
values. I bought three of them, and sent one of them out to kill
Yudin, but I kept these two for Linnecarlo, and Viktor’s rider.”
I was a little intimidated by the sheer size of the thing, but I
was convinced that we were not going to lose.

[Your plan worked splendidly, didn’t it?]

Standing beside me as I sat down, the Cerberus Roa said.

Her left and right heads are staring at me.

[Pigii.]

Hearing his voice, I glanced up and saw Pigimaru on Roa’s back.

The messenger’s equipment wasn’t able to hide him well.
Thus, I had him work with the other monsters.
He was surprisingly active in the battle against the 10th Cavalry earlier,
cooperating with the other monsters.
[According to the information Mikhail gave up, the relationship between
Alion’s Thirteen Cavalries…… isn’t really good. If that’s the case……
there shouldn’t be many people who would know every single soldier.
That’s why this kind of strategy could work.]

It wouldn’t work for those who know each and every member of a group by
face..
For example, people like Seras.

[U- Ummm…… Would you mind keeping still?]

[Eh? Ahh, my bad.]

At my side, a Centaur was wiping away the blood and dirt on my body.
Blood that has dried up or faded over time would look suspicious.
Thus, the newer the stain, the better.
Thinking about this, I looked at the 10th Cavalry’s equipment set nearby.

[The 10th Cavalry’s equipment has been secured.]

[Are we going to destroy the other cavalries with this strategy?]
[Well, I hope we can get rid of all of them this way.]

If the enemy has members of around this size, it will be effective.

If it works, I will be able to use the same technique over and over again.
However, I’m not so naive as to think that this would work on every unit.
This is especially difficult depending on the number of enemies.
In a large-scale war, there is a limit to what one person can do.
The key to success in a large-scale war would still be “numbers”.

[Doris-dono’s way of fighting is much dirtier than I thought.]

[There’s no way you can call a slaughter beautiful after all. Well, I at least
think that the way I fight is like that. If I don’t feel like doing something
myself, I will do anything to quickly finish it.]
[Umu, I don’t think it’s something we’re good at.]
[From my perspective though, if it’s pure combat ability, you’re pretty
good.]

Cerberus.
A huge claw with sharp edges.
A great body strike as impactful as hammers.
Bites with her thick fangs.
Moreover, she even breathes fire.

Around the end of the skirmish, the 10th Cavalry already started escaping.

However, Roa possesses a speed that managed to chase after them.

She also managed to finish all of them off.

[You’re also very nimble. It’s no wonder you’re in charge of organizing the
monsters.]
[And you’re very good at giving compliments.]
Roa’s tails were swaying side to side.
Is she feeling embarrassed?
From what I feel……
I guess she’s not as used to being praised as I had thought.
Even her left and right head looked a little embarrassed.

[……The Dragon Light Army, as well as the monsters here, are fighting
better than I expected.]
[The people here are the elite of the monsters who have been trained in
combat. They are more suited for battle than the ones we left inside the
country.]
[…………………..]
In my original world’s games, these monsters would have been set as
enemies.
Even in this world, all the Golden-eyed monsters I’ve met thus far have
been our enemies.
The only monsters I could call friends would be Pigimaru and Slei.
But now, the monsters of the Faraway Country are fighting on my side.

[However, the movements of this battle is also largely thanks to Se……

Koudelka-dono.]

She almost called her Seras.

I guess it will be difficult to distinguish names until they get used to them.

[Well, yeah.]

So far, the whole operation wasn’t bad.

Seras’ proper deployments and commands are satisfying.
As expected of a former Holy Knight Leader.
I don’t think this would be something I’m capable of.

How should I say this————- It’s as if her commands were smooth.

[Reporting!]

A messenger has arrived.

The messengers of our side are Demi-Humans.

Thus, there’s no need for us to worry about them disguising as messengers

just like I did.

[Left flank! They’re still far in a distance, but we’ve confirmed more enemy
movements!]
[They sure arrived fast.]

Were the enemies gathering on the left flank?

Or perhaps, was it a diversion to make us think that they’re doing that?

[What about the Central area where Gio and the others are?]
[They still didn’t find any signs of the enemy. Currently, they are still
waiting in that area……]

Hearing what the messenger said, I looked towards Roa.

 "
"
The Cerberus shook her head in response.

[No enemies have been sighted in the vicinity so far either.]

Earlier, I had secured one of the 10th Cavalry’s people as a prisoner.

He was already close to dying.
However, I made him give up on the condition that I would give him an
easy death.
I didn’t really get that much useful information but……
Anyway, based on the information we have now———-

[Each of Alion’s Thirteen Cavalries doesn’t know much about the overall
layout or the movements of the other cavalry units———— and each
cavalry unit is basically acting on its own initiative.]

In other words, they don’t have anyone who holds overall control.
On the other hand though, this also somewhat makes the situation difficult.
It would be difficult to predict their overall movement.
Standing up from the ground, I spoke to the messenger.

"
"

[I’m going to the left flank where Niko and the others are. Get a horse ready
———— Let’s go, Pigimaru.]
[Pigiii! Poyoon!]

Heeding my call, Pigimaru jumped down from Roa and bounced on my

shoulder.

[Pinyuii~~♪]

“This place really is the best~~♪”

—–or so it sounded to me.

At that moment, Roa spoke.

[What should we do after this?]

[Retreat for a while and stay on alert at the aforementioned area…… If
enemy comes, watch the situation and fight back————- For the time
being, that should do.]

Telling this to Roa, I then looked to the messenger.

[Tell the main camp about my movements too. However, if Koudelka

comes up with another plan, go follow her instead.]
[Hahh!]

Giving me one final salute, the messenger returned back to the main camp.

[……Smartphones would have been great in wars like this.]

[Smartphones? What’s that?]
[It’s a long-distance communication tool. We couldn’t contact each other in
this world though.]

No, we can’t even charge it.

[That sounds more useful than a sound ball. It would have been reassuring
to have one of those……]
[On the other hand, that also means the enemy also lack the means to obtain
real-time information on the entire battlefield. They can’t even take pictures
or videos.]

Well……

I guess you could say that this is the perfect environment for someone like
me to work in.

< 12th Cavalry POV >

[…………..Kuh.]

A dragonewt glanced at the cliff behind him.

With a nervous look on his face, the dragonewt gulped.

[So this is finally it.]

[We’ve finally cornered you, Demi-Humans.]

The 12th Cavalry had caught up with the Dragonewt soldiers up atop a cliff.

Behind the Dragonewts were the cliff itself.

One wrong step and they will go straight to the bottom……
In front of the Dragonewts, the cavalry stood firm.

Behind them is a cliff.

In front of them is the 12th Cavalry.

There was no escape for the Demi-Humans.

[Fho fho fho, well, you’ve done well even as you’re faced against us. That
first momentum of yours…… it may have gained you victory against the
Fourth, but don’t think that we’re the same as the Fourth.]
[Right you are, Dear.]
[That captain of the other side, that Demi-Human leading the charge, acting
as a shield for others. The other Demi-Humans…… call her Niko-sama,
right?]

The old, white-haired man———- the captain Ars Dmitri narrowed his
eyes.
Lining up her horse beside him is his deputy, Gretchen Dmitri.
The deputy is an old woman, but she’s largely built, and except for her face,
she doesn’t look like a woman her age.
Gretchen always has a serene smile on her face.

Both of them are already 74 years old.

However, their bodies are strong.
Their backs aren’t hunched at all.
They are often told that they look young for their age.
Also, all of the soldiers they lead are also old enough to be called old.

The 12th Cavalry, led by Ars, also known as the “Absorption Cavalry”.

[Those Dragonewts look young too…… Even if they’re Demi-Humans, it

really feels irresistible to kill the youngsters.]

[That’s true, Dear.]

[Seeing the youngsters suffer makes me feel young again.]
[However, the youngsters these days have no patience. When I just tease
them, they would immediately want to quit…… They must have been
spoiled their whole lives. They’re brats that make light of how the world
works.]
[They don’t have enough respect for their elders. Vysis-sama, who has lived
longer than anyone else, is the greatest in the world, so it is obviously
whoever lives the longest that is the greatest.]
[Yes, yes. However, if we kill those youngsters…… It would really, really
be……]

Gretchen lowered her head.

Thereupon, as if she was praying, she began rubbing her hands together.
[Doing that rejuvenates me too…… and that’s why I love the battlefield,
where no one complains even if I kill. This truly is something I’m thankful
for.]
[Ohh. When I kill these youngsters, I feel their dissipating life flows into
me…… and the younger they are, the more alive I feel……]
[Especially babies, well, they make me feel three years younger…… Will
there be many babies in their country when we get there?]
[That is indeed something we need to make sure of!]

Raising his voice, Ars vigorously dismounted his horse.

As he drew his sword, the other soldiers also dismounted and drew their
own swords.
The cavalry clearly outnumbers the Dragonewts.

[With their back to the cliff, we certainly couldn’t charge at them with our
horses. The plan to use the cliff as a backdrop to destroy the cavalry’s
advantage indeed worked…… but haven’t you ever thought that you
misjudged us? This old man is strong enough even when dismounted.]
[I guess it’s easier to kill them with a bow. But if we shoot them dead……
Right?]
[We wouldn’t feel ourselves absorbing their life force. The closer we kill
them, the more youth I feel I’m absorbing.]
[However…… It’s a bit of an uphill climb we’re making, Dear.]
[Well, it might be hard on the soldiers with bad backs. We’ll be fine
though.]

The dragonewt named Niko lowered her body and readied her stance.
Holding a large sword as long as her stature, she lightly prepared.
[Houu. That’s pretty impressive.]
[That dragon woman would do…… Dear, you and I will kill that one.]
[Guess you’re right…… That might be a little dangerous for me to kill
alone. Stay alert, Dear.]
[As for the others…… Our numbers should be able to easily overwhelm
them. They don’t seem to have much experience in fighting.]
[That doesn’t matter.]

“Kaka~” Ars guffawed.

His smile turning sinister, his eyes steadied on Dragonewts.

[All of them will be killed here, no questions asked.]

Ars and the others started running at a brisk pace.

A group of powerful old soldiers were closing in on Niko and the others.
And then———-

Ars stopped in his tracks.

[!?]

The other old soldiers also stopped in their tracks.

[What is this……?]

"
 "

The Dragonewts that should have been trapped on the cliff.

From behind them———–

More Dragonewts suddenly appeared.

In addition, monsters appeared one after another.

Their number seemed to be three times the number of those who were on
the cliff.

[Did the climb up…… from the bottom of the cliff? But how could such a
large number of them appear all at once———-]

Yes.

If they had climbed up the cliff, there was no way they could have appeared
in such numbers all at once.

[No…… Wait……]

They are still increasing.

With their rate of increase, there’s no way that they could’ve climbed up a
steep cliff.

[What in the world is happening……!?]

[D- Dear……]
< Kokoroniko Doran POV >

What’s behind them isn’t exactly a cliff.

Behind Niko and the others, there was a “gentle slope”.

But from the eyes of the enemy cavalry, it looked like a “cliff” from an
angle.

Moreover, there was NIko’s performance.

She was at the edge of the cliff.

The glance she did earlier was an act, to make them think like she’s looking
down into the depths of the cliff.

This made the enemy think that there was a cliff behind her.
But in reality, it was just a “gentle slope”.

If they were to lie on their belly on the slope, the enemy would not be able
to see them because of the angle.

The rocky terrain around here isn’t a good place to hide.

That’s why, the enemy didn’t suspect the presence of ambushers.
They didn’t expect to see any ambushes in this terrain.
And consequently———— They were easily lured in.

(The terrain chosen by Fly King…… and how to fight to make the most of
this terrain…… the acting needed to make it true…… it’s so satisfyingly
beautiful.)

One of the strengths of cavalry is their “assault”.

This is especially effective against infantries.
With this in mind, how do they prevent this?
If the enemy is behind a “deep cliff”, cavalry couldn’t afford to charge, lest
they risk falling down the cliff.
This place also isn’t suitable for cavalries in the sense that the width of the
foothold is reduced.
In that case……

They would either dismount and fight, shoot arrows at them, or use
offensive magic at them.

Niko had visually confirmed that there were no archers among the enemy.
When they engaged them earlier, she didn’t feel any hint of them using
offensive magic.
But even without bows and arrows, this cavalry was strong.

(They were even much stronger than the 4th Cavalry we had just faced.)

If the enemy was that strong, they wouldn’t be able to make up the
difference between infantry and cavalry.
That’s what Niko decided.
So, Niko decided to use the terrain just as she had been taught earlier.
She used the strategy that Fly King had given her.
And so———– She retreated under the guise of retreat and lured them to
this place.

To this place where they left their ambush and reserve forces.

Niko raised a flag.

And then, from the other side of the slope, a lot of arrows were shot.

A rain of arrows.

"
"

[Put up the shields!]

The enemy captain ordered his soldiers to point their shields upwards.
However……

[Gyahh!]

Some of them were unable to protect themselves in time and were struck by
arrows.
Niko brought strength to her legs.
[————-Let’s go, follow my lead.]

Niko burst forth.

The Dragonewt soldiers sprang up behind her and followed suit.
Seeing this, the old enemy captain clicked his tongue.

[Tsk! Some of the horses were spooked and started scattering! That includes
my horse! This is the problem with young horses these days! They slacked
on these horses’ training!]

The old woman shouted.

"
"

[Dear, there are more of them than we thought! Let’s call the youngsters of
the Fourth that we left behind!]
[When we become older, I guess we really could only fight a few more
times than the youngsters. If we want to replenish our numbers, even if we
don’t want to, we’ll have to use the youngsters! Alright, go get them!]

The captain called out to send out a messenger.

Now, the ratio of numbers between the two forces is very close.

Taking away their advantage of “cavalry”, they then took the enemy by
surprise by suddenly “outnumbering” them————
They’ve been successfully caught the enemy off guard.

[Press the attack before they get reinforcements! Go! Proud Dragon
Warriors!]

Blasting forward, Niko slashed at the enemy captain.

Seeing her approach, the enemy captain caught her slash with his sword.

Klaaaang!

[You got weight, but got no technique———– Youngster!]

[Gunuu…… For someone old, to have this strength……!]
[Oh dear———-]

Fwoosh!

Niko barely twisted her body to avoid that strike.

However, the blade of the old woman’s scimitar faintly sliced through the
flesh of her waist.
Seeing that she’s being attacked by two people, Dragonewt soldiers
approached.

[Niko-sama! We’ll assist you!]

[Be careful! These two are quite strong! Don’t underestimate them for
being old!]

Bringing strength into her arms, Niko swung her greatsword.

Blocking her strike, the enemy captain is flung away.
Not pursuing him further, she lunged towards the old woman.
[This greenhorn……! You’re wielding that big sword with such ease! It’s
because of this unconscious boasting of your “youth”———– that I hate
youngsters!]
[Oh my! For you to violently swing at an old man, what a truly dreadful
youngster! Us more sensible elders must take responsibility and deal with
you!]
[I’ve been listening to all your selfish talks———– but in every age and
gender, there are good people and bad people. There are wise and foolish
people. And you two…… are nothing but evil fools! And here, in this
place…… I will cut you down!]

[Cut with the prattle, hateful brat!]

[How sickening! You have no respect for your elders! I’ll definitely behead
this Demi-Human, Dear!]

[All of you! It’s a race against time from here! Before enemy
reinforcements arrive, do whatever we can to bring them down……!]
At the moment, the war situation was equal for both sides.
However, the situation could easily be reserved with a slight change.
Then, Niko noticed something.

The sounds of footsteps were approaching.

She couldn’t see them yet, but they were definitely approaching.
From behind the corner of the mountain———-

[It seems that the Fourth has finally arrived!]

Slashing back at Niko, the old enemy captain raised his voice in triumph.
In concert with the captain’s strike, the old woman came slashing at Niko
from her blind spot.

Niko had her hands full with these two.

"
"

If enemy reinforcements were to arrive———– This fight might not be

even anymore.
Of course, it would be them who would be at a disadvantage.
Niko understood this.
She knew that if she was outnumbered, she would have to take the lead and
fill in the “gaps”.

[Kuhh……!]

(I must quickly defeat these two and deal with the enemy
reinforcements……!)

The two old soldiers’ movements accelerated.

It was as if they were taking advantage of Niko’s impatience.

[It’s two against one! It has always been the truth of the world that the
greater the numbers, the greater the strength!]

A moment later.
Niko couldn’t believe what she’s seeing now.
[Dear!]

[What’s the matter, Dear!?]

[It’s———– It’s not the Fourth!]
[……What!?]

What appeared in Niko’s vision was a flock of monsters.

There aren’t so many of them.

However, what’s important is that the people who appeared are allies.

[Oh my!? What is the Fourth doing!? Youngsters these days really are
useless!]
[Enemies in the rear! If we allow them to form a pincer attack, we’ll be in
trouble! The enemy reinforcements in the rear will be dealt with by
Chrome’s troops!]

Even though they saw the monster reinforcements, the enemy was hardly
shaken.
The enemy’s rear quickly formed up and got into positions to wait for the
monster reinforcements.
Seeing them react like that, Niko frowned.

(It doesn’t matter to them if the situation is a bit unfavorable huh……

These enemies are quite experienced in warfare……! Moreover……
They’re really strong!)
[We’ll take care of this! Chrome’s troops———– use the power of our
cavalry to crush the monsters behind us who are getting carried away! Let
them know how they can’t even be compared to the monsters of the Demon
Zone!]
[Ohohohoho…… You’re underestimating Alion’s Thirteen Cavalry! Let’s
boil their corpses and feed them to the dogs!]
[?]

Behind the old captain and the old woman———- Niko spotted him.

A black Leopardkin.

No————

[ ———– < Paralyze > ———– ]

Belzegia, dressed in Leopard King attire.

————Crickle, crackle————–

[!]
(He…… stopped……?)

The old captain’s movement’s stopped.

[—————–!]

Not letting the opportunity slip, Niko unhesitantly swung down her
greatsword.

[Oiiii!? Wait…… a mom———-]

Fwiiiiiish!

The old captain is cleaved from his left shoulder to his right hip.
It is clear to everyone that he is already dead.
Putting strength into her thighs, NIko then twisted her body.

Speeding up again————

[Nghhh!]

As if she was just chopping wood———–

She swung her greatsword down with all her might to the top of the old
woman’s head.

Fwooooooosh!

"
 "

[Gyaaaaahh!?]

The old woman’s head is cracked open.

Receiving a decisive strike on the head, she also died instantly.

Killing her opponents, Niko immediately raised her voice.

[I have defeated the enemy’s leader!]

Niko’s words sent the enemy soldiers into a frenzy.

However, Niko didn’t let them have time to regain composure and
immediately rushed towards the enemy soldiers.
And thus, she saved her struggling comrades.

[?]

Niko’s eyes caught the enemy troops who had headed towards the monster
reinforcements.

They were almost one-sidedly trampled down.

(No…… The enemy troops————- couldn’t move?)

[The reason they couldn’t move is because they’re under my sorcery.]
[Bel———-, …………Doris.]

That’s right.
The him who is dressed as the Leopard King isn’t “Belzegia”, but “Doris”.
“Hmph”, Fly King snorted.

[You killed them before I could make them spit out information huh.]

[My apologies…… I was in the heat of battle.]

[Well, don’t worry about it————- Come on, let’s settle this already.]

[……Thank you for your generosity.]

The outcome of the battle has been decided.

14:36 —————– The 12th Cavalry has been annihilated.

When she was finally able to catch her breath, Niko thanked the Fly King.
[Thank you for your help. However, aren’t those reinforcements from the
Central area?]
[When he heard that I’m heading this way, Gio said to “use” them.]
[Gio did?]
[It seems that Liese has moved quickly and will be sending some
reinforcements from the inside. And so, those reinforcements would be
meeting up with Gio.]
[I see. So he lent the monsters from the Central area to you since he could
replenish his forces huh.]
[That’s right.]

Affirming her words, Fly King looks in the direction where he came from.

[We were on our way here when we spotted the 4th Cavalry who were also
on their way here…… and we took them out first. Then, we just headed
straight towards here.]
[That mysterious power that completely stopped the movement of those two
strong men, you mentioned how it was sorcery…… but is that any different
from magic?]
[It’s not the same as magic. Well, you can just think of it as a special power
only I have.]
[Alright. I won’t unnecessarily pry on this. Even so……]
Niko’s gaze flickers to the corpses of the enemies on the battlefield.

[Your plan…… really worked very well. I must confess…… I’m a little
frightened at the thought of turning you into an enemy.]
[However, without the ability to implement it, any plan would just be
nothing but impracticable theory. If you and your comrades are able to do it,
only then will my plan become reality. I’m not the only one “frightening”
here.]
[……Hmph, you sure have a way with words.]
[I’ve sailed over most of the waves with my eloquence after all.
Anyway……]

Fly King kneels down and checks the enemy’s equipment.

[With this, the 12th Cavalry has been annihilated.]

Seeing the expression on Niko’s face, Fly King asked.

[What’s the matter?]

[……No, I was just wondering if Gio and the others were okay. If all the
monsters had headed this way…… and if they had to fight the enemy
before the reinforcements from inside the door arrived…… Gio and the
others would have to fight with only the Leopard Light Army.]

It was at that moment when a messenger arrived.

A messenger from the Central area———— from where Gio and the others
are.

Adjusting his ragged breathing, the messenger stated his report.

[Haahhh… Haahhh…… Reporting! In the Central area, the Leopard Light

Army, led by Gio-sama, has engaged with the enemy————–]

The report that came in was———–

The Leopard Light Army, led by Gio Shadowblade, defeated the 13th
Cavalry.

[The 13th Cavalry is almost completely annihilated! The enemy captain had
also been killed by Gio-sama himself!]

< 6th Cavalry POV >

Deputy Ferenoch was looking out at the landscape from an elevated

position.

Thick clouds were beginning to increase in the sky.

Looking at such a sky, he was wondering if it would rain soon.

[From what I’ve heard from the messenger, it seems like the folks of the
Faraway Country are also pretty goodーー. I guess the First’s Mikhail is
probably already deadーー.]
Behind him were the soldiers of the 6th Cavalry.
Far behind them———— is their captain John Doe.
Going past the soldiers, John Doe steps in front of Ferenoch.

[For beings who should have been holed up behind their door for so long,
the enemy’s overall movements seemed like they’re clearly accustomed to
warfare. Are they accustomed to war due to frequent internal conflicts……
or perhaps, they have a very good commander.]

[They may have already been working with Miraーー.]

[That’s possible. I had seen harpy-like shadows flying in the distance, but
they didn’t seem to have flown to the front line…… They seem to be using
them in the rear to avoid the danger of being shot down from the ground.
Perhaps, they are using other species as messengers on the front line. From
what I could see…… This means that the enemy has the intelligence to go
on the defensive. It would have been easier if they simply charged at us
but…… in this case, it may be a little troublesome.]

[Captain, you sure are watching them closelyーー.]

[It was somewhat unexpected that the enemy would get this far though.
With the situation like this…… It’s a shame that I couldn’t make use of the
Heroic Sword on this battlefield.]
[What’s the matter, Captainーー?]

Repeatedly flicking a gold coin in the air, John Doe continued.

[Send messengers and notify every cavalry units.]

John Deo gave some instructions through Ferenoch.
One of the instructions was about sending messengers.

[Thoroughly check the numbers and identities of the messengersーー?

What do you meanーー?]
[If the enemy was only Demi-Humans or monsters, there would be no
problem. However, if that Mad Emperor, who can use “Humans” as pawns,
is on their side, there is a risk that the Humans will distort our messages and
cause chaos in our information exchange. The Mad Emperor had sent
assassins disguised as the Magic Knights and struck Heroic Sword……
Doing something like this is easy for them.]

[We don’t have much interest and don’t interact with other units that much
after allーー. We don’t even remember the faces of the other troopsーー.]

[And that’s something they could use against us…… As long as there’s a
squad that they’ve dealt with, there’s a good chance that they’ll use that
squad’s equipment as disguise…… If I were on the enemy side, where I
have a “Human” I could use, then that would be what I would do.]

[I seeーー…… That’s something the Demi-Humans or monsters could do,

but if the Mad Emperor is cooperating with their side, that would be
something they could do huhーー. Being surrounded just by enemies isn’t
fairーー.]

Ping!

Bouncing in the air once again, the gold coin landed on the back of John
Doe’s hand.
[The 2nd and the 9th should survive. If we, the 6th, are the ones “on the
back”, those two squads should continue to play an active role as the ones
“in the front”.]

John Doe looks down at the gold coin that is showing heads.

[If the front doesn’t exist…… Of course, the back wouldn’t be able to hide
themselves.]
[In other words, you’re kindly warning the rest of the squads because you
don’t want the 2nd or the 9th to be deceivedーー.]
[Also, the enemy will definitely be targeting the key…… the Divine Beast,
Radis.]

Speaking of that Divine Beast, he is taking care of his business in the back.
Whistling a tune, he’s pissing on a sling bag.
Incidentally, it seemed like “what’s inside” that sling bag was still alive.

[Us losing the Divine Beast would mean that it’s a loss for our side after all.
There’s no way we could leave Radis in the hands of Mikhail’s cavalryー
ー.]
[That’s why———- The “Divine Beast” will be used as bait.]
[……Have Captain thought of a planーー?]
[The enemy’s movements have also been thought of very well. If the Mad
Emperor is behind this, we must not be negligent.]
[————-Eh?]
[? Is something the matter?]
[Captain…… Did you just smileーー? Even though you’re always showing
no expressionーー.]
[There’s no way that’s the case. It’s just……]
John Doe flicked the gold coin in his hand.

Ping!

Noticing it flying to his direction, Ferenoch caught it in his hand.

[The enemy’s movements…… I feel like it’s something close to mine.

That’s a strange way to express it, but it’s like we are mirror images of each
other…… I’ve never felt anything like this before.]

It was as if———— he feels closer to them than “Humanity’s Strongest”

with whom he shares blood.

[So, is it the Mad Emperorーー?]

[It’s definitely him.]
[Then, we must not underestimate himーー.]
[……Now then. I think it’s about time that we also make our move———-
Ferenoch.]
[I’m on itーー.]

After receiving his instructions, Ferenoch stands next to John Doe.

Closing his eyes, he put his hands over his ears.
It was as if he was trying to listen closely.
[The flow of the wind…… the flow of the battlefield…… I can feel itー
ー…… The place where we, the 6th Cavalry, should goーー…… is that
wayーー.]

When Ferenoch opened his eyes, he whispered to John Doe.

Then, John Doe pointed in a certain direction.

[Well then…… We, the 6th, will head that way.]

John Doe then told the soldiers behind him to prepare for a sortie.

Shwipp!

Finished with their preparations———– The Sixth Cavalry formed a row.

Normally, this troop has a relatively loose atmosphere.
But at times like this, they radiate more power and intimidation than any
other unit.
Leading the group, Ferenoch raised his greatsword to his shoulder.

[Then, well, let’s goーー.]

A combination of a large man and his huge horse.
The intimidation he brings is quite tremendous.
On the other hand, John Doe……

[Now then———]

Blending in with the common soldier, he was no longer distinguishable

from the other soldiers.

[Sixth Cavalry, forward.]

Their Connection
Ville Zentra’s New Year Flower Festival—this was Hikaru’s second time
experiencing the event—was incredibly grand.
Many stalls had started appearing in the morning, and various shops were
having sales. People were walking around with heavy shopping baskets, as
if their pockets loosened up just on this particular day.
Sales ended by the evening, and shops closed. After that, people went out
on the streets, partying.
「Wow… I didn’t know it could get this rowdy.」Paula said.
Despite the cold that the end-of-year brought with it, the edge of the main
streets was filled with tables and people having feasts. Magic lamps
illuminated the streets brightly.
Unfamiliar songs rolled across town, songs about sailors. Vireocean’s
capital, Ville Zentra, was after all, a city of sailors.
A song of a woman waiting for a sailor who had left on a distant journey,
and a song of a man who regretted being away from home for so long but
still chasing his dream. Hikaru found it curious that the nursery rhymes
sung by children were the same here as they were in Einbeast’s Hopestadt.
「Hikaru, look.」Lavia pulled on his sleeve. Hikaru followed her finger
and found a crowd of people in the middle of the street.
「Go, dude! Show that you’re a man!」
「He’s too egotistical. Dump him!」
「Louder! We can’t hear you!」
Spectators were goading. It sounded like a man was proposing to a woman.
The crowd groaned in unison as the woman turned her back to the man.
「Luka! Wait!」
A familiar voice came from the crowd.
「Uh, Hikaru. It’s probably someone we know.」
「I really don’t wanna go, but I guess we have to.」
Hikaru, with a really bad feeling in his gut, wove through the crowd and
entered the scene.
「It’s not what you think, Luka. It’s not that I wanted to leave you behind.
I’m weak… and I have to become stronger!」
Luka was silent.
「Please, look at me!」
Sure enough, Claude and Luka were there. Hikaru and the girls originally
planned to meet up with Luka in town, so she must have bumped into
Claude.
「Hang in there, Claude!」
「You’re a man, aren’t you? Go get her!」
Behind Claude were Ivan and Roy, saying stupid things.
「Those guys are really hopeless.」Hikaru muttered.
Luka, with her back to Claude, seemed at a loss. Hikaru stood between
Luka and Claude, while Lavia and Paula went to help Luka.
「What the… Hikaru?!」
「Why do you sound so surprised?」
Shock dawned on the three guys’ faces as Hikaru appeared. It almost made
Hikaru wonder how close they were since they wore the exact same
expressions.
「Claude. You came to this city, leaving Luka behind, and now you want to
win her back. That’s too selfish, don’t you think?」
「No, that’s not… Why do you even know about that?!」
「I’m aware of the general gist of things. After all, she’s under my care.」
「What?!」
Claude’s face turned red at the word “care”.
「Hikaru!」Claude pointed at him.「What are you going to do with Luka?!
Whether or not you’ll get away with it depends on your answer.」
A cheer came from the crowd.
「Yeah, you go dude! Let ‘im have it!」
「If someone steals yo girl, get ‘em back!」
Hikaru tried his best to play the villain.「Then swear, here, your love for
her. Take an oath to protect her. Take her to the new world and promise to
protect her to the very end.」
「What?!」
Claude and the spectators stirred after hearing “New World”.
「Hey, those guys are going to the New World?」

「They say that place is even more dangerous than the sea.」
「Taking a woman there is absurd.」
But Hikaru didn’t stop there.「Claude. Making sure everything is perfect is
a bad habit of yours. There’s no such thing as perfect. If you want
something, then take it. Now.」
「Yeah, okay. I get it. I hereby swear!」Claude took a deep breath.「Luka!
I’m sorry. I didn’t believe in myself… I didn’t believe I could protect you!
But I’m okay now. I don’t care about confidence as long as I have you. It’s
hard without you around. So stay with me! I’ll give my all to protect you no
matter what!」
Luka turned around and started running.「Claude.」
「Luka!」Claude rushed to her as well.
As they embraced, the crowd erupted in cheers, giving a round of applause.
「What’s with the silly drama?」Selica asked.
The moment Luka started running, Hikaru and the girls made their escape
back into the throng of people.「Just don’t say anything. So what are you
doing here?」
「We’re about to have a party. You guys wanna come?」
All members of the Four Stars were present. Judging by the food and
bottles of alcohol they were carrying, they planned to have a party indoors,
rather than outside.
「Wanna come, Hikaru?」Selyse said, wearing the same bright smile as
always, but Hikaru knew by now that her smile was not to be trusted.
「Sorry, but we can’t.」
「Come on. No need to be shy. We’ve all gone on a trip together before.」
「I’ll have to decline the offer. I’ll be on edge being the only guy around
anyway. You should spend the new year’s with your friends.」
「I suppose.」Selyse backed down easily.
「It’s been a long time since the four of us were able to spend New Year’s
Eve together, so let’s do just that.」
Hikaru learned later that when the Four Eastern Stars were still in Ponsonia,
they received invitations from nobles all over the kingdom during the
Flower Festival.
「You’re very popular, Hikaru.」
「I don’t think you know what popular means.」
After parting ways with the Four Stars, Hikaru and the girls headed to the
restaurant they frequented ever since coming to Ville Zentra.
Since they’d become quite the regular customers, they were able to reserve
seats at the counter even though it was one of the busiest times of the year.
It was a large restaurant that could hold twenty people, but it was full today.
A customer insisted on having a seat at the counter, so they were given seats
on the second floor instead, right by the window.
Their table overlooked the main street, and they could see the moon shining
bright high above the sky. They dug into the food—seafood dishes famous
in Ville Zentra.
「Well there goes our plan to surprise Claude by making him bump into
Luka on Grand Dream.」Hikaru said.
「But I think it was good for Luka.」Lavia said.「Feeling uneasy for the
next three months would have been awful.」
「I like how you jumped into the fray and provoked him, Hikaru-sama!」
「Yeah… I thought Claude would be able to make up his mind if I
mentioned going to Grand Dream.」
Claude declared in public that he would protect Luka. When Claude and
Luka fell in love with each other, they entered into a forbidden relationship.
They were cautious, because their secret being exposed meant their lives
would be in danger.
That level of prudence was necessary at that time, but now it led to
miscommunications and caused misunderstandings between them.
「Claude sure has matured in spite of his lack of confidence.」Hikaru said
as he sipped his tea.
「Hikaru-sama, are you and Selica…」Paula swallowed the rest of her
words.

「Hmm? What about her?」

「Ah, no. It’s nothing…」
「Paula’s worried that you might leave.」
「Lavia-chan?!」
「Me? Leave? Why?」
「Selica came from a different world like you, right? She’s wondering that
maybe you two were talking about ways to get back to your world.」
「Oh…」Hikaru glanced at Paula. She looked downwards, worry in her
eyes.「Yeah, I guess you could say we were exchanging information about
how to return to our world. And we might have just gotten a clue.」
「What?!」
「Really? What kind of clue?」
Even Lavia was surprised, not expecting Hikaru’s answer.
「I don’t mind telling you, but before I do, let me just get something
straight. If we find a way to connect this world to our world—」
Just then, various shades of light began to illuminate Hikaru and the girls’
faces, followed by loud explosions coming from the skies.
A fireworks display was set off to mark the start of a new year. But the
three of them continued talking as if they didn’t notice it.

The Rowdy Trio

As the new year began, training by the joint army became more and more
rigorous, and the Ville Zentra Adventurers Guild was buzzing with many
adventurers.
Hikaru regularly visited Doriachi’s place as Silver Face, while also working
as an adventurer.
More adventurers usually meant more commissions completed, but the
arrival of many high-ranking adventurers—who were basically celebrities
—overjoyed the ordinary adventurers that a lot of commissions were
actually left untouched. Dream Maker’s soldiers were also able to take
fewer and fewer requests as the joint training began in earnest.
Thanks to the Four Stars of the East and some diligent adventurers taking
jobs, though, commissions didn’t pile up.
Heh. It’s like being an adventurer is an occupation for thugs who can’t get
steady jobs.
They were like guys who went around with their modified bikes when they
were in school, but when they graduated, they could not get a regular job
and instead got one that involved violence. Or they were recruited by the
SDF or the police force. It was pretty much the same in this world.
『Sup, Doriachi.』
『Silver Face. Thank you for coming.』
Doriachi and Hikaru often used Japanese when talking to each other, as it
reduced the risk of being eavesdropped.
Hikaru hadn’t told Selica about Doriachi yet. If she found out that Silver
Face could speak Japanese, she’d know that the masked guy and Hikaru
were the same person, and he wanted to avoid that. Right now he was still
stubbornly feigning ignorance at the ladies.
Hikaru was exchanging information with Doriachi about what had
happened the past few days.
『Oh, yes. Lady Patricia asked me to give you this letter.』
『A letter? For me?』
It was a private letter from Emperor Kaglai of the Quinbland Empire. The
fact that it wasn’t sealed tight indicated that the Emperor didn’t mind it
being checked—a way of declaring that it was simply an ordinary letter.
Maybe he’s saying they’re watching me.
Patricia would be wary if Kaglai was sending confidential messages to
Silver Face. So he did this to avoid suspicion.
Hikaru scanned the letter. It was nothing but a plain text with not a hint of
royalty in it.

I’m going to send a skilled personnel, who is from the same place as me, to
help. They are quite the good-natured fellow, and Her Majesty Kudyastoria
is aware of this. I’m sure you’ll butt heads with them, but you can beat them
to a pulp. I don’t mind.
P.S. I’ll send you your reward for killing monsters, but don’t forget about
your book.
Kaglai

Hikaru silently set the letter down.

『What’s the matter, Silver Face?』
『Uh… It’s just… I don’t know what he’s up to…』
Hikaru presented the letter, and Doriachi took it, surprised.
『You don’t mind if I read it?』
『Go ahead.』
『This sure is something. You two sound like good friends.』
『I don’t know about that.』
Doriachi returned the letter to Hikaru. There was no point in keeping it, so
he ripped it up and threw it into the fireplace. Doriachi’s eyes widened
again in surprise.
『Normally, you wouldn’t burn a private letter from the leader of a
country.』
『You read what he wrote. It was nothing special. Well, I also don’t want
people to get suspicious of our relationship, so I’m just getting rid of
evidence.』
Patricia probably read it too, he thought.
The “book” Kaglai referred to was about getting a rare book as a reward
from the Imperial Palace in Quinbland. So much had happened since then
that he hadn’t been able to go get it.
The other reward would be the payment for slaying a Rock Dragon, a
monster with a giant shell and two heads.
The leather bag that Doriachi handed Hikaru afterwards contained silver
coins. From a quick glance, it probably amounted to around 2 million
gilans.
You cunning old geezer…
If he spent silver coins without proper thought, it would most definitely get
traced back to him. The same was true if he deposited it into his guild
account. If Kaglai said he wasn’t trying to discover Silver Face’s true
identity, Hikaru wouldn’t believe him one bit.

『Silver Face. What about your response to Emperor Kaglai?』

『No need. Knowing I received it will be good enough for him.』
Doriachi chuckled.『You really are good friends.』
『Oh, please.』
Patricia, Kudyastoria, and Zofira, the Prime Minister of Forestia, all seemed
smart, but Hikaru knew that Kaglai was even a few notches above them.
If there’s anyone as annoying as him…
The dazzling smile—a fake one, he already knew—of the blonde female
adventurer, who was known in many places as the Sun Maiden, flashed in
Hikaru’s mind.

Switching from Silver Face to Hikaru, he met up with Lavia and Paula.
Luka, who had already made up with Claude, would be staying with him in
the camp starting today. Normally it would be impossible for a married man
to bring his wife with him to war, but since Claude was treated like a guest,
he was allowed to, if barely.
「Hikaru. Now that Luka has made up with Claude, there’s no need for us
to go to Grand Dream as adventurers. What’s the plan?」
「Hmm… I think it’s easier to move around when you’re an adventurer.
Otherwise, we’ll have to wear a mask the whole time.」
「I’m going.」
「I mean, yeah, we’re definitely going.」Hikaru chuckled.
If they traveled as adventurers, Silver Face could show up only when
necessary. There would be no need to wear masks all the time, especially
when sleeping. Yup, that would be awesome, Hikaru thought. Everyone
needs time to relax.
The party made their way to the Adventurer’s Guild to change the number
of people registered to travel, from four to just three.
「Hey there.」
They bumped into none other than the Four Stars of the East, led by Selyse
whom Hikaru thought earlier always wore a fake smile.
「Hello.」Hikaru greeted.
「Are you guys headed to the guild? Then let’s go together.」
「I’ll pass.」
「Come on, now.」
「Please let go of me. You’re covered in monster blood.」
「It shouldn’t be a big deal, given you’re an adventurer. If anything, you
guys are too clean for adventurers.」
「I could say the same about you.」
「Well, we sometimes meet with the nobility, after all.」
「Is that why you have so much power?」
As Hikaru was being dragged into the guild with them, he found out why
Selyse was so forceful.
「Listen up. All of you present here, you can drink all you want today. It’s
all on me. Like, for real. Keep drinking until you’re wasted.」
「Senkun’s so Senkun.」

「True that.」
The thugs, doomed to a life of poverty, cheered in unison as soon as they
heard the words “it’s all on me.”
「Senkun! Senkun! Senkun!」they chanted.
The three listened with satisfaction.
One of them, probably because of his short stature, was standing on a chair,
holding his hands up like the conductor of a choir. The other guy was an elf
with earrings, his forelocks raised using hair oil, which was unusual for an
adventurer. The third was a huge man over 190 centimeters tall. He had
straight-cut bangs that covered his eyes completely.
「You knew they were here, didn’t you?」Hikaru said.
Selyse clapped her hands.「Oh, right. I remember receiving a message
from Ponsonia’s royal capital guild that a party of rank A adventurers were
on their way.」
「So that’s a yes.」
Even with all the commotion, the Four Stars stood out like a sore thumb,
drawing gazes from the adventurers. The short man on the chair—Senkun, a
Man Gnome just like Kaglai—also noticed them.
「Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh! Hikaruuuuuuuuuuu!」
Hikaru regretted not escaping with all he got the moment he bumped into
Selyse.
Tension in the Guild
When Senkun called Hikaru’s name, the adventurers stirred.
「What’s with the kid?」
「He shows up here a lot. I think he buys grimoires or something.」
「A client? I heard he’s an adventurer who hangs out with the Four Stars of
the East.」
The situation was not ideal for Hikaru. He’d done well so far not to gather
public attention.
Using Mana Detection to scan the guild every single time was exhausting,
and even the skill couldn’t really tell who exactly was inside. Nevertheless,
someone like Selica who had enormous amount of mana would stand out,
so he decided to at least do a quick scan next time.
「And the beautiful lady in black!」
Senkun jumped down from the chair, strode towards Selica, got down on
one knee, took her hand and kissed it. His movements were so smooth that
no one even had the chance to stop him.
「Whoa, whoa. What a riot! That is, like, my kinda thing, y’know.」
Gilliam the elf was laughing hysterically, tapping the counter. His reaction
brought Selica back to her senses, and she gave Senkun’s face a frontal
kick.
The adventurers screamed as Senkun rolled directly backwards. They were
getting excited about a fight between A and B ranked adventurers.
「It’s just like Senkun to get, like, kicked right there.」
「True that.」
But neither Gilliam nor Nargo—both members of Sweet Pleasure—seemed
to mind at all as they picked up Senkun.
Thank goodness. They all forgot about me, Hikaru thought.
「What’s with all the ruckus?」
Slowly, a tall, muscular man appeared at the guild entrance—a tiger-type
Beastman.
「I-I-It’s Gotthold! From Einbeast’s rank A party, Polar Tiger!」
Once again, the adventurers were in an uproar.
Gotthold—with about ten people in tow—was an Einbeast adventurer.
Gotthold admired their ruler, the Beastman King Gerhardt, and he was also
a part of the expedition to the new continent.
But this was actually the first time they had come to this guild, and many
adventurers didn’t know that Gotthold’s party would be here.
The Beastmen streamed in. Some were tall, some short, some male, some
female. They were all demi-humans—from half-rabbit to half-wolf. There
was even a dwarf.
「Hmm…」Gotthold’s eyes met Senkun’s, who was sitting on the floor
holding his nose.「Ponsonia’s Sweet Pleasure. I’ve heard about you.」
「Oh, we know about you too. It’s a shame, really. I was gonna beat you all
to a pulp if you invaded Ponsonia. 」
Senkun was referring to the time when Einbeast marched its troops to
Ponsonia. In the end, no direct confrontation happened.
Gotthold was not just your typical, violent adventurer; he was a man of
position. He didn’t fall for Senkun’s cheap provocations.
「I see. Well, that is indeed a shame.」
Ignoring Sweet Pleasure, Gotthold headed for the counter. Senkun seemed
unamused, but he didn’t press it further.
「「How boring. You should’ve planted a trap right there. And you call
yourself an adventurer?」」
Voices in perfect unison suddenly rang out. More adventurers appeared
from inside—a pair of people with the exact same face.
They were tall and slender, but it didn’t seem like they had well-toned
bodies. Except for their hairstyle—one parted to the left, the other to the
right—Hikaru couldn’t glean any difference between the two.
I’m gonna call them L<>R. Such an absurd thought crossed only Hikaru’s
mind.
Selyse, Senkun, and Gotthold were all on edge.
「I didn’t expect Huge Twins to be here.」
「Aw, shit. More trouble.」
「Ram and Leg. It’s been a while.」
They were famous, apparently. The other adventures started whispering
among each other, restless.
(What’s going on? Are they bad news or something?)
Trying not to get involved, Hikaru took advantage of Selyse’s loosened grip
and grabbed Lavia and Paula’s hands, fleeing to a corner with Group
Obfuscation on.
「「We’re here, so you can all relax now. It’s all gonna be smooth sailing
from here on out. Get it? Cause we’re going on ships! Hahaha!」」
「It looks like we need to discuss how to distribute the giant dragon
stones.」Gotthold said.
The guild’s receptionist nodded.「Indeed. The guild also wants to know
everything about the participating adventurers and divide them into units.
Our top priority commission is to set up an Adventurers Guild branch in the
new continent.」
「「Yeah. We can’t just sit around while the armies get dragon stones.
Right, Gotty?」
「Bastard… How dare you address Lord Gotthold that way!」A young
dog-type Beastman, also a member of PolarTiger, shot a glare at the twins.
He was quite something, losing his temper over a name, even though
Gotthold himself didn’t seem to mind at all.
「Don’t bother. Your words will only fall on deaf ears.」
「Come on, Gotty. You make it sound like you’ve said something to us
before. You know we’ll do whatever you want. Just say the word.」
「Unfortunately, I don’t have time for a fight to the death.」
「「What a shame.」」
The pair—Hikaru was sure they were identical twins—shook their heads.
Hikaru was surprised at how casually Gotthold said “fight to the death”.
So they’re strong enough that a fight between them would result in either of
them dying.
Gotthold was a skilled sword user. Hikaru surmised he was stronger than
Selyse, but weaker than Lawrence. Someone as strong as him was cautious
around the twins.
Who are these people exactly?
The guildmaster invited Polar Tiger, Sweet Pleasure, and the Four Stars of
the East inside. Selyse frowned at Hikaru’s sudden disappearance, but
realized that running away was the wiser choice; no fun really in going
inside with her.
Ram and Leg seemed to have already been briefed. As soon as the other
parties were gone, they put a leather bag full of gold coins on the counter.
「「We heard Sweet Pleasure would treat you to drinks. Then we’ll buy
information from you. Anyone with information about the new continent,
come forward. The better the info, the more coins you’ll get.」」
For a moment the adventurers were stunned, but a second later, they rushed
into the twins, roaring.
I can’t get close to check their Soul Boards like this. I’ll get an opportunity
some other time.

Hikaru decided it would be better to revise their registration after today’s

discussion among the higher-ranked parties. Getting assigned to a squad
where he couldn’t move around would be terrible for him.
「Let’s head back to the hotel for now.」Hikaru said.
「Yeah.」
「O-Okay.」
The three headed out of the guild, and stopped.
「What the… Who are these guys?」
The guild was surrounded by men and women dressed in all black armor.
Numbering over a hundred, they all seemed to be adventurers, judging by
the various weapons they had. One of them was carrying a banner to
indicate their affiliation.
Huge Twins.
The biggest and most powerful party of adventurers in the Empire of
Quinbland.
It wasn’t long before Hikaru found out that each of them was a member.

Vol 4: Chapter 5
「Well… I kinda expected this.」
Kimidori Gorn-san’s parents’ house was huge.
It was a mansion located in the center of Dragonewt City.
The three-story stone structure, roof painted with a glossy red paint, was
incredibly conspicuous. When the sun set, the mansion glowed slightly in
the dark.
「No matter how drunk Papa is, he can always find our house from a
distance, nu.」the auntie said, all smiles.
「Welcome home, young master!」
A line of brawny dragonewts of both genders, bowed their heads. I was
surprised to see so many bodybuilder-like dragonewts.
All the employees looked macho. The auntie doesn’t look macho, but she
did kill a 1-meter rabbit with a low-kick in an instant. This is a whole new
world!
「Hyaha!」
A wild mohican appeared!
The man had no hair, so it was just his cockscomb spiking up ridiculously.
「Madam, I see you caught a pretty good-looking one-horned rabbit today,
nura!」
「Kimi-chan came back, so I gave it my all, nura!」
「Hyaha!」
The dragonewt man, who seemed like a cleaner, merrily left to the kitchen
after receiving the rabbit. Of course, he was also macho.
Which reminds me, I think I heard a “Hyaha” from one of the escorts in the
Kruvan Holy Kingdom. Perhaps that person is a distant relative.
Asha and I were shown to the guest room. Since the majority of the
dragonewts were gathered in the Dragonewt City, there was almost no
traffic between towns, and it seems that there are fewer hotels and houses
with guest rooms outside the city.
「I am so sorry. Since our house is also small, we only have one guest
room, nu.」the auntie said. ”It must be nice to be young,” she then
muttered, her eyes gleaming. She seems to have terribly misunderstood our
relationship. Asha, please don’t start blushing. It will make me self-
conscious too…
「–Shall we exchange information about what we noticed?」
Anyway, after calming down, I broached the subject with Asha.
「I’ll start first… The architectural style and other things haven’t really
changed much. The language being the same is also a very important
point.」I said.
「The writings in the city are also the same as ours, but I did see some
older writings.」
「A world that is “exactly the same” in terms of component, but differs in
terms of history…」
「But I’ve never heard of a way to connect two worlds even in the High Elf
royalty.」
「Hmm… Asha, have you ever heard the words “Covenant” or “Old
Covenant”?」
I unexpectedly recalled the Covenant from that time.
Until now, I have tried to not get too deeply involved in matters of the
Covenant, but when talking about the two worlds, the Covenant is
inseparable.
「”Covenant”… If you mean the articles passed down in the Elven Forest,
then I know it.」
I tilted my head. What does that mean? Are there many types of Covenant?
I urged Asha to explain further.
「The High Elves manage the “Skill Orb Covenant”. The articles are very
simple–」
★ Do not take too many skill orbs.
★ The skill orbs make up the world.
「I heard that it consists of these two articles.」Asha said.

This new information about the Covenant felt kind of strange.

Don’t take too many skill orbs…huh. Did the dragon in the “Sixth Mine”
detect the hoarding of skill orbs and so tried to destroy them?
「It’s very simple, isn’t it? So much so that it doesn’t feel like a
Covenant…」
「Yes. I was wondering the same thing when I first heard it. It seems that
this is only passed down to the High Elf royal family.」
「Well, what was it again? The first article was–」
「Don’t take too many skill orbs…」
「Ah, yes yes…」
Wait! Why did I forget that?
When I tried to recall information about the Covenant, my memory became
vague and hazy.
But that is extremely strange. I can’t forget anything because of【World
Ruler】.
Although I have a faint image of it in my head, I can’t remember it word for
word.
「Is something wrong, Reiji-san?」
「Ah, no. It just… doesn’t remain in my head…」
「Speaking of which, there is something like that. Only the High Elf royal
family knows about the “Skill Orb Covenant”. Even High Elves outside the
royal family can’t keep it in mind, let alone the elves.」
「Do you know what is the purpose of the ”Covenant”?」
「I have only heard that the Covenant is necessary to manage the “Third
Forest” in the Elven Forest. They might have told me more if I wasn’t born
like this……」Asha cast down her eyes, dejectedly.
Asha is probably referring to her peculiar constitution that activates【Fire
Magic】, which is taboo for elves.
「Asha. But thanks to that I was able to meet you. And being able to meet
you is a very wonderful thing to me… so don’t be sad about that.」
「Ah…」
Asha’s lovely thin lips parted, and then she turned her gaze to the side.
「Not fair… If you say it in that way… I too… am very happy…」
I couldn’t really hear what she said towards the end even with【Hearing
Enhancement】, but I heard the “Not fair” at the start perfectly.
Not fair…huh. That’s true. She can’t say “I am not really happy to have met
you” when I say it in the way I did…
Thinking normally, no one would say “I’m very happy” after being thrown
into the “Back World”.
「I am sorry!」
「EH!?」

Asha was surprised as I suddenly bowed down as much as I could.

「I got too ahead of myself! I didn’t mean to take advantage of Asha’s
kindness! And I had no ill intention! I just tried to cheer you up!」
「Eh? Eh?」
「I will go see how people in the mansion are doing… Please rest up,
Asha.」
「Ah, n-no–」
I reflected on getting cocky, and decided to leave Asha alone to rest. Asha is
kind, so she wouldn’t tell me to leave even if she wants to rest.
I have to be a tactful man, instead.
「Reiji-san~~~ !?」
I heard Asha’s voice coming from behind the closed door, but I said, “It’s
okay. Take your time!” and walked down the hallway.
Asha was in a bad mood when I met her again during mealtime……Why?
「Wahaha! I see, I see. So you two helped persuade Kimidori Gorn to come
back to the house, nura! Thank you! Thank you! Hm? But for an
underground human, your color is vibrant, and for a dark elf, your color is
light, nu…?」
「Dear, let’s not dwell on minor details, shall we?」the auntie said.
「You’re right! Race and skin color are trivial! Wahaha!」
Kimidori Gorn’s father was, of course, a dragonewt; a large, rough-looking
man. There was a brown line on his lower jaw like a pattern, and the auntie
said “Isn’t he charming? Kyuu!” …Sorry, but I don’t see the “charming” at
all.
The dishes lined up on the dining table were unexpectedly lavish.
80 centimeters long stewed freshwater fish, rabbit stew, and heaps of bread.
…It might be rude to say this, but it’s kind of unbelievable that they can
procure this much food in a devastated world.
(If I really think about it, there are many brawny, macho people here, so
maybe there isn’t a shortage of food?)
I dug into my meal while thinking about that. The fish prepared with herbs
was satiating and especially delicious.
「So Kimidori Gorn, returning to this house means that you decided to
return to the Dragonewt Army, nu?」
「That’s not the case, nu.」
「Hm? It was none other than you who declared not to return until the
research results are obtained.」
「I did…get the results, nu…」
「Oh, is that so, nura!? Show it to me then! What’s wrong, Kimidori
Gorn!」
「W-Well…」
Fidgeting, Kimidori Gorn-san glanced at me.
…Right… he can’t show the kit to determine whether an egg is boiled since
I displayed the method to spin the egg, after all… I’m sorry!
But it would be kind of hell if Kimidori Gorn-san demonstrated the kit to
his father proudly, but the father says, “Can’t you just spin the eggs?”
「Dear, we have guests today.」
「Oh… that’s right, nu. Let’s continue this topic another time. –So you are
called Reiji-kun, right, nuru? Are you going to join the Dragonewt
Army?」
Twisting his bulky neck, Kimidori Papa looked at me.
「I’m sorry, I don’t really know about the Dragonewt Army.」
「Oh! I see, I see. The Dragonewt Army is a unit which protects this city
and the people from foreign enemies. There are 1,000 established members,
and it’s main job is to hunt monsters and bring back meat.」
I see. What does it mean to have 1,000 troops in a city of 10,000?, I
wondered for a moment, but if it includes the primary method of procuring
meat and guarding the city, then it makes full sense.
「We are investigating the ecology of monsters every day, repeating
hypotheses and experiments, and researching to devise the optimal monster
hunting method!」
I was surprised.
No way! To find people who practiced hypotheses and experiments in such
a place—the so-called PDCA cycle. [1. TL/N: “PDCA (plan–do–check–
adjust) is an iterative four-step management method used for continuous
improvement of processes and products.”]
Are the dragonewts actually an intellectual tribe?
「Dear, why don’t you tell us about the latest hunting method?」
「Oh, that’s a good idea.」
「Umm, is that okay?」
I asked unintentionally. After all, it’s normal to think if it’s okay to tell the
latest research results to people you just met for the first time.
「I don’t mind! The research that took 6 years has come to fruition last
month–」
Kimidori Papa raised his fist and curled his well-developed bicep.
「That is — If you smash their heads, you can defeat most monsters!」
Wahahahaha—and he laughed greatly.
I was keeping a straight face.
Asha, what kind of face should I even make as a response? I seriously don’t
know. Rather, I’m surprised that there are monsters that do not die even if
you “destroy their heads”.
Speaking of which, Kimidori Gorn-san’s confident “research results” was
that egg thing. So I guess it makes plenty of sense that Kimidori Papa’s
result would also be something like this…

「So, do you want to join the Dragonewt Army?」

After hearing that, I don’t have the tiniest desire to do that.
「Well, actually… I don’t know how long we’ll be in town.」
「Hmm. There is no other place to go even if you leave town. Do you want
to live alone in an unexplored region, nu? A quiet life with just your loved
one, huh! It is a man’s dream indeed! Wahahaha!」
Kimidori Papa, please stop. Asha is turning bright red and looking down.
「U-Um! We are not in that kind of relationship.」I said.
Eh? Asha is turning away with a displeased look… Why?
「You’re getting out of control, dear.」the auntie said.
「I’m sorry! I made a mistake!」
「These two are trying to take it slow, nu.」
「Oh, I see, I see…」
What do you mean “I see, I see”? You didn’t get anything.
「So you will join the Dragonewt Army, huh?」he asked again.
「I don’t think so.」
Stop being so persistent, man!
「More importantly, I’d like to ask if you are familiar with the words “Back
World” and “Covenant”?」
「Hm? I don’t know about those, but there may be some who know within
the Dragonewt Elder Society.」
「Dragonewt Elder Society.」
A word that sounds like a gathering of elders with wisdom!
It actually gives me hope.
「So then, where can I find the elders?」
「The elders are currently conducting research in the Dragonewt Army.」
「……Come again?」
「Dear, the concept of “research” might be difficult for an ordinary person
to understand.」
「Oh, I see, I see.」
No, I understand what “research” is. I was curious about what the “elders”
were doing in the “Army”.
「To summarize, the elders are on an expedition, killing monsters at the
forefront of the army!」
……My hopes for the Elder society have begun to collapse.
「We found a colony of Chochoriges that we haven’t been able to catch for
the last few years, nu. The expedition started because we had to hunt all of
them down. It was decided that I would stay at home by the method of
“Three-pronged Battle”.」

「Three-pronged Battle?」
「Correct. With a fist, an open palm, and two fingers. You start by shouting
“Sansansansa’s Chichichi” and then…」
「That’s enough. I got the idea.」I said.
It’s just rock-paper-scissors!!! Why do you have to call it something grand
like “Three-Pronged Battle”!
「Leaving that said, about the Chochoriges… It’s a bird, isn’t it? Is it easy
to catch?」I asked.
「Correct. It’s a flightless bird, so you can easily defeat it if you surround
it. The meat is delicious and the eggs are nutritious, nu. I used to eat
Chochoriges every day to the point of getting sick of the taste when I was a
kid, but I don’t see them anymore these days. The small flock we
discovered the other day is also the first in a few months, nu.」
Kimidori Papa said he gave the eggs to Kimidori Gorn because he begged
that it was for something very important, and laughed loudly.
I was struck by a terribly unpleasant hunch, however.
When I glanced at Asha, she had the same look.
「I am sorry to say this after meeting you for the first time, but…」
However, if I don’t say it, it wouldn’t rest easy on my consciousness.
「–the Chochoriges… aren’t they probably going extinct?」
What came to my mind was the Dodo bird that went extinct on Earth.
This bird, found on Mauritius Island, was overhunted as soon as it was
discovered because it was a non-flying bird with low wariness towards
humans and its meat was delicious. Dogs brought to the island by humans
and the rats on board the sailors’ ships also ate Dodo eggs and chicks on the
island. As a result, it became extinct.
Similar situation happened with herring fish in Japan. Herring was so easy
to catch off the coast of Hokkaido that it was overfished until the haul
dropped to about only 1% of what it was at its peak. Although there were
signs that the herring population was rebounding in the 1980s, that rebound
was also overfished and the herring haul dropped again.
The herring was not eaten in the period when it was overfished, but was
instead transformed to fertilizer… Human beings are creatures driven by
greed regardless of nation.
「Are you asleep, Reiji-san?」
「No, I’m still awake.」
I offered the bed in the guest room to Asha, and I took the sofa. Sleeping on
the sofa felt like heaven compared to inns, but sleep wasn’t coming to me.
The windows were open, the lace curtains fluttered in the wind, and
moonlight streamed into the room. It is said that the temperature drops at
night and it becomes chilly.
「About the thing you mentioned earlier, the same thing happened in the
Elven Forest too.」
「In the Elven Forest?」
「I heard that the Elven forest used to be about three times as large as it is
today. The forest cultivated an abundance of fruits. Among them, the
golden peach fruit was especially delicious. It was effective against all
kinds of sicknesses. However, the number of trees that bore them was
limited, and blood was spilled over the ownership of those trees. Finally,
when the High Elf royal family decided to take direct control over them, the
trees were all burned by someone.」

Fire incidents for humans are already shocking enough, but for elves who
consider fire as a taboo, it must have been similar to a heart attack.
「Even after that, there was information that golden peaches were traded in
the elves’ underworld society, but now, there is not even a rumor of those
fruits.」
「…Does that mean those peach trees no longer exist?」
「Most likely. The trees were damaged when people fought over them.」
I imagined the elves being carefree and gentle as they were forest-dwelling
people with longevity, but after hearing Asha’s story, they are not much
different from humans.
After that, Asha and I talked about a few more things. Mostly about what to
do from here on.
We thought there were only monsters in this world, so it was a fortunate
miscalculation on our part that there were people as well, but, one way or
another, we want to return to the “Front World”.
「…Not only Chochoriges, but also the people are on the verge of
extinction.」
Asha’s foresight was impressive.
**
Kimidori Papa asked me to go to the front lines with him so I can convey
my theory to the elders. Not because he felt urgency in what I said, but
rather, “That is an interesting reasoning!” he said. Not a hint of
nervousness.
As for me, if the Chochorieges become extinct because I decided to ignore
them, it would weigh on my consciousness, so I accepted.
By the way, me going to the front lines brought up heavy disputes within
the Dragonewt Army, it seems. The reason for the dispute was simple–
「I want to go too, nu!」
「Then I should go, nura!」
「No, I will go!」
It seems that everyone wants to go to the front line and “research”.
However, we, who are the “guests” from other races, were asked by none
other than Kimidori Papa — so Kimidori Papa’s decision was final.
「Honestly speaking, I don’t think they’re going extinct at all, but if you
will go to the front line with me, I will believe you, nura! Wahahaha!」
The large flocks of Chochoriges that Kimidori Papa saw in his childhood
might still be flapping their wings in his memory.
That’s what I’m scared of. If people continue to hunt only for immediate
profit, animal resources will become exhausted in the blink of an eye.
「Why must I come as well, nure…」
Kimidori Papa decided to take Kimidori Gorn-san as well. He wants
Kimidori Gorn-san to gain experience gradually and find employment in
the Dragon Army.
It seems that Kimidori Papa’s research result presentation yesterday
persuaded him.
「Don’t use weak words like”nure”, nu!」
「That is my own style. And I have to use advanced words to conduct
advanced science, nu!」
The two were arguing about the mysterious words they use to end their
sentences.
「My, my, to think the day will come when I can see Papa and Kimi-chan
having a father-son fight in this house… I have to thank Reiji-san and
Asha-san for this, nu!」Kimidori Mama said, watching the scene.
「Umm… this might sound strange coming from me, but Asha and I
escaped from our tribes’ town, and yet, aren’t you a bit too trusting and too
accepting of us?」
「Yes, indeed. You mean the forbidden love that transcends race, right!?」
「No!」
Asha’s nose scrunched as I answered immediately.
「See, Asha is also making a sullen face.」I said.
「…………」
…Oh man, why is Asha glaring at me?

「A-Anyway, I didn’t think we would be welcomed so kindly.」

「Why, nu?」
If I have to give a reason why, for a town that is united by a single race like
this, it would be natural to be wary of outsiders. After all, in the “Front
World”, the Lev Magic Empire is extremely wary of foreigners.
「We are all a family, the last few people living in this world, after all.
There is no way we wouldn’t accept you.」
「————」
S-So dazzling! Kimidori Mama is shining like a holy saint!
「Wahahaha! Reiji-kun, don’t fall for my honey, okay!」Kimidori Papa
said, already done with his father-son fight.
I’m not gonna fall for a married, dragonewt woman, with an adult child. It’s
much too troublesome.
**
We moved to the front lines on foot.
Though, it was more like jogging. I heard that dragonewt people can run all
day long without tiring. Of course, riding a horse would be faster, but their
number is small, and above all, horses are not suitable for traversing
through forest paths with poor footing.
「R-Rei, Reiji-san!?」
「Asha, you’ll accidentally bite your tongue if you speak.」
I couldn’t let Asha run all the way, so I decided to carry her in princess
carry. And maybe switch to a piggyback ride when my arms get tired.
I stuck close to Kimidori Papa, who was running in front of us like flying
through the thin forest.
「Kimidori Gorn! You’re slow, nu!」
「Haa, haa… M-My body grew dull, because of the long research… haa,
haa…」
…Kimidori Gorn-san, your papa is running at this speed while wearing
armor and carrying a long spear, so please do your best.
「Reiji-kun, you’re quite powerful, aren’t you! And it looks like you have
stamina too! So what do you say? Won’t you join the Dragonewt Army–」
「I’m not joining. I mean, I just have a physical enhancement skill orb.」
As soon as I answered, Kimidori Papa suddenly braked with a startled look.
「…What’s wrong?」
「…Ah, nothing…」
He replied in a weak tone, which is unusual for Kimidori Papa. No, his tone
is always in MAX volume setting, so returning to the normal setting makes
it feel weak, but it’s actually just his normal voice.
Papa started running again and I followed him.
「The dragonewt tribe have almost no skill orbs at all, so… does the
underground human village have a significant number of skill orbs?」
Ah… that’s what it was.
In this world, skill orbs can only be obtained in a dungeon.
Therefore, the amount of yield is very small.
(But it shouldn’t be the case that there are significantly lesser skill orbs in
this world.)
El-san(a rabbit, age unknown), a High Priest of the Kruvan Holy Kingdom,
also said:
Skill Orbs circulate between the two worlds.
If the two worlds are the same, then there should be eight skill orb
production points, starting with the “First Altar”.
(I can go searching for those points, but I’m not here to pick up skill orbs.
And the monsters here are much worse than in the “Front World”. I can’t
imagine it will be safe to go searching for them.)
I saw a gigantic monster when the sky above the Lev Magic Empire broke.
That monster is somewhere in this world.

For the time being, I have no choice but to answer that I don’t know about
the underground human village.
「I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it, but I am not an underground human
and Asha isn’t a dark elf.」
「I know.」
Eh, you know!?
「That is your relationship “setting”, right, nu?」
You don’t get it at all. And why are you making that “I’m smart, aren’t I?”
smug face? You got it wrong, man.
「Umm, no, it’s not– nevermind. Anyway, I don’t know how many skill
orbs there are in the underground human village. Is there any other way to
get skill orbs other than a dungeon?」
「I heard that it was found in a forest long ago, nu… but that forest also fell
into the hands of monsters.」
Asha twitched in my arms.
Just my guess, but it’s probably the “Third Forest”.
As I expected, the eight points that produce skill orbs also exist in this
world.
(I don’t know how large is the monster influence, but it might be a good
idea to secure at least one safe place which produces skill orb before I
return to the Front World—)
While thinking about that, we hurried ahead.
About half a day later, when the sun was about to set, we arrived at the front
lines where the elders of the dragonewt tribe were.
Reincarnated as the Son of a
Vicious Lord! ~When I Was
Having Fun Learning Magic, I Had
to Get Rid of My Stigma~!
Chapter 58
The school closing ceremony is over and the long vacation starts today.

Most of the students, including me, are going home.

I want to see my servants after a long time.

I want to see Sebastian’s face, and I want to eat the chef’s delicious food.

I’d like to see Katherina-sensei if possible, but …… she’s not here, is she?

“Is Natalie going home?”

“Of course, ……. I have a lot of work to do.”

You’re a duchess, aren’t you?

I mean, She is the daughter of a duke family …….

She is such a great girl.

Looks like she will be busy.

What about me? I’ve been basically neglected.

“Are you leaving?”

” Father’s been bugging me to come home early.”

“Well, ……. Well, I guess I’ll see you on the first day of school.”

“Yeah, …… take care.”

After leaving Natalie, I went back to the dormitory.

Then, I took the luggage I had packed.

I’m also leaving school.

There is very little to take home with me, so I take my light luggage and get
into the carriage.

I leave the school, take a look at the streets of the royal capital, and then
leave the capital.

It’s a full day on the road.

As I entered Pepper territory, I saw a large mansion — my parents’ house.

Once again, it’s a big house, isn’t it?

We arrived in front of the mansion.

The coachman spoke a few words with the gatekeeper, and the gate was
opened.
The carriage went through the gate and entered the grounds.

I’m back after a long time. ……

“Welcome back, Owen-sama.”

“Sebas-san ……!”

In front of the house, Sebas was waiting for me.

I had given him the date and approximate time of my return in advance.

I got out of the carriage and ran up to Sebastien.

“Are you fine?”

“Yes, ……!”

I hadn’t seen him in a while, and he had a calm expression on his face.

“The carriage ride must have been exhausting. Come inside …….”

Sebastian led the way into the house.

“Welcome back, Owen-sama.”

“Eh, ah, uwaa!”

I was startled.

The servants were all lined up in a row.

They all greeted each other at once.

That’s …… surprising.

The servants all seemed to be welcoming me.

“Why …… are you all here?”

“We have all been looking forward to your return, Owen-sama.”

Sebas smiles.

Oh, …….

I’ve come home to these kind people, haven’t you?

To the people I love.

My eyes are burning.

“Thank you all for welcoming me.”

I was a little embarrassed to see everyone looking at me.

 But I look back at them.

Ah, there’s the …… chef!

I can’t help but look forward to today’s cooking.

You want to be recognized by these people. …… You’re aiming to become

a great wizard, aren’t you?

I hope so so that everyone can live happily ever after.

And that’s when I look at each one of them. Huh? I felt a sense of
discomfort…

“Katherina-sensei! Why are you here……?”

As if blending in with the servants, there was Katherina-sensei.

She was so natural there that I almost missed her.

“A little surprise, Owen-sama.”

Katherina-sensei smiles like a child who has successfully played a prank.

I’m so happy to see …… you.

I wasn’t expecting to see Katherina-sensei, so it’s the best surprise.

I run-up to her.

“How was your school life?”

“Yes, it was fun. It was fun. ………… but ……”

“But ……?”

“I’m not …… ready yet.”

I remember …… Dominic, …….

“Owen-sama looks a lot more respectable now than he did a year ago.”

“Respectable?”

“Yes, sir. He has become a fine man.”

Is that so?

I don’t feel like it, but …… am I moving forward properly?

“I don’t know what …… magic is anymore. I don’t even know what the
right thing to do is. ……”

“I’m sure that …… Owen-sama has thought this through in his way.”
“I was naive. Katherina-sensei taught me that magic can also be a deadly
weapon…”

“After all, …… you have a respectable man.”

She smiled at me. A reassuring smile. And a smile that contains a kindness
that envelops you.

“—— magic is a wish.”

“A wish ……? That’s what Chris-sensei said. ……”

“Hmmm. I was the one who taught her that. The power to give form to
wishes is what magic is all about. I think it’s important for those who use
…… magic to know what they wish for. ……What do you wish for, Owen-
sama?”

“I …… wish for the happiness of those closest to me.”

I declared to everyone when I left here.

I would make everyone happy,……, and I haven’t changed my mind about

that.

This is …… the place where I started.

“If that is your wish, then there is nothing wrong with it. Please follow the
path that Owen-sama has in mind. I’m sure you’ll find …… your ideal
there.”
Oh, I knew Katherina-sensei was amazing.

She made my heart light in an instant.

She is a great …… person.

“Thank you, Katherina-sensei

I’ve been saved many times by Katherina-sensei…

And …… she saved me again.

“Owen-sama. Welcome back.”

“I’m home!”
I’m walking through a dense forest.

The place I’m in is the Great Forest of Yokuzora.

It’s a place where demons often appear, and ordinary people are not allowed
to enter.

Chris-sensei permitted us to enter.

Most of the visitors are hunters, but the number of hunters themselves is
small.

So we rarely encountered people in this forest.

 We proceeded through the grass and trees.

It was spring, not a cold season, but I could feel the chill in the forest as
there was no sunlight.

After walking for a while.

“Ugaaaah!”

We encountered a single Orc.

If there were more than one, it would take some time, but if it was just one,
it would be easy to kill it.

“Big fireball ……!”

“Geeaaaaaaaah!”

The Orc screamed out due to the excessive heat.

The orc collapses on the spot and vanishes into ashes.

After confirming that the orc had turned into a demon stone, I started
walking again.

I’m going to be a first-year student in middle school this year.

But since I’m going up the escalator from the elementary school to the
middle school, my environment won’t change much.

Incidentally, I graduated from elementary school with the second-highest

grade.

Natalie was the top student.

Why did I lose when I know my previous life?

What I learned in my previous life was of little use to me.

“I won.”

To be honest, Natalie’s smug expression was really cute.

I was not disappointed.

It didn’t matter if I was number one or number two, it didn’t matter that
much.

My magic power has improved a lot since I entered school.

With just a single big fireball, I can kill an orc with a single blow.

After several encounters with demons, we reached our destination.

There was a particularly large tree there.

It was a large tree called the Spirit Tree.

Demons tend to dislike spirit trees.

That’s why this place is also a resting place for hunters.

Of course, not all demons can stay away from it, but it’s safer than other
places.

“Whew, I need a break.”

It was standard practice to turn back after coming this far.

And I sat down with a ” Good job,” as if I were an old man.

There is a magic stone in the Great Forest of Yokuzora, but you have to go
deeper to get it.

I don’t want to risk going deeper into the forest, because my goal this time
is not the magic stone.

There’s another reason why I’ve come all the way here.

“There it is, there it is.”

A flower near the spirit tree.

From where I was sitting, there is a flower with transparent petals and
yellow stamens.

I came here to get it.

I dug up the soil near the white transparent flower and took the flower from
its roots.

Then, I put the flower in the storage bag I had brought.

“I’m glad we have this. I’m glad I got it …….”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Tomorrow, there will be a dance party that only the top students can attend.

It’s held every year on the day before the entrance ceremony, and this year
will be my third time attending.

I’ve heard that it’s customary to send flowers to your partner, so I had to
prepare them.

I could buy them at the flower shop on campus.

“I want white transparent flowers.”

Natalie, my partner, told me.

The white transparent flowers would wither in two days unless they were in
a place with magical power.

That’s why I had to go out of my way to get them.

It was hard to get permission from Chris-sensei, you know.

I told her honestly that I wanted to give Natalie a white water flower, and
she finally permitted me.

Come to think of it, Chris-sensei was grinning at me at that time.

I wonder what it was?

Well, whatever.

“Okay, let’s go home.”

I put the bag of cases in my pocket and stood up.

The dance party takes place at a party hall in the school.

Eight people from our generation are invited.

Among them are Natalie, Berg, Farren, and Emilia.

It’s a party that happens every year, but I’m not fond of it.
There’s one reason.

I’m not good at dancing.

And Natalie is a really good dancer.

Her level of dancing is completely different.

I can do some simple steps, but I’m totally dragging her down.

“Ouch……”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

I stepped on Natalie’s foot.

“You’ve been practicing at home, haven’t you?”

“O- Of course.”

I didn’t want to embarrass myself by not being able to dance, so I practiced

hard.

I even hired a teacher to practice with me for a short time.

My reputation has improved so much that I rarely get turned down for a
teacher now.
I’m getting a little better at it.

But you know, every year, the level of the people around me is getting
higher.

Berg is very athletic, and Farren has gotten steadily better every year.

Emilia is dexterous, and Qaisaf dances like he is supposed to.

And Natalie is incomparably better.

I saw Natalie and Berg dancing as a pair a few times, and it was amazing.

What’s amazing?

The sharpness of their movements, the range of motion, the stopping

movements, the boldness of their movements, the timing of their breathing,
the way they used their hips.

Both of them had a strong core, and there was no wavering at all.

You could tell that they were paying close attention to every movement to
figure out how to make it attractive.

I had a little bit of dance experience, but I could tell that they were amazing.

“Was Berg’s performance better than mine?”

“No, not at all. I wanted to dance with Owen.”

She danced dexterously with me, matching my movements.

After one song, we decided to take a break.

I was more tired mentally than physically.

“Owen has his weaknesses, doesn’t he?”

“I’m not good at it.”

I’m not good at getting along with new people, and I’m not good at
speaking in front of people.

You can’t do water magic or recovery magic at all, and you still can’t put
magic power into a magic stone.

There are so many things I can’t do.

“Fufufu that’s right. We’ve known each other for a long time now and I
know a lot of things that Owen is not good at.”

I said I wasn’t good at it, but I didn’t say it was bad.

There are a lot of bad things, though.

“It’s been four years since we first met at the evening party.”
Natalie has become even more beautiful than I expected.

It’s like an angel trying to become a goddess.

I may have exaggerated a little.

Well, that’s how pretty she is.

Even now, one of the upperclassmen is glancing at Natalie.

When we were dancing together, I felt like they were trying to kill me.

Scary, scary.

“That’s right. Owen, thank you for everything.”

“Eh, ah, yeah. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing. But this is a beautiful flower.”

“Oh, you mean the white watermark. Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much.”

Perhaps it was the lighting, but the transparent white flowers looked
white.

Natalie stared at the white transparent flower as if she loved it.

I was so fascinated by her expression that I asked her to change the subject.

“Speaking of which, what did you do over the vacations?”

“I studied, took lessons, mastered magic, studied, and even went to a party I
didn’t want to go to.”

“That sounds like a lot.”

“It’s true. In fact, I find school life more restful than a vacation. How’s
Owen?”

“I’m not as strict as Natalie, so I’ve been enjoying my vacations in

moderation.”

I had a good time playing with Sebas, getting to know the servants, and
going on the occasional excursion.

Of course, I’m learning a lot about what it takes to be a lord.

“That’s nice. I wish I had been born in Owen’s family.”

“No, our servants are kind, but my parents are not……”

I hardly ever see my parents, though.

I don’t eat dinner with them as much as I used to.

Lately, I feel like they are avoiding me.

“You’re right, your parents are terrible.”

My reputation has been improving, but my parents’ reputation is as bad as

ever.

“It’s quite comfortable to be left unattended these days, I feel much better
about it.”

In fact, I’m glad I wasn’t born into a dukedom.

Because listening to Natalie, it sounds like a lot of work.

“Have you finished your break? How about one more song?”

“Yeah. Shall we dance?”

We joined the couples dancing happily and started dancing.

Santairiku Eiyuuki
Vol. 2 Chapter 14
[Fars, huh.]
The Fars Kingdom.
It’s a long-eared elven race’s nation in the desert with the Faith of Sacred
Fire as its state religion.
It was also Scheherazade’s homeland.
It was the only major power in the world that had a national power
comparable to that of the Lemurian Empire. Especially when it came to
military power, it overwhelmed the Lemurian Empire.
The current King Sasan VIII was famous as both a wise ruler and great
general.
But…
The Lemurian Empire and the Kingdom of Fars had long ago made peace
and signed a treaty to not invade each other’s borders.
The contents of the agreement, called the Eternal Peace Treaty, were that
the Fars Kingdom wouldn’t invade the Lemuria Empire, so long as a fixed
amount of tribute was delivered to the Fars Kingdom every year.
Since signing this treaty, the Kingdom of Fars had not invaded the
Lemurian Empire.
When late Emperor Hadrianus was defeated by Dalios, when he died of
illness, when Hercule was crowned, and when first prince Hadrianus caused
a civil war…
For the Fars kingdom to suddenly launch an attack.
Why?
……Hercule had only one idea.

[Is it because of Scheherazade?]

[No, I don’t think so.]
Todris shook his head and denied it.
[If Scheherazade was the reason, they would have insisted that they wanted
to recapture Scheherazade. However, the cause of this invasion is… the
Tondenhei in our country.]
The reason…
The Lemurian Empire stationed soldiers on the border of the Kingdom of
Fars.
This hindered peace between the two countries.
Emperor Hercule should withdraw his troops immediately.
……To be clear, it cannot be said that it’s enough just cause to break the
peace treaty and make an invasion.
However, basically, the treaties of this world were rarely obeyed, so it was
not strange at all.
[Furthermore, there seems to be a lot of other things that they want to say
about water supply rights.]
[Well, although I don’t know how they really feel. But to end-up launching
a war?]
Hercule tilted her head.
The Lemurian Empire was still a great power even if it was old.
So they can still collect about 200,000 soldiers… even though it’s only
mercenaries.
The Kingdom of Fars was not yet a superpower that could stay unharmed in
a war against that great power.
King Sasan VIII should not be such a reckless man.
Therefore, this invasion was unnatural.
That was what Hercule thought.
[There is only one thing that I have in mind about that matter.]
[Tell me.]
[Did you know that King Sasan VIII of the Kingdom of Fars is currently on
an expedition to Sindhira?] (TL Note: Likely Sindh, the southern state of
Pakistan)
[Yeah, I know. He seemed to be playing with elephants.]
The Kingdom of Fars bordered the Sindhira region.
That’s why they expanded their territory to the east.
So, there was no reason to deal with Lemuria at this stage.
…… If Fars was a monolith.
[The expedition to Sindhira is being accompanied by Bahram, the third
prince of the Kingdom of Fars. He is the leading candidate for the next king
of the Kingdom of Fars.]
[Hoo… then?]
[Currently, it is the first prince Yazdegerd who is in charge of guarding
Kurteriphon, the capital of the Kingdom of Fars…. Did you understand?]
(TL Note: Likely taken from Ctesiphon, an Ancient city on Iraq)
[I see, I understand.]
Hercule nodded.
Carolina, on the other hand, tilted her head.
[I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?]
[Scheherazade, you are surely familiar with it, right? Explain it.]
Hercule asked Scheherazade, who is most familiar with the details of the
home circumstances of the Fars’ Royal family.
After thinking a little, Scheherazade began to speak…
[Hmm… As far as I know, I don’t want to say that he was at a
disadvantage… Well, it seems as you already know. You see…Carolina, His
Highness Baharam of the Third Prince will become the next King of Fars
Kingdom. On the other hand, his brother, the first prince His Highness
Yazdegerd had been ordered to stay at home…. However, since His
Highness Yazdegerd is superior to His Highness Baharam in times of war,
he wants to show it to my father… King Sasan VIII that he can win a war
too, pretty much like that I think?]
Then Carolina, who understood the meaning, replied.
[In other words, he aims to win the war against the Lemurian Empire and
become the next King?]
[That’s right…maybe… I don’t really know what His Highness Yazdegerd
is thinking…]
Moreover, I was imprisoned…
Said Scheherazade in a small voice.
Hercule shrugged his shoulders.
[Good grief… this is a real nuisance. Even so… To choose an idiot to
protect the Royal Capital, one who breaks the treaty and makes an
invasion without permission just because he wants merits to become the
next King. Sasan VIII seems to have a cloudy eye for human resources…
at least for his own children.]
Well, no one wanted to think that their kids were stupid after all.
Hercule criticized Sasanian VIII in his mind.
It is difficult to objectively evaluate your own child.
Sometimes it’s just a sweet evaluation, and sometimes it’s too strict.
[His Highness Yazdegerd was the child of the Queen, while His Highness
Bahram and I were children of the concubines… There are quite a lot of
voices saying that His Highness Yazdegerd should become the next King.]
[I see, althought it well-know that he was stupid, but they couldn’t do
anything to him because of the large number of his supporters.]
The commoners in the Lemurian Empire were free people.
The free people were guaranteed their individuality as human beings, so
they were naturally allowed freedom of movement, and were protected by
law.
By law, even if they were being harmed by an aristocrat, they can make an
appeal in the court.
Therefore, the relationship between nobles and commoners in the Lemurian
Empire never left the realm of [Landowners and Peasants].
The Emperor was the only one who controlled the land and people of the
Lemurian Empire, and the aristocrats were only temporarily allowed to
borrow it by paying a [land tax] on the land.
The imperial rewards in the Lemurian Empire were basically a plot of land,
and no immigration rights granted to that land.
The [Ruler] of the Lemurian Empire was the only [Emperor], the guardian
of all Messiahs who governed the earth on behalf of God, both aristocrats
and commoners, and even the Queen and children of the Emperor, were
ruled by the Emperor. They were one and the same in being a [Target to
Rule].
Therefore, the most important thing in succession to the throne was the
[Decision of the Emperor], there were no other elements.

On the other hand, there were two types of commoners in the Kingdom of
Fars.
Free people and serfs, of which serfs accounted for 90% of that population.
As for free people, it’s not much different from the Lemurian Empire…
But, the serfs are different.
Serfs were peasants who were subjected to the land, such as half-farmers
and half-slaves.
They were not allowed for freedom of movement.
The existence of these serfs made the national system of the Lemurian
Empire and the Fars Kingdom decisively different.
Serfs were people who belonged to the land, so they always accompanied
the land.
Therefore, the Imperial reward in the Kingdom of Fars was a set of land and
serfs attached to the land, and the private property of the land was
recognized at the same time as the private property of the serf.
The aristocrats of the Fars Kingdom had a strong control over the land, and
as a result, their voice increased.
Therefore, not only [King’s Decision] but also [Support from Aristocrats]
was an important factor in succession to the throne.

Still…
This was also the reason why the military power of the Fars Kingdom was
overwhelmingly stronger, even though the national powers of the Lemuria
Empire and the Fars Kingdom are almost the same.
The commoners of the Lemuria Empire can move freely and easily escape
taxes.
In addition, the individuality of the person was also recognized…so the
nation hesitated to impose a [Heavy Tax].
The tradition of being a republican nation still remained, even though a
little.
On the other hand, the commoners of the Fars Kingdom were serfs…they
are not [Humans].
There was no hesitation to impose a [Heavy tax] on non-human livestock
and exploit it.
As a result, the total national income in the Fars Kingdom could be higher,
even though the national power and wealth produced were the same in both
countries.
In addition, while the Lemurian Empire was a thoroughly centralized state,
the Fars Kingdom had introduced a feudal rule system in rural areas in
combination with centralized control over its direct control.
In Fars, the power of the aristocrats was stronger, but the cost of labor for
maintaining a large number of bureaucrats was reduced.
Well, that’s the reason why Fars was superior to Lemuria in military power.
However… Even though Fars was certainly superior to Lemuria in terms of
total national income, Lemuria had far more in terms of funds that the
crown could freely use.
The Lemurian Emperor collected all the tax revenue in the country for
himself, while the King of Fars shared them with his vassals, so the former
was richer.
However, the expenses were also large.
[Well, for whatever reason, as long as they are trying to invade our country,
we have no choice other than greeting them.]
The number of Tondenhei soldiers that Hercule placed near the border with
the Kingdom of Fars in the province of Syria were 20,000. They were still
not trained enough, so he doesn’t know how much they can endure the
invasion.
[Carolina, run now and call Dalios, Garphis, Edmond, Oscar, Christos, and
Lucanos.]
[Understood!!]
Carolina runs away in no time.
[Scheherazade. I’m sorry for this, but I need you to be quiet for a while.]
[Yes, I understand… I will follow your Majesty’s instructions.]
Scheherazade said so and bowed lightly.
It will be safe if he hands her in the monastery. After thinking so, Hercule…
Finally he saw Todris.
[The Kingdom of Bulgaron will probably also attack. Please check on
them.]
[… Why is that?]
[There is no doubt that Yazdegerd is a fool, but he shouldn’t be a big fool. If
he is not a big fool, he will definitely work together with the Kingdom of
Bulgaron… No, no. Probably the first group that he talked to would be
Bulgaron. It was a little bit cold this year after all.]
Cold → Sheep dies → Hunger → Pillage!!
It is an obvious truth.

=====
[Just as I thought, Bulgaron, huh.]
One hour after Hercule sent the instructions, there was news coming to the
Capital of Nova Lemuria informed that the Kingdom of Bulgaron had
attacked the province of Tranquia.
Hercule’s prediction was correct.
There are some Todenhei soldiers in Tranquia.
In addition, the Kingdom of Bulgaron was not good at siege battles, so no
city had fallen so far.
However, it was estimated that the human and economic damage to rural
areas would be enormous. [Will it become a two-front war… it’s
troublesome.]
Garphis look difficult.
Under Hercules, the Empire’s senior vassals had already gathered,
regardless of military or internal affairs.
[No, I want to avoid that, because neither is an enemy that can be dealt with
with one hand.]
After Hercule told Garphis that…
He commands Todris.
[Go make peace with Bulgaron. Get ready now.]
[I understand.]
With Hercule’s intentions, Todris runs with his fat belly swaying to get in
touch with Bulgaron.
After seeing off Todris, Carolina asked Hercule.
[Why is it the Kingdom of Bulgaron? …That country has always broken
promises like before. Now, even if we pay for peace, they will definitely
break it again in the future.]
[That might be the case. However, the invasion of the Kingdom of Bulgaron
is because of economic reasons. On the other hand, the invasion of the Fars
Kingdom is a political thing. The Kingdom of Bulgaron is easier to settle. If
the Kingdom of Bulgaron withdrew from the war, it would demoralize the
Fars Kingdom.]
Hercule continued.
[And personally, the Kingdom of Bulgaron is easier to read than the Fars
Kingdom. They break their promises quickly… but the action itself is
rational. Nomads are such creatures.]
The living environment of nomads is harsh.
Therefore, they always move reasonably and avoid unprofitable battles.
The purpose of the Kingdom of Bulgaron is to fill their belly.
The important thing is the purpose, the measure…there is no problem with
looting or received tribute as long as they got an income.
That is why making peace is easy.
[Well, let’s get out early. This time, speed is important.]
Hercule grinned.
[Hmm… I understand. Let’s accept the reconciliation and withdraw… I
would like you to deliver this message to His Majesty, the Emperor [Thank
you for generously giving us who starved].]
A general of the Kingdom of Bulgaron said to Todris who was dispatched
as a diplomat.
Originally the purpose of the Kingdom of Bulgaron was the payment of
tributes.
Now that they have it, they have no intention to continue fighting the great
power Lemuria.
[Yes, I understand. I will tell His Majesty the Emperor.]
Todris said so and left the place.
After Todris leaves, the General of the Kingdom of Bulgaron murmurs.
[Now… let’s observe the battle between Fars and Lemuria… Let us see the
power and ability of Emperor Hercule.]

======

[Was peace established? Fumu… it was unexpectedly cheap.]

Hercule saw a report from Todris.
The peace with the Kingdom of Bulgaron only required a small amount of
money (Based on the Kingdom of Bulgaron, it’s the same amount as their
national income) and a slight increase in the annual tribute.
[…I feel unpleasant about solving problems with money. Isn’t it strange?
You said, [Even if you spent a lot of money on national defense, I want to
give a hair to the tribute], right?]
[If you only need one strand of hair, it’s better. If the country is not
destroyed as a result of making a tribute, there is no need to think further.]
For some reason, the Lemurian Empire has been preserved until now thanks
to the [Tribute Payment] diplomacy of late Emperor Hadrianus, the father
of Hercule.
Although it put pressure on the national treasury, the Empire still survived
until now because this foreign policy was correct.
[And the money that I paid to the Kingdom of Bulgaron will come back
anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.]
[…what do you mean?]
[I paid the Kingdom of Bulgaron with [Gold]. It is indeed a precious metal.
Carolina, can you eat your money?]
[…You can’t eat it, right?]
[That’s right. Money can’t be eaten. Money is only as valuable as a stone
unless there is someone who received it… Well, how many countries can
use money?]
Among the neighboring countries of the Kingdom of Bulgaron, the
economy is already largely affected by only one country: the Lemurian
Empire.
The largest exporter of goods for the Kingdom of Bulgaron is the Lemurian
Empire and the importer is also the Lemurian Empire.
The gold and silver that flowed to the Kingdom of Bulgaron will surely
return to the Lemurian Empire.
What’s more, the luxury items that can be obtained by using gold and
silver… Spices, silk, tea, sugar, coffee, and bone ash porcelain that have
already been obtained before; those that come because of the human’s
desire.
The establishment of the Kingdom of Bulgaron right now, they even had
sold their sheep and horses to buy those various items from the Lemurian
Empire.
[And they won’t last long. The main clan and leading clan of the Kingdom
of Bulgaron, the centripetal force Clan Kotormia, has been declining due to
long-standing luxury. They have monopolized the tribute payment from our
country. It is said that the dissatisfaction has spread to all clans in the
Kingdom of Bulgaron… Nomads are strong because they are always in
poverty. However, the nomads who have learned luxury are no better than
fat sheep.]
You can continue to gain weight as it is.
That makes it easier to hunt.
Hercule smiled cruelly.
A cold shiver ran on Carolina’s spine when she saw his smile.
(…this person will destroy the Kingdom of Bulgaron.)
Carolina took a breath.
[Well, Carolina… The real thing is starting from here.]
Currently, the Lemurian army, led by Hercule, was marching to the north of
the Syria province.
If you go south from here, you will reach Syria, and if you go further east,
the Fars army will be waiting for you.
Hercule led a corps of two infantry for a total of 24,000 soldiers. Six
cavalry battalions of 7,200 soldiers. There are also six archer units in the
battalion of 7,200 soldiers. And one newly organized light cavalry on a
battalion of 1,200 soldiers.
A total of 39,600 soldiers.
It is a large army with close to 40,000 soldiers.
On the other hand, the invading Fars Kingdom Army has around 30,000
infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and 5,000 crossbow units, in total about 45,000
soldiers.
That was from the report brought to Hercule.
The enemy has the advantage of 5,000 soldiers.
However, Hercule was full of confidence.
[Carolina.]
[What is it?]
[Don’t you think war is a surprise?]
What are you talking about?
Carolina looked at Hercule with her suspicious eyes.
Hercule believed that an equation existed in the war.
Of course, mathematics is similar, but there are various ways to reach the
answer in the end.
You can use a vector or you can solve it using a small product. (TL Note: In
mathematics, a product is the result of multiplication or an expression that
identifies factors to be multiplied.)
It will be different for each person.
However, there is always a method that is suitable for each person.
Hercule had already established a method and doctrine that suits him.
First: The army should use the standing army as much as possible and
always train it so that it can sortie at any time.
Second: Collect as much information as possible about the enemy or
potential enemies.
Third: As a general rule, focus only on one enemy and do not fight multiple
enemies. Make use of diplomacy to prevent third-party intervention during
wars with other nations. If the enemy has an alliance with another country,
diplomatic efforts will break that alliance. If that fails, concentrate your
troops on one of them and try to destroy each one.
Fourth: Prepare as many soldiers as possible, preferably twice or three
times as much as the enemy. However, weak soldiers should not be mixed
in with strong soldiers. This is because the capabilities of the army would
match the weakest soldiers.
Fifth: As a general rule, the battlefield is set in the enemy’s territory. This is
because if you fight in your territory, the territory will be ruined and even if
you win, enemy soldiers who have turned into bandits will spread in your
territory. Also, if you are in your territory, there is a risk that your soldiers
might escape. However, it will be difficult for the soldiers to escape if they
are in another country’s territory.
Sixth: The battlefield should be set on land that is as advantageous to your
army as much as possible, specifically on a plain. This is because the main
force of the Lemurian army, which consists of cavalry, pikemen, and
archers will show their true value in the wide plains. Also, as long as the
battlefield is set within the enemy’s territory, there is uneasiness for an
enemy ambush in the forests and mountains. However, if it’s on the plain,
such a petty trick won’t work.
Seventh: To achieve those six targets, we must always take the initiative in
the war and never give the initiative to the enemy.
Eighth: Attack the enemy faster before the enemy aims for the seventh
target and aim in unpredictable places that the enemy doesn’t expect to be
attacked.
In other words… From now on, Hercule’s strategy will be as close to this
doctrine as possible.
[By the way, can you tell me the strategy soon? You did say to tell me later,
but you still won’t tell me anything after that.]
[Haha, my bad, my bad… Go call Garphis here.]

====
 At the command of Hercule, Carolina brought Garphis.
Four generals are participating this time; they are Garphis, Edmond,
Dalios, and Oscar.
As usual, the ones who are house-sitting are Lucanos and Christos.
[Well then, everyone. I’m better at attacking than being attacked on the bed
at night and I prefer to be free to do whatever I want. After all, I want to
lead and take initiative by my hand.]
Hercule said so and winked at Carolina.
He will never forget to give her sexual harassment at any time.
And Hercule said to the Generals.
[It’s the same with war. So what we’re going to do isn’t to defend. It’s an
attack. Please put that in your mind…]
Hercule grinned.
[Everyone, do you like marathons? To tell you the truth, I love it.]

===

[…Although I heard there are only common soldiers, their resistance is

unexpectedly intense.]
General of Fars Kingdom, Coward frowned.
Coward is an aristocrat of the Yazdegerd faction in the Kingdom of Fars,
and he is also one of the prominent Generals in the Fars Kingdom.
Coward wanted to stop the declaration of war on the Lemurian Empire.
This is because the mission entrusted to Yazdegerd by Sasan VIII is
defense, not attack.
However, the Tondenhei of the Lemurian Empire cannot be overlooked.
There is a reason to say that an aggressive defense attacks before being
attacked.
It is not possible to be contrarian.
Besides, this invasion of the Lemurian Empire was first proposed by the
Kingdom of Bulgaron.
If the Lemurian Empire’s strength is split in two, the winning percentage
will certainly increase, and if you miss this opportunity, Sasanian VIII may
think that [Yazdegerd is not suitable to be the next king].
Besides, Sasan VIII is a person who only cares about results.
As long as you win, he will close his eyes even if you violate orders, and he
will appreciate you for the fact that you did not miss the opportunity.
In the end, Coward couldn’t oppose it…
Thus, it was decided to invade the Lemurian Empire.
[Oh… there is no damage… but we’re unable to advance.]
In the first expectation, they should have already penetrated deep into the
province of Syria.
However, the defense of Tondenhei was stronger than they had imagined.
Also, because of [The Alexia’s Decree], the Alexian believers who became
pro-Hercule were rebellious and sometimes attacked Coward’s army.
[…I thought the commoners would run away like spiderlings if they
attacked… but the commoners of the Lemurian Empire are very
belligerent.]
Coward sighed.
However, some fortresses have already been abandoned and Tondenhei has
begun to withdraw.
Coward thought he could attack the heart of the Syria province in three
days.
[However, there is no movement from the Emperor of Lemuria yet.]
It was about 20 days ago when he received information that the Emperor of
the Lemurian Empire, Hercule, went to the front lines toward the Syria
province with around 40,000 soldiers.
His subsequent movements have been reported to Coward little by little,
albeit fragmentarily.
The marching route is a little strange.
No matter what he thinks about it, it is not the shortest route to the province
of Syria.
To begin with, why are they moving on land in the first place?
It should be faster and easier to secure logistics from the sea.
[General Coward!]
[What’s up?]
A soldier rushed to Coward.
It is a man who was entrusted with the coordination of scouts.
[It seems that the Lemurian army has gone further east after the last report.]
[East? Is there any mistake?]
The soldier nodded quietly to Coward’s question.
Coward tilted his head.
Up until now, the marching route was a little detour…
Well, it’s a range that he can ignore.
However, going further east after that is a detour and a waste of time.
It’s strange…
An alarm sounded in Coward’s head.
[…Bring me a map.]
[It’s here.]
The officers had already prepared the map in anticipation that Coward
would request it.
Coward received the map and spread it.
The map depicted a vast area near the border between the Lemurian Empire
and the Fars Kingdom.
The Lemurian Empire to the west and the Fars Kingdom to the east.
And to the north of the border between the two countries, the Kingdom of
Hayastan is sandwiched between them.
The location of the Kingdom of Hayastan was also strategically important
to the Lemuria Empire and the Fars Kingdom and was often a dispute
between the two countries.
Currently, it is a client state of the Fars Kingdom and thus, the Kingdom of
Hayastan was forbidden to arm themselves, and the army of Fars Kingdom
was stationed there to protect them from other countries.
[But now the Kingdom of Hayastan doesn’t matter. It’s still a long way
from here…]
After muttering that, Coward…
He felt something was off.
The Kingdom of Hayastan is irrelevant.
…Is it irrelevant?
The Lemurian Imperial Army headed east.
…From the perspective of the Lemurian Empire, the Kingdom of Hayastan
is in the eastern direction.
And…
It is currently thin because Coward has divided some of the defensive
forces of the Kingdom of Hayastan to invade the Lemurian Empire.
In other words…
[… I wonder if the aim of the Lemurian Empire is the Kingdom of
Hayastan? Certainly, if they manage to attack the Kingdom of Hayastan and
march toward the south from there, they will reach the center of our
country, the metropolitan area… However, the distance is around 800 km.
No matter how fast you march, it should take 40 to 50 days.]
On the other hand, the current location of Coward with the city of Orontia,
the capital of the Syria province, is about 250 kilometers away. He will
arrive in 16 days.
The army led by the Emperor of Lemuria is around 40,000.
Taking this into consideration, the standing army remaining in Lemuria’s
home country is around 10,000, and considering that the troops to prepare
for neighboring countries must be left in the Royal Capital, the number of
soldiers that the Lemurian Empire can spare for the defense of the city of
Orontia, should be about 10,000 including Tondenhei and the volunteers.
The Fars Kingdom Army has more than 30,000.
The city of Orontia is famous for its impregnability, but if there is a
difference of 30,000 troops…
If you have the ability like General Coward, you can drop it in a month.
By the time the Lemurian army finally reached the Kingdom of Hayastan,
the Syria province was already in the hands of the Fars Kingdom.
If the Syria province is lost, the Emperor of Lemuria will have to return.
[Fufu, the point of view is not bad, but… the distance should be considered,
the new Emperor of Lemuria.]
Coward laughed.
The Emperor of Lemuria is decisively inexperienced.
It was as good as winning.

===

Six days later, Coward was advancing to the city of Orontia…

The information about new developments in the Lemurian army came to
Coward.
That is…
[No way!! The Lemurian army cannot be in such a place!! It’s a false
alarm!]
[So, but Your Excellency. I also have confirmed it… it’s correct
information!]
[Then, what? Did the Lemurian army use magic? Did they teleport or stop
the time… Go check it again!]
The Lemurian army was found about 270 kilometers from the previously
reported location.
270 km in 6 days.
That means that they had marched about 45 kilometers a day…
Its marching speed was three times that of the Fars Kingdom