《Otoko Nara Ikkokuichijou no Aruji o Mezasa Nakya, ne?》 Volume 1 - CH 1 ¡¸Haa, It¡¯s so cold today¡¹ I accidentally let my thoughts slip. The sky was glazed in dark damp clouds. If I am not mistaken, this morning¡¯s news stated that there was a 60% probability of rain occurring in the afternoon¡­¡­. I had just finished meeting with a client so I went out of the building, I pulled the scruff of my coat to better cover myself and headed straight towards the closest train station. There was a plan to meet my subordinate at Shinjuku Station at 14:45 sharp. Right now it was 13:35. From the nearest station, it takes around 40 minutes to arrive at Shinjuku Station. My stomach is totally empty and most likely there will be enough time for me to eat some soba noodles at Shinjuku Station if I stood whilst eating. It is likely that from the previous business negotiation I had just completed with my client, I will be able to secure a reasonably big order. If this is successful, I will be able to achieve my sales budget for this term. Although I couldn¡¯t help but to grin slightly, asides from my individual sales, I remembered that the department/division I¡¯m working for is not yet in a safe level that I can be content with, knowing that hardships are still yet to come I suddenly felt a rising depression growing within me. I reminiscence about the sales figure my subordinate that I¡¯m supposed to be meeting, has achieved so far. It¡¯s already in the middle of February and it seems that she was only able to meet around 30% of the sales goal. At this pace/rate the most she could accomplish will be around 60 % by the end of March. (Allow me to mention that within this term, as in within this annual quarter January-March) there are other subordinates within my sales team that are doing quite well apart from her. However, this is not a good reason to neglect the situation. Today¡¯s meeting is due to the fact she was finally able to make an appointment with a client. Arriving at the station, I took out my Suica and entered. (Note: Suica is a prepaid e-money card). The remaining balance in the card is 12,345 yen. Ohh, what an interesting array of numbers. Well it wasn¡¯t like a number used to win a horse bet, but more like a serial number I suppose. Finding an amusing irony in the set of numbers, I somehow felt a little better as I boarded the train towards Shinjuku. Mid-afternoon of a weekday: In terms of riding on trains (I have this habit of going to the end of the train especially if it was during the daytime. This is because the chances of it being empty is much higher) the end of the train is usually empty and it becomes possible to sit down comfortably without the need to worry about fighting for a spot. There is about 20 passengers inside. Whilst sitting inside the train I began to remember the events of a previous customer transaction. Last year, I handed over this particular client of mine to my subordinate, I believed the client was pleased with her. Therefore I purposefully handed this client over to her. However it seems that the sales figure strangely dropped this year. It makes me worried. I want to find/grasp out the main cause for the drop in sales in today¡¯s meeting. That¡¯s because, if the root of the problem isn¡¯t found, I won¡¯t be able to create countermeasures to solve it. Because the customers¡¯ orders/demand was decreased so suddenly, it is certain that the share is being taken away by other competing companies. The question is the motive. Well, since the problem can¡¯t really be solved by thinking about it right now, let¡¯s stop worrying about the matter for now. For some reason I¡¯m a little bit sleepy. I absentmindedly stared at the weekly magazine advertisement which hanged inside the train with a drowsy mind. After I graduated from high school I did not possess enough money for tuition expenses. Therefore I decided to enter the National Defense Academy because they told me I could receive some sort of salary. (At the time when I entered the Defense Academy back in the 1980¡¯s, the requirements to enter weren¡¯t as high as they are now. All you needed to enter was a healthy body and no criminal record, your family/close relatives also needed to have no criminal record, in other words it was the so called ¡°clean record¡±, furthermore as long as you graduated from high school with a passing grade you were allowed entry. Most likely this was due to the fact that assets were being highly inflated within the economy and Japan was at the peak of their depression, therefore the popularity of the Self Defense Forces was very low). (Note: This event in Japanese History was known as the Lost Decade) Unlike when I was in high school my grades in university wasn¡¯t anything special, I was just a little above average in my grades when I graduated, afterwards I quickly entered into the Maritime Officer Candidate School. Because I was a graduate from the Defense Academy, I was only required to be assigned to the unit for half a year (If you were to enter this program right now, the amount of time required would be the same as if you attended a general university which is 9 months.) I was stationed in the country side for my military duties when an event occurred at the end of the year. I was able to take my leave for the New Year¡¯s holiday for 4 days in a row and I had thought that this was truthfully, a blessing in disguise. Before I went home to my family, I visited a high school friend of mine who lived in Tokyo, this was on December 30th which was at the beginning of my holiday. To begin with, just because I bought a new car in the New Year Holidays, I wanted to show it off to my family in order to gain their respect, this was slightly mischievous of me I know. I arrived to my friend¡¯s house on the 30th in the evening, we went out together to a nearby pub and had plenty of things to drink and eat, it was only after quite a bit of time had passed that we decided to call it a night and go home. A few minutes after we exited the pub, we were met with a scene whereby a bunch of men were trying to hit on this pretty woman. The girl seemed to be getting cornered by the thugs, she was clearly not interested and was trying to reject the men¡¯s advances, however she was being pursued relentlessly by them, these men are what you might call hoodlums (or another way to call them would be juvenile delinquents), I had tried to convince myself that this kind of occurrence was a regular one within the Tokyo downtown district. I turned a blind eye to the problem and tried to walk past them. I¡¯m just a part of the measly self-defense force unit and not really a policeman whom should uphold the law, if by some chance I were to be involved in a fighting incident and this got into the newspaper, this would cause many troubles for the unit I am serving and I may get kicked out as a result. By the way, my stupid drunk friend for some reason or other was totally full of energy and he wanted to look good/cool in front of the woman who was getting hit on by the hoodlums, I don¡¯t really know if he had some sort of fantasy about being the hero who saved the damsel in distress but he went in front of the hoodlums and he actually gave them a warning. Naturally, the juvenile delinquents did not listen to his warning in the slightest, instead they turned their attention towards us and began to question us about our real identities ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± they said, as they looked at us with a suspicious looking gaze. In regards to the woman, I signaled her to ¡°get away¡±, whilst trying to grab my friends arm/side in order to hold him back, I really didn¡¯t want him to get involved. The fact is I probably didn¡¯t need to interfere or get worried about him. This guy since middle school had been a practitioner of Judo and as long as his opponent¡¯s had their clothes on he could forcefully throw them. At best, he would be able to throw down one to two of these delinquents before we had to run away, of course I was already planning my escape route. My thoughts were way too naive. One of the crazy delinquents suddenly raised his voice in a piercing shriek and ran at my friend with a knife. If I am not mistaken, there was a rumour in the news recently about a gang of delinquents getting into a fight and actually causing bloodshed, this was reported not too long ago. As I was thinking about how bad this situation was becoming, I was attacked. My friend who was about to throw the guy coming at him with a knife was tackled down by another guy from the side. I gave a sidelong glance to my friend whom was just tackled. I became desperate and tried to convince myself that this was all part of a legitimate self-defense act. Figuring that I had no other choice but to fight, I was preparing myself to use the Hand-to-Hand Combat skills I learned in the Self Defense Force against them. Even though my grappling skills weren¡¯t as good as my friend, I trained for over four and a half years with both the Defense Academy and Maritime Officer Candidate School. My body had been forged by the training both in terms of hand-to-hand combat and overall physical strength, when faced with such a dangerous situation my body moved naturally and spontaneously in response to the threats. In conclusion, the fight ended with my friend being stabbed whilst he was on the floor luckily none of his internal organs were harmed and he was able to escape with his life, on the other hand I made sure to beat the living hell out of the person who stabbed my friend along with all the other gang members and send them all tied up to hospital, then the policemen came rushing towards the hospital and arrested them. There was plenty of witnesses in the downtown area at night, naturally I couldn¡¯t leave my friend who was hurt, all by himself to just to run away by myself. I was surrounded by a mountain of men all armed, whilst I was the only one without a single wound on my body, naturally the policeman would see me as a suspicious person so I had no choice but to accompany the police officer to the police station. (Note: Wow this guy is op¡­. LOL) ¡ª-A Self Defense Force (JSDF) veteran in active duty has brutally assaulted civilians. (Note: I will use the Term JSDF from now instead of Japanese Self Defense Force) Back when I was serving, the SDF personnel were viewed as social outcasts. For someone like me who was ranked OF-3 Major and had a minor leadership role within the GSDF (Ground Self-Defense Force), it was obvious that they wanted to use me as a scapegoat for the mass media which seemed to gobble up the story like hungry fish. I pleaded not guilty and used legitimate self-defense as my excuse in the trial, furthermore the woman at the scene of the crime also provided a testimony for me, in the end my innocence was proven and I was able to win the case. However, because I became a nuisance to the JSDF, I had no other choice but to resign. My superior officer was half crying when he profusely apologised to me saying ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry¡± whilst bowing his head, back in those days, discrimination/public criticism towards JSDF was too strong and there was no other solution than for me to resign. I thought that it was a real shame I had to leave in such a way, But what has already happened has happened, no use dwelling on it. I parted away from the JSDF formally recognised in the shape of an independent resignation. Well it wasn¡¯t like I committed a crime and there was no crime history recorded either, I was still young in the first half of the 1990¡¯s and I quickly adjusted by finding employment. Even if I wasn¡¯t greedy looking for a job, it was relatively easy for me to obtain employment in a small/insignificant trading company, I was able to land a job in a mid-level food trading company. Ah, By the way nothing special developed between the women I rescued that day. Inside the train, a poster was hanging on the other side from where I sat, it said: ¡¸Behind the Scenes, the Great Efforts of the JSDF in 3.11¡¹When I saw such an article/magazine I absentmindedly stared at it and it revived back some old memories I had in my younger days. All of my regrets and lingering emotions regarding the JSDF were already completely gone, however, I always had this feeling that if I were still in the JSDF and I was sent out towards the earthquake disaster, I would have lost my life¡­¡­¡­. It is not a lie that I have such feelings. You¡¯ve probably guessed from the resignation event which occurred, but, I obviously don¡¯t have a strong sense of justice. If I truly had a strong sense of justice, then the first person to act in order to save the woman would have been me instead of my close friend. The only reason I acted was because I was forced by the circumstances. Even the fact of me entering the SDF was not particularly because I wanted to be a hero serving the country or to be of assistance to the national defence of Japan. The main reason for my attendance in the JSDF was because I could relieve myself from the need to pay for any tuition fees, and after graduation from the SDF I was guaranteed to be automatically employed that was how simplistic my thoughts were. Of course the GSDF (Ground Self Defense Force), MSDF (Marine Self-Defense Force) and my forced assignment to the country side (Though it was a very short time span of one year) was all under the orders of the JSDF, at that period, the JSDF were the ones putting food into my mouth and naturally I realised that it meant that I had a duty towards the nation¡¯s security. Nevertheless those things have passed, I am no longer working for the JSDF and words like nation¡¯s security holds no meaning to me. Whilst I was thinking about such things at length/profoundly, I slowly drifted off into sleep. Besides, I still had plenty of time before I arrived in the last terminal to Shinjuku. ¡¸Please marry me!¡¹ In front of my eyes stood a young woman. It is my wife. But what was this anyways? Ahhh, it¡¯s a dream. It¡¯s been 19 years since we were married, and even for my wife, her age was catching up with her. She isn¡¯t that young anymore and she is even starting to grow some wrinkles. However, the wife in front of me right now was around her twenties no matter how you looked at it¡­¡­.if I¡¯m not mistaken she should be 27 years old. This was a scene of me proposing to my wife. At this point in time I was 25 years of age. It was when I proposed to my wife 19 years ago. This brings back memories. Even though I know it¡¯s just a dream, it¡¯s really nice to see my wife so young again. I feel like I can fall in love with her all over again. The reason why I think that she looks young when she¡¯s 27 years old is most likely because I myself is over 40 years of age. ¡¸Yes¡¹ As I thought it¡¯s the spectacle from that time. Even the answer she gives me is the same. She looked directly into my eyes and whilst letting out a slight smile she answers me clearly. Yea, yeah this is really nice. I thought that I would get stomach butterflies but because this is a dream there is no such reaction coming from my stomach. I¡¯m after all an old man already so it can¡¯t really be helped. It¡¯s jolting. ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Although it is indeed regrettable, it is necessary to remove the madam¡¯s womb due to her weak physical condition¡¹ Almost like I received a slap to the face the words made me miserable. The general physician Ito, whom is in charge of my wife¡¯s health, delivers the bad news whilst biting his lower lip. My wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and after she got operated, my wife lost her womb. She was crying whilst saying ¡¸Sorry. I¡¯m so sorry¡¹ This was the second year of marriage. Bump, Bang, It¡¯s shaking. ¡¸it¡¯s beautiful, thank you¡¹ It was the moment in which I presented her ring, she had a pleased expression on her face. It was the so called sweet 10 carat diamond. I gave it to her as a present for our 10th anniversary marriage celebrations. This ring was bought from the pocket money/secret stash I managed to accumulate by playing Mahjong, I was proud to say that Mahjong was one of my strong points and both my superiors and co-workers were like sitting ducks/easy marks when they played against me. (As I thought my wife is really cute. I¡¯m really glad I got married to her) I closed my eyes in deep satisfaction. This time, I was 36 years old. My wife was 38 years old. Indeed it would probably be an overstatement if I were to say that she was cute at this age. However I still thought that she was the loveliest girl in the whole world. Bang, bump, it¡¯s shaking. ¡¸It¡¯s nice to meet you, my name is¡­¡­ Please take care of me¡¹ This person has such a soft voice. For some reason or other she was bowing her head really low that I couldn¡¯t really see her face either. Ahh I couldn¡¯t really hear what she said, but, isn¡¯t this Shiina¡¯s interview? Shiina is the subordinate I am about to meet at Shinjuku Station. I suppose my dream is still continuing. How long ago was it again? 7~8 years ago I think? Bang, bump, it¡¯s shaking. ¡¸Is this all the members that are present for today?¡¹ The person in front of me looked like the son of Godzilla as he asked such a question. Ahh, isn¡¯t this Yoshitake-san from the next division/branch. Even though Yoshitake-san has this kind of face, she¡¯s actually a girl. Whoopty doo, that¡¯s Tasaki-san she¡¯s a person that resembles Jaiko from Doraemon. Why does our company have so many women that have such individualistic and unique faces I wonder? ¡¸That¡¯s right, including me we have 19 people¡¹ Today is just a leisure day composed of volunteer employees. In our company there is no such system that gives company trips to the employee¡¯s, furthermore there are also no events such as end of year parties or New Year¡¯s parties. Although at first I thought that there would be a low number of people interested in gathering together for a company trip as a holiday, on the contrary after doing an experiment and calling people out, there was a quite a large number of people gathered. The company¡¯s fishing club flourished. I grew up in the rural area along the sea and naturally fishing was one of my hobbies. It is simply one of my past time favourite things to do. I won¡¯t acknowledge the people who pay to go on a lake filled with a predetermined set amount of fish and perform the thing known as ¡°catch and release¡±. If you catch a fish, you must eat it. 10 years ago I met this co-worker of mine whom was 2 years younger than me, his past-time hobby was also fishing, and since then we have arranged to meet up several times in order to go fishing together. After that it would be a regular occurrence for fishing to be brought up as a topic whilst we were conversing. At one stage both of us used to take photos of our magnificent catches in order to share them with each other, we would often go into the smoking room in order to passionately talk about fishing and there was this one time where another colleague overhead us talking and since then the fishing fever was spread and there was a ripple effect for the other colleagues as they suddenly became interested in fishing. At first it was just the two of us that was in this fishing club, however, around 4 years ago the company finally formally accepted the fishing club as its popularity kept increasing. Right now, it has become a regular occurrence in our company for us to gather on every third Saturday of every month to go on a fishing trip. Unless someone was really hard-pressed and was unable to make it to the event, the attendance for the fishing event was really quite high, because the company has acknowledged the formation of such a club most of the expenses are actually covered by the company. A surprising amount of money has actually been conferred to us by the company over the years. The amount of money already budgeted to us over the many years has amounted to at least 1.2 million yen. Besides the cap/hat that we bring for fishing, most of the expenses were actually in order to cover for the fishing boat fee. ¡¸Ye?s, then could I please grab your atten?tion. Because we have two new members who will be joining us today, and the fact that it¡¯s such a good weather because it¡¯s early in spring, we can proceed according to the plan and we¡¯ll go with marbled rock fish and black rock fishing. Please sit according to the seating order that was prepared for you in yesterday¡¯s list. Although you can change your seating order a little later, people who get seasick and more or less people that aren¡¯t really confident should not move from the middle of the boat? Alright please get on everyone¡¹ After clarifying such things with the others, I secure my own fishing seat which is at the very front of the boat. The person who sat next to me was the girl with the Godzilla face. ¡¸Isn¡¯t Shiina-san coming today?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, apparently she¡¯s going out with her family on a trip. She said something about going to a place called Nasu¡¹ ¡¸Eh? It is really unusual that Shiina-san won¡¯t be attending our usually meeting today¡¹ Certainly for Shiina whom has a really high ratio of attending all the regular meetings, this may be the first time that she has actually skipped on a meeting. Well it can¡¯t be helped it¡¯s a family trip after all. Today the group had a really big catch. Aside from me that is. Bang, bump, it¡¯s shaking. [email protected]: Today is my birthday£¨???£©Oh yeah! junya: Ohhh! junya: Congratulations junya: o junya: n junya: y junya: our junya: Birthday junya: £¡ [email protected]: It, it¡¯s not like I really wanted you to give me some sort of congratulation¡¯s okay? /// junya: .o©b*¡£ o ,£¯¡Ð©c*©b* ¡Ä_¡Ä¡¡£¯©c ¡¡ ¡¡£©¡£ *o (?¦Ø?)د©a£þ£þ¡¯ ©b ¥Î/¡¡ / ¥Î£þ©f¡¡¡¡¡¡congrats.. [email protected]: You don¡¯t have to look for that kind of AA, it¡¯s not even properly aligned pgr (Note: the emoticon¡¯s when aligned properly actually show a cute face just think of Nepu the crawler/translator) junya: ??? junya: I even tried so hard??? junya: for turning 44 years old£¡ junya: congratulations£¡ [email protected]: thanks? junya: you¡¯re great (¥Î¡ä?£à*) [email protected]: also, I¡¯m no longer 44 years old, I¡¯ve become 45 years old ya know? [email protected]: I¡¯ve really become an old man junya: oh stop it, you are in your prime ! [email protected]: well, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m mature in age and wisdom junya: (*¡ä?£à) lolol [email protected]: how about you, aren¡¯t you going to say your age? junya: I¡¯m 30 years old, what about it£¿ This was¡­¡­..The chat I had last year during my birthday. I was strangely quite compatible with Shiina, and we became quite close. She was a new recruit that had just come in and in order to get her used to the job I trained/drilled her for a period of 2 years about the formalities in handling business transactions. I taught her the basics of fishing whilst she was keeping me up to date with things like 2channel and recommending/teaching me how to play various games, sometimes we would also go out to drink together. Bump, bang, its shaking. Bang, bump, it¡¯s jolting. Bang, bump it¡¯s rattling. It shakes. *Screeeeeech*!! (Wha, what¡¯s happening?) Gashyannnn!! *Crashh* (Ohh, My body slides¡­¡­¡­and flies away! The other passengers in the train are also flying!!) Guwashyaa!! *crash* *smash* (This is bad, at this rate¡­?!!!) BARI BARI!! *Crunch* *Crackle* (I¡¯m going to get smashed into the train!!) (If only I can grab unto one of the poles!!!) Just when I thought that I had successfully grabbed unto the pole, a shadow of a person came crashing into me. It¡¯s probably too late for me to understand this now, but I was most likely in a train accident right now. Ahh, although my left hand was able to get a grip on the pole, but due to the person who crashed into me my grip is peeled off. When I took a quick glance it seemed that the person who crashed into me was just a child. Even though it¡¯s around 2 o¡¯clock in the afternoon, shouldn¡¯t a kid like this be at school or something? It seems that she¡¯s still at the age where she attends kindergarten. Using my reflexes I manage to hold unto the child who crashed into me. A big impact hits my right shoulder. I probably hit something really hard. Is it about time? Is it about the time that the train is going to hit something? ¡¸Guhaaa!!!!!!! ¡¹ *argh* ¡¸Guehhh!!!!!!!¡¹*ergh* A weird voice came out. The trained had already crashed and many people were thrown against the edge of the vehicle, people were piled upon each other and even I was sandwiched in between the mass of people. Seriously, it hurts like hell. (Am I¡­¡­¡­ going to die here¡­¡­.?) I can¡¯t move my body. The person I smashed into (The Adult person) had his neck twisted at a really weird angle. The child whom I protected with my body could be heard crying. I can¡¯t focus my eyes. ¡¸Miki¡­¡­.¡¹ I was able to vocalise with the last of my strength the name of my beloved family member. In the end, I was able to call out the name of my wife before I died, because of that I was a little satisfied. I died in a train accident, at the middle of February 2015. It would be a lie if I told you that I have no regrets, however I don¡¯t have any kids to speak of and my parents grew old and they are still alive and well. My wife has her own job, and she will definitely be able to support herself. Of course I also have a life insurance policy, if I take into consideration various things, well you can say that I have lived a full life. But it is a fact that my life was really short. I still haven¡¯t lived the latter half of my life. Yeah, well I did save up an extremely high grade alcohol which I planned to drink with my wife this weekend and there was also the matter of this terms sales figures. The fact that I have such trivial thoughts and regrets is a little weird but, I suppose it¡¯s all just a part of life. Volume 1 - CH 2 (it, it¡¯s agonizing¡­..) ¡¸£¡¡±££¡ç£¥£¦¡¯£¨¡¹ ¡¸£ü¡«£½£©£¨¡¯£¦£¥¡ç¡¹ I can¡¯t breathe, my chest feels really tight. I wonder what¡¯s happening? Ahh, that¡¯s right, I died in a train accident, didn¡¯t I. No, the fact that I¡¯m still feeling so much pain probably means that I¡¯m still alive? Did I get saved in time!? The tight feeling around my body somehow loosens around my head area. I can¡¯t open my eyes. Moreover, I am still unable to breathe. ¡¸£££¥£¥£¦¡¯£¥¡¯£¨£¦£©¡¹ I hear the voice of a young man. For some reason the voice seems really distant. It¡¯s probably one of the people that was caught up in the train accident? The tight feeling around my body was gone. It felt like I was being pulled from my shoulders and my chin up towards my head area. Is this perhaps? some kind of treatment? My eye¡¯s still wont open. Moreover, I still can¡¯t breathe yet. It¡¯s painful. And my body was covered in some sort of warm water. Is this a bath? (It tastes bitter, eww) ¡¸Cough, Cough¡¹ After I choked and coughed I became able to breathe. What¡¯s this? I feel the taste of blood. ¡¸Cough, Coughh¡¹ I seem to have vomited out some sort of liquid or maybe it was blood from within my mouth and now I was able to breathe. ¡¸£¾¡¯£££©£¦£¡¡±£¦£££££¥£¿¡¹ The voice of a middle aged woman. Because I can¡¯t really see, I am not able to confirm that it was indeed a middle aged woman. ¡¸¡ç£¿£¥¡¢¡¯£¨£££¦¡¯£££¦¡«££¡±£¿¡¹ Now it was the voice of the young man whom had spoken previously. (Perhaps I am still being treated in the hospital? Was that me vomiting my own blood?) ¡¸£¾£¥¡¢£¥¡ç¡ç¡¢££¡±£¥£¡£¡¡¡££¡±¡ç££¡ç£¡£¡¡¹ Exactly, what happened to me? ¡¸£¥¡ç¡ç¡±¡¢¡¯£½£¦£½¡¢£££¥£½¡«£¦£¡£¡¡¹ It still hurts. Am I still waiting for them to bandage me up? (Oi! Did I survive?! Which hospital am I at?!) ¡¸Uge! Ugyaa Ugyaaa!? Ugyaaaaaa?¡¹ (Huh? I can¡¯t use my voice properly?) ¡¸Ugooaaa? Uhiyaaa?¡¹ ¡¸¡±£«¡¢£ª£¿£ý£¦£¡¡¢£¤£Þ£­?¡¢£ª£º£¨¡¯¡¢£»£½£¥¡¹ This nurse, what the heck is she even saying to me? Please talk in Japanese. ¡¸££¡±¡ç¡±££¡ç¡¢£°£­£¦¡£ ¡±££¡ç£££º¡¢£»£ª¡¿£¦£¥£¡¡¡££¡ç£¦¡±£¡¡¹ (Shit! What the hell is going on?!) ¡¸Ugiyaaaa! Ugigyuuu GyaaaaAA?¡¹ It seem¡¯s I am not in any grave danger. Even the shoulder which I hit really hard is not painful at all. And I am beginning to understand why I am not able to talk properly. It¡¯s because I¡¯ve become a baby who was just born just now. The reason why my vision was so blurry when I first opened my eyes and I couldn¡¯t really see anything is now understandable. I was trying to feel my body and when I did I saw my cute and chubby hands with lovely little fingers attached to it, and even my arms were cute and puffy. Although I couldn¡¯t really move my body properly, My movements aren¡¯t getting obstructed by anything and I don¡¯t feel any remnant pain. Although I was able to bring my hands up towards my eyes so that I could more clearly inspect them, I couldn¡¯t keep them up for long. It was also impossible for me to toss and turn about. It would seem that my body is not very strong. Is it because I¡¯m a new born, is this how weak a baby is supposed to be? I tried to move my body as much as possible however I couldn¡¯t really put any strength into any of my limbs, I felt really lethargic and couldn¡¯t move very well. And, there is this man who keeps on peeking at me and, talking to me in a language I couldn¡¯t understand. As expected it was the kind of voice that I couldn¡¯t really understand and he seemed to be a foreigner of some sort. I was trying to communicate with him somehow but, my vocal cords weren¡¯t really moving the way I wanted it too so all I could manage to strain out was ¡¸Aguu¡¹or ¡¸Hoguu¡¹. This is bad, was I born with some kind of defect/disability perhaps? ¡¸£¥£­£¦¡¢£ª£»£ª£»¡¢£¥£¥£½££¡£ £¾¡±£½£Þ£¤£¦£¥¡ç£º£©££¡±£¦£¥¡¹ Shit, don¡¯t hold me up in such a weird way. The palm of your hands are really tough/hard its really painful on my body, darn it. Although all I wanted to do was complain a little bit, I couldn¡¯t supress the rising annoyance/anger within me and in a violent fit of fury I screamed my lungs out. ¡¸Ugiyaaaaaaa, UgiyaaaaaaaaAAA¡¹ Ahhh, for goodness sake, it wasn¡¯t that painful to begin with, and all I wanted to do was be able to communicate with him. Around 3 months had passed and I started to understand a few more things. Well it¡¯s a fact that they don¡¯t speak English. Because they are not speaking either German or French it must be a language from a country that I am not familiar with East Europe or Northern Europe, or it could be the west edge of Europe such as Spain and or Portugal. If we presume that I was reincarnated as soon as I died, then I would feel that based on the climate and the season that I was more to the South. There is a possibility that I am actually near Mexico. However, some of the nouns were understandable for me. Just what kind of language are they speaking? There was not a single electronic appliance that I could find. There wasn¡¯t even a radio, what was with this place? It might be a small developing country which was independent of the former Soviet Union in Eastern Europe. By the way, the house is wooden and from what I can see the floors was also made out of wood. There was no carpets or mats. The window¡¯s didn¡¯t have any glasses, and it was only supported by a wooden pole to keep the windows opened. At night this wooden pole was removed in order to close the window. Although there weren¡¯t any glasses on the windows, there was glass for the tableware. When the sun sets, preparation for supper would be started. They would use a lamp to light the dark house and eat with it lit, afterwards they would go straight to bed. Ahh, They also seem to eat lunch. Well I wasn¡¯t really weaned out from food yet so I don¡¯t really understand the menu well. There is no electricity in this house and it makes life extremely inconvenient. I see them every day, however, I couldn¡¯t pin point exactly how many people there were until a little later. ?The first family member is naturally me. I am a baby. All I did was suck on some breasts for milk then sleep, cry out when I need to poop and sleep, therefore I don¡¯t really know exactly, but it¡¯s been around three months since I was born. By the way breast milk tastes horrible. it tastes like thin milk. ?The second family member is probably my father. He was a middle aged man with a beard and blonde hair. However, he might be considerable younger than the age I was when I died. He¡¯s probably around his mid thirties? He had blue eyes. ?The third family member is probably my mother. She seems to be in her late twenties or early thirties? unlike my father she was a considerably beautiful woman. Also she had perfectly shaped breasts. My mother was also blonde haired. With light green pupils. ?The fourth family member was most likely my elder sister. she seems to be around her late teens or maybe around 20 years of age? Although it wasn¡¯t easy to say that she was beautiful, she wasn¡¯t unattractive either. Just like mother, she also contributed to taking care of me quite often. Although I told you guys that she was my elder sister, judging just based on her age, it was more likely that she was my father or mothers younger sister, which would mean that she was possibly my aunt. She had brown hair. Light blue eyes. ?The fifth family member is probably my elder brother and the eldest son. It seemed like he hasn¡¯t started going to elementary school yet. around the age of 5~6. he seemed to give off a feeling like he was a slightly mischievous kid. He was adorable for his age. Brown hair. Pale green eyes. ?The sixth family member is likely to be my elder sister and the second daughter. It seemed she was a little younger than my elder brother. around 3~4 years of age? Sometimes both her and my elder brother would take a quick peek at me. She had a good smile when she laughed. She would likely become a beautiful woman in the future. she has beautiful blonde hair. Light brown eyes. ?The seventh family member is a man whom seems to be a little older than my father I could hear his voice everyday. I¡¯ve seen this mans face around 2~3 times this month. I predicted that he was my uncle. this is the main reason why I said that it was an approximate guess of whom my family members are. This guy also has a beard, but it wasn¡¯t as rugged as my fathers, and was neatly trimmed and arranged nicely. he had dark blonde hair. Emerald pupils. After eating his breakfast in the morning, he would take off to go somewhere, he returns home at around noon to eat lunch and then he leaves again and doesn¡¯t come back until the evening. For the time being, this is what I can gather. The number of rooms in the house still remains a mystery. Right now the only rooms I can see are: Parent¡¯s bedroom, Living Room and Dining Room. I could see that there was door¡¯s to other rooms but as of yet I could not really get up to walk and most of my time is spent sleeping. Other than the time when she needs to breastfeed me or change my diapers, my mother doesn¡¯t really give me any other attention. (Illustration: Alein being held by Shirley) Although I knew it was important, for some reason I could not control my emotions or keep them in check. Whenever I got hungry I would just automatically cry without being able to endure, When I wet my pants I would have this unpleasant feeling and I would cry uncontrollably. No matter how you saw it, I was just your ordinary baby, I definitely did not look like a man in his forties. I¡¯m a little anxious when I think about the changes I¡¯m experiencing and what¡¯s become of me. And I would often cry because of my anxiety. Naturally crying is not the only thing I do. when my elder brother or elder sister cuddle me or when they make these strange faces which were not the least bit interesting, for some reason or other I would be happy and end up laughing. It seems that after a while of being left alone I would be crushed by the feeling of anxiety again and I would end up crying. Am I demented? Half a year has now passed and I have been able to confirm various things. I was able to suppress the huge wave of emotions which rose up within me at least one or twice. This makes me happy. I can¡¯t stand just yet as I am not able to balance my body properly. It feels like one of those foot soldier toys that kept falling when you tried to make it stand upright. Nevertheless, In time I feel like I can get accustomed to this sensation and will be able to stand up soon. My vocal chords have yet to fully develop so I¡¯m not really able to pronounce the words properly yet, however in terms of picking up what people are saying I think that I am becoming relatively good at it. It would seem that there is not much difference in grammatical composition to the Japanese Language. In terms of how each particle is changed or made, or how terms can be conjoined or the particles used to make a verb, I am still not very confident about these things. However in terms of understanding the general gist of what they were speaking I feel like I was able to grasp most of it. First is my own name. Al. Please tell me its a lie, ¡ð©`nie. (Note: name has been censored) My father¡¯s name was Hegard. His body was really muscular. His body resembled a professional sport¡¯s player. My mothers name is Shirl. A beautiful woman with nicely shaped breasts. My sexual desires doesn¡¯t spring forth. Did I become impotent? I thought the other grown woman was my older sister but it turns out she¡¯s the house maid ¡°Myun¡±. She goes to work in the morning and seems to return at night. It seems like there is no holidays in the working environment and it seems like a black company. (Note: black company is a Japanese Term for an exploitative sweatshop-type employment system.) My elder brother is Farne or also called Fan. Depending on the person, different people call him with different names. His pet name you ask? it¡¯s ¡°little boy¡± My elder sister is Mill. She¡¯s a young girl. The other man that I thought was my uncle was apparently my fathers subordinate, his name is Judd. Other than Myun the man would speak to everyone else with honorific¡¯s that made me think that he was my father¡¯s subordinate. Other than this there are several other people that came by the house, but I was not able to remember their names yet. They didn¡¯t enter the house so I didn¡¯t know what they looked like either. Furthermore I have not yet been able to discover my family name. Well, in a sense this is to be expected. It would be abnormal for my family to refer to each other by their last names. I don¡¯t really know what this Shun refers to, it could be referring to a village, town or a city. The name occasionally ends only with Bakudo, so what¡¯s certain is that the name is Bakudo. Perhaps it was the name of the country itself. I¡¯ve never heard the name of such a country before and it wasn¡¯t really mentioned that much in conversations. Most of the nouns they used were similar to the Japanese language so I was hoping that there was something in common with the name of places. I haven¡¯t seen anything that resembled a calendar, nor have I seen any newspapers lying around either. I was reborn after 2015, so I thought it would be save to assume I was born in a modern era, however¡­¡­.. Almost as if it was the most natural thing in the world, my house didn¡¯t even have a clock. Every morning the sound of chickens crowing could be heard. In this country is it referred to as kukkudou-du-ruduu or cock-a-doodle-doo¡­¡­? Well it really doesn¡¯t matter. I may have forgotten to say this, but I was born in Winter. Although it was a little different than the four seasons which occur in Japan, I was able to figure out from the four seasons that around one year has passed by. My guess is that if I was reincarnated as soon as I died from the train accident, then this place would be located somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Recently I have become more accomplished at controlling my emotions. Moreover, whilst I haven¡¯t developed much muscles to speak of, I am now able to stand up and walk for short periods of time. It was also possible for me to pronounce many of the vowels which existed in the Japanese Language. (Note: Japanese vowels: a,i,u,e,o) Let me share with you the new information which I was able to garner as of now. However, If a big wave of emotion strikes me, I still go berserk. For example, if all I was feeling was hunger I could curb my appetite just fine, however, if the time period exceeded 1 hour I would quickly reach my limits of toleration. I would end up either crying for my mother or for Myun. Also, I was able to endure it when I would occasionally fall down however, if something were to hit/bump into my head, the limit of my endurance would be reached and my eyes would become watery and because of the pain I would cry. It would seem that the margin of my emotional control has only become sufficient to a basic extent. Although this was just my speculation, I believe that after I was reincarnated, even if my mind was that of an adult, my spirit and body was that of a baby therefore this affected how I behaved. There is always someone monitoring me (My mother, Myun, my brother and or sister) And I am not yet allowed to go out by myself. However, I was able to understand the structure of the house. The house consists of two floors however, the second floor is in essence just an attic. I¡¯m not really sure what it¡¯s actually used for. The first floor consists of a living room and a dining room which is covered by around 10 metres squared, the Kitchen is about 4 metres squared, the bedroom of my parents and me is about 8 metres squared, there is three additional rooms around 6 metres squared each, one is a childs room, another one is a guest room and the last one is perhaps a reception room? There is also a passaage that expands from the entrance of the house to the corridor and at the end of the passage there was a door. There was a toilet but it was one of those old fashioned toilets where you had to scoop out water to flush. There was no bathroom. A wash basin is used as a replacement for a bathroom and all you do is wipe your body with a cloth. Although there was six vowels which was actually one more than the Japanese Language, the syntax was almost the same to the Japanese language and I was able to easily pick up the language. I think that I am now able to understand the majority of conversations between my family members. I am also able to talk whilst stuttering out the words. In terms of general nouns there was plenty which resembled English. Although I was stuttering when I spoke, considering how old I was, my family seemed to think that I was a genius. I didn¡¯t want them to treat me like some kind of freak or devil spawn so I was very careful in not disclosing that I had been reincarnated. To begin with just going by common sense, it was a very unrealistic thing to talk about being reborn, Even if I were to say that I came from Japan, I already had my funeral and my body was already buried. Even if the report goes to the government of this country it will be troublesome to actually contact Japan. Certainly I have a desire to meet Miki and my parents, but to them I was already dead. I mean there was a chance that I actually survived the train crash but that would also be a problem. Because this would mean that, two people with the same memories exist simultaneously, and they may be an fight/argument as to whom the real person is. I¡¯d rather not cause a commotion. Considering I was reborn with my memories intact, ¡¸This me¡¹and ¡¸In this life¡¹I want to progress forward/move on and try to make the best of what I got. The main focus of this village seems to be in agriculture, although hunting is also done to a certain degree. Furthermore, there was something that I was extremely astonished about¡­¡­¡­¡­..No, I changed my mind, I will talk about this a bit later. Although there was so many things that were astonishing, I will need to go over it in more detail one by one so I will leave it till later to tell you. It is just my opinion that we are using the metric system. Because we don¡¯t actually have any rulers or weight scales the real results are unknown. Because it will inconvenient to think otherwise, I will just use the normal metric system. the pronunciation of the units are almost the same. Although both my parents can calculate simple arithmetic operations, their academic levels might be quite low. Neither my elder brother or elder sister seem to be good at calculations. It¡¯s hard to compare the level of education to Japan. I can accept the fact that they weren¡¯t able to do multiplication or division, however, not being able to do simple subtraction and addition was worrisome. For the time being the amount of unimportant details of my life for the past year¡­¡­¡­..have been covered. From here on I want to speak about the important matters. Or more like the probability of that is really high. I hear that the name of this kingdom is called Ron Belt. I¡¯ve never heard of such a country before, and the independent country who separated from the Soviet Union is most definitely not a kingdom. Furthermore I could guess from the lack of miscellaneous goods and the living standards. Unless this was Africa, did I go back in time? The land is governed by kings whom directly control their territories and nobles whom may be conferred a part of the land to govern. Bakudo village is within the control of Marquis Webdoss. My father was more or less a feudal lord . Moreover, this would mean that I was a noble/aristocrat. My house would be succeeded by my elder brother. My sister would be married off to another family, but how exactly was the second son going to be treated? Based on this time period It might be that I will be treated as a back-up son whom will not possess anything. Some measures will have to be taken before it¡¯s too late. Bakudo village specialises in growing wheat. Of course other types of vegetables are also grown but our main product is wheat. The farmers seem to be paying my father 60 percent of their harvest in tax. My father seems to give his superior a 60 percent cut from that (I¡¯m not sure if the superior is Marquis Webdoss). The fact that they take 60% of the income is totally crazy! Well I suppose in this day and age it was a normal thing, If I really thought about it, my father receiving 24% gross profit from the village is more than enough. In all honesty, he doesn¡¯t really receive 24 percent of the profit. This is because the responsibility to bear the cost for the infrastructure and maintenance of the village is all left to my father whom is the lord. The population of the village is uncertain (It might not be that many people) and the total revenue is uncertain, I can¡¯t really say that we live an extremely comfortable life. I am able to determine this from the standard of food we are eating and the furnishings of the house. I tried to be inconspicuous and look obedient as I collected the various information for the past year. It would be bad if I were to be suspected or if I were to say things which were strange so I tried to not talk if I could help it. At most I would more or less use baby talk to communicate, and show them that I have a lot of potential as I could walk considerably well, that was the kind behaviour I was showing to my family. After all, I¡¯m only one years of age and there is not much point if I try to hard at this point in time. There is still enough time for information gathering, and in the case that this is not the modern era, There will be a need to exercise and train my physical strength. It¡¯s better if I take things slowly but surely. Since I was born for a period of this one year I have lived cautiously. The things which have happened are all mind blowing but they have been written down by me in succession, and I continued to collect and arrange the information I obtained quite peacefully in this manner for several days after. Volume 1 - CH 3 On a clear sunny day, there was this one time that I was placed in a baby basket and taken for an outing¡­.. Several days ago, Hegard left home for some business matters. After lunch, as usual my elder sister would begin to take care of me. My elder brother called out to my elder sister. ¡¸Mill, Bring Al and come to the room¡¹ ¡¸Eh¨C, Al already seems to be sleepy¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s alright, just bring him¡¹ My elder sister holds me into her arms and brings me towards their room. I¡¯ve already turned 1 years old, and for my sister whom was only 5 years of age it must of been hard for her to carry me. I was unable to walk properly yet and was only able to waddle, similarly my sister whom carried me in her arms was also tottering. Please don¡¯t fall down or drop me? ¡¸Mill, Do you think we can just put Al in this basket?¡¹ Oi, what are you guys saying! ¡¸Yeah, I think he will fit in, why do you ask? Onii-chan do you want to sneak out? ¡¹ On closer inspection I would definitely be able to fit into the basket, but it was a little bit small. In the first place, doesn¡¯t it look similar to a shopping basket? If they put me in there even if it¡¯s Farne carrying me in such a thing will be quite difficult. ¡¸Yeah, I was thinking of showing Al to Dick and Kelly. Those guys have never seen a small baby before¡¹ ¡¸Eh? But mother said that we shouldn¡¯t bring/take Al outside just yet, shouldn¡¯t we listen to her? ¡¹ Oh? Are they planning on taking me outside? It seems that I will be able to gather even more information. I¡¯m quite happy to hear this. ¡¸Myun has said that his neck muscles is already set in place, it should be completely fine¡¹ ¡¸I suppose it¡¯s alright then? But then in that case, isn¡¯t the basket a little too small for Al? If the basket size is not one that can be shouldered properly, it¡¯s really easy to get tired, and if we drop him it will be a disaster¡¹ Ohh, Onee-chan is really acting like a big sister, she¡¯s really worried about me. I couldn¡¯t help but to grin at my elder sister and give her a big smile. ¡¸Well, I guess you are right. Mill, isn¡¯t there a better basket that we can grab in the warehouse? Do you think we can use that instead? ¡¹ If this is the same thing I¡¯m imagining it to be (It¡¯s one of those baskets a grandmother in the country side would use) then it should be enough to fit me in. If I stood up and held the edge of the basket to support myself, I may even be able to see the sights outside, but can a 7 year old Farne really support me on his back? Maybe it would be better if I just walked. ¡¸I, can walk¡¹ I tried to say. ¡¸I know that you can walk. But Al is still just a baby. You¡¯ll be slow and you may fall down. It would be bad if you fell down and got injured so it¡¯s better if I carry you¡¹ After all if I fell and got injured wouldn¡¯t Shirl be really angry and give me a scolding? ¡¸Onii-chan I¡¯ll go get the basket. Wait a moment¡¹ After saying such things, Mill went out of the room to get the basket. ¡¸Al, today I¡¯m going to bring you out and introduce you to everyone. We are lucky father had just gone out, so if we secretly go out no nobody should find out¡¹ It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m still a baby but, it was forbidden for me to go outside of the house. Naturally, both my brother and sister should have thoroughly been aware of such a fact. ¡¸Yeah, It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m going outside. I¡¯m really happy¡¹ Even if I am only able to waddle about, I was still able to walk by myself, and added to the fact that I have 45 years of life experience on my belt I have an overabundance of knowledge. To someone like me, even my father seemed like a young kid. More or less going outside, was not a big deal for me. ¡¸Is that so? What great timing¡¹ Whilst we were talking, my elder sister returned. Rather than what I imagined it to be the basket was a little bit small and more rectangular shaped. The lid of the satchel is like the ones grade-schoolers use and it about three times larger. If it was like this it would be impossible to sit in the basket but there will be no problems if I stood up inside and gripped the edge of the basket. ¡¸Alright, Shall we do? First let¡¯s give Dick a visit¡¹ Saying such things, he lifted me into his arms and put me inside the basket. ¡¸Al, make sure to hold on properly alright. You can¡¯t let go okay? ¡¹ My elder sister warned me earnestly. ¡¸Alright here I go!¡­¡­.. Woops! I almost forgot something¡¹ My elder brother who was about to go out with my sister attached a sword to his waist. I didn¡¯t really expect such a thing to appear, as this would not have been necessary in a more modern world¡­¡­ And strangely it looked like he was accustomed to using it. Ah¨C, this completely negates my theory that this was in the modern world. Should I assume that this is a time slip/travel development? ¡¸Onii-chan, is it alright to bring a sword around?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, It¡¯s important to be ready for a fight at any point in time, Father also taught us such things¡¹ Whilst saying so Farne adjusts the sword belt. Can you even use such a thing? ¡¸Besides I¡¯ve trained in using the sword, and if you are a knight its natural to bring around a sword¡¹ Eh? You actually train in the use of a sword? I totally didn¡¯t know such a thing was happening. Moreover, to be talking about a knight¡¯s attitude at the mere age of 7, my brother is pretty amazing. I kind of looked at my elder bro in a new light. At first I thought that he was a just a cocky/arrogant brat. ¡¸Training¡­. Hasn¡¯t it been less than a month since you started? Isn¡¯t it heavy? ¡¹ I was just about to be impressed but I take that back. As I thought he¡¯s just a stupid brat. ¡¸I can do it. See look, it¡¯s completely fine¡¹ Without staggering in the slightest my brother walked around the room with firm strides. Ohh, if it was like this there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. ¡¸Al¡¯s face is completely visible. Do you think he will be discovered? ¡¹ My sister said this whilst having a worried expression on her face. ¡¸Well, alright how about we bring a sickle, a cloth and or a straw mat¡¹ Ahh, it seems that they wanted to use a straw mat to use as a cover. As expected with this it is unlikely for us to get discovered. In the space between the basket and the straw mat a sickle was protruding. ¡¸Al, make sure to grip the handle of the sickle tightly. Then, let¡¯s head off! ¡¹ I suppose I will have to postpone my plans of being able to look at the outside view. To make sure that I wouldn¡¯t be seen, I crouched/squatted low down the basket and gripped the handle of the sickle. The lid is covered with straw mat. We seem to have gone out of the house. As soon as we got out, someone¡¯s voice called out to us. ¡¸Oya oya(Who do we have here?), Isn¡¯t it young master Farne? Where are you heading off to? ¡¹ It¡¯s a voice I hear from time to time, the fellow named Bogusu. From the way he speaks to my father, I suspect he is father¡¯s subordinate. ¡¸Hey, Bogusu, we are just going to go by the river side for a little bit and cut out some common reeds. Mill is also coming along¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Please take care and have a nice trip¡¹ In my opinion, no matter if Farne is a child of a feudal lord, he¡¯s still just a brat and for someone like Bogusu to be speaking so respectfully/politely towards Farne is an unusual thing, furthermore being able to stay calm and replying to Bogusu¡¯s question so naturally is also a weird thing. However, it would seem that after observing the situation for a year, this kind of thing is actually the norm around here. Especially in terms of going out of the house, Farne was able to leave freely without any troubles. After several minutes had passed, my brother said ¡°it¡¯s safe to take off the straw mat¡± so my sister took off the straw mat. I stood up in the basket and the edge of the basket was gripped firmly as I looked about my surroundings. Ohh, as expected it was a dirty countryside scenery. The building I see approximately 200 meters away from us is probably our home (My view is reversed, as I am being carried by my elder bro and l am looking opposite to the way he is travelling) In addition to the main building there was three other small buildings, and the area was enclosed with a wooden fence. From looking at the season (It seems to be February) We went straight down the middle of the road and on each side of the road there seemed to be a field of some sort, but it didn¡¯t have any plants growing on the field. The ground was beautifully arranged into a ridge and it was ploughed neatly. A couple of minutes went by where I was just looking around viewing the scenery, and perhaps it was because I was looking towards the back, or maybe it was because it was really shaky but I started to feel a little bit sick/dizzy. I turned to face my brother so that I would be facing the front and held unto my brother¡¯s shoulder. We crossed a river and if we proceeded onwards a little bit, there was a house on the left side. The entrance to the house was open. Four children were hanging around the side of that house. All of the children looked to be younger than my elder brother. They are probably around the same age as my elder sister or a little younger even. ¡¸Oi Dick, Let me introduce to you. This is Alein. Isn¡¯t he cute? ¡¹ This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of this new piece of information. I guess my true name is called Alein? My pet name must be Al. If that¡¯s the case, it is likely that my elder brother and elder sister have their own proper names as well. A voice calls out towards my brother and an older kid ran towards us just as I was being let out of the basket. ¡¸Ehh!? Fern-sama, you¡¯ve brought him along with you? ¡¹ The boy who seems to be Dick was running towards us with a smile on his face, he reflexively raised his voice and almost tripped as he ran over. As I watched the child with my big round eyes, the other three kids tried to catch up to Dick and they ran towards us. They were trying to overtake each other to see who would arrive first, and I noticed their interesting hair colors. Light yellow-green, light blue, pink and lastly navy blue. All the kids had beautifully dyed hairs. From a long distance away, I thought they were wearing hats because of such colors. In my family, there wasn¡¯t anyone who dyed their hairs, this time period (although I don¡¯t really want to admit it, but it seems like I may have time-travelled) is probably around the 12th-16th century, that¡¯s why I assumed that there would be insufficient technology to dye one¡¯s hair. Well as you can see, it would seem that dyeing one¡¯s hair is seen as a normal occurrence, the cost is probably not that expensive. That¡¯s because even a poor looking village where there didn¡¯t seem anyone capable of earning money amongst these kids, were able to dye their hair. ¡¸He¡¯s still just a baby! How adorablee¡­¡­.Hey, hang on a minute this child, has black hair! Farn-sama, did you dye his hair? ¡¹ Ahh, as I expected dyeing your hair is not something that is done in general. Well due to the hair that fell out as my hair was being combed, I wasn¡¯t really surprised when they pointed out my hair was black. But in this world, is dyeing a baby¡¯s hair something that people generally do?! ¡¸Al was born with black hair. Al¡¯s eyes are also black¡¹ Oh, my eyes were also black? I was just curious, but I kind of wanted to have green or blue eyes. For some reason Mill was proud as she spoke. ¡¸It¡¯s true he has black eyes¡¹ ¡¸How strange?¡¹ These children were getting excited over the fact that I had black hair and eyes. My eyes are black because, I ain¡¯t dead yet. They probably don¡¯t understand such an idiom. ¡°Whilst my eyes are black¡±, this is a Japanese idiom. (TL: another meaning to this is basically ¡°As long as I¡¯m still alive¡±) ¡¸Hello. I am Al. Please take care of me¡¹ Let¡¯s give them a greeting for the time being. Greetings is the first step to having good communication skills, besides I want to leave a good impression. ¡¸Uwaa, He talked?!¡¹ ¡¸Ehh? Although he¡¯s still just a baby, he can already talk?!¡¹ The children around us were really surprised when I gave them a greeting, and each of them had their mouth¡¯s wide open as they stared at me. ¡¸Yeah, Al can already talk. He can also walk, but because he¡¯s still small, he can¡¯t really balance that well¡¹ Mill seemed to be really proud of the fact that I was able to talk and she boasted this fact in front of the other kids. ¡¸Well, as you guys can see he¡¯s still a baby so he¡¯s not supposed to be outside just yet. But just today I wanted to make an exception and show you guys my little brother, Soon enough he will be able come out and play with you guys, in that time I hope you guys will take good care of him. Well then, we better get going¡¹ Whilst saying so, Farne picked up the basket again. He proceeded forward slightly and then took a right turn. He walked for around 20 minutes without taking a break. During this period of time, we passed by many houses. We met various people as we walked, Fern and Mill would properly greet them and give a brief introduction to them about me. As I thought many of the people we met had dyed their hair. Soon after, a house was seen ahead of us. Slightly ahead of the house was apparently a forest. Farne walks towards the front of the house and opens the door ¡¸Kelly are you here? ¡¹he called out. Oi oi, is it really alright to just barge into someone¡¯s home like this? Before long, a kid answered Farne and came close. Once again, a surprised voice came out of the other party. It would seem that this child had ears attached to her. On her head that is. ¡¸Farn-sama, What brings you here?¡¹ Kelly was asking the reason for his visit and just like he did previously Farne began by introducing me. After exchanging conversations about my black hair color, Farne said something. ¡¸Kelly, the day is still young, would you like to do some sword training?¡¹ Ohh, are they going to be doing some sword training? I really want to see this. ¡¸Yes, Farne-sama. Is it alright if we walk a little bit and go to the training hall? ¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s really close right? Let¡¯s go¡¹ Apparently he¡¯s going to be bringing me along as he heads to the training hall. It seems like I will be able to watch them train. I¡¯m interested in it as it will be an informative experience. We walked for approximately 10 meters along the road from the house, and arrived at a place where the grass was cut short and spanned over a 10 meter radius. It would seem that this place is where they were going to train. I am unloaded to the roadside and Farne immediately pulls out his sword. Eh? Is he going to use a real sword? As I was thinking such things, apparently he was only warming up and practicing his swings. Kelly has a wooden sword. Well then, should I finally ask the question I¡¯ve been wondering about all this time? Whilst I was watching them training I asked mill a question. ¡¸Anee-sama, Why does Kelly have animal ears on top of her head?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, Kelly belongs to the wolf tribe, that¡¯s why¡¹ Huh? Lupine Tribe? What the heck is that? Did she mean Werewolf tribe? ¡¸Eh? What is this wolf tribe? ¡¹ ¡¸Both Kelly¡¯s father and mother are Werewolves. That¡¯s why Kelly is also a Werewolf¡¹ Apparently this was just common sense in this world. ¡¸Is that so, they are Werewolves, I see¡¹ I answered as if I actually understood what she was saying. ¡ª¨CHang on a sec, ehhh!? A tail just sprung up¡­¡­¡­. so she even has a tail? I understand the fact that she has ears growing on top of her head. I can also accept the fact that she has a tail growing out of her. However, I was really curious to find out whether hair was growing on her body besides her ear and tail. I wanted to ask but, I thought that there would be plenty of opportunities later to ask so I refrained for now. Nevertheless, Both Mill and Farne have never spoken about a Werewolf tribe to me before. Or more like, can Werewolves even be considered as a human being? Their looks aren¡¯t much different from humans. From a long distance, the ears aren¡¯t really noticeable unless you pay extra attention, and the tail can easily be hidden to make it unnoticeable. Perhaps it¡¯s really uncomfortable if the tail is hidden within the undergarments/pants, and maybe unless the tail is free it may be stuffy. As I was thinking about such things, Farne and Kelly were still swinging their swords in practice repeating the same motions endlessly, I was getting a little bored/tired. After 15 minutes passed I started to feel really sleepy. Mill was making a crochet out of the stem of the plants, she was probably thinking of making some sort of flower crown or something. (Illustration: Mill Playing with Alein) At that time, something jumped into the vacant ground that was named as the training hall. When I was thinking about what it could be, a shadow of a person appeared. It was almost the same height as Farne¡­¡­¡­..¡ª¨CWhoa, it ain¡¯t human!! It had green colored skin and it was wearing a worn out piece of cloth around its waist. Its head was bald, and its eyes looked sharp. The ears were pointed, and there were fangs growing from under its jaw that could be seen protruding slightly out of its lips. The body build is exactly like a humans however it had a low stature and looked like an adult. It was holding a long stick that resembled a spear of about 1 meters in length within its hand. Although it wasn¡¯t in prime condition, it was a normal looking spear. The tip of the spearhead was rusty. ¡¸It, it¡¯s a go¨Cgoblin!!¡¹ Kelly shouts out. Huh? What did she just say?! Goblin!? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!? However, if I think back to the fantasy movies I watched and the games I played where there was a ¡¸Goblin¡¹, indeed what stood in front of me was a goblin. It¡¯s to the extent that I¡¯m convinced what¡¯s in front of me is a goblin. At the same time pandemonium struck me. Isn¡¯t this place supposed to be earth?? ¡¸Kelly, fall back! Mill, use the sickle and protect Al! I will handle this fellow! ¡¹ Eh? Farne don¡¯t tell me you are planning on fighting the goblin?! You, aren¡¯t you only 7 years of age? No matter how small it may seem, the other party is a monster you know? Won¡¯t it be too much? To begin with, the only thing you¡¯ve done till now is just practice swings, isn¡¯t it? ¡¸I understand, Onii-chan. Kelly, Call someone here!!¡¹ Huh? Mill, you, what are you saying? Isn¡¯t this the time we should be running away normally? Please use some common sense. It¡¯s unbelievable to think that a child would even dare to oppose a monster. I was continuously observing the goblin with a look of fascination, this was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a goblin in real life since I was born in both my previous life and this life combined. At such a ridiculous scene I¡¯m not sure if it was because I was excited or if it was because I was confused, but I raised my voice and let out a yell that had an indistinct meaning. No, if you are a normally human being, it was natural to react in this manner. I was becoming excessively confused, and my emotions was getting way too worked up, for some reason I contrarily became quite calm. More or less my thinking capabilities returned to me. That¡¯s the way, calm down me, don¡¯t be influenced by this baby body, control your emotions! With a great amount of effort, I managed to calm myself down and I was able to look at the goblin with a keen/observing gaze. Its height was around the same as a 7 year old Farne, so according to this I predict that its height is around 1 meters 20?30 cm. Although the thickness of its arms and feet are not that different from Farne, its stomach was slightly bloated and it seemed like it was more or less overweight. Mill took out the sickle from within the basket and she stood in front of me in order to protect me. Rather than just standing there with a sickle, it¡¯s even better if we can just use stones to throw at the goblin. Ah, is it better if I told her this idea? ¡¸Anee-sama, if you throw stones at the goblin, it will be much better support for Ani-sama! Let me hold the sickle! ¡¹ ¡¸Eh? I understand. Onii-chan, I will throw stones at it. Please use that chance to strike! ¡¹ Saying this, Mill began to crouch down. She was probably trying to search for a stone to throw. The Goblin aimed its spear towards Farne and rushed towards him. Farne deflected the goblins spear upwards and struck back by slashing towards it. Ohh, Farne looks so cool! ¡¸Ryaa!¡¹ Goin! (Impact, bonk, whack) Although Farne was retaliating by slashing at the goblin, the goblin sprang backwards and raised its spear to defend against Farnes attack. The sword may be a little bit heavy for Farne, It seems that his hands were slightly shaking from the impact. After all, isn¡¯t this way too much for him? He¡¯s only 7 years of age and if he were to get stabbed by that spear, it would all be over in an instant, I can smell a bad end. The goblin aligned its spear and thrust it towards Farne again. Once again Farne manages to deflect the attack. Farne is doing really well right now, but I can see that it¡¯s taking a really big toll on him and it¡¯s only a matter of time till he makes a mistake. This is really bad, something needs to be done, or in the end everyone will get done in by this goblin. When I thought about how vigorously this goblin jumped into the open field, if I were to run away at my staggeringly slow pace, I would soon be caught and killed. Mill needs to land one of these stones otherwise, Farne will be in big trouble. ¡¸Yaaah!¡¹ This time Farne did a horizontal slash at the goblin. The goblin swayed its body backwards and dodged the sword, and after letting the sword hit empty air, the goblin performs a piercing attack against Farne. ¡ªFarne used the momentum of his swing which only hit the air, to twist his body and perform another vicious slash. Uwaa, this is bad! Although Farne¡¯s actions could be said to be brilliant for his age and really nimble/swift, the goblin struck first and it seemed like his spear was about to pierce Farne before his slash could reach it. ¡¸Eii!¡¹ Mill took her aim and threw the stone which she picked up right at the goblin. It wasn¡¯t really that powerful however, it grazed the left shoulder of the goblin. Because the goblin was slightly startled its spear was hindered/delayed. Farne on the other hand was able to land a strike on its right thigh although it seemed to be only a light scratch. ¡¸Gyaaa!¡¹ The goblin raises a voice of pain, and its face was warped in a disgusting expression. Farne quickly rebuilt his fighting stance, and in this span of time, Mill transferred the rock she picked up with her left hand to her right hand and proceeded to throw it at the goblin once again. This time around the goblin was able to evade the rock thrown towards it, but Farne was able to rebuild his proper fighting stance. (TL: he used the momentum of the first swing to slash at the goblin a second time in succession and his form broke, thus he needed to rebuild his firm fighting stance) On the contrary, the goblin lost its stance when it was trying to avoid the rock, and Farne took this opportunity to land a strike with his sword. ¡¸Oryaaa!¡¹ Zashuu! (Slash!) The sword hits the goblin¡¯s left leg this time. Farne succeeded cutting around 5cm deep into the goblins left leg this time. ¡¸Gyoooo!¡¹(Wail of pain) Due to the fact that the goblins left leg was deeply gashed and wounded, its movements started to become really dull/sluggish. This is Amazing! Farne is Amazing! As expected of my Ani-sama, (TL: LOL this guy changes his attitude every few seconds towards his brother) ¡¸Horaaa!¡¹ Farne brandished his sword against the goblin whose movements had become slower. Mill also crouches again and continues to pick up more stones. ¡¸Giiiiiiii!¡¹ It would have been really good if it was cut down and it ended, but the goblin suddenly stabbed out with its spear. ¡¸Uwaa¡¹ Ahh, it seems that the spear hit Farnes right leg!! Due to the fact that the goblin was injured in its left leg, it didn¡¯t use its hips as its force of momentum and instead it relied purely on the power of its hand, Farne didn¡¯t expect the new unpredictable trajectory and got stabbed. However it seems that he was not stabbed right in the middle and it was just a graze, because of this his life was not in any danger but he must have sustained some severe injuries in his right leg. ¡¸Onii-chann!!!¡¹ Mill yells out. ¡¸I¡¯m Alrig¨Cright!¡¹ Farne replied with fighting spirit and even with his right leg being pierced he slashed towards the goblin again. Dotsu! (Slash) Farne was able to land a deep cut at the Goblin¡¯s right shoulder. ¡¸Gyaaaaa!¡¹ Without being able to endure the goblin let¡¯s go of the spear from its hand and falls down to the ground. There was a 15cm wound on the right shoulder entrance of the goblin. It probably couldn¡¯t use its right hand anymore. However, Farne was also stabbed by the spear on his right leg. ¡¸Mill, Keep throwing stones at it!!¡¹ Farne was talking to Mill with the spear still embedded in his right leg, he proceeded to thrust his sword at the goblin. ¡¸Gyoooeee!¡¹(Wail of goblin) The goblin extends his still useable left hand as a sort of shield to protect its body from the stab that Farne just threw out. Because of the left hand being a hindrance, Farne couldn¡¯t pierce any of its vitals, however he was able to embed/penetrate the sword deeply into the palm of the goblin¡¯s left hand. Alright, with this the goblin should be unable to grasp on to the spear with either of his hands. Farne put in all his strength to the sword that was currently embedded into the goblin¡¯s left hand and sliced off a portion of the goblin¡¯s fingers. After freeing the sword from the goblin¡¯s palms this time Farne aimed the sword towards the Goblin¡¯s feet and slashed at it. ¡¸Giiiiiiii!¡¹ It seems that the goblin¡¯s left leg was splendidly cut by Farne. I can clearly see that the sword carved out a portion of the left leg and was embedded quite deeply into its leg. If it¡¯s like this I think we can win! (Illustration: Farne vs Goblin) ¡¸Yaaa!¡¹ Mill doesn¡¯t hit any of the stones she threw. Isn¡¯t this the time to use the sickle? ¡¸Anee-sama, Use the sickle on its neck!!¡¹ I shouted out such things and held out the sickle, but, it¡¯s really heavy! Is it because I am only 1 years old, that I don¡¯t have any muscular strength? ¡¸I understand¡¹ Mill snatched the sickle from me and ran out towards the goblin. ¡¸Yaaa!¡¹ She let out a battle cry and from behind she tried to slice the neck of the goblin with the grass sickle. Zusha (Slash). Though the sickle hit the goblin¡¯s neck, because of the fact that the tool was used by an inexperienced 5 year old kid, the blade didn¡¯t dig deeply enough to finish it. It¡¯s practically like beating it with just the handle. However, to the goblin whom was dressed with wounds all over its body, it was seemingly enough, Farne was able to pull out the sword out of its left leg. ¡¸Uraaah!¡¹ Farne aims his sword and pierces towards the goblins abdomen. ¡¸Gubuu¡¹(goblin wail) As the sword gets deeper into its belly, its eyes start to lose color and becomes duller, and the goblin collapsed. They did it! They really defeated a goblin! A 7 year old and a 5 year old were able to overcome and defeat a goblin! ¡¸Mill! Deal the finishing blow! ¡¹ When Farne shouts this out, Mill began to beat the head of the fallen goblin senselessly. (TL: wow so inefficient/brutal¡­.) Every time she beats the goblin, it would let out a groan of pain. In conjunction Farne took out the sword that was stabbed into his stomach and once again this time standing on top of the goblin he drove his sword downwards. The Goblin trembled its body one last time, before going into its endless slumber. Volume 1 - CH 4 Kelly¡ªThe village kid who was a werewolf¡ª¨Cshe went to call the adults to the scene and it took around 10 minutes for them to arrive. She¡¯s slow. If we consider the short distance to the village, isn¡¯t it way too slow? The adult who arrived ran to Farne and carried him away. It couldn¡¯t be helped, for now I held on to Mills hand and together with Kelly we walked inside Kelly¡¯s house. My pace was really unsteady and I couldn¡¯t really walk or run straight. Rather than attempting to run away, Farne made the right decision when he decided to make a stand and protect us. If he tried to grab unto me and run away from the Goblin, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run away with his top speed, Mill also didn¡¯t seem capable of out running the Goblin. Although we were at Kelly¡¯s house for a few minutes, soon after an adult came to pick us up. ¡¸Mill-sama, are you injured?¡¹ ¡¸We aren¡¯t injured anywhere, more importantly, Jim, How is Onii-chan!?¡¹ His name is Jim? This Nii-chan. seems to be around 25 years old. ¡¸Farne-sama, is being taken care of by grandma Shiemi. Shall we go? ¡¹ ¡¸Yes, make sure to bring Al together with us¡¹ Both Mill and I were being carried in the armpit of this guy named Jim. He said to Kelly ¡°You should also come¡±, Kelly responded by quickly running towards us. Around 4~5 minutes passed by, and we passed through the village houses. ¡¸Shiemi-sama, How is Farne-sama¡¯s condition?¡¹ We entered a house and at the same time Jim called out. Inside the house there was three adults around Farne tending to the bleeding leg and the blood that was flowing out of it. One of those people must have been the person known as Grandma Shiemi. ¡¸Guys I¡¯m fine, you don¡¯t need to make such a big deal out of it. Ah, Thomas, bring me that magic gem that dropped from the goblin¡¹ ¡¸Farne-sama, it is more important to concentrate on the treatment. Shiemi, how is his condition? ¡¹ The fellow who carried Farne on his shoulder as he ran is called Thomas, he was asking Shiemi-obaasan (grandma) for Farne¡¯s condition. ¡¸It isn¡¯t that bad. Has the wound been properly cleaned? ¡¹ Ahh, that¡¯s a relief. I thought that he was letting out a considerable amount of blood but, it seems that it wasn¡¯t a dangerous wound. ¡¸Ahh, It should be good enough, The spear was rusted so we took time to cleanly wash the wound, we¡¯ve done all that we can¡¹ A guy whose name isn¡¯t yet known began to speak as his body shifted. Ehhh!? Are you kidding me? The wound is still trickling with blood, aren¡¯t they going to treat it any further?! Shiemi-obaasan placed her hands on top of Farne¡¯s wounded leg. ¡¸I dedicate the magical energy within my body, to bless and heal this person ¡°Recovery Cure¡±¡¹ Huh? What we need isn¡¯t some good luck charm, we seriously need to disinfect the wound right now, and don¡¯t we need to stitch the wound to stop the bleeding? Though I was about to tell them such things, Obaa-san¡¯s hands started to glow light blue and a light begins to envelop Farne¡¯s wounds. Farne was gazing at the spectacle completely popeyed, Farne exhaled with relief and said ¡°Thank you Shiemi. Your Recovery Magic is amazing. I¡¯m saved¡¹he said this to grandma Shiemi whilst having a wide grin on his face. Farne was not the only one who was astonished at the scene, Mill was also popeyed, however for me it was way beyond just being a little surprised. ¡¸EhHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Wha? What just happened?!¡¹ I shouted in a loud voice. I mean, she just casted magic you know!? ¡¸I merely used magic to treat Farne-sama¡¯s wounds. Because the wound did not reach as deep as the bones, the treatment ended without any complications¡¹ ¡¸This is the first time I¡¯ve seen recovery magic in action! It was really pretty when your hands began to glitter¡¹ Shiemi smiled after she finished the treatment without any complications and Mill was enthusiastically showering Shiemi with questions. No wait, we are getting side tracked here, she¡¯s a freakin magician!!? ¡¸No no no, Ane-sama, this is not the time to be surprised. I mean we are talking about magic, aren¡¯t we? ¡¹ All five of my orifices were opened in shock, my eyes, mouth and noses as I retorted Mill¡¯s logic. ¡¸Umm, Farne-sama, Mill-sama, who is this child?¡¹ One of the adult males whose name was not yet disclosed asked about me. ¡¸Zack, this fellow is my younger brother, his name is Al. Al, I know you must be really surprised seeing magic for the first time, but go and give your greetings to everyone¡¹ With Farne urging me, I recovered from my astonishment and greeted the four adults. The four adults were aware of my existence, but since they have never actually seen my face, they didn¡¯t recognize me. Naturally, this was also the first time I met these people so I didn¡¯t really recognize them either. Although they refused to believe that a mere 1 year old baby like me could speak let alone give a full proper greeting, Mill interjected and stated ¡°Al is a Genius!¡± and for a moment the four adults had no choice but to accept the fact that I was a 1 year old. We were probably going to get scolded by our parents a little later, but I suppose that couldn¡¯t be helped. But man, I guess I am a genius? A genius is someone who doesn¡¯t really put much effort yet, due to their natural gifts it is possible to extrapolate and excel in results. I suppose I fit this description. I did have a hard time at first learning this new language, but I was able to grasp the language overwhelmingly faster and earlier than a person of my age should have been able to, this is all thanks to the fact that I have my previous life knowledge and experience. In the first place, even though I died in that train accident (I think I died at least) I was able to retain all my all my previous life¡¯s experiences and I don¡¯t feel that I have any memory blanks at all. In this world a person who is a genius is defined not by the fact that they were smart, it was defined by their efforts in life. I would agree/endorse this notion. Although in the history of the earth, there was definitely people who was truly gifted and could be named a genius, most of the other famous people of the world climbed through the ranks by pure efforts, and slowly honing their skills and accumulating wondrous achievements to their name. If someone was to claim that they were a genius without any achievements to back up their name, it probably wouldn¡¯t hold out for long. When I thought about my own position, exactly what category was I in? I mean just a moment ago I was talking about how efforts were what defined a person, but honestly speaking, in the one year that I have been alive, all I have been doing is eating some food, sleeping and playing around. Nevertheless, whilst there were still a variety of things that I couldn¡¯t pronounce very well, I was able to exchange a proper conversation with an adult at the age of 1 year old. Well it is a natural thing considering that I got to keep my memories and consciousness, but is this¡­.. Is it really fair to call me a genius in a situation such as this? Perhaps, this world is like one of those so-called fantasy stories. There were monsters and also magic. There was a kingdom and a feudal society akin to the Middle Ages, and I am the local lord¡¯s son. I think that if I used my previous life knowledge I would be able to contribute greatly to the community in terms of raising the efficiency of living and the income of the territory. Although there might be still plenty of things in this world and its common sense that I don¡¯t really understand quite yet, I mean come on, I am still just a one year old baby. From here on out, there will be plenty of chances for me to fully learn about all these things. There may also be a possibility that I will be able to learn magic in the future and learn to use it. Alright, so as to make sure that people will not be disappointed when they hear that I am a ¡°genius¡± allow me to try my best to live up to the name. After all I have been given a second chance at life. I should do as many things as I can, expand my horizons by experiencing new things, and testing the limits of my power in this new world is also not a bad idea. Anyways, I already died once before, I should move on and accept my new life. The person known as ¡°Takeo Kawasaki¡± his life has ended, I should embrace the new life and live as the person known as ¡°Alein¡± from now on. Though I have yet to discover my family name, it will be disclosed sooner or later. For some reason I felt gratitude spring forth towards my elder sister Mill, who made me realize such a thing. And, the fact that Farne who was only 7 years of age was brave enough to confront a goblin for the sake of protecting his younger siblings, made me think that he was extremely cool. After the incident passed, they started to talk about unimportant matters. Anyways I thought about what to do next as we returned to our house. This is because I think it¡¯s better to reconsider my plans and desires/ambitions for the future. When we returned home, Farne reported today¡¯s happenings to Sharl. Even if we just stayed silent she probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to find out, but Farne had a high sense of pride, and it did not allow him to spit out lies. As one would expect, both Farne and Mill got a huge scolding for trying to bring me out of the house. However, in regards to the fight with the goblin and being able to defeat/kill it, especially the fact that he was able to protect his younger brother/sister & Kelly, this fact was praised. The next day, Hegard arrived home. On his way home he seems to have heard about the Goblin incident from a passing villager. The door of the house is opened and Farne is called out to in a large voice, it seems he was given a good whacking. After that a new event occurred for me. This time around, Hegard had to leave for his trip to meet a Shinto Priest in the town of Doritto northwest from here. Doritto was a town that was closest to Bakuddo, and I heard that it was around a 3 day trip if you travelled in a wagon. By the way this Shinto priest, is not the kind of religious figure you guys are thinking about. Back in my previous world, religious people would want to spread the word of the church and increase the number of believers or try to get you to support the cause by donating to a charity, however in Rob Belt kingdom being a Priest was not about that kind of thing. First of all, there was no such thing called sects/groups/cults. There was only one religion and one unified sect in existence. Moreover, they do not accept money as the form of charity/almsgiving. To a certain extent the religion has a connection to the government, and some people from the kingdom are sent to oversee the matters in regards to family registry management. This time around, that family registration matter has arrived in our village Bakuddo, this fact was the truth. Roughly once a year someone is sent from the kingdom to visit Bakuddo, and they will come to do a family registry investigation, and make a report to the superiors if any new people are born and the current status of the family. Last year they came before I was born so this year will be the first time I experience this event. After my dad gave a good beating to Farne, he took me out to the house garden. Over there, there was other parents who had taken two other babies with them. ¡¸Now then, Greed-sama, The newborn baby from last time, is this all of the new members of your family? If this is all the assembled members, may I start the naming ceremony for this year? ¡¹ The Shinto Priest talked. Is Greed my Surname? ¡¸Yeah, this is all the members. Let¡¯s begin the ceremony immediately¡¹ After Hegard finished speaking, the Shinto priest stood in front of each child an asked the parents what each child¡¯s names was. When he confirmed the pronunciation of each name, he gently tapped on the baby¡¯s heads. ¡¸Status Open. I hereby grant this child a name from the heavens, as a proxy of the god, her name shall be Lilia Nemudo¡¹ Huh?? Status? Open? I was blown away in amazement, whilst the Shinto Priest just continued onwards to the next child and repeated the same thing. ¡¸Status Open,. I hereby grant this child a name from the heavens, as a proxy of the god, his name shall be Rondo Nemudo¡¹ Next he stood in front of me, he extended his hand and placed it on my head, and after confirming with Hegard that he was satisfied with the name ¡°Alein¡±, he proceeded to do the same thing. ¡¸Status Open. I hereby grant this child a name from the heavens, as a proxy of the god, his name shall be Alein¡­¡­. With this the ceremony has been completed. Lord Greed, if I may ask you to please confirm the results¡¹ My father touched my head whilst saying something. ¡¸Status Open¡­¡­. There is no problems with Alein. Status Open¡­.. There is also no problems with Lilia. Status Open¡­¡­ There is also no problems with Rondo. Pastor-sama, Thank you for your troubles¡¹ This Shinto priest was a pastor? No, that kind of thing doesn¡¯t matter. Status Open? What on earth was that? Just for a little bit I wanted to try saying the words, but we were still in the middle of the ceremony, so I decided to wait. ¡¸Then, allow me to record these three new people in the notebook so that I may report it later¡¹ ¡¸Yes, Pastor-sama. Please take care of them¡¹ After that, Hegard and the Pastor were talking about something or other, it would seem that all three of us children were given some kind of god¡¯s blessing and the ceremony ended soon thereafter. It seems that Hegard will be accompanying the priest all the way back to Doritto, and after staying for the night the priest left early next morning. Anyways, because the ceremony had ended, I returned to my room for now. Now then, let¡¯s try it out immediately! Volume 1 - CH 5 Right now, I am sleeping in the baby bed which had fencing around it. Of course, I wasn¡¯t actually asleep, just lying still. There was nobody inside of the room. Well then, shall we try out the Status Open that they were doing before? In any case, what does status open actually do? Does Status Open reveal your current body condition? It¡¯s probably something related with magic right? Shiemi Baa-san¡ª¡ªShe treated my big brother in the village by using magic ¡ª¡ª- at the time she used her magic, there was some sort of a light coming out of her hands, however when the priest examined me earlier there was no light coming out of his hands. I lightly shut my eyes, I took a deep breath and calmed down my emotions and then I deliberately recited the words. ¡¸Status Open¡¹ Was I a fool? Nothing is happening at all. I suppose this is natural. However, it wasn¡¯t only the priest that could recite it, Hegard was also able to use it on me. In that case, it will be logical to think that the spell ¡°Status Open¡± was not limited to being able to be casted only by the priest. What am I doing differently from them? Let¡¯s go back and think to remember exactly what occurred in that ¡°naming ceremony¡±. First the priest heard the names of the children from the parents. Confirming the pronunciation of the names. Next, he placed his hands on the head of the baby and gave them a name. The hand on the head, What. Perhaps, it¡¯s necessary to touch an object before reciting it? I suppose up till now, I haven¡¯t been using my hands, is that why? Is it because I haven¡¯t touched my own futon? I don¡¯t get this. Ah, Maybe I should grip the futon using both of my hands. Shall we try this again after grabbing on to something? Whilst grabbing on to the baby fence which surrounded my bed I tried it once again. ¡¸Status Open¡¹ Oh, Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!! It was like something was appearing in the corner of my vision, almost like a window was being opened in a personal computer. On the blue translucent window/screen it said. ¡¾Bed (For infants¡¿ It was written in Japanese characters in white color. Shit, it¡¯s in Japanese? I missed seeing these words so much that I am beginning to tear up. I received a great amount of shock at the same time. Whether this world was actually earth, or was it a new world it dawned on me again. Nevertheless, it seems that I am also able to use magic. No, well, can this really be considered as magic? This kind of thing? I tried placing my hands on my futon and recited the words. ¡¾Sleeping Mattress¡¿ Next I tried touching my clothes as I recited the words. ¡¾Apron¡¿ Alright, let¡¯s get on with the real thing now shall we? I placed both my hands unto my cheek and¡­. (Illustration: Alein Status Open) ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Man/14/2/7428¡¿ ¡¾Universal Human Race ¨C Greed¡¯s family second son¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talent¡¿ A big blue window that was way bigger than the others I have seen currently popped out, along with the five lines of words. The first line. Is my name. I anticipated that this would appear. However I don¡¯t understand what the numbers on the right of my name mean. The second line. Obviously it¡¯s my gender but again, what is the figures on the right? The third line. This was outside of my expectations. Most likely the term ¡°Universal Human Race¡± is about the tribe or race I am in or something. It¡¯s probably some kind of animal classification like in biology? The fourth line. The meaning is unclear, moreover the color of the characters on this line were dark red. The fifth line. Another line in which I don¡¯t know it¡¯s meaning, this one also has dark red characters as its color. What does Appraisal do I wonder? Is this some kind of magic? How would I go about using this Inherent Magic called Appraisal? Appraise! Normally isn¡¯t there some kind of description or values which will provide a general background info about a particular work of art or great treasures? I focused on the blue window, in specific I zoned in on the words ¡°Appraisal¡±. When I did, suddenly my field of vision started to change. First of all, the blue window where my information was being displayed disappeared, at the same exact time, one piece of the ceiling board which were right in front of my view started to glow/shine. No, rather than saying that it was shining, it is more accurate if I describe it as the brightness of the object went up. I was a little surprised so I adjusted my glance slightly. When I honed my gaze in on that bright thing, it started to glow even brighter. When I moved my glance to a different item the brightness started to subside again to a normal level. It¡¯s almost exactly like playing in some sort of a game, it¡¯s like my eyes were some kind of mouse cursor which I move around, and it felt like I could choose an item out of the options available or something. Does this mean that I can make some sort of a selection? I want to try it out. The first thing I can reach right now is my bed. I focused on my baby bed in order to increase the brightness of it and then I concentrated on thinking of selecting the bed as an item. A similar window to the one before opened out. This time around the color of the window was green ¡¾Bed (For Infants¡¿ Isn¡¯t it exactly the same as before? When I thought about the fact that it was the same, suddenly all my motivation disappeared. Well, whatever¡­ Let¡¯s just sleep. It¡¯s a part of a baby¡¯s job to sleep too, right? Even if I tried to sleep and when I closed my eyes. ¡¾Bed (For Infants¡¿ The green window still hadn¡¯t closed out and was still floating in my field of vision. Man this is so annoying, the Blue Status Window disappeared when I separated my hand from the object, but this green one is¡­ Disappear! Oh, it¡¯s gone. I¡¯m sleepy. Goodnight. Evening: I woke up around supper. My supper consisted of some sort of broiled meat with mashed potatoes and onion and some oatmeal. I suppose I am still a baby, that is why they usually only serve me oatmeal. However today, the Priest was at my house so I was able to eat something other than oatmeal. It was a slightly more extravagant meal than usual. I suppose I won¡¯t be able to suck anymore milk out of those really nicely shaped breasts from now on? As soon as everyone finished having dinner, the lights were turned off. It was already time to go to sleep. As usual it was still quite early in the night, they also rose quite early in the morning. I just slept a little while ago, so I wasn¡¯t really that sleepy right now. Eei, for the time being should I make a bet with this? No, I think it would be bad to let other people know of my ability to speak other than those of the village. Especially if that priest found out. If I somehow ticked off the religious society, down the track it would be irreparable. I could be branded as a devil spawn by the priest, or possibly they might even think I am a reincarnation of god. Those kind of problems will be troublesome right? Let¡¯s just obediently get held in Sharl¡¯s arms and go to my bedroom. Ah, whilst I am being held by Sharl, let¡¯s give it a go. Should I use the magic of Status Open? Well I actually need to chant Status Open out loud so I think in this scenario let¡¯s use Appraisal instead. Invoke! ¡ºAppraisal¡» I entered object selection mode, so I selected Sharl. ¡¾Shirley Greed/8/6/7421 Shirley Tune/24/11/7401¡¿ The green window in front of me had this kind of information displayed on it. For some reason she had two different names. The family name was a little bit different. Ah, most likely it¡¯s the name she had before she got married? As opposed to her new one after she married off? In other words, might the other numbers next to the name be some sort of date? If we go by this logic than she married into the Greed family: on June, 8th, 7421. And most likely the other name is the one she obtained when her name was ordained by some sort of priest when she was a baby, and this was perhaps in: November 24th 7401? A little while after being born (In my case it was roughly around 1 years?) people are named, and assuming that she got married 20 years later and her name was changed. Thinking about it, it was likely that this was the case. Whilst I was thinking about such things, we had already arrived to my bedroom. Hegard was just in the middle of taking off his clothes. He had a wonderful body, just like a perfectly balanced sports player. But his face was pretty average. I was placed in my baby bed by Sharl. ¡¸Have a good night¡¯s sleep, Al. Today is your name day¡¹ Name day? I suppose she must mean that it was the day I was given my name by that priest. In Japanese culture, we receive this during our death anniversary. ¡¸Yes, good night, Mother¡¹ Today a guest was sleeping over at our house my parents probably won¡¯t be making my younger brother or my younger sister right? I think I will be able to sleep well tonight. Well, my mental age is already 46 years old, so observing my parents have sex only makes me feel envious of their youth, regardless, at this point in time I¡¯ve already gotten over it. Most likely my mind was effected by my current body¡¯s physical age and therefore I don¡¯t have any sexual desire to speak of at the present time. Because there was no unnecessary voices, I could think easily and appraise things without any problems. It would seem that I was able to make a decision after using my Appraisal ability on Sharl. This world (I have resigned myself to the fact that it is no longer earth here. Although there was still a little bit of doubt considering that the Window was displayed in a bunch of Japanese characters, but reaching this far it is easy to conclude that this is not the earth I came from) However, the naming system seems to be the same, and when someone marries over the name surname can get changed. Most likely another naming ceremony is performed at the time of marriage, Perhaps there is a thing called the marriage ceremony? They probably get their names restated at the wedding. And that date information (A Time Stamp?) is left behind. Ah, Ahhh, Ahhhhhhhhh! After thinking this far I realized something. In my status window there was five lines in total, An Inherent Skill: Appraisal and another Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talent. The color of the characters were also different, they were dark red. And, when I appraised Sharl a little while ago, there was no such thing like and Inherent Skill. Furthermore, her gender (and the figure next to it, probably the date of some sort?) and also the fact that she was from the greed family or her race were all missing from the list. That would mean. This is just my usual summary but: Ah, this is bad. Doesn¡¯t Inherent Skill imply that only I can use such a skill? Well at least Sharl is another person who doesn¡¯t have any Inherent Skills. Well, that may also be because I used Appraisal on her instead of Status Open. I didn¡¯t use Status Open on Sharl. And I also haven¡¯t tried using Appraisal on myself. I really want to give it a go. However, Both Hegard and Sharl already got into the bed. Hmm. What should I do? No, let¡¯s give it a go. ¡¸Mother. Mother¡¹ Sharl slipped out of her bed and comes towards me. By the way, I have never seen either Sharl or Hegard wear any sleeping gear. They always slept naked. Because I am a baby though, I am always wearing clothing. I suppose it is natural to assume that there is no culture in wearing pajamas? ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? Al. Need to pee? ¡¹ She lifted me up in her arms. Now is the time. Sharl is clinging on to me. ¡¸Status Open¡¹ ¡¾Shirley Greed/8/6/7421 Shirley Tune/24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Woman/11/10/7400¡¿ ¡¾Universal Human Race, Greed House family: First Wife¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Water Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Fire Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Magic Nullification¡¿ Fuaa? She has three kinds of magic¡­ you¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­..!? ¡¸Hand on, Al What are you doing?¡¹ ¡¸Today, Father also did the same thing to me. Also, the Priest did it as well¡¹ ¡¸Al, you can read characters?¡¹ ¡¸What are characters?¡¹ Crap, I haven¡¯t learnt about characters just yet. The right move in this scenario is to deceive her right? ¡¸However, this thing is so blue, it¡¯s beautiful¡¹ ¡¸Geez, it can¡¯t be helped. Ah, I also haven¡¯t seen yours, Status Open¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it beautiful, Mother?¡¹ Though I tried to check on her change in facial expression, there was no major changes in her expression, and after looking at my Status Window for a while she had a satisfied smile on her face. ¡¸You have been successfully given your name¡¹ After saying that she returned me back to my baby bed. Whilst putting the futon over me. ¡¸This time, you need to sleep alright?¡¹ Sharl slipped back into her own bed. Even if the room is pitch black and you can¡¯t see the other person or thing, as long as you are touching the object you will be able to recite Status Open on them, this much I was able to figure it out. The next thing was about Appraisal. Let¡¯s invoke it immediately. ¡ºAppraisal¡» Ohh The previous ceiling board was getting brighter as I glanced at it. When I move my glance, and place my gaze on Sharl and Hegard, they also start to brighten up. Both the bed and the futon also started to brighten. As long as my gaze is placed on it, it would seem that anything can be selected. This is extremely useful/convenient! Should we try using Appraisal on Hegard? ¡¾Hegard Greed/20/8/7422 Hegard Greed/25/7/7400¡¿ As I thought I could only see his name. Haa (sigh), I lost a little bit of motivation somehow. Oh well, whatever. Let¡¯s just sleep. Volume 1 - CH 6 Which reminds me, yesterday I used Appraisal on Hegard and the results were as you would expect, only the name and his date of birth was displayed, this made me lose a bit of motivation, so I went to bed early. Today is the day that the priest returns to his own town. Hegard will accompany the priest as a guard to travel to the city of Doritto again, right? The ambience of the entire house was busy as everyone was preparing for the departure. Status Open and Appraisal. Both of them had their own uses. Status Open, discloses: the name, gender, date of birth (and if you knew today¡¯s date, you could count backwards and figure out their age), Race, Affiliation and even Inherent Skills. However, in order to use it, there is a restriction of needing to touch the object whilst chanting ¡°Open Status¡±. On the other hand Appraisal only provides the name of the person but it doesn¡¯t require you to speak any chants, and as long as you were able to land your glance on them, even if it was a totally dark area it has a potential to still be effective. If I use it properly, I may be able to take action in places where there is little light. Moreover, apparently, it was an Inherent Skill. Well I suppose there is no use worrying about things I don¡¯t understand. Let¡¯s continue to gather more information so that I can increase my understanding, It was driven into me when I was in the Japanese Self-defense force in my previous life, that as long as you deepen your understanding of things, all problems will be able to be solved, that is the iron rule to solve all kinds of problems. Even when I returned to being a civilian or when I became a businessman, this iron rule was very helpful to me. You might say that this particular way of life has been embedded to my core beliefs. There was still a little bit of time until breakfast so I immediately decided to organize the information I possessed. Ahh that¡¯s right. I also had the same thought process without realizing it, last night I tried to use both Status Open and Appraisal on Sharl so that I could obtain more information, it was the same when I tried to use Appraisal on Hegard. Afterwards I quickly went to sleep. Well, in that case let¡¯s continue from where we left off last night. Now then, I almost forgot the small details but first let¡¯s use Status Open on myself. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Man/14/2/7428¡¿ ¡¾Universal Human Race Greed Family¡¯s second son¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents¡¿ Fumu (alright). The naming ceremony was performed yesterday, therefore today must be March 6th, 7429. And I was born last year on February 14th. This means that I am currently 1 years old. I think that the Universal Human race, is basically just the Humans of this world. When I get the chance I want to try some things out with Kelly¡ª¨Cthe Wolf tribe girl who was with us when we got attacked by that goblin. Next is the thing about me being the second son of the Greed family. When does this become a part of the information that will be displayed? Did I obtain this title on the day of my birth? Or is it obtained yesterday in the naming ceremony? In order to piece things together I tried to remember the Sharl¡¯s status window I saw last night. ¡¾Shirley Greed/8/6/7421 Shirley Tune/24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Woman/11/10/7400¡¿ ¡¾Universal Human Race Greed Family First Wife¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Water Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Fire Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Magic Nullification¡¿ The third line states that she is the Greed¡¯s family first wife. It would seem that there is a naming ceremony that needs to take place, and you need to fill in the name in the status. In other words, this affiliation and or title with the Greed Family as the first wife is not something that is acquired by birthright, it is something that needs to be given to you. If it truly was an automatic operation and titles would be given regardless of the naming ceremony (this would mean that the chant done by the priest was only a pointless recital of words). Therefore, it is better to think that this particular status is not given to you automatically. After that, there seems to be some sort of dark red characters covering the words ¡ºInherent Skill¡»It was in both lines of my Inherent Skills: Appraisal and Gift of Natural Talent. Sharl¡¯s three kinds of Special magic was displayed in the usual white characters. Also I was able to use my skill ¡°Appraisal¡±. However what about Gift of Natural Talent, how do I use this? Hmm, I don¡¯t know. I tried invoking it just like how I used Appraisal but nothing seemed to occur. Although it¡¯s a shame to say this, but for now I will shelf the Gift of Natural Talents and look at it again some other time. Even more importantly, there is some really big problems that I need to solve. The first being, Sharl can use magic (or at least I think there is a high possibility that she is able to) Another thing was that although I didn¡¯t have a¡¾Special Skill£º¡ñ¡ñMagic¡¿for some reason I was able to use Status Open, this means that there is a possibility that Status Open was not actually magic. Another thing, was that I was able to use my Inherent Skill Appraisal without making any sort of chant. Another thing, was there must be a lot of different variations in relation to the amount of Inherent Skill that exist in this world¡­ Let¡¯s speculate a little bit. However, considering that the priest obviously did not show much of a reaction to me having an Inherent Skill, I am more inclined to think that Inherent Skills are more of a normal occurrence and they are not so unusual. After arranging the pieces of information, let¡¯s bring it all together. For now this is my plan. I can¡¯t really do option 1 immediately. She is probably busy with preparing for the departure anyways. Let¡¯s just investigate more about option 2 for now. It will be easy for me to just use Appraisal on every single object in this room. However, as long as I cannot go out of my room, it will be impossible for me to test the limits of Appraisal¡¯s range. First let¡¯s try getting outside in order to use Appraisal. It would seem that Appraisal will work up to a distance of approximately 10 meters. Before I was able to use Appraisal on anything, Hegard who was placing his equipment in the horse harness as preparation for the departure spotted me and ushered me back into the house. I was only able to go outside for a span of one minute before I was made to go back inside the house. Therefore I tried to make the best of it and I used Appraisal on the horse. ¡¾Horse¡¿ That was the only information that came out. I was expecting the horse to have some sort of name attached to it, but it would seem that there was no name given to the horse. I suppose that is natural. After all, it¡¯s not like people would pay a priest just to perform the naming ceremony on a horse right? There might be some sort of cost attached to the naming ceremony as well¡­ I went back inside the house and I tried to stare outside from the window, however I wasn¡¯t tall enough to be able to see outside yet. Well since it couldn¡¯t be helped I decided to just practice the use of Appraisal within my own house. This Inherent Skill called Appraisal basically makes any object within my gaze shine a little brighter. When the object begins to shine brighter I can choose to concentrate my consciousness into the object (I feel like I am basically using a mouse to click the object with my cursor) the object is Appraised and a green window opens up in my field of vision. Next let¡¯s confirm how long it takes for the green window to disappear. What I have been doing up till now is basically, when I pray for the green window to disappear, it will disappear (This is also the same as with the blue status window, however the status window will also disappear if my hands are separated from the object). Nevertheless, I wonder what would happen if when the window is open, I stopped looking directly at the window and looked towards the side. I sat in the corner of my bedroom, and I used Appraisal on my pillow on the bed. ¡¾Pillow¡¿ When I shifted my gaze, the window moved from the center of the pillow to the side of the pillow. Ohh, this is interesting somehow. When I completely removed the Pillow from my sight and changed the direction my body was facing, the window completely disappeared. Even if I later returned my gaze towards the pillow, the green window remains in a disappeared state. Hmm, yesterday, when I used Appraisal the window did not disappear even though I closed my eyes. Ahh I get it. If the window closes just because one closes their eyes, then wouldn¡¯t it disappear every time I blink? Next is, what happens if I activate Appraisal but don¡¯t make a selection of an object, what will happen? It seems that because of this function, it will become very useful during night time. The verdict is that it just stays in ¡°object selection mode¡± for a long, long time. It is likely that 30 minutes have already past. Should we test it to the limits? In that moment, Sharl entered my room. Because the door was opened so suddenly, I lost my concentration and selection mode was cancelled. Thereupon, I became a little sleepy. Hm? I have become sleepy? Now that you mention it, last night when I used Appraisal, my motivation seemed to be reduced¡­.. It seems that Sharl came into my room to feed me breakfast. I was getting sleepy as she spoon fed me some oatmeal, although I started to become more and sleepier, I endured and continued to eat. Soon after I slept in the middle of my meal. The next time I woke up was already lunch time. I had been asleep for several hours until lunch. Hegard and the others had already departed. I was really refreshed after waking up, but because I only eat breakfast halfway, I was considerably hungry. Anyways, I am grateful for the fact that this was time to eat. I greedily devoured the food in front of me and I was able to calm down, I once again started to brainstorm. When I used Appraisal, I would become sleepy. I wasn¡¯t to the extent that I couldn¡¯t stay awake, but fighting against it was really hard. Most likely, if that persisted for the whole day, I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist and just fall asleep, it was a strong sensation to sleep. Why does it make me sleepy? Is it better if I don¡¯t use Appraisal that much? Even so, it is important for me to be able to discern the characteristics of all the abilities I possess. In this world where there is barely any light during the night-time, without a doubt this ability has a limitless amount of applicability. Furthermore, it could be that because I am still a baby right now, my body cannot handle much physical stress and it is hard to endure the drowsiness for now. After lunch I was returned to my bedroom and I continued my thoughts whilst lying down on my bed. Should we try using Appraisal again? If it¡¯s like this, who cares if I get sleepy, I will just sleep on my bed. I decided to use it. I used Appraisal on the shelf. I erased the green window. Even though I allowed the status window to appear for around 30 minutes there was no sign that I was becoming sleepier. I used it one more time. As I thought I¡¯m not getting sleepy. I toss and turned about in bed and I tried to stand up with the help of the fence of the bed, but I still did not feel anything out of the ordinary. Was it just pure coincidence that I got sleepy before? I used it for a third time. I did not feel drowsy. As expected was it just my imagination all this time? Alright, let¡¯s see how long I can last in selection mode. I used appraisal again and stayed in the selection mode for as long as possible. I glanced around here and there. I glanced at the fence of the bed that I just used as a grip to stand. Naturally the brightness of the object went up. I was just absentmindedly staring at the fence without selecting it as an object, when a thought came into my mind. What on earth is this about? When I used Appraisal on the bed it would show (For infants), but then why is it that when I used Appraisal on the fence of the bed, it doesn¡¯t reveal the fact that it was made out of wood? I moved my glance towards my own body. The moment I used Appraisal on myself, my name would surely be displayed, right? Why doesn¡¯t it also display things like, right hand of Alein Greed if I specifically stared at my right hand? Or why doesn¡¯t it display more information like (Flesh of Universal Human Race)? I lift up my right hand towards the front of my own face. And then I noticed something. It was not possible for me to make only one of my fingers shine. Of course it was also impossible to make it so that only my right hand shines. Let¡¯s experiment something for a moment. I went back into selection mode and pulled out a strand of hair and I bring it in front of my face. Ah! I was able to make it so that only the strand of hair started to shine. ¡¾Hair¡¿ ¡°I¡¯m getting the hang of this¡±, just when I thought such things, a strong wave of drowsiness surged rapidly. Oi, Oi, what is going on? Hm? Where am I? I have a feeling of just floating in the middle of white space. Even when I turned around??Nothing seems to catch my eye. Yeah, I can¡¯t even see my own body in my field of vision. There is only this white space, and the feeling of floating in it. Although I can¡¯t see my arms and legs, I can still feel that I have them on me. However, it was not possible to for me to use my hands to feel around my body. What a weird sensation. I understood that this was probably just a dream. I can¡¯t seem to wake up from it though. How many minutes have passed? 10 minutes? 20 minutes? Or has it been 1 hour? ¡¸Have I made you wait a long time?¡¹ I couldn¡¯t pinpoint whether it was the voice of a man or the voice or a woman that spoke out towards me. ¡¸It took some time for me to attune myself to the frequency of your consciousness¡¹ ¡ºWho are you?¡» Even when I didn¡¯t intend to speak, my voice leaks out, it felt like part of my thoughts were flowing out of me. ¡¸Umm, you probably cannot pronounce my name accurately even if I told you. Well I suppose if I were to tell you in a language that you will understand¡­¡­it would be ¡°God¡±¡¹ ¡ºYes?¡» The voice from my mind leaks out again. It does not mean that I didn¡¯t want to say it. Well, it¡¯s more like I just inadvertently blurted it out of my mouth. ¡¸Oh? Are you not aware of my existence? I thought that the name ¡°god¡± was quite common¡¹ ¡ºNo, I am aware. Don¡¯t tell me??You are truly that ¡°god¡±? ¡» ¡¸Haa, I am not sure which ¡°god¡± you are referring to??but that is correct. I am a god¡¹ UuuoUeeHHHHH!? ¡ºG, god!? Hahaaa¡ª¨Ctsu, I start bowing my head and¡¸You don¡¯t have to do that¡¹¡» ¡ºUwaa? ¡¸There is not much time left. It is considerably difficult for me to continue to maintain this dimension. Therefore before I permit it, I will not allow you to speak. Neither will I allow you to develop any ideas. I will make you understand my ¡°reasoning¡± within 30 seconds, and another 30 seconds will be given for you to understand the ¡°circumstances¡±, only then will I allow you to ask me questions¡¹¡» I was astonished at the amount of information (?) that flowed into my brain. The train accident that I was in. Apparently it was because there was a collision with a bus in the middle of the railroad. The reason for the accident occurring was because of a mistake in the traffic signals. However, the cause for the traffic signal error was not done by humans, there was a foolish fight between this god and some other unknown god, and although this god had already set up barriers to prevent other places from being effected by the ripples of the clash, there was a point in time where the barrier waned and some of the violent energies went through. It was during this time that the electric signals went haywire due to the after effects of their fight leaking out of the barrier. To sum it all up, their fight was the main cause for the accident. In truth, there was more information which flowed into my brain things like (the reason for the foolish fight to occur, and the mechanism of the barrier and how some of the energies from their fight went through it) but I shortened it. In conclusion, that accident was not supposed to happen. Including me, apparently 39 other people also died in that accident. A part of the news image that was telecasted after the accident, was also shown directly into my mind. Nevertheless, normally the god would think ¡°Ahh, several people have died. What a shame¡± and the matter would end just like that, however in this instance, the god decided to transmigrate all the victims which died in the accident, and as for the reason, rather than saying that the god wanted to apologize or provide some sort of compensation, it was actually for something much simpler than that. If I had to explain it in simpler terms, the gods could be compared to two elementary school children, the two children had a big quarrel and they unfortunately stepped on an ant¡¯s nest, and although it was not part of their intention to do so, they crushed several ants in the process. They started to blame each other and tried to make one party admit the fault of killing all the ants they stepped on, and because they could not reach a conclusion on who was at fault, a third party who was monitoring the fight, told them ¡°Stop this futile argument already. You can just make a new water tank for the ants you crushed and just revive them at that new place¡± Because the third party said such a thing, the two kids decided to put down their weapons and reluctantly followed the advice. It was not because they felt responsible for the ants, nor did they feel any love for the ants. The two kids just wanted to scorn each other and say ¡°look at all these pitiful ants you killed, look at how cruel you are¡±, that¡¯s all they really wanted to say to each other, it was not because of their pure intentions that they wanted to revive the ants. They just wanted to show a good public front. Though everyone in the class knew that they were just putting up a good front, no one really wanted to point that ¡°Hey you are lying!¡± because it was too troublesome too meddle in the affair. Even so, although they were just putting on a good front the words ¡°Oh how pitiful¡± did come out of their mouths, so it couldn¡¯t be helped that they needed to provide some sort of compensation, and so they reincarnated us reluctantly. Moreover, because the words compensation also came out, the victims who was going to be reincarnated was given various special advantages for their next life. ?All the victims will reincarnate on the same day (The age when they died doesn¡¯t matter) ?The victims are able to keep their previous life memory. ?They will be given a single randomized Inherent Skill. ?When something about us leveled up, the god will come out to explain the situation and (this dimension will appear). ?Whenever we level up, the amount of bonus points we obtain, will be higher than the average living beings of this world. ?The place in which we are born, how good of a family we are born in, and our standings in the society are all decided randomly. Those were the terms that were given to all the reincarnated people including me. With this, the time to understand the reason and circumstances behind the incident is over. Finally it was time to ask some questions! Volume 1 - CH 7 Takeo Kawasaki, no should I call you by Alein Greed now? You have now understood the reason for your transmigration and the current state of affairs, is this correct? ¡¹ ¡ºYes¡» ¡¸In that case, I will allow you to raise some questions. You are allowed to ask me about anything, however I cannot guarantee that you will receive an answer for all of them. Nevertheless, I believe I can satisfy most of the general questions¡¹ ¡ºI understand. Well then, my first question. Is there any limitation to the frequency to my questions? ¡» ¡¸I¡¯ve told you that there was no concept of time in this dimension right? Well although there is no restriction on the number of questions, there is a limitation to the amount of time. The remaining time you have left, in accordance with your subjectivity of time, is around 18 minutes¡¹ ¡ºRoger that. You explained before that one of the condition¡¯s for being a reincarnated person was that we receive ¡°One inherent ability which is randomized¡± for some reason or other, I have two inherent abilities, can you please explain what is going on here?¡» ¡¸Ahh, the scene I directly showed into your mind a little while ago, was kind of like a video that was shown to everyone reincarnated, the circumstances of each person will be individually different. On your last moment before you died, you managed to save the life of a person. So please think of your additional inherent ability as a reward for that time¡¹ ¡ºAhh, the kid I managed to protect with my body? Did the kid survive?¡» ¡¸Yeah, and as a reward, you received another inherent skill in place of the child. Your ability to appraise objects is the one you got. This time around, you managed to level up the appraisal ability, that¡¯s why I have made time to explain things to you¡¹ ¡ºHee, it levelled up. Ah, at times, there is moments where I get heated up, and the words I want to say are different from my intentions. Is this perhaps because there is a difference between my spirit and this body¡¯s physical age?¡» ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. In your previous existence, you lived until the age of 45. In this world you are barely one years old, your combined mental age would put you at 46 years of age. However, right now your body is only 1 years old. Your physical strength has also been normalized to your current body. Your feelings and ideas are influenced by the sensitivities of your current body¡¯s age. Nevertheless, in approximately 2~3 months, you will start to conform to your new body, and because your spirit will become accustomed to today¡¯s body, your mental age will also be able to correspond without much trouble, it is likely that your feelings will also be controlled much easier. In regards to this matter, please think of it as just a matter of time¡¹ ¡ºThe status window when I use appraisal displays in the Japanese language. This worlds characters, are they in Japanese? ¡» ¡¸No, the status window from appraisal is something that only the owner of the ability is able to see. Willpower, in reality, it displays the window by passing magical energy into the optical nerves. Therefore, it will display the written language that you can comprehend the most. In the case, that your most proficient language is in English, it will display the characters in the English language¡¹ ¡¸There is some sort of numbers next to my name, is that perhaps the date? Moreover, if it is the date, what is the length of time in this new world¡­¡­For example in this world, how would one hour compare, to my previous world¡¯s one hour, is it different?¡¹ ¡¸That will become clear in due time. Well I want to say that you should confirm it for yourself later, but I will just tell you that it is the same 24 hour clock you are used to on earth. However, in this world, one year is only 360 days¡¹ ¡ºIn the train disaster which occurred, can I assume that all 39 people which died have been reincarnated into this world?¡» ¡¸Yes, everyone has been reincarnated on the same day¡¹ ¡ºIn regards to that, may I ask, if there are any other people with several inherent skill given to them on rebirth?¡» ¡¸No, there are no others. You are the only one with two inherent skills¡¹ ¡ºPlease teach me the details of places where the others were transmigrated excluding me¡» ¡¸For that, please investigate yourself, and find out the answer¡¹ ¡ºIs my wife doing well?¡» ¡¸After you passed away, hmmm yeah for about half a year, she was in a considerably painful mental state, however, now she is living each day energetically¡¹ ¡ºIs that so? That makes me relieved. Is it possible for me to get in touch with my previous family?¡» ¡¸That is impossible. After transferring here you have cut all ties with your previous existence, and whilst I am sorry for your loss, it cannot be done¡¹ ¡ºThat seems unreasonable¡­¡­. Is this the first time you have ever given an explanation to the reincarnated?¡» ¡¸No, There has been people before you¡¹ ¡ºI see, so there has already been others who have levelled up before me¡­¡­..¡» ¡¸There are also people who have already died in this world¡¹ ¡ºEh? There are already people who died?¡» ¡¸Yes, out of the 39 people that got reincarnated, 8 people have already died¡¹ ¡ºPlease tell me their cause of death¡» ¡¸One person died from mental derangement as a result of being transferred, four others died from illnesses as their families were poor and unable to afford medicine. One of them died due to starvation, another was involved in a city riot and died whilst being stampeded, and the last person died because they were devoured by a beast¡¹ ¡ºUwa, I guess my luck is pretty good then. How was it decided where each person was going to reincarnate to?¡» ¡¸Although the process was completely random, all of you were made to reincarnate a certain distance away from each other, so that no one would be in the same place. The distance with the person furthest away from you, is a considerable distance away. By the way, in terms of location of transmigration, you are on the edge¡¹ ¡ºHow many people who have met you, that reincarnated have already died?¡» ¡¸One person¡¹ ¡ºHow many people have seen and met you before me?¡» ¡¸Two people¡¹ ¡ºIn that case, asides from myself, there is only one other person who met ¡°god¡±, right?¡» ¡¸Yes, that is correct¡¹ ¡ºIs there a name for this world? Ah, for example, in my previous existence, it was called Earth¡» ¡¸Normally it is called, Orth¡¹ ¡ºIs this world a heavenly body?¡» ¡¸Please confirm this by yourself. All I can tell you is that there is an edge in the world, and at that edge, it might be your usual seawater, or it might be a great demonic snake, turtle, or elephant waiting for you at the edge¡¹ ¡ºAre the laws of physics in this world the same as Earth?¡» ¡¸Whilst it is possible to use magic in this world, the rest of the law of physics are akin to Earth and can be thought as such¡¹ ¡ºThe nature of this world, things like vegetation and animals, how different is it from Earth?¡» ¡¸There are numerous differences¡¹ ¡ºCan you tell me what they are?¡» ¡¸There is a considerable difference in the plant distribution as opposed to Earth, but there is also similarities between them. Moreover, animals also evolve just like at Earth, but the tree path of evolution differs. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen it firsthand right? The fact that there are beast human race is just one example of this. There are also more trivial details, but if I have to explain them all there would not be enough time, do you desire for the full explanation? ¡¹ ¡ºNo that¡¯s enough. From here on out, if any of my questions are related please explain those parts as well¡» ¡¸Yes¡¹ ¡ºThough I have lived here for about one year, I am curious the extent of this worlds civilization compared to Earths, I don¡¯t really know whether the place I am living at is the standard or not¡» ¡¸Comparing it to Earth, it would be something akin to the 15th century. There will be slight differences depending on which province you live in, so it is not possible to say it applies to the whole of Orth. Moreover, definition of the word ¡°civilization¡± is quite vague, there are various things like tools and clothing, and depending on the lowest level of development or the highest level of development each province will have it different, that is the extent of information I can give from your particular question. Nevertheless I can tell you that, the land where you are currently living, has a considerably advanced form of culture and technology. Other than this, please confirm it by yourself¡¹ ¡ºMay I get the map of this world?¡» ¡¸I cannot give it to you. The things I am permitted to do in this space, is merely provide information, and answering some questions. Thus, things that may become articles of writing or images cannot be passed along¡¹ ¡ºI understand, Well, I wonder what I should do about finding out all these other things? Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Then, how about this, can you teach me how to refine titanium alloy?¡» ¡¸I cannot teach you that. I am only permitted to answer your questions¡¹ ¡ºHmm, in this life of mine, will there be another chance for me to meet god again in order to ask some questions?¡» ¡¸There might be, or they might not be¡¹ ¡ºI suppose, you are implying that it will depend on my actions from now on?¡» ¡¸Perhaps. But, we gods are quite busy, so your behaviors are not always being monitored by us, even if you call out to us, we may not always be available. Therefore, it is better if you think of this as the first, and also the last meeting we will ever have. Nevertheless, it is prohibited for you guys to try and come into contact with us, so when the necessity arrives, we will be the ones to bring you to this place again. Though that is very unlikely¡¹ ¡ºI think that it is better if I get acquainted with some of the small details. Oops, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s about the inherent skill, for some of the skills I examined using status open, some of them were seen in dark red characters, why is this the case?¡» ¡¸The color of the characters are red because it is an inherent skill. Moreover, even if other people try to see your status, they will be unable to see those inherent skills. Only the person themselves will be able to see it, also, this doesn¡¯t just apply to inherent skills, only the person in question will see their own level information in regards to the level of the skill¡¹ ¡ºA moment ago, you told me that my appraisal ability increased in level, what I want to know is, how does one go about leveling such an ability?¡» ¡¸Please confirm this fact later by yourself¡¹ ¡ºIf the abilities I have level, is there any advantages?¡» ¡¸The answer to your question is that, there is an advantage. Please figure out the advantages by trying it out yourself later¡¹ ¡ºWhat are the differences between status open and the appraisal skill?¡» ¡¸Status open doesn¡¯t use any form of special abilities. No matter who it is, they will be able to use status open, however there is a limitation to the information that will be obtained. As for the Appraisal ability, only you can use this ability and more detailed information can be acquired from using it¡¹ ¡ºIn regards to the ceremony of naming, the priest used a form of ¡°naming¡± magic. Will I be able to use that type of magic as well?¡» ¡¸The ability to name other¡¯s is a little special skill. It is a skill that can be given to you, if you serve us gods for many years. Once a year, us gods will visit the place people worship us. Over there we will meet with other gods to renew our old friendships, but also during that time, we will select a variety of Shinto Priests and give them the special naming ability. They must be willing to serve, and have pure minds, and they must also have hearts that do not doubt our existence, and we will be able to give them the naming ability, Because there is nobody on Earth that fits the qualifications, there is no one on Earth who has the ability, in terms of you acquiring this skill, although I won¡¯t say that it is impossible to do so, it will likely be very difficult¡¹ ¡ºThe place to worship gods, you are referring to a shrine? Is it like the country in which the god Izumo lives? How interesting. So doesn¡¯t this mean that if I go to the shrine of the gods during that particular time, that we will be able to meet again?¡» ¡¸Yes, you can just call it a shrine. In Orth the name is the shrine that worships god, but you can just call it shrine. We do not directly materialize within the shrine, but more like in a separate dimension much like this one, therefore it is unlikely that we will be able to meet again. However, some of the gods are deeply related with Orth¡¯s people. If you were to play an active part in your current life, you will likely come to an understanding of this world¡¯s culture in the future. Still, it is unlikely that we will meet directly¡¹ ¡ºExcluding inherent skills, is there for instance, other special skills that can be obtained in the future?¡» ¡¸Yes, it is possible. Although, special skills are very difficult to obtain, and it will depend on the person¡¯s talent, if they are suitable for such an ability, please understand this fact. Abilities are divided into skills that can be obtained or skills that are inherent. Inherent skills can only be obtained when one is born, whereas skills acquired after you are born, are all related to magic¡¹ ¡ºThat¡¯s amazing, so the fact that I may one day be able to use magic is not completely ruled out! Ah, sorry to ask you again. But let me confirm, things like being good at the sword, and running really fast, is not counted as a particular ability right?¡» ¡¸All the things you ask me and what your thoughts are, all understood so there is no need to continuously apologies after every question. That is correct, there is no classification of ability for basic things like running fast or being good at the sword. If you want to be able to run faster, then you need to train your body, if you want to be good at the sword you probably need to practice every day, these are things which are fundamentally different from obtaining skills which can be acquired¡¹ ¡ºI have an ability called Gift of Natural Talents, as part of my inherent ability, what does this do?¡» ¡¸I cannot tell you that information. I am only permitted to give you limited amounts of knowledge in this dimension¡¹ ¡ºEven if it¡¯s just a hint? Like Ah, ¡°Gift of Natural talents holds the meaning of genius¡±¡» ¡¸Knowing this ¡°time is about up¡±¡¹ ¡ºI understand. Then can I ask you one more question?¡» ¡¸Well I suppose it¡¯s fine. What is it?¡¹ ¡ºDo you think that in this life, I will be able to be successful in life?¡» ¡¸This time around, everyone who reincarnated has the potential to be someone great. In particular, you guys have the ability to recall your past lives, which is almost like an inherent skill, no, it is an even better advantage than that. Moreover, you specifically have been granted two inherent skills. If with all these tools you cannot get ahead in life, then you are just that big of a fool, and a terrible idiot when it comes to being a person. Ahh, however even in that scenario, there will be no problems. Either way, this time around, it was due to our mistakes that caused the loss of life, therefore, giving you guys a handicap is not that big of a deal¡¹ ¡ºI understand, please look forward to my progress¡» ¡¸Don¡¯t misunderstand our intentions, we do not specifically expect anything from those who have been reincarnated. We will not be telling you to do this or that. All we will do, is prepare you guys for the new life we have given. Therefore, lead your life the way you want to live. Anyways, this will be the end of our conversation¡¹ When I awoke I was on my bed. Because a huge amount of information was obtained at the same time, I¡¯ve become a little bit confused. Especially the cause of being transmigrated to this world, makes me feel furious. Well, even if I complained about my dissatisfaction to god, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t do any good. If all I had to do was grumble about my dissatisfaction, and problems would be solved, I would have endless things to complain about, however, complaining about things has never got me any results. Instead, it may aggravate someone else, and it never leads to any good. It¡¯s always better to make do with the materials you are given. However, one thing for certain that the things happening here is not a dream. That¡¯s because right in front of me, a status window is floating about. ¡¸In a sense, this will be the start of your life in this new world. There are people in this world who has yet to even see the entrance, and yet out of the 39 people, you has already taken a step over the starting line. From here on out, you have the liberty to do whatever you like. Moreover, there will not be a second chance to reincarnate again, so in any case, you should live this life without any regrets¡¹ That¡¯s what the status window said. What a jest. I thought such things, although, being able to remember our past lives and possessing two inherent skills, I really thought it would be a joke to let it go to waste, anyways I stayed silent, and willed the status window to disappear. Well truthfully I wanted to retort what the god said a little bit more, but if I just sit around here idly doing nothing, there will be no meaning to it. If there was another opportunity to meet, perhaps some of the more intricate questions will be answered. Volume 1 - CH 8 Perfect timing. ¡¸Excuse me, Mother?¡¹ ¡¸Nn? What is it?¡¹ ¡¸The words you said last night, what do they mean?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, the time I saw your Status? Rather than calling it a word, it¡¯s closer to call it a record. Do you know what a record is? For example, if you don¡¯t want to forget out current conversation right now, what would you do?¡¹ I guess she¡¯s going with this kind of teaching method. I should follow along I suppose. ¡¸Umm, try my hardest to remember!¡¹ ¡¸This is where, you would write it down. Rather than trying to remember the words by heart, it would be better to write it down on something, don¡¯t you think?¡¹ ¡¸Errm, so as long as we have a written record, even if we forget what we said, it will be fine? ¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The form of the resolution that we need to remember is normally written down, and this is what the characters are for¡¹ ¡¸In the Status, there is this character. That strange character is a word?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Al, do you want to learn how to write?¡¹ Alright! This is going exactly where I wanted it to go. ¡¸Yes, I want to learn!¡¹ ¡¸Oh, in that case, I will gladly teach you¡¹ In this manner, I began to learn to read and write characters from my mother. As a matter of fact, I¡¯ve been wanting to learn how to read and write, but it was not possible to bring this topic out without sounding overly unnatural. I¡¯m kinda saved. I will be learning characters starting from tomorrow morning and this will continue every day. Ok, I think I will also say one more thing. ¡¸If I can¡¯t learn the characters properly, will it be hard for me to remember magic?¡¹ ¡¸Well, it won¡¯t be impossible but if you can¡¯t read the characters properly then you will soon run into a roadblock. If I find that you have a talent in magic, after you¡¯ve properly learnt how to read and write, I will also teach you how to perform magic, kay?¡¹ ¡¸Yay! Thank¡¯s so much, Mother!¡¹ Ohhh Yeah! It looks like I will also be able to learn magic. This makes me really happy. Sharl walked out of the room holding the blankets. Now then, there is something I want to confirm immediately. It¡¯s the thing God talked to me about earlier. To begin with, the reason God contacted me was because he said that the level of my Appraisal skill increased. I immediately used Status Open. ¡¾Alein Greed 5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male 14/2/7428¡¿ ¡¾Clan: Greed Household second son¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal (Lv.1)¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents¡¿ There was a number and level next to the Inherent Skill: Appraisal. However, the fact that it says Level 1 means that previously it did not even have a level, does that mean that there is no representation for Level 0? In terms of the Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents, there is no notable change. I should immediately use my Appraisal ability. ¡¾Bed (For Infants)¡¿ ¡¾Material: Oak wood¡¿ Ohh, the amount of information increased! The material used was added to the list. In other words, doesn¡¯t this mean that if my Appraisal skill continues to rise, then even more detailed information will be revealed from the ability? There are some doubtful points here. In the first place, why did my Appraisal skill even go up in level? Is it perhaps the fact that continual usage will lead to an increase in its level? That¡¯s the only thing I can think of. Other than using the ability, there wasn¡¯t really any special action I took. Although I also used Status Open quite frequently, but since that is an ability that anyone can use, I don¡¯t think anything special can be done to it. Or is it perhaps, the thing that I Appraise, must be special for it to level up? Let¡¯s try to remember a little bit. It was in the afternoon yesterday, when I discovered I had the inherent skill appraisal for the first time. The thing I appraised was the Bed. The next time I used it was following supper, when I used it on both Sharl and Hegard. The following use was on the horse and the abrupt cancellation of the Appraisal mode. The next instance of usage was this afternoon, the 3 shelves and my hair. The element that improved my levelling, what could it be? The last thing I appraised was my own hair. Could it be this thing? (Appraisal) ¡¾Hair¡¿ ¡¾Hair of a certain person¡¿ There isn¡¯t much change in the information. Just to make sure¡­ ¡¸Status Open¡¹ ¡¾Alein Greed 5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male 14/2/7428¡¿ ¡¾Clan: Greed Household Second Son¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal(Lv.1)¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talent¡¯s¡¿ Yeah, it stayed the same at level 1. In that case, perhaps it¡¯s related to the frequency of usage? How many times, do I need to do it, once? twice? three times¡­..? I think I levelled up the ability after using it around 10 times. Then does that mean, that it would start from 1 again and after 9 more uses I will level up my Appraisal skill again? (Appraisal) ¡¾Bed (For infants)¡¿ ¡¾Material: Oak Wood¡¿ (Appraisal) ¡¾Bed (For infants)¡¿ ¡¾Material: Oak Wood¡¿ (Appraisal) ¡¾Bed (For infants)¡¿ ¡¾Material: Oak Wood¡¿ (Appraisal) ¡¾Bed (For infants)¡¿ ¡¾Material: Oak Wood¡¿ Shit, I¡¯m getting really sleepy. I don¡¯t feel like doing anything. I got woken up at dinner time. I felt refreshed. After sleeping that much yesterday I guess it¡¯s only natural? Whilst being spoon fed by Myun my usual oatmeal, I was in deep thought. As per usual rather than saying it¡¯s not a delicious dish, it tastes completely crap. Wait, that¡¯s not important, Oh yeah where was I, I was thinking about how when I used Appraisal I got extremely sleepy. At first, I got really sleepy just by using it one time. The next time I could do it twice before I felt any effects. And then I could use Appraisal three times in a row. This time around when, I was suddenly struck by a huge urge to sleep, I think that Appraisal had something to do with it. Next time I should be more careful about this when I use it, when I thought that I was alright and used it four times in a row, I went to sleep and was called by God. And then it levelled up. To tell the truth, it¡¯s quite bad. Oatmeal that is¡­ There is nowhere near enough salt used in this families cooking. I think that I used it around 5 times just yesterday, when I started to become really sleepy. Then does this mean that now I can use it up to 6 times this time before I get really sleepy? In any case, after having my dinner I¡¯m going to sleep anyway. I think I will do an experiment. This kind of meal is really unpalatable for a modern Japanese man like me, let¡¯s just gulp it down and be done with it. ¡¸Master, Madam! Al-sama is eating the meal by himself!¡¹ Uwaa, why is she speaking like that so suddenly. ¡¸It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a little kid, something like eating a meal by myself is¡­¡­ Ah¡­.¡¹ This is bad, I think I just blurted out something really unnatural. Ohhh, for a second there my Parents my elder brother and elder sister all had faces full of admiration, but now that I¡¯ve made a mistake¡­ This is bad, really bad. ¡¸Doing something like eat myself, even I can do it!¡¹ For the time being, I guess there is no other choice but to swindle my way out of this one. ¡¸Al, rather than saying that you are a kid, it¡¯s closer to say that you are still a baby. Moreover, where did you learn to use such vulgar words?¡¹ Hegard was asking me with a serious face. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. Father. It¡¯s something someone said before¡­.¡¹ Was I able to speak with a sweet and modest attitude just now? ¡¸¡­.Well, it¡¯s fine. If you think that you can eat by yourself, then you should try eating yourself¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I understand¡¹ Did I successfully, deceive them? I gazed at the table timidly. Everyone was watching me right now. I scoop out the oatmeal with my wooden spoon and started to eat. I tried holding the spoon, in a more risky way. When I successful eat my meal a couple of times, everyone finally started eating their own meals again. I finished eating the whole oatmeal from the plate. And everyone also finished eating their dinner. Sharl held me in her arms. She¡¯s probably taking me to my bedroom. It seems that I managed to get out of this one. Phew, I¡¯m glad. Sharl was humming me a lullaby so that I would go to sleep. Don¡¯t worry, after using Appraisal about 6 times, I should be falling asleep. It won¡¯t even take me 1 minute. (Appraisal) ¡úMyself ¡¾Alein Greed 5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male 14/2/7428 Clan: Greed Household Second Son¡¿ Huh? It¡¯s a little different to seeing it in Status Open. I guess this is because the level increased to Level 1? (Appraisal)¡úSharl ¡¾Shirley Greed 8/6/7421 Shirley Chun 24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Female 11/10/7400 Clan: Greed Household First Wife¡¿ Fumu. This has exceeded my expectations. Let¡¯s go all out! (Appraisal)¡úSharl ¡¾Shirley Greed 8/6/7421 Shirley Chun 24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Female 11/10/7400 Clan: Greed Household First Wife¡¿ (Appraisal)¡úSharl ¡¾Shirley Greed 8/6/7421 Shirley Chun 24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Female 11/10/7400 Clan: Greed Household First Wife¡¿ (Appraisal)¡úSharl ¡¾Shirley Greed 8/6/7421 Shirley Chun 24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Female 11/10/7400 Clan: Greed Household First Wife¡¿ With this, has the ability levelled up again? I want to confirm it using Status Open¡­. I guess for the last one I should use it on myself to confirm? (Appraisal) ¡ú Myself ¡¾Alein Greed 5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male 14/2/7428 Clan: Greed Household Second Son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Favorable¡¿ Ohh, It seems to have leveled up! Another line depicting my condition showed up. It says, favorable, but what does this actually mean? Is it referring to my health condition? If that is the case, then this may just become very useful. Although there was a limit to the frequency I can use the ability, it seems way more convenient and useful compared to Status Open. I¡¯ve safely confirmed that the ability has leveled up, I think for now I will go to sleep because I¡¯m really tired. Volume 1 - CH 9 As usual waking up is really refreshing. I was taking advantage of my sleeping hours to invoke appraisal so that I would pass out in bedtime. Today is the day that Sharl will teach me how to read some characters. In this one year, I haven¡¯t done much else other than memorizing words so that I could speak, therefore most of the time, I just spent it dazing around, the fact that I¡¯ve got something useful to do these past several days has given me a sense of accomplishment. After eating my breakfast, we immediately began our class of learning the characters. Farne and Mill are also studying together with me. In this system of characters there doesn¡¯t seem to be and ideographic writings, instead everything is written in phonographic characters. In other words, it¡¯s kind of like the alphabet. (TL note: Ideographic is something that uses a symbol to describe itself without a word or sound. Phonography means ¡°sound writing¡± where the characters represent an element of sound of some sort, hope this helps) The amount of characters in the alphabet is also not that many. There are 29 characters all together. The way we practiced was by putting sand on a plate and their using our fingers to write the characters. The shape of the characters didn¡¯t have many curves, and most of the words were composed of straight lines. Because I was learning it in conjunction with the pronunciation, the alphabet was really easy for me to remember. It was obvious that my inherent skill ¡°Natural prodigy¡± effected my learning as well. Because the grammar is almost the same as Japanese, it feels like I¡¯m writing romanji characters, and it feels quite weird. Because I already remembered most of it pretty quickly, I decide to use Appraisal on the others. (Appraisal) ¡ú Farne ¡¾Frankston Greed/18/2/7423¡¿ ¡¾Male/21/1/7422 Greed Family, First born son¡¿ ¡¾Body Condition: Good¡¿ (Appraisal) ¡ú Mill ¡¾Milhaear Greed/26/2/7425¡¿(TL: help her name is weird ¥ß¥ë¥Ï¥¤¥¢) ¡¾Woman/2/2/7424 Greed Family First born daughter¡¿ ¡¾Body condition: Good¡¿ Without a change, I appraised them 5 times. Because I became sleepy after using appraisal so much, I told Sharl I wanted to sleep and I went to bed. I repeated this process of using Appraisal, and then studying how to read and write every morning, the second day passes by, and on the third morning during my appraisal time¡­ The level of my inherent skill ¡°Appraisal¡± increased to level 4. In addition to telling information about other people¡¯s body condition, at level 4 it was also able to tell me their age. At first I thought that displaying someone¡¯s age was quite useless as I could already discern someone¡¯s age if I wanted to count their date of their birth in comparison to the year. However an added benefit to this ability was the fact that I could also see the age of manufactured products, raw objects and even non-living things, it was actually really convenient. Well, there is also the fact that I don¡¯t have to calculate the age of something or someone every single time I looked at them, so that in itself was pretty good. Another thing was level, level probably meant the rank or level of the living thing. My level was 1 and so was Farne¡¯s and Mill¡¯s. Hegard was level 15 and Sharl was level 14. Our housemaid Myun was level 2. Myun was already 17 years old so I thought that her level would be higher than this but¡­.. The fact is, I don¡¯t even know how I am supposed to raise my level. However, what¡¯s interesting was that if I used appraisal on an object, what¡¯s displayed is not the level but the value of the object. For example let me just show you. ¡¾Spoon made out of wood¡¿ ¡¾Elm wood¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufactured date: 4/8/7425¡¿ ¡¾Value: 10¡¿ ¡¾Bed (For infants)¡¿ ¡¾Oak wood¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufactured date: 14/12/7421¡¿ ¡¾Value: 2500¡¿ ¡¾Cube Calendar¡¿ ¡¾Beach Material¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufactured Date: 10/7/7389¡¿ ¡¾Value: 25¡¿ I used Appraisal frequently until I got sleepy, and every time I woke up again, the number of times I could use Appraisal still increased by one, but the problem was that the amount of times I had to use it kept increasing as the level of my skill increased. I¡¯ve kept track of it until now but, when I first levelled from 0 to 1 it took me 10 times of using appraisal. From level 1 to level 2 it also took 10 times. However, from level 2 to level 3, it took me 20 times of using appraisal, and from level 3 to level 4 it took me 40 times of using appraisal. Most likely in order for me to reach level 5 in appraisal I would need to use it 80 times and in order to reach level 6 it will probably be 160 times before I could level it. I didn¡¯t really know what the limit to the level was, but for now I was just speculating the possibilities. LV 0 (this is probably the level I got as soon as I was born) Lv.0-1¡¡10(10)¡¡¡¡¡¡Morning of the Second day Lv.1-2¡¡20(21)¡¡¡¡¡¡Night of the Second day Lv.2-3¡¡40(45)¡¡¡¡¡¡Night of the Third Day Lv.3-4¡¡80(90)¡¡¡¡¡¡Morning of the Fifth day Lv.4-5¡¡160(170)¡¡¡¡Night of the seventh day Lv.5-6¡¡320(324)¡¡¡¡Morning of the tenth day Lv.6-7¡¡640(665)¡¡ Night of the Thirteenth day Lv.7-8¡¡1280(1325)¡¡Morning of the eighteenth day Lv.8-9¡¡2560(2614)¡¡Morning of the twenty-fitfh day The figures I came up with in the brackets is how many times Appraisal needed to be used before I became sleepy. For instance from level 6 to level 7, at level 6 I needed to use Appraisal 320 times to level up, but at level 5, it will take me ten days in order to level up, and I will be able to use appraisal at least 25 times before I get sleepy. At this point, if I used Appraisal another 21 times I would hit level 6. However, This was a situation where I still could use appraisal 4 more times, therefore adding an incremental value of 4 more times using appraisal before I needed to pass out, I would be able to gain enough uses by the Night of the Thirteenth day to improve my appraisal to level 7. By this period of time, the amount of times I could use Appraisal without fainting would probably be 36 times, and the amount of time I could still use appraisal immediately after levelling would be 25 times. Today, is the morning of the fifth day, therefore if I calculated based on this figure, the amount of time it would take me to reach level 9 would be another 20 days. At that point in time, I should be able to use Appraisal 70 times in a row without fainting. I would compare this experience to me playing a role-playing game (RPG) and collecting experience values. In short, my aim would be to continuously use the inherent skill ¡®appraisal¡¯, and by doing so acquire enough experience in order to potentially master the skill to a sufficient level. Additionally, in terms of my study in how to read and write characters, there is already plenty of things that I could say, and my progress was quite extraordinary. I already completely memorized the alphabet of this world, including all the capital letters or small letters. I also completely memorized the vowels and if I started spelling out the words according to a rough pronunciation it would not be a problem for me to write the word. Nevertheless, there were plenty of words like the English language, where the pronunciation of the word doesn¡¯t actually sound the same, in this scenario, there is no other choice but to spend time in order to learn it. Anyways, right now my appraisal level is at 4, and I just noticed that I could only use appraisal a few more times. In the case that I don¡¯t completely use up all my ability to use Appraisal what would happen then? Obviously I wouldn¡¯t get sleepy right? And does this also mean that if I don¡¯t get sleepy, the frequency doesn¡¯t reset and I can only use it a few more times, until I fall asleep to recover? I think that I should try this theory out as soon as possible. The only demerit in trying this theory out would be the fact that my levelling rate slows down very slightly. Whilst I was just dimly watching my appraisal window with a vacant gaze, I started to notice a change in the window. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428 Greed household, Second Son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 1 year old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ The brightness between 1-4 line and the fifth line is different. The 1-4 line seems to be a little brighter compared to the 5th line. When I stared at the first line, which was my own name, for some reason another window opened within the appraisal window! ¡¾Alein Greed: The day he was named (Baptism day): 5th of March, Year 7429¡¿ Is there a meaning to this? Just as I was thinking this, I started to focus my gaze on the line which had information about me being part of the Greed Household. I gazed specifically at the word greed, as it continued to grow brighter. ¡¾Greed Household: Ron Belt Kingdom. Day of appointment: 3rd October, Year 7353¡¿ ¡¾Rise to power: 12th generation Marquis Webdosu¡¯s Fourth son, Samato Webudosu becomes independent and establishes the household¡¿ ¡¾The current family head of the Greed household is Hegard Greed of the third generation¡¿(This guy is the father of Alein, his full name is confusing ¥Ø¥°¥ê¥£¥ä©`¥ë If anyone wants to have a go at it) Just like god has told me, having an inherent skill like mine is a true advantage. The sub-window (Tentative name) seems to stop here for now. I really wanted to find out more information about the Marquis Webudosu, but¡­. I closed the open sub-window and this time I gazed at the second line. ¡¾Male; Birthday is 14 February, 7428 A person of the Greed Household, Second son¡¿ The sub-window opened up in two parts. ¡¾Race: Ragudariosu Race¡¿ I see, this race is probably akin to people of the Anglo-Saxon race from earth. This part also stops here, as no more sub-windows will open. When I returned back to the Greed Household and opened the information about the second son, it was the same info as a little while ago. Well for now I suppose this much is to be expected. Next let¡¯s investigate the third line. ¡¾Condition: The present state of both the body and mind: It¡¯s excellent; definitely no problems¡¿ This is what came out. I actually wanted to know a little bit more about the meaning of the words used to describe my condition, however¡­. The sub-window doesn¡¯t open any more than this. Eei, forget it then, let¡¯s go to the next one. ¡¾Age: One full year after being born: This is rounded down to the nearest decimal point¡¿ Don¡¯t joke around, what is this crap. I already know that kind of thing. Even if a number like 1.04 came out, how troublesome would that be? Oh well¡­ I understood clearly that even if the room goes dark and I can¡¯t see anything, if any object or thing lights up as I am in appraisal mode, than that means I can find out more about it. Well, in this case, I will defer the experiment of not using Appraisal until I faint to a later date. In any case, I feel like it will be best if I used Appraisal as much as possible and increase the level. In 20 more days, I can hit level 9, and it won¡¯t be too late to experiment around with my ability once I reach level 10 anyways. If I added another 10 days on top of everything, I could probably hit level 10. In other words, I just have to delay my experiment until the next month. After thinking like this, I immediately used up the last vestiges of Appraisal, before drifting off to sleep. Two days after, at night time, my inherent skill raised a level and became level 5. Naturally the amount of information being displayed also increased. Although I couldn¡¯t do anything but laugh, the values that appeared were actually HP and MP. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428 Greed Household Second son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: One year old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º6(6)¡¡MP£º9(18)¡¿ As I thought this was just like a role-playing game that I used to play as a junior high school student. Ultima was a good game, but I only tried it once. Dorae was also pretty good but I also only played it once. I¡¯m at a loss, I truly didn¡¯t play much video games back in earth. If only I played a little more, I would probably be able to understand the concepts of this world a little more. By the way, after levelling up to level 5, the fifth line which displayed my level also lighted up to show more information. ¡¾Level; This is a number that all living things possess which express their ability/talent numerically. It is increased by accumulating experience points¡¿ If experience is acquired, I will be able to level up? This is becoming more and more like a game, isn¡¯t it? The problem is how am I supposed to gain the experience points? Is it going to increase if I kill demons? However, even when Farne killed the goblin, his level didn¡¯t increase from level 1. Does this mean that killing one goblin is not enough to raise your level? Leaving that aside, lets pay more attention to the matter of MP for now. Right next to the number 9 there is a number (18) in brackets. Is the number in the brackets the maximum value? if I am not mistaken, I used my appraisal ability eight times after eating today¡¯s breakfast in order to raise my level. And right now, will be the 9th time. And right now, the present value of MP is at 9. This is very easy to understand. When Appraisal is used once, it will use up one MP. This would imply that the inherent skill appraisal was a magical ability. MP would normally mean Magic Point. Well in any case, the next time I levelled up, I would probably be able to find out more about MP. In order for me to level up I would need 3 more days. The fact that my HP is at 6¡­¡­¡­.I don¡¯t really understand what this means. I don¡¯t even know how much the average adult would be able to take before dying, or how much damage a single blow would cause? Three more days have passed. My MP increases in value. This morning I had 25 MP. And I should be able to level up if I used appraisal 21 more times. After eating my meal, I will start using Appraisal. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428 Greed Household, Second Son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: One year old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º6(6)¡¡MP£º3(25)¡¿ ¡¾Muscular Strength: 1¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 1¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 1¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 1¡¿ Yeah. I suddenly had four more lines of information. In the game Doraku, this is what is called ¡°power¡± right? Or if you played the game Urutei it would be the ¡°Status¡± command. The fact that all my parameters are stuck at one right now brings tears to my eyes, nevertheless, considering the fact that I am still a baby, I guess this is natural, right? Well then, shall we look at the commentary explanation in the sub-window for HP and MP? ¡¾HP; Hit Points Life Vitality. The moment the figure reaches zero, you will faint and it will become impossible to take any actions. Upon reaching zero Hit points, a negative debuff to the endurance value will occur, if the value of endurance reaches a negative value, you will die. If you reach an endurance point of minus one point -1, it will take approximately one week of rest in a safe place to recover. In the case that there is a plus in the numerical value of endurance, each point will allow you to recover 1 day faster. In addition to the age, Muscular Strength adds two points, endurance adds two points and agility adds one point to the total maximum HP points. In addition to this after reaching a certain age, you will stop the benefit of increasing in HP, in fact as you become older, there will be a negative penalty that slightly decreases your HP as you age. Only when the above-mentioned abilities are changed when increasing in level, will the maximum value be updated¡¿ I expected this, I really did, but right now my endurance value was at 1 point, therefore, technically if I were to drop to a minus 1 value right now, I would probably instantly die right? By the way, my ¡°Age¡± actually opens another sub window of information but it doesn¡¯t really say anything and just repeats my age. The sub-window won¡¯t open when I try to figure out more about Strength, Agility and Endurance. Ahh, if I level up more, I suppose a sub-window will eventually open. ¡¾Level; this is a value that every living thing has and it quantifies their capabilities/talents/abilities. You can increase your level by acquiring experience¡¿ Isn¡¯t this just the same as last time? When I thought about this another sub-window opened up. ¡¾When you level up, the ability that you used the 1st most and the 2nd most will be the ability that obtains 1 point respectively. HP and MP is also included as an ¡®ability¡¯. However, in the case that you possess an inherent skill, the ability that will rise will be from the 1st to the 6th ability instead¡¿ ¡°However¡± from here onwards just like how the status window displays a dark red name next to the inherent skill, your abilities will also receive a dark red mark next to it. Hahaaha, I guess this is the privilege god was talking about, how everyone with an inherent skill received more stats. ?The amount of bonus points you obtain when you level up, is way more than the average people living in this world. Well doesn¡¯t this actually mean that every time I level up, I would actually obtain an increase in all six of my abilities by 1 point? In the case of normal people, they would obtain an increase in their HP and MP followed by their strength and or endurance, which would total to 4 points increase, however in my case, I would gain HP, MP, Strength, Agility, Dexterity and Endurance, which would be an increase to all six of my status points for a total of 6 points. I feel like not only is my inherent skill really amazing, the fact that this bonus is given to people like us is almost like a cheat. The next thing is MP. ¡¾MP; Magic/Mental Point. Willpower. The lower this value becomes, any sense of self-control, motivations, discipline and or devotion will be decreased to reflect the value, and when it reaches zero it will become impossible to act against your primal desires and instincts. Moreover, this value will decrease every time magic is used. Although it recovers at approximately a rate of one point every five minutes when you are awake, if you haven¡¯t experienced an MP loss of more than 6 points than it will not recover. Also, if you rest continuously for four hours or more by sleeping, then you will be able to recover your MP to the maximum value. A one point increase to MP is given every 5 years of age, another method to increase it is MP will be gained by one point for every level you have in a certain magic. Another method to increase the value of MP other than when you level up, is when MP reaches a value of zero it will have a probability to rise in value depending on your age. to calculate this value, you multiply your age by itself i.e 1¡Á1=1, 2¡Á2=4 etc, and then you subtract this value from 100% i.e 100-1 = 99 %, 100-4= 96 %. Even if your age exceeds 100 years of age, if your mana reaches zero, you will still have a 1% chance to increase your MP¡¿ Muu, I have come to understand a variety of things. The first thing is, the reason for my increase in the amount of times I can use Appraisal every single time I used up all my MP until it reached a value of zero, every time I woke up, I would be able to use appraisal an addition 1 more time before I passed out. My age is currently 1 year old. Multiplying 1 by 1 is equal to 1. Therefore the probability that my MP would increase in value, is actually 99 %. Moreover, when I first recovered and used appraisal a couple of times when my MP was still full, I could not recover my MP even though I endured staring at the window for approximately 10 minutes. This is because, I didn¡¯t use appraisal 6 times yet and I hadn¡¯t yet experienced an MP loss beyond the value of 6. The fact that the value is left at 6 is probably some sort of safety mechanism left in place for living beings. For a normal person who cannot practice magic, the maximum value to raise using the method of MP consumption is surely not going to work out for them, therefore the maximum value would only raise every 5 years when they aged. And when they first reached the age of 26, if they were normally, they would for the first time in their lives, hit an MP value of 6. IF the case that you wanted to round down to fractions, when they reached 25 years of age, they would have a MP point of 5.8. Moreover, Mp is not only used for magic, but is also considered as a part of Willpower. In order to be in complete control of one¡¯s desires, they would need to reach an age of 26, wouldn¡¯t they? In this case, I believe that what they mean by desire, is the three major desires a human can possesses, namely: Appetite, Sleep Desire and Sexual Desire. Although there are many individual variations, I was for sure really weak to the desires of appetite and the desire to sleep. Well in a sense, this is probably because my body is not yet at the age where it will generate sexual desires, although I cannot know for sure whether using me as an example for this particular scenario will be accurate or not, oh well. Until a little while ago, I was crying whenever I got hungry, and when I was sleepy I would also cry. This is probably because I started out with 1 MP. For the past few days, if I didn¡¯t use up my MP completely, I can endure certain things without crying without any trouble at all. The secondary sex characteristics of puberty will hit when people reach around 13 years of age, so right now, this particular aspect is not that relevant to me. Technically if someone was at an MP value of 3 or 4 there would probably be a sort of problem, they would probably fall to their desires and if they were careful, they would probably start acting on their sexual desires and start pleasuring themselves or taking direct action. After fully growing into an adult, at about 26-30 years of age, the MP value of an average person would be at 6 and even if somebody wanted to seduce them or tempt them, they would be able to have enough Willpower to resist. Unlike the value of HP, it seems that MP doesn¡¯t decrease even if you age to a certain point, Occasionally, there is a person with an amazing amount of discipline and willpower, and most likely, these types of people had for some reason or another, been able to cut their MP values to zero coincidentally which increased their maximum MP value at a young age. If this is true, that this is a problem for Farne and Mill. Farne is already seven years old now. Even if he used up all his MP, the probability that it will increase is only going to be 51%. Mill was 5 years old so she would have a 75% chance of increasing in MP. If they were able to build up their sense of discipline and will power from a ripe age, it will be much better for their future right? By some means or another, I really want to make them use up their MP so that it can increase. In any case, at the age of 10 or more, the probability to increase their MP will be capped at 1%. I want to consult about this matter with Sharl and ask her to teach them simple magic, so that they will be able to use it regularly, However, how am I supposed to explain all this to her? To begin with, my two siblings haven¡¯t even mastered the art of reading or writing like me yet. At the very least, I suppose I need to wait until they are able to properly read and write? No, Even though Mill was still in an alright place, Farne was 7 years old already. If he turns 8 years of age, the probability falls to 36% and at 9 years of age, the probability to increase his MP goes down to 19%. The faster he learns the better. However, doesn¡¯t this mean that I have to be able to explain what was happening to my body, I don¡¯t think they will trust in my words? No no, if I revealed my true colors right now, I really don¡¯t know what might occur. In the off chance, that I am persecuted by my own family, what then? Crap, no matter how much I think about this, I can¡¯t find a good solution. Even though the matter regarding Farne¡¯s MP is quite urgent, it¡¯s not like something can be done immediately within a few days, therefore, I think that I will arrange the information and perform a more thorough analysis. I might be able to think of something useful in this period of time. For the first time since I was reborn into this world, I used my brain to its fullest potential. Volume 1 - CH 10 The next day Hegard came back. The round trip to send to priest back to the town of Doritto took approximately 10 days. I¡¯m not entirely sure just how long of a rest they took on their way there, but, even if they went at full speed, it would probably take at least 5 days. Hegard was riding on horseback, but because he had to adjust to a wagon¡¯s speed, it probably made it a lot slower. The wheel of the wagon was a wooden wheel with a ring of metal in the middle of it, no matter how I think about it, I don¡¯t think there would be paved roads in this age of civilisation yet. Although I thought about a lot of things since last night, I will leave it at this for now. The other important thing is¡­.. I need to use appraisal on my family members. ¡¾Hegard Greed/20/8/7422 Hegard Greed/25/7/7400¡¿ ¡¾Male/28/6/7399 Greed Household, Present Master¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age 29 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 15¡¿ ¡¾HP£º156(156)¡¡MP£º6(6)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 24¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 19¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 15¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 23¡¿ He¡¯s amazing¡­ As expected of someone who is at level 15. However, as I expected his MP is only at 6. ¡¾Shirley Greed/8/6/7421 Shirley Tune/24/11/7401¡¿ ¡¾Female/11/10/7400 Greed Household First wife¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age 28 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 14¡¿ ¡¾HP£º101(101)¡¡MP£º43(43)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 14¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 17¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 24¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 14¡¿ Umu. Although mother¡¯s level is only 1 behind father, her MP value is overwhelmingly more than father. Because she had some sort of special magic skill, the distribution of stats and the bonus points she received towards MP is different. Even so, her MP was only 43. I am at 28 MP, when I think about it, is this insufficient? No, in comparison with a lot of people in this world, even if I can¡¯t call myself the baby with the highest MP, I can still confidently say that I would be much higher than the average. ¡¾Fransten Greed/18/2/7423¡¿ ¡¾Male/21/1/7422 Greed Household First born son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age 7 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º24(24)¡¡MP£º2(2)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 3¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 5¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 3¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 3¡¿ ¡¾Milhaya Greed/26/2/7425¡¿ ¡¾Female/2/2/7424 Greed Household First born daughter¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 5 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º16(16)¡¡MP£º1(1)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 2¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 3¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 2¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 2¡¿ Both my brother and sister had an expected amount of status points. ¡¾Myunerin Tobasu/19/2/7427 Myunerin Saguaru/2/12/7412¡¿ ¡¾Female/29/11/7411 Greed household Tobasu First born Daughter¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 18 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 2¡¿ ¡¾HP£º65(65)¡¡MP£º4(4)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 8¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 12¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 8¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 8¡¿ For the sake of it I also used Appraisal on Myun to see her stats. Well it¡¯s not really a big deal. A little while ago I thought that she may be a little low levelled for the average people of her age, however, it could also be the case that my parents were the abnormal ones. But, isn¡¯t it a little weird? ¡¸Father, is the town of Doritto far away?¡¹ ¡¸Hm? I guess it is, if you go by horse it will take around 4 days¡¹ I see. Let¡¯s assume that a wagon can go at approximately 3 Km per hour, then if it took 4 days it should be around 120 Km to reach the town. ¡¸Is it about 120 Km away? That¡¯s seems really far doesn¡¯t it¡¹ ¡¸Eh? You can do calculus?¡¹ Hegard seemed really surprised as he spoke. ¡¸Calculation? Ahh If wagons are used in a flat surfaced road, they should be a little faster than an adult person walking, right? But, the road to Doritto is probably filled with stones and gravel, and so I predict that the speed of the wagon would be halved? After eating breakfast, the travel would begin for roughly five hours until reaching lunch. After resting a little at lunch, and eating a meal, you would then prepare to move again for another 5 hours, because the speed of the wagon would be quite slow when moving on rough terrain, after travelling for a total of 10 hours, the distance travelled during the day would amount to approximately 30 km. And because all I had to do was multiply it by four, it would turn out to be around 120Km, is what I thought¡­..¡¹ ¡¸And you are telling me that you have been able to calculate this? You truly are a genius, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ As usual Hegard was speaking to me with his eyes wide open and was very surprised. Although there was a couple of people around here, I was whispering in a voice so that only Hegard and Shirl could hear me talk. ¡¸Father, later on I have something really important to say to both of you. Could you please give me some time, perhaps after we¡¯ve eaten dinner?¡¹ ¡¸Ah? Ahh. Alright sure¡­¡­¡¹ Hegard was looking at Sharl with his still surprised look but he still replied in the affirmative. I think they are getting accustomed to my way of talking¡­. The pace is starting to go according to my desires. I use appraisal whilst eating dinner as usual, and fill up the quota. My brother and sisters were bundled off to the children¡¯s room, Myum was putting them to bed with a lullaby, and in the dining room, only my parent¡¯s and I were here. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Father, Mother. I have something a little important to discuss¡­¡­ I think that I want to start talking after Myun returns here. At the worst case, Elder brother and Elder Sister will overhear us talk but that will be fine, however since Myun is not part of our family do you think it will be alright if she hears about this?¡¹ ¡¸Myun is like family to us, she¡¯s not someone to leak out information that she¡¯s heard from this household¡­..¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true, she¡¯s not like that¡¹ Both my parents were vouching for Myun. After that, I waited for Myun to return so I asked Sharl various questions in regards to magic to pass the time. Soon after, I confirmed Myun¡¯s approaching footsteps. Now, the performance will start. I can only hope that my acting skills are good enough for this to work. ¡¸Alright then, I think I want to start now. It¡¯s about my naming ceremony that took place a few days ago. The truth is, I met with great grandfather Samato¡¹ Samato was founder of the Greed Household and I was able to know this fact because I obtained the information from my appraisal ability. If I remember correctly he was the Marquis¡¯s Webdosu¡¯s fourth son. Although it¡¯s a little clich¨¦, I wanted to tell them that I was acting under the instructions of my ancestor. Of course before utilising this plan, I already confirmed that my great-grandparent had already passed away. Well let¡¯s not say my great-grandfather, even my grandfather has already passed away. ¡¸You met him? What exactly do you mean?¡¹ Hegard was curiously asking about the situation. Well this is to be expected. ¡¸Yes, he came out towards me in a dream that night. And great-grandfather told me¡­ ¡°You three siblings have a talent for magic. You need to train to your limits in magic during the day and after reaching your limits, you should get enough rest before training in the way of the sword. You need to begin this training as soon as possible, at the worst case, you should continue this way of life for about 10 years¡±, is what grandfather said¡­ Another thing is, he told me that I should talk in this kind of manner¡¹ ¡¸Hey, Sharl. Have you ever talked to Al about our grandfather Samato?¡¹ ¡¸I haven¡¯t¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­ And, is that the end of the message Al?¡¹ ¡¸No, there is still a continuation¡¹ ¡¸Continue then¡¹ ¡¸Yes, the next thing great-grandfather said was¡­ ¡°There is still room for this town of Bakuddo to grow. Alein, after doing magic practice and sword training, you must go around with your father to search for any avenues of growth and development within the territory¡±, is what he said¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ Father was starting to get angry. But, this behaviour was already within my predictions. ¡¸Father, there is still a continuation. ¡°I will give you the knowledge to do so, using this piece of information, I order you to make Bakkudo prosper and help out your elder brother as his counsellor¡­..¡±¡¹ After that, I just spouted some vague bullshit. Hegard seemed to be angry at the fact that it looked like I was going to take over the Greed family estate and jump over Farne, because for aristocrat¡¯s, it is a tradition (That the eldest child takes over as head of the family). Nevertheless that is not my intention at all. After meeting god a spark started to grow within me. Considering these three factors, being content at just being in the position of a local lord is impossible. Furthermore, aside from the fact that I am a person who transmigrated and the fact that I have inherent skills, I have already made a promise to myself with self-determination to be a better person. All of those who came here are from the present age of Japan. Meaning they are from a modern Japan¡­.. At my advanced age Japanese people probably didn¡¯t grow up receiving any special military training. They are probably not informed in matters of battle strategy, and it is unlikely for them to have any experience fighting a war. In our present world which seemed to be around the middle ages, 8 or 9 cases out of 10, people will resort to violence in order to obtain what they want. The fact that creatures such as goblins exist in this world, increases the important of individual fighting power even more. For a world like this where weird living creatures are rampant, it¡¯s an important factor to have military prowess, I am sure of it. Not only this, most people would not have the knowledge to truly get a military force organized, give them training and make them submit to a code of discipline. I dare say, that they wouldn¡¯t understand the structure of a gun in order to make various arms and weapons. Even if a person were to have a small amount of knowledge in these matters, at best they would be amateurs. Additionally, although the raw materials of gun powder may be famous, the correct amount of mixture and how to make the gun itself using metal working is not general knowledge and therefore it is unlikely for them to know how to do it. In this world I am quite sure that there is no full-fledge smiths with the ability to create high quality weapons and or guns. Using Hegard¡¯s sword as an example, whilst it may have been forged to a certain extent, it looks like for the most part it has just been merely sharpened using a whetstone. If this is the quality of the metal being used on the gun, at best you will be able to fire 1 round of bullets after which, the guns aim will decrease substantially. Whilst I may be in a small province, my father is the local feudal lord of this city and this is the type of equipment he is forced to use. Just like god has said previously, the current level of civilisation is akin to the 15th century. Another thing to keep in mind is that if there are goblins wandering around town, there is no reason for people to not want to advance their weaponry, and yet it hasn¡¯t been done. Therefore, it is obvious that they do not have the sufficient knowledge to do so. I must say that the level of civilisation is truly quite low. Moreover, in terms of city development it seems that they haven¡¯t even reached the full potential of the 15th century. Right now, other than parts of things being comparable to Europe in the 15th century, they haven¡¯t really caught up. For instance, because of the existence of healing magic, the people have been inhibited from researching medical science and development in this area might have been obstructed because of this. If this was the present earth, it wouldn¡¯t be realistic to start your own territory or build your own castle, founding your own country is also just a wild pipe dream that someone may have whilst joking around with their friends. The reason for that is simple. Civil rights and human rights have been established and a large majority of the people in the present earth are an advanced nation who adopts some form of democracy, not only that but, the academic level of most people are quite high. Also, with the development of guns and weapons of mass destruction it is impossible for developing countries like Africa to want to fight with such overwhelming technology. However, if you compare it to the world I live in? Almost nobody is educated, and I have yet to see anyone carry a gun. In any case, my plan is to create my own country. Well the quickest way to accomplish this would be to make Bakkudo village my stronghold and start a conquest of all of Webudosu¡±s territory, however I have no just cause to do so right now. Especially if I had to force my elder brother to disinherit his first born right and if I had to take over Bakkudo by force, this wouldn¡¯t look good for my image. Although usurpation may not be viewed as a negative thing in this world, but in any case, I have no qualms or hatred with my family so why would I ever need to do such a thing? In fact, when Farne and Mill tried to protect me from the goblins I felt really grateful. They were truly caring siblings. Therefore, I decided to try and help them out by potentially increasing their MP. Once I become an adult, I plan to leave this village and make a name for myself, this would be a much better alternative. Apparently according to this earth¡¯s standards, when one reaches the age of 15, they will be considered an adult. Until that time, I should work hard for Bakkudo to repay their kindness. I wasn¡¯t able to be dutiful to my parents in my past life, however in this life I plan to be as helpful as I can. After all, I am a man with four parents. Just from the fact that I was loved by all four of my parents, makes me feel like I have been blessed and I am really happy about this fact. After helping out this city, I plan to go to a big city in order to make a name for myself. If I just think about this calmly, and train diligently till I become an adult, I should be able to be quite strong when that time comes. Not only do I have two inherent skills, I also get the huge bonus from levelling up. Moreover, because I have sufficient knowledge, if I make something which doesn¡¯t yet exist in this world, money won¡¯t be a problem for me. In the worst case scenario, even if I am unable to establish a kingdom of my own, I will at least be able to become a full-fledged merchant due to the amount of economical knowledge I¡¯ve built up from my past life. First things first, I need to learn the inner workings of this new world, and everything will start from there. Volume 1 - CH 11 The next morning was my long-awaited start to magic training. Last night, I went to my limits of using my MP and then afterwards I got sufficient rest¡­. Although in saying this, was my mother successfully persuaded to teach us? Sharl was likely to be in deep thought. I mean first of all, the usual steps to learning magic would be to first perceive the flow of magic, but I asked her to teach us magic so that we could expend our MP to its limits. Four chairs were brought to the front of the house, first of all she held a twig in her left hand and used her right hand to grab on to the pointed end. When she did this, the pointed end of the twig caught on fire. Only a brief moment passed when I saw her hand was shining with light, and although it was hard to tell because of the sunshine this early in the morning, I was sure that it did light the fire. I was in a rush as I used appraisal on Sharl, and it turns out that she did indeed use 1 Mp point to cast the flame. Right now, she didn¡¯t say any words to cast the spell did she? It did not seem like she used an incantation. ¡¸This is a branch of fire magic. It is one of the rudimentary things you need to learn in magic, but I want you guys to first learn something even simpler. Farne, try to make this flame flicker. Use both of your hands, hold them up and place them on both sides of the flame, and try to pass magic from one palm to the other palm. Imagine it within your mind, as it passes from your right palm to your left palm. If you do it well, the flame should flicker¡¹ Farne did as he was told and held his hands to both sides of the fire, when he did this, for some reason or another he had a really troubled expression as he started to groan in an effort to make the flame quiver. After a few minutes the twig fully burns out and Sharl tossed the twig on to the ground in order to put the fire out. The next person to try make the flame quiver would be Mill, and last it would be me. All three of us were unable to do this well. This time around after igniting the twig, Sharl gave it for Mill to hold and she positioned herself behind Farne as if embracing him firmly from behind. She placed both of her hands, right besides Farne¡¯s hands which were trying to make the flame move. ¡¸Alright, Farne, here I go. Please try to remember this feeling¡¹ As soon as she said this, both of her hands shined. Although the flame began to shake rapidly it did not disappear. ¡¸Farne, do you think you can continue to do this?¡¹ ¡¸Uu, Kuu, uuu, I will try my best¡¹ Farne is really obedient. At the same time, I was looking at Farne and opening up his status with Appraisal to check on his MP. It seems that his MP has not decreased from 2. Sharl positioned her hands on the outside of Farne¡¯s once again. Farne was taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and screamed out his fighting spirit as he stared directly into the flame. When he did so, Farne¡¯s hand glowed blue quite dimly. The flame flickers. He used¡­¡­.1 MP! Farne is now able to expend at least 1 MP. After that Sharl lights up another twig, and after making Farne hold the twig, she was trying to teach Mill in the same manner. Mill was able to make the flames flicker even faster than Farne was able to, however because she reached her limit, it seems that she became really sleepy afterwards. Sharl then lifts Mill in her arms and brings her inside the main residence. ¡¸Oi, Al, did you see it? Magic is an amazing thing isn¡¯t it? I wonder if I can become a magician like mother one day?¡¹ Although it was kind of expected, it would seem that Sharl is known as a magician. ¡¸I certainly saw it. It¡¯s amazing. It will be awesome if I can learn to use it as well¡¹ ¡¸Hahah, that¡¯s true. But you know, this is really tiring. I think that it might be a little tough on Al. Even Mill has become so tired that she has already needed to sleep¡¹ As he was saying such things, Sharl had returned. ¡¸Alright, Farne. Whilst you haven¡¯t forgotten the previous sensation, you should try it again¡¹ ¡¸Eh, isn¡¯t it supposed to be my turn next?¡¹ I was a little dissatisfied so I raised a complaint. ¡¸Once, you remember the feeling of how to use magic, you need to repeat it as soon as possible until it¡¯s ingrained into you, now then, Al do you think that you will be able to hold the flame?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I will be fine¡¹ I see, well I suppose if it¡¯s something that you need to learn using your senses, it¡¯s probably better to get used to it quickly. ¡¸Then, Farne. Try it one more time¡¹ Just like before Sharl placed her hands just outside of Farnes and soon it started to glow. This time around, much faster than before, Farne was able to make the flame flicker. Farne was really happy as he showed a beaming smile, but in the next instant a huge sense of drowsiness swept in and he was unable to endure it any longer. I suppose she expected this to happen, Sharl carried Farne in her arms as she went inside the house again. ¡¸Fuu, I knew it would be like this, that¡¯s why I wanted to teach you guys when you became a little older, this is much more normal. If you are still too young when you learn magic, your limit is still really small, so people have said that it is dangerous to learn when you are young¡¹ ¡¸Normally what age would you be before you started learning magic?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm, normally it¡¯s after you become an adult, or perhaps it¡¯s a little bit before that? If your body hasn¡¯t properly matured yet, then there isn¡¯t much magic in you, therefore, you can¡¯t really practice much ¡¹ I see, is that why everyone has such low magic capacity? Because nobody was purposefully using magic before the age of 9, there is not much room for growth once they reach adulthood. ¡¸It should be fine, I don¡¯t think great-grandfather would tell us to do such a thing without a good reason. I am sure that he has his own reasons¡¹ ¡¸I suppose so, Well then, the next one is you, Al¡¹ Sharl picked up a rather long twig and after igniting it, she thrust it into the ground. ¡¸Then, let¡¯s try it¡¹ When Sharl puts her hand against the back of my hand, it starts to glow a blue light, and I could feel a warm feeling passing through from one palm to the other. Is this what the flow of magic feels like? It¡¯s really warm, it kind of feels like when you plunge your hands into hot water on a very cold winter night. I understand, so all I have to do is replicate this feeling intentionally to make it work? Eh, wait a second, can I really do such a thing? ¡¸Do you think that you can try it yourself? I will stop my flow of magic now alright?¡¹ ¡¸Okay, are you stopping it now?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I stopped it¡¹ Muu. Immediately the flame stopped flickering. I watched the flame intently and willed it to shake. But it doesn¡¯t move at all. Even Farne and Mill was able to do it, after having come this far, it would be a joke if I couldn¡¯t do it right? Isn¡¯t this a really crucial part to my plans working? ¡¸Al, for a flame to start shaking, what do you think it needs normally?¡¹ ¡¸Well if we blow our breath¡¯s on it, or if the wind blows¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yes, in that case, try to imagine that a wind is blowing from your right hand, and your left hand is sucking up that wind¡¹ What the, what¡¯s with that? I mean it would be easy if I really had a mouth on my hands to blow out wind but¡­ Although I tried to put the image of my palm having a mouth, it just felt way too unnatural. If I wanted the flame to shake, not only would I need an air flow, but I would also need some flow of energy of some kind. Energy, flow, flow forth energy¡­.. ¡¸Here, I will try helping you again¡¹ For the second time, Sharl put her hands next to mine and made her magic flow. Flowing energy. Moreover, I feel the energy flows into my body as well. I suddenly had a thought, and I decided to imagine that there is a transparent blood vessel that is transmitting energy from my right hand to the left hand. Obviously the center of the blood vessel is the flame. I tried to imagine that the transparent blood vessel was being burnt by the flame. Uohhh, this is really hot. It almost felt like my veins were being burnt alive. ¡¸Hot!¡¹ What? Why is it that even though I am not touching the flame, I can already feel the heat? The flame is roughly separated from me by at least 15 cm. This is similar to a candle¡¯s flame, and it shouldn¡¯t feel hot at all from this distance. In that case, why did I feel the heat? At that time, I was imagining the transparent veins that connected from my left hand to my right hand starting to burn. Is magic about making what you imagine into a reality? Is that the kind of phenomenon it is? Well next should I try imagining that a virtual fan is in my right hand? I literally imagined one of those small fans that used a battery to move in my right hand. Pitter patter. Pitter patter. Pitter patter. ¡¸Ohhh¡¹ Just when I thought that a blue light was shining on my right hand, the flame died out. The feeling of receiving wind still remains in my left hand. ¡¸Ehh? You are using wind magic¡­..?¡¹ Sharl was at a loss for words. ¡¸Al, are you alright? Don¡¯t you feel sleepy?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I am completely fine, mother¡¹ ¡¸Really? Then let¡¯s try it again¡¹ Sharl lights up the pointed end of the branch again and¡­ ¡¸Well, without a doubt that was also magic, but since it was way too strong, the fire completely vanished. Just like I said before, I want you to try feeling the magic pass from your right hand to your left hand¡¹ As she said this, she placed her hands next to mine and tried to guide me again. Once again, I feel the sensation of magic passing through my arms. This is a little different from the sensation of blood flowing through isn¡¯t it? This isn¡¯t like the regular thumping of a heart beat as blood passes through, it¡¯s more like a fixed quantity always flows through the arms. It¡¯s almost like my right hand is a faucet of water that is continuously opened, and my left hand was a sort of drainage that was slowly absorbing the water that flowed through¡­. ¡¸Al, you must feel the flow of magic. Magic is always within your body, and is always rotating around you. You must feel for the flow of magic and direct it into your right hand to move it into your left, alright?¡¹ What¡¯s she saying? Magic is perpetually revolving around my body? Other than blood how can there be another thing revolving around? Lymphatic fluids? That kind of thing is the same as blood¡­. And then I started to realize it¡­. Is my previous world knowledge actually hindering my imagination and obstructing my progress? As a human who lived in the present age of Japan, I naturally learnt a sufficient amount of knowledge in regards to the human anatomy. Obviously there was no such thing as substitute for the study of ¡°Magic¡± in this world. Therefore, because both Farne and Mill were not obstructed with the knowledge I obtained from the previous world, they were able to keep an open mind. Right now the image I am holding in my mind about magic, is the image of a blue light that shines, just like the one Sharl is using and the one Shiemi-obaasan was using to heal Farne, it was the warm flow of magic. When I started to imagine a jelly like substance that was blue and that was warm circulating around my body, I started to feel yucky, and disgusted. No this isn¡¯t the feeling I should imagine¡­ Where the heck did I come up with jelly anyways? This time I imagined that the blue magic is mixed in with my blood and is flowing through my body. A magic that endlessly circulates around my body. I was feeling the existence of the flow as it went from my right hand to other parts of my body, and then back again to my right hand. This ¡°flow¡± is what I tried to move directly from my right hand to my left. I imagined a transparent right hand that separates at my elbows and a transparent left hand that separates at my elbows. Right now, I was imagining the palms of the virtual transparent hands uniting together. Both my hands started to shine blue, and the flame flickers. Inside my mind, I felt the feeling of the flame trying to wriggle free out of my virtual hands which was placed in between my virtual palms. Sharl removed her hands from mine and let me try to do it myself. She probably felt my magic. ¡¸Ehh, this is¡­..Well I guess it¡¯s fine¡¹ Even if before was just me being lucky, to conjure up that wind magic, right now even I was surprised at how easy it was for me to circulate my magic around my body. ¡¸Umm. Mother, did I do it poorly?¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t poor. You¡¯ve done well. Maybe it¡¯s because you aren¡¯t used to it? I feel like your magic is a little different than the norm¡¹ EH!? Is it different? ¡¸More importantly, you should be getting sleepy soon right? Let¡¯s take a break alright?¡¹ What should I do? If I wanted to continue practicing magic any further, she would probably start getting suspicious¡­ Because blue magically light shines when I successfully perform magic, it¡¯s not like I can hide it, well let¡¯s just continue practicing on my bed. Then, I will pretend to fall asleep here. ¡¸Uuu¡­..¡¹ ¡¸Ara Ara, as I thought, you are still such a cute baby. But, for a baby, the amount of magic this child has is really large. I wonder why this is? Is it because he¡¯s such a genius?¡¹ Whilst holding me up, Sharl was talking to herself as she brought me to my bed. I confirmed that Sharl went out of the room, before using appraisal on myself. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428 Greed Household, Second son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age 1 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º6(6)¡¡MP£º20(29)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 1¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 1¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 1¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 1¡¿ Eh? I only used appraisal once on Sharl, once of Farne, and now once on myself, this totals to three times usage. Furthermore the first time I used magic was when I felt a burning hot feeling, the next time was when my hand momentarily shone and the flame blew out, the third time is when I used my virtual hands to successfully make the light flicker, this would be a total of 6 times using magic. Why did my MP decrease by 9 ? are you telling me that when I use magic I will use two points of magic instead of one¡­.? No no, when I checked up on Farne, he was also using 1 MP, I¡¯m sure of it. The last time I used magic, Sharl was kind of surprised, is it maybe because of that? No no, Sharl told me, that I was able to do it ¡°Properly¡±. In that case, maybe it was the time when my right hand shone momentarily? At that point in time, I am sure I heard that Sharl was saying that I used ¡°Wind Magic¡±. Indeed at that point in time I was imagining a virtual fan was blowing wind from my right hand. Maybe it¡¯s this one? Ah¡­¡­.. Wind magic is one of the special skills that Sharl had wasn¡¯t it? Then perhaps it won¡¯t be so weird if I am also able to use Wind Magic. ¡¸Status Open¡¹ ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428¡¿ ¡¾Greed Household Second Son¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Water Magic(Lv.0)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Wind Magic(Lv.0)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Void Magic(Lv.0)¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal(Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents¡¿ Ohhh, yeahh. I did it! Eh, wait a second? What is this water magic and void magic? Well, I guess its fine. Let¡¯s ask about it in the afternoon. Let¡¯s just use up the quota of MP with Appraisal and go to sleep, or not. Let¡¯s just practice using magic instead. I lied down on the bed face turned up, both my hands are raised up, and with my palm face towards each other, I had a space of about 30 cm between them. Just like a moment ago, I imagined a virtual right hand and virtual left hand coming together. I felt like I was more accustomed to it than a little while ago. I was able to do it quite easily. I also tried to image a fan blowing. This one took a little more effort, but in the end I was also able to do this. Next I tried to imagine a transparent blood vessel connecting my two palms. I did it! After a while, I was able to successfully do it in one go, and I continued to rotate around these three forms. It¡¯s kind of like a bicycle? My MP was quickly used up and I feel asleep. Volume 1 - CH 12 After we ate lunch, Hegard shouldered a basket and I was riding on it. I guess father and son thinks alike. When Farne wanted to take me outside he also used the basket, but this time around I was in a much taller position and I could look much further ahead. Today the plan was to go to the center of the village in order to observe the situation. I was not able to see very many adults within the village. It is likely that the most of the manpower were assigned to the fields to work there during this time of the day. I have roughly understood the geography inside of the village. Whilst walking around, I asked various questions to Hegard. I started with the economy in Bakkudo village and the economic situation in our household, I also asked many other things after that, like the currency units used, or the market price of various goods. It did not end there, I also asked about the most fundamental questions¡ª- like what other races existed besides the human race, and the types of magic in this world, these were questions that were considerably important to me. In this world called Orth, Bakkudo village was one of the villages in the Ron belt kingdom, we were in the west edge of the continent. In terms of it being part of the territory of Webdosu, it was also in the west side of his territory. Whilst the latitude and the longitude are uncertain, and the shape of the continent are also unknown, there was a lot of things that I came to understand. I heard from Hegard that he was the third son of the Greed Household. Because there was no reason for him to succeed the house, Hegard went out of the house and became an adventurer (!). After that, Hegard came to meet Sharl, who was the fourth daughter of politician who was the third son¡ª- both of them ran away from their houses and by chance met each other and travelled together as adventurers, as they took on requests as a party. Although an adventurer sounds cool when you hear it, to be frank, they are more of a jack of all trades that primarily does two main things, the first is that they hunt demons and monsters where military forces cannot be sent out, and secondly they act as guards for travelling merchants and the like or perform investigations, these are their main forms of income. For people that want to get rich really quickly, most of them go into dungeons in search of treasures. Dungeons are here and there throughout the world, and they have become places where demons stay in. Because some really strong demons reside in these places, the aim is to eliminate the monsters in order to get a monetary reward, well another aspect is that many adventurers come to try out and challenge the dungeon, and when they die, these items become part of the treasures within. Nevertheless, in this world there is something called a first class adventurer, and this is a position that everyone is said to respect. The top class adventurers are usually sent out for missions that the average man cannot do, for example if armies fail to subjugate a really strong demon, the adventurer will be sent out, and there are even cases where they will need to fight dragons (As I expected dragons exist in this world). The one that can request the help of these powerful adventurers are normally (Government agencies, countries, and or powerful/rich aristocrats etc). Enough of that though, and returning to the topic, the reason why Hegard was finally able to succeed the Greed Family household was because his two older brothers has passed away. When speaking of the order of their deaths, the second elder brother died in an accident when he was around Farne¡¯s age, at this time, he was playing around in the river near the center of the village and drowned, the eldest brother was killed in a skirmish battle with the Debasu kingdom which is a neighbouring country which was at war at the time, and this happened approximately five years after Hegard had started travelling. At the same time Hegard¡¯s father (My grandfather) sustained severe injuries in the battle, and he also returned with an epidemic, and as a result, there were many deaths within the Bakkudo village due to sickness. Anyways, Hegard received the information that his elder brother had passed away and that his father had received severe injuries, as a result he hurriedly retired from his work as an adventurer and returned home out of necessity. Although at that time the elder brother had already married, he didn¡¯t bear any children, moreover, the wife of the eldest brother and my grandmother were nursing grandfather who was sick at the time, and they caught the epidemic and soon followed him to their deaths. When I heard about the symptoms of the sickness, it seemed like it was Dysentery. Although Shiemi-obaasan tried really hard to use her magic as a healer, people who had advanced symptoms could not be saved no matter what she did. Also when Hegard returned with Sharl, they tried to cooperate and provide treatment, but for those who were already really sick, it could not be cured. However, there was also some people that got saved as a result of their efforts, and because of this, many of the villagers showed respect and reverence whenever Sharl and Shiemi-obaasan would show up in the village. I took all this time to get a good grasp of the geography in the village, at the same time I was talking with my father about these things until the evening. After this we returned home, and we eat supper. Farne seemed to be practicing the sword all afternoon. Although he was only seven years of age, he¡¯s already pretty diligent. What surprised me even more was that Mill also joined in as she tried to do some practice swings. Well it would seem that Hegard ordered them to do so, but I suppose it¡¯s also largely because I told Hegard that I met grandfather and that it was his orders to train ourselves to the very limits with magic and then to train in the sword during the afternoon. We were supposed to begin this type of training as soon as possible and at worst, we would need to continue this for 10 years. Usually it would be normal to start sword training at the age of 7. Well, the reason for this is probably because if you started too early, you wouldn¡¯t have the muscles to support the proper training and it would just be inefficient. Although I felt really badly towards Mill because I didn¡¯t put into consideration her age in all of this, it¡¯s not like I can just come out clean and tell them that I was lying about all this, so the best I can do is prostrate myself to her in my own mind. Well in the end, it¡¯s not like they were going to force her to do things which she wouldn¡¯t be able to do, right? After all she is a girl. Before I went to bed, I would use appraisal as per usual and consume the rest of my MP. Ah, it would have been much better if I practiced using magic instead of appraisal¡­¡­.. The next morning we also started training magic right after we finished our breakfast. Just like yesterday, it was a training that required us to feel the flow of magic and pass it through our arms. When I used appraisal, whilst Farne¡¯s MP stayed the same, Mill¡¯s MP increased. Farne was going to be 8 years old in another 10 months. Therefore, if he completely expended all his MP he should be able to reach an increase of about 150 points, right? And from the age of 8 to the age of 9 he would probably be able to increase by another 120-130 points. And then from the age of 9 to the age of 10, he can increase it further by around 60-70 points. All in all he would be able to gain a total of around 330 points. If I am not mistaken, in this world, there is nobody with such a high amount of MP. In Mill¡¯s case, she would be able to gain even more than Farne. In my estimation, she would be able to obtain around 850 points. Although it would be a pain to actually expend such a huge amount of mana each day, in a sense it would probably be good for her as she would probably be able to marry into a good family as a result of such a profound MP. In any case, the problem in regards to MP has been solved for now. Next is the learning of magical spells. However, I don¡¯t think we will have much problems with this matter as well. To be honest with you here, I think that even more so than myself, my elder siblings have a talent for magic. Whilst they had only been studying magic for a period of 1 day, they can already pass magic quite easily, keeping the flow active for at least several seconds. Before they knew it, they would use all their MP and go to bed. It didn¡¯t even take them 1 minute to end everything? For me, it took quite a bit of time before getting used to it. Just taking the time to imagine the magic passing through my body would take 10 seconds. Well honestly, this is already pretty short. After successfully casting it about 3 times, I also pretended to be sleepy again just like yesterday, after which Sharl would carry me to bed and I would practice by myself. Well as expected since I could practice over and over, I started to get pretty good at it. Incidentally, I also tried casting water magic and wind magic. After trying it out for several times continuously, I was getting quite good at casting them as well. This rotation is truly like a bicycle¡­ At noon we would wake from our naps and eat lunch, and I would then go with Hegard riding on his back on the basket. Today our schedule is to go and see the fields. First of all, we would go to the side of the houses. Right now it has passed the middle of March, and it was the time when we needed to make ridges to sow the seed of the wheat. Seemingly, the tools they used were a plow and a hoe. I didn¡¯t see them using any animals like an oxen or a horse, in order to farm at a larger scale. Well I asked Hegard the reason for this, and he told me that for peasants and commoners alike, horses were not something cheap enough for them to afford. When I proposed that we should implement domestic animals to help with the farming process, it would seem that certainly there is some areas with under the Marquis Webudosu¡¯s territory that has domestic animals to help them farm. However, Bakkudo was a village where the land had little cultivation, in any case I understood one of the reasons why they didn¡¯t use the manure of the animals and why they didn¡¯t have much domestic animals. Although the efficiency is sure to improve drastically, they have not used domestic animals, it would seem that animals are only used on territory that is under the direct control of Marquis Webdosu, the reason for this was many, there was an economic reason, a cultural reason and also a spatial reason, In the Ron Belt kingdom there was a story that spread around. This story was about the king founder of the Ron Belt kingdom and it was the story of how this person was the main leading figure in founding the country. At one stage in a great war of the Ron Belt kingdom, the founder was in a dangerous situation, however his loyal steed sacrificed its body and risked its life to protect its master. In the middle of escaping it was able to outrun two oxcarts by pure sheer will and physical stamina, and finally when they got to safety, the horse broke down in exhaustion and died. The founder of the Ron Belt kingdom was touched by this act from his loyal steed and since then, the kingdom does not treat oxen¡¯s and horses roughly, I hear that he even enacted a law that prohibited making the animals to labour and or farming. Obviously this was a bad law, and after realizing it, the founder withdrew such a law a little while later. However, because it became a sort of habit and anecdote, the country hasn¡¯t popularized the use of animals for farming. When I asked out of curiosity about how long ago this was, apparently, the founder was alive approximately 500 years ago. When I thought that these people were crazy, for not using the horses for a period of 500 years, after the death of the founders, I wanted to know in more detail, and apparently this wasn¡¯t the only reason for it. To begin with, it would seem that the overall number of horses and cattle are actually really scarce and this is the main reason for not using them. In any case, even within Bakkudo village, there was only 3 domesticated animals. This was pretty much the same across all of the other villages. To begin with, a horse¡¯s originally came from the east, continent of Oraddo, and in the west provinces there didn¡¯t seem to be any wild horses lying around, similarly for cow¡¯s and cattle, they seem to be from another continent as well. Therefore, the price became exceedingly high, due to the scarcity of the product, and normally only noble families or perhaps travelling merchants were able to afford horses and such. This is where I have a question. So after all this, why hasn¡¯t there been any attempts to breed and raise them? Horses and Cattle are easily breed able and they should be able to fall pregnant every year. After asking Hegard this question, my doubts were cancelled. I hear that in this world, it is a taboo to help domestic animals give birth, this is one of their belief systems. Because of this religious belief, most of the animals that are able to give birth actually die soon after because no help is given to them. And even the half that do manage to survive the birth, if there isn¡¯t even milk given from the parents they would certainly die, because there is no other milk source from other animal parents. Not only this, there was also plenty of stillborns and this was the main cause of why the number of animals remained really low. As a secondary factor, because large-scale domestic animals, such as horses, donkeys, and cows are extremely expensive, they become a target for theft and robbery, and they would also die during the wars and or battles, and because they taste really good, it is not unusual for demons and monsters to hunt them for food either. Taking all of this into account, even if by some chance, a villager accumulated enough wealth to purchase a horse or cow, the fact that there is so much danger involved and if by some freak accident, the horse or cow got killed or stolen, then they would be in a huge loss. Therefore, not many people had the courage to buy them. At this point in time, I also asked my father about the religious system in this world. At the very least, within the Ron Belt Kingdom, there wasn¡¯t really any major religious sects like the ones in present day earth. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a word called ¡°religion¡± either in this world. The closest thing to a religion would be Shintoism. In this world, it is believed that every single thing that exists has a god attached to it. And most people believe in the fact that there is gods and goddesses. I already expected most of the things about religion, but what I did not expect was the fact that there is no other religions that exist outside of this one. The other day, when the priest came into my home to perform the naming ceremony, whilst it may be impolite for me to say this but, he really resembled a Shinto priest. It wasn¡¯t a profession that held extreme respect, instead it felt more like one of those odd jobs, and my classmates in the previous world had said this at one stage ¡°Oh family home is also a Shinto shrine¡±. Because there isn¡¯t any political influence/authority from the religion, people are obviously not being forced to follow the religion. However, they are actually indispensable existences for particular events, and when they do perform those events, respect is given to them. Such is their existence. Therefore, I don¡¯t really have to worry about religion being a troublesome thing. For today, we stayed around the fields until the very last moment, before returning for supper. Although I had thought that we may need to work on the securing the river that flows to the center of the village, there seemed to be no records of Bakkudo village ever being flooded, therefore I decided that there was no urgent need to create a dam. As soon as I finished supper, I started to practice my appraisal as per usual¡­..Or not, I mean I practiced using magic and this is when I realized something interesting. ¡öMy previous schedule ?I get up in the morning£¨MP+1£© ?Have breakfast ?Use appraisal ?Go to sleep ?Wake up during the afternoon£¨MP+1£© ?Eat lunch ?Use Appraisal ?Sleep ?Wake up in the evening£¨MP+1£© ?Eat dinner ?Use Appraisal ?Go to sleep I realized that I was gaining 3 MP each day. However today, this is what happened. ¡öMy daily activities today ?Wake up in the morning£¨MP+1£© ?Eat Breakfast ?Magic training ?Sleep ?Wake in the afternoon£¨MP+1£© ?Have Lunch ?Climb on Hegard¡¯s back ?Eat supper ?Use Appraisal ?Go to sleep And now I was gaining 2 MP each day. Although I was hoping to be able to continue gaining 3 MP per day, the problem lies during my time that I have to spend with Hegard whilst touring the village. At this juncture, there is no way I could use up my MP and go to sleep, just in time for supper. In that case, my only option is to wake in the middle of the night in order to accomplish this goal. Whilst it is the norm to sleep until the break of dawn before waking up, to be honest because it grows so dark at night, and people have to sleep early, we actually get plenty of sleep. In winter, we go to bed at around 6 pm, because it gets really dark, and we get up at 5:30 am in the morning. This is almost 12 hours of sleep. Even in summer, we go to bed around 7 pm, and wake up at around 4:30 am in the morning. Even this is approximately 9 and a half hours of sleep to be honest even though in Summer the amount of sunshine is actually more (they still go to bed quite early) and even in Summer they sleep for quite a long period of time. In any case, more people wake up early during the Summer because it¡¯s really refreshing to wake up early in the morning, and work efficiency goes up as well). If I can wake up at around 12 am at midnight, I should be able to just expend all my MP immediately. If I can expend all my MP to 0 there will be no trouble whatsoever in falling back asleep. The biggest problem is, how in the world was I going to wake up at exactly 12 am? Although there is something called a biological clock within our bodies that we can make use of, since my previous life, I haven¡¯t been good at using it. This is actually quite troublesome¡­. Although I can just put off the problem and sleep on it, later on, this MP deficit will begin to pile up and I will regret it¡­ If at all possible I want to find a solution to this problem quickly. Although I wanted to do something about it, for now, nothing clever came to mind. Even so, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m just going to ignore this problem. Darn it! This sucks. I can only think of three possible solutions right now. Option 1 doesn¡¯t really seem realistic, although I could try to do it, it definitely won¡¯t be a consistent thing. Option 2 is only good if I can make the alarm work only for me. Therefore it cannot be an alarm clock, that woke everyone in the household using sound. I guess I am forced to use a sort of water clock? Option 3 is good but I have no idea how to do that kind of thing. The only thing I can do is ask Sharl about it, and perhaps she may be able to teach me how. After thinking this far, I realized another thing I was missing. If I remember correctly, why is it that I can always wake up in the morning just before the day starts? The fact is my room has no glass window pane, so even though the sun has risen, there is no way for me to know this. Even if Myun was the one to wake me up, how is it that she is always able to wake up on time? Well if I asked Myun this question I should be able to solve this mystery tomorrow. Well for tonight, I will bet it on option 1, oh well I¡¯m going to use appraisal to expend my MP now. Opps¡­.I forgot to practice magic again. Volume 1 - CH 13 Somehow I managed to awake in the middle of the night. I¡¯m not exactly sure what time it is right now, but since using all of my MP at dinner and recovering, my upper MP limit has increased by 1. At the very least, I knew that 4 hours had passed since I was last awake. In any case, I should practice magic, expend all my MP completely and quickly go back to sleep, or so I thought, but after all, I think I will practice some appraisal instead. When I carefully thought about it, there wasn¡¯t really any need for me to learn how to use magic in such a rushed manner. Leaving that aside, I think that by levelling Appraisal the amount of interesting information that can be obtained increases and I believe that right now, this is worth more than magic. I should quickly raise the level of my Appraisal ability, so that I will be able to see the sub-windows for Strength and Agility. Therefore, other than during magic training in the mornings, I feel like I should put my energy into appraisal for the time being. Morning came and as per usual Myun would wake me up. When Myun came to wake me up I asked her about the questions I had last night. ¡¸Hey, Myun, how come you are always able to wake up on time before sunrise?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, that¡¯s because around 4 years ago, I gained the ability to set an alarm clock¡¹ Huh? What did she just say? Did she just say alarm clock? ¡¸Hee~ Myun you¡¯re so amazing, by the way, what is an alarm clock?¡¹ I was in a hurry as I wanted to hear the answer quickly, ¡¸Al, an alarm clock is an alarm clock¡¹ Yeah, I guess she¡¯d say that¡­ But, still can¡¯t you just answer my question¡­ ¡¸I don¡¯t understand what you mean by that. Tell me what an alarm clock is pleaseee~?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a minor magic spell, a cantrip¡¹ (TL: Cantrip, meaning = a mischievous or playful act; a trick.) What¡­.did she just say? She¡¯s talking in such a vague manner. However, I got something out of it, ¡°Minor Magic: Cantrip¡± is it? I think I should confirm it. I raised my arms on top of the bed signalling Myun to carry me. And Myun seeing me extend my arms reacted accordingly and lifted me into her arms. If I used appraisal I am still unable to see any special abilities so¡­. ¡¸Status Open¡¹ ¡¾Myun Tobasu/19/2/7413¡¿ ¡¾Female/29/11/7411¡¿ ¡¾Household: Eldest daughter of Tobasu family¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Minor Magic¡¿ ¡¸Al, you know it¡¯s rude to use status open on someone without asking for their permission?¡¹ Yeah, she really did have a special skill called minor magic. It¡¯s weird how mother who is actually called a magician doesn¡¯t have this skill called minor magic. But yeah, I guess using status open on someone so suddenly is probably a rude conduct. I mean you can probably tell someone¡¯s race just by seeing their appearance, but if you use status open on a stranger, you can even see personal information like their birthday, and worse yet their special skills. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but I really wanted to know more about your minor magic: cantrip¡¹ Even if I say so myself, I was being pretty persistent. As expected of me. ¡¸Nn~ I think it would be best if you asked the madam. I don¡¯t have the confidence to explain it properly, besides, I already have to go and prepare for breakfast. The master and madam are waiting for us you know?¡¹ Shit, this isn¡¯t working out. Something that works like an alarm clock, isn¡¯t that super effective for my goals? I really want it¡­ Because she wasn¡¯t answering my questions, I was being sulky. I suppose there is no other choice but to eat breakfast and then ask Sharl for some advice. ¡¸By the way Mother, Myun has a skill called minor magic: cantrip, but she couldn¡¯t explain to me what it was, can you please tell me what it does?¡¹ After having breakfast and after waiting for my siblings to run out of MP, I was alone with my mother and I was asking her this question. ¡¸Ahh, it¡¯s a magic that doesn¡¯t use up any MP. It can¡¯t do anything special, and you can use it several times a day¡¹ Hou hou, doesn¡¯t this sound good? If I can use it several times a day, there will be no problems whatsoever. ¡¸Will I be able to use it one day?¡¹ ¡¸That is.. Of course you will. If you can distribute the flow of magic in your body, it can already be assumed that you will be able to do minor magic¡¹ What? Are you telling me that I can already use it? However, my status doesn¡¯t tell me that I have such an ability, right? ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Well, I suppose with a brain like Al¡¯s you would be able to understand¡­.. Al, what do you think magic is?¡¹ What is she saying? And why is she asking my question with another question, can¡¯t she just give me the solution? No no, I shouldn¡¯t think like this after all, haste makes waste. For now, let¡¯s just go along with this Zen dialogue type questioning. It would seem that she was going to start at the most basic foundations of what magic is all about. In fact I am quite thankful for this. ¡¸Is it perhaps a mysterious power that bends the laws of nature?¡¹ ¡¸With that kind of way of speaking, it¡¯s almost as if magic is an evil thing trying to do harm. Well you aren¡¯t wrong though. What I wanted to ask was, in regards to where do you think magic springs from? But, well I suppose you just started your magic training so there would be no way for you to know, so this time I will just tell you, magic, comes from the thoughts of the person using it¡¹ I don¡¯t understand~. The images that propped out whilst I was practicing magic the other day, is this perhaps what she¡¯s talking about? Sharl continued explaining even further. ¡¸Your thoughts are a really important thing, okay? Whilst it may start with something trivial, like Ahh I want that, or I want to do this, it will soon become, Ahh I want that to happen, I want it to be like this, and then in the end it will be I need this, or I need that. Whilst it cannot give you everything, magic works as a system to achieve a portion of those thoughts. That¡¯s why, a person with a strong desire, is a person that is going to be good with magic¡¹ Because she started mentioning ¡®thoughts¡¯, assumed that it would be some kind of refined system, but unexpectedly, it all seems to be quite vulgar. ¡¸What this means, is a person with a strong desire and lust will be good at magic?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a little wrong. Wanting to materialize your desires with your thoughts, is the phenomenon that helps the build-up of magical power and is what makes magic possible¡¹ Once gain she¡¯s throwing around words like magical power like it¡¯s the most natural thing in the world¡­ Like I said, what in the world does magical power meannn ~ Let¡¯s just continue the conversation here. ¡¸I understand¡­ In that case, what is this thing called magical power?¡¹ ¡¸Magical power is, something that everyone has within them. If you thought that the ant beneath your feet were a hindrance and you wanted it to go away, what would you do?¡¹ ¡¸I will probably brush it off me, like this¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. But what if both of your hands are tied down because you are carrying luggage?¡¹ ¡¸Then I will unload the luggage first and then brush it off¡¹ ¡¸I knew you¡¯d say that. However, human beings who are able to proficiently use magical power will do this, watch¡¹ Sharl says this and looks towards my kneecap. At almost the exact same time, I have a feeling that my kneecap was being brushed gently or it being dusted off. I was in shock, as my eyes opened widely. ¡¸This is the simplest way to use magical power. Well right now, I am using it on someone other than myself, so putting this into practice may not be the simplest thing, Well in short, it¡¯s like a third hand. However, don¡¯t be mistaken, this hand is not a part of your body, nor does it exist within reality. If I were to describe it, it would be like a phantom hand made by magical power. Therefore, this isn¡¯t considered as magic. This phenomenon is considered as a minor magic: cantrip. At best, this type of minor magic, can only be used several times to brush away small things, and if it was something heavy, like luggage, it wouldn¡¯t be able to move it at all¡¹ I understand it, so basically Minor Magic: Cantrip, is the ability to manipulate magic directly with your thoughts. ¡¸So creating a phantom hand and then making that hand do something, is that what minor magic: cantrip is?¡¹ ¡¸As a basis, that is true, but there is also many other applications to it. An exemplary case of its popular usage is in making ¡°Reservations¡±. There is also its ability to create light and sound. Well even so, only you will be able to see the light or sound that you make¡¹ ¡°Reservation¡±? Did she mean, the alarm clock? ¡¸I understand, in that case I would like for you to teach me minor magic: cantrip please¡¹ ¡¸Haven¡¯t I already taught you? As long as you practice it from now on, you should be able to become good at it¡¹ Eh? When did she teach me? She can¡¯t be referring to teaching me making a phantom hand right? ¡¸I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever taught me how¡­..¡¹ ¡¸Well, you are still a baby after all. Al, can you put your right hand to the back of your shoulders and your left hand to the back of the stomach and try to shake your own hands?¡¹ I tried my best to do this, but my short hands just wouldn¡¯t reach. Although my joints were just like a baby and were really soft, my hands were quite short and I didn¡¯t really have much muscle to stabilise into this position. ¡¸I can¡¯t do it¡¹ ¡¸Then, try and scratch the place where you can¡¯t reach¡¹ ¡¸Because I can¡¯t reach it, it¡¯s not possible to scratch it¡¹ Ah, I get it, so this is where the phantom hand comes into play. Somehow or another, I imagined a third hand growing from my nape. Although I tried, I obviously can¡¯t succeed. ¡¸I believe in you! Try and scratch your back¡¹ Sharl was speaking in quite the earnest manner. ¡¸There is no need for you to put so much thought. Just extend your hands, like you were going to scratch your back. There is nobody in this world that cannot use minor magic: cantrip¡¹ Is it like this maybe? I tried to move my hands behind my back, and slightly scratch my back. At the same time, as imagining it was happening, I was also genuinely moving my fingers. Ah. I did it. Is it this? Is this the feeling of using minor magic: cantrip? ¡¸From the expression on your face, it seems that you succeeded, didn¡¯t you? Although it¡¯s a natural thing, I¡¯m happy for you. But, I think that you won¡¯t be able to do anymore for today. Well then, let¡¯s continue our magic lesson¡¹ After that, it was the usual training of making the flow of magic go around my body. This time around, I did it four times before feigning sleep. I also confirmed the fact that both Farne and Mill had increased their MP values. Whilst in the middle of training, I continued to ask and learn from Sharl about magic and minor magic. As soon as morning training ends, I absentmindedly used appraisal whilst on my bed, and rearranged the information I learnt today from Sharl. Normally parents would teach kids when they reach around 10 years of age. The main reason they don¡¯t teach minor magic until they are 10 years old is because children may use it to play pranks and it is mostly just a matter of discipline. That about sums it all up. Whilst it may seem pretty useless to seriously put my efforts into studying minor magic, I want to be able to use the alarm clock spell as soon as possible. If I am not mistaken, it uses a combination of various simple actions to create the feeling of an alarm clock, for example: first create the phantom hand, then order it to ¡°Pinch¡± you and combine it with a phantom sound effect. In other words, I need to be able to use it at least twice a day for this to work. Although the ability to increase the amount of times one is able to use Minor Magic will differ from person to person, it would seem that the ability ordinarily increases in limit as one approaches adulthood. Moreover I hear that adventurers have an easy time, increasing the frequency of using minor magic. When I asked Sharl about this, she told me that right now, she was able to use minor magic at least 14 times a day. When I heard this, it really hit home. In all likelihood, minor magic had a connection with your level, and would increase as your level increased. I¡¯m really looking forward to levelling up, I really wonder how I will be able to level up? As expected, do I really have to kill a bunch of monsters and demons? If that is really the only way, then right now I have no chance of achieving this goal. If I were to try to slay a monster with a sword like Farne, I would just be seeking my own death. What should I do? It would be stupid for me to have to wait until I reached adulthood¡­ Volume 1 - CH 14 Afternoon: As per usual I was riding on Hegard¡¯s back. Today we weren¡¯t going to the fields again, instead we were heading outside towards the forest. When we were patrolling the fields just yesterday, I was told that the outside, was still filled with forest and it spread throughout. I wanted to see what kind of place it was this far out, and because a goblin came to the village to attack me near Kelly¡¯s house, I was curious to see what kind of reactions Hegard would have when he went outside the village borders. I was timid when I asked Hegard if I could see outside of the village and into the forest, but he readily agreed to my request and it was kind of anti-climactic. Hegard brought along another 3 other people with him, and began to head out. As expected, the outside cannot be such a place where he can be completely relieved without any back up, right? When I appraised our group, everyone was in their twenties and around level 6 to 7. Moreover, everyone here was affiliated with the Greed household some way or another. We were walking parallel across the river that existed in the center of the village heading in the north-east direction, and after walking this direction for about 1 hour, we changed directions and headed south-west. The trees around this area were really dense and rampant, there wasn¡¯t as many tall weeds and grasses as I thought there would be, and I could see a lot of bare ground that wasn¡¯t covered by any plants. The place gave an impression that it was relatively easy to transverse, there wasn¡¯t many big tree roots blocking the path so we didn¡¯t really need to be careful whilst walking past the forest. After walking for around 2 hours, I smelled the smell of salty water for an instant. I almost thought that it was just my imagination, but after walking for several hours, we have indeed reached the sea. Vegetation was present here to some degree but it was all jumbled up and disorganized. When we first got out of the village and headed north, we saw a lot of conifer trees, sprouting out, but now, it was mainly between oak trees, zelkovas and broadleaf trees. If it¡¯s just this variety of plants, then it there wasn¡¯t anything special about it, even in Japan you could see these types of things. When we headed towards the sea, the amount of variety in the plants and trees increased even more. We came beside a large tree. And decided to take a rest here. Apparently, from our location right now, Bakuddo village is approximately one and a half hours due east. Hegard reached into the basket that I was in, he lifted me in his arms and put me on the ground. Although his palms seemed to be full of calluses from all the sword training he did, the hand which lifted me up really carefully felt really warm. Hegard passes me a leather canteen filled with water and I drink from it quench my thirst. Hegard has carried me on his back all this time, since leaving the village but he didn¡¯t seem tired in the slightest. Exactly just how much stamina does he have, I wonder? As expected of someone who is at level 15. However, it¡¯s really strange, Hegard is supposed to be the lord of the area, and yet he has been carrying me all this time, and no one has offered to give him any help, I don¡¯t really understand it. When I asked Hegard about this matter, he explained that the reason was quite simple. Hegard¡¯s true strength far surpasses any of the men he brought, therefore, the person most suited to protect me is Hegard, and anyone else would lack the ability to do so. Hegard doesn¡¯t seem to think anything of doing hard labour and protecting me himself, even though he¡¯s supposed to be their lord. After conversing with Hegard about this and that, and resting for approximately 20 minutes, suddenly everyone stood on guard and pulled out their weapons. Although I wasn¡¯t really sure what occurred in that exact moment, it was probably an attack of some kind? I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s one of those monsters, or demons, or apparitions that came to attack us. Or it could also just a wild animal, in any case, everyone¡¯s facial expressions was by no means normal, and everyone was in high tension. After Hegard tells the group to settle down, he takes a stance with his sword and goes out to the front all by himself. Oi oi, even at a time like this, does the lord have to be the one at the front of the battle? I myself was at the back and up until now and I was resting against the huge tree, the men were surrounding me from the front and the sides to protect me, but honestly I was kind of dissatisfied that none of them were trying to help him out. The man in front of me was being a hindrance to my line of sight and I still could not discern who the approaching enemy is, however, I was trying to search for them with my appraisal ability. When I did, I was able to find out that ahead of us in approximately 100 m there was about 20 small people. It turns out that they were goblins, and there was a lot of them. The other side also seems to notice our presence and they were slowly approaching us at a walking speed. Remembering my interest in them, I immediately casted appraisal on the goblin. Oh yeah, if I remember correctly, I¡¯ve never used appraisal on a goblin before. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Male/20/11/7426 Goblin Tribe, Fagu clan¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: Two years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º16(16)¡¡MP£º1(1)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 2¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 3¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 1¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 2¡¿ When I appraised 5 separate goblins one after another, most of them had very similar abilities although there was some slight differences. The fact that none of them had a name probably meant that none of them had been christened by a Shinto priest. Let¡¯s not even mention the level 1 Farne, these goblins had weaker stats than Mill. Well considering they are really young, I suppose it can¡¯t be helped? However, will we really be alright facing 20 of them? Will I die at this place? Isn¡¯t this really bad, I can¡¯t seem to keep my fear in check. Hegard shouts. ¡¸Sean, come with me! Protect my back! The rest of you defend Al!¡¹ The man called Sean who was standing in front of me ran after Hegard, and he was standing a little to the left and behind of Hegard. After advancing for about 50 m into an open space, they stopped. What was all that talk about Hegard staying close to my side and protecting me, did I mishear that?! I don¡¯t have a shield nor any arrows to defend myself. ¡¸Hey! Are we going to be alright!?¡¹ I ask the two people who standing around me. When I did a young looking man spoke up¡ª If I remembered correctly, this guy¡¯s name was Dice¡ª ¡¸It¡¯s alright, our Lord is a previous adventurer, and the goblins around this area, can¡¯t even be considered an opponent towards him¡¹ Although he still showed a little tension, he was smiling as he explained to me. Another man also spoke up¡ª- I think his name was Rasegu¡ª ¡¸Moreover, Sean is standing on guard behind him, so there should be no problems at all. In the off chance that some goblins sneak through, you still have us to guard you¡¹ Rasegu seemed to have a calm expression as he spoke. After seeing his expression I was able to calm down a little, even though we were facing 20 goblins. When I think about it, Farne was able to completely kill a goblin all by himself. This time around, the goblins didn¡¯t seem to bring any kind of sharp weapons, they were using some kind of club weapon, but considering that I am quite far away from them I can¡¯t really tell, it could also be a short spear. Well the tip of the club doesn¡¯t seem to reflect light from it, so it¡¯s probably not metal, besides the tip looks kind of thickish added to the fact that they weren¡¯t taking a stabbing posture, it was probably just a club, nevertheless, a weapon is still a dangerous thing. Although the goblin¡¯s group also stopped moving after seeing Hegard and Sean come to a halt, one of the goblins raised a shriek of some kind, shouting out ¡°gyaa¡± or ¡°gyoee¡± . Apparently that was the signal for the goblins to move in and surround Hegard, and they took a semi-encirclement formation against him. Before the goblins were able to completely encircle him, Hegard raised a war cry and advanced forwards as quick as lighting. He immediately pierced his sword into the goblin standing in the front of him, and in one swift movement, he kicked the goblin flying away to free his sword. Sean was also using his sword to pierce the goblins whilst still in a position to protect Hegard. Before anyone knew it, two goblins were instantly massacred and Hegard immediately killed the goblin to his right. After piercing his first goblin Sean also kicked the goblin away to pull his sword out, but this time around he was just swinging it left to right, in order to keep the goblins away. I see, I think Sean is left handed? Since a little while ago, he has been fighting with his left hand. Is that why he¡¯s standing a little to the left of Hegard? With great efficiency Hegard was killing the goblins one after another. Almost all the goblins died in one stab. Occasionally he would also use a swinging attack to kill goblins that were in the right position for him to cleanly strike and slice their throat, however this kind of attack was hardly used. Only when he couldn¡¯t avoid the strikes with the club, would he block it with his sword, or it¡¯s more like he parried the club with his sword and destroyed the balance of the weak goblins following it with a pierce. Sean was also supporting Hegard quite well, and I got the feeling that he was completely absorbed in his task to ward away any of the goblins who come near Hegard¡¯s blind spot. Naturally any goblins who grew careless, would be stabbed without any mercy. Whilst staring at this scene in blank amazement, 10 of the goblins had already died. From the look of things, both Hegard and Sean hasn¡¯t been hit by their clubs even once. Aren¡¯t they overwhelmingly strong? My army that is¡­ As if the feeling of fear I had a little while ago was a lie, I was now in an uplifted mood. Geez, my control over my emotions are so bad. Why am I getting all scared? I only need to think calmly and look at the situation. Hegard¡¯s HP and strength is at least 10 times more than any single goblin. Whilst Sean who was following behind Hegard was only level 7, their combined strength and agility is at least 15 times stronger than the level 2 goblins. For an adult like Hegard who was skilled with the way of the sword, even if he were surrounded by these goblins, their strength which was merely at the level of a 5 year old little girl, even if they held a weapon, they were no match for Hegard. Moreover, whilst they were trying to perform an encirclement, their cooperation and coordination with each other was quite bad, and they were basically trying to swing aimlessly. Even if they did look a little scary, it¡¯s not like they were all that powerful¡­ right? Crap, there was actually one goblin who stood out from the rest, he was carrying a short spear. The spear was being pointed at Hegard and it was raising its voice to speak some kind of language. If I assumed that it was giving out instructions to its comrades, then it is likely that this particular goblin is the leader of their pack. I panicked and casted Appraisal quickly. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Male/19/1/7424 Goblin Tribe, Fagu Clan¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent ¡¾Age: Five years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 3¡¿ ¡¾HP£º23(23)¡¡MP£º1(1)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 3¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 4¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 2¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 3¡¿ Yeah, it is certainly stronger than the other goblins. It¡¯s about as strong as Mill and or Farne I suppose. Even though it is still not the strong, the fact that it has a metallic weapon, makes it unable to be underestimated¡­ Whilst thinking such things, I was watching the battle unfold before my eyes. ¡¸Look, I told you they¡¯d be fine, didn¡¯t I? They have already killed 10 goblins. Our Lord is just that strong of a person, you know?¡¹ Dice was speaking to me trying to make me feel relieved. I replied in a suitable manner before quick concentrating my gaze on the battle that Hegard and Sean was partaking in. It was almost like I was watching some sort of adventure action film and I was totally being fascinated at the strength of the leading main character. Another goblin just got brought down by Hegard¡¯s sword. Ah, I have actually been counting them as one person or two people, every time a goblin is killed, but if I¡¯m not hearing incorrectly the people around me have been counting them as one animal and or two animals. This kind of thing is pretty similar to the Japanese language actually¡­ But, why are they considered as an animal? Well, I suppose I¡¯ll ask them later. After defeating another goblin person/animal the goblin who was acting as their leader ordered a retreat, the remaining goblins started to disperse and scatter away in all directions. None of them were heading towards my directions so I was relieved. Dice lifted me up in his arms and placed me into the basket, and Rasegu carried me until we arrived beside Hegard. Hegard and Sean were squatting down besides the goblin¡¯s corpses, and the corpses was torn up with the knife. Just when I was thinking, man they¡¯ve got such bad taste to defile a dead corpse¡­. the two people beside me namely: Dice and Rasegu also pulled out their knives and they also began to approach the corpses and started to cut them apart. What in the world and for what reason are they doing this? I was just looking at their mysterious behaviour and Hegard and Sean stood up and went to another nearby corpse into order to tear it up with their knives again. Oh yeah, I¡¯ve never examined a corpse with appraisal before¡­ as I was thinking this, I looked towards the edge where a goblin¡¯s fresh corpse has yet to be torn up, but it turned out that the status being displayed almost the same as if it were still alive. By the way when, I used appraisal on a dead corpse that was already cut up, this is what happened. ¡¾Corpse (Goblin Tribe)¡¿ ¡¾Goblin Tribe¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Day it was Generated: 19/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Value: 10¡¿ ¡¾Endurance Value: 1¡¿ Is what came out. It came out with a status window like the time, when I was using Appraisal on some sort of inanimate object. It brings me to the idea that, because they are cut up like this, they are classified as such. But what if they aren¡¯t cut up, are you telling me that they will be able to revive or something? ¡¸My Lord, what should we do with the remaining corpses?¡¹ Rasegu asks a question. ¡¸If you need them, you may take them home with you¡¹ Hegard answers Rasegu jokingly. ¡¸After looting the demon stones from the body of these goblins, they barely hold any value so, no thank you. So, all joking aside, are we going to bury them?¡¹ ¡¸Well, the distance between this place and the village is still actually quite far away, I think it should be fine if we just leave them here right?¡¹ ¡¸However, the forest lizard may become attracted by the smell, and start eating them you know?¡¹ ¡¸Still, who cares, I think it will be fine if we just leave them here, right?¡¹ Everyone stopped cutting up the goblins and whilst resting, they were exchanging this kind of conversation. ¡¸Alright, I will get Sharl to burn them tomorrow. This should be enough¡¹ Hegard makes the decision and everyone started going back to work. On the way back, I asked Hegard in relation to the ¡°demon stones¡± which were mentioned a while ago. ¡°Maseki¡± were also known as ¡°demon stones¡± and in truth they were also known as type of goods. Other than the plant and vegetation, every living thing in this world will have one of these magical stones inside of the body, roughly positioned next to the heart. The demon stone distributes magical power within the body and crystallises itself, so the more powerful the living thing, the transparency and size of the stone will vary to signify the difference in purity and value, however, it seems the limit to the size would be around the size of a human sized fist, and in the case of large living thing like a dragon, the dragon may have 2 or 3 of these kinds of stones embedded within them. The thing I saw before when they were tearing up the corpses of the goblins, were precisely for this reason of obtaining the demonic stones from within their bodies. I was shown what it looked like, but all I saw was a blackish oval shaped stone the size of an adult finger. When I asked why they would take this kind of thing out, he replied that demon stones were objects worth value and capable of being sold. Because it is capable of being sold, there is obviously a use for them. One of the main uses of such an object is that it can be used as material for medicine, but I hear that it can also be used as a sort of battery and is considered to be a high-grade material. Well most of the goblins were of a pretty low level, so the demon stone is also low level, and it¡¯s not really possible to use it as a sort of magical battery After explaining all this to me, Hegard says ¡°When we get home, I will allow you to see how Sharl bonds the demon stones together¡± as he laughed. Ah, it would have been good if I used Appraisal on the demon stones¡­ Well let¡¯s try it later when I get the chance. Before it got really dark, we arrived back at the house. Hegard told Sharl about his day, and how he came across a group of goblins that he defeated and then retrieved the demon stones from them, and that tomorrow he wanted to dispose of the corpses, so he told her to come with him. And after saying this, he went out of the house in order to perform maintenance repairs on his sword. After Sharl receives the demon stones she places them on the table and started to inspect them. Of course in that time, I also used appraisal on it. ¡¾Demon stone goods (Goblin Tribe)¡¿ ¡¾Goblin Tribe¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Day it was Generated: 19/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Value: 174¡¿ ¡¾Endurance value: 2¡¿ Out of the 13 stones that were here, the only slight differences were their values, and the rest of the stats were the same. Is that how it is? I am able to tell what kind of living being the demonic stone spawned from? Standing up Sharl takes out a bag out from the cupboard, from here she took out one demon stone. This demon stone was about the size of a thumb and it was gray in color. The shape is much more rounder than the ones we took today. I decided to appraise it¡­ ¡¾Demonic stone goods¡¿ ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Day it was generated: 17/8/7428¡¿ ¡¾Value: 49621¡¿ ¡¾Endurance Value: 2¡¿ Is what appeared. It would seem that it is a demon stone that has been combined together. The fact that it doesn¡¯t have a name of where the raw material came from, is probably because it was combined from many different species? Sharl takes the gray demon stone from her left hand and places it on top of the goblin demon stone we acquired today in her right hand, and then she tells me to watch carefully. Sharls hands glowed with a tinge of blue as the stones were being lightly rolled around each other in her hands. The 13 stones were now within her left hand and her free right hand acted as a sort of lid as it covered the stones and she moved with a rubbing motion. When she next opened her hands, the 13 stones had all merged into 1. The only thing left was the grey stone she took out a while ago. The goblin stones which were supposed to be there all disappeared without a trace. Sharl notices that I had a weird expression on my face and she started to explain to me. Right now, what just occurred was her using magic in order to fuse together the stones into one. When I used Appraisal again on the stone, the value which was supposed to be around 49600 actually raised to a value of 51500. I see, so the value increases when you unite them¡­ Since it was still a while until supper, I continued talking and asking Sharl about demon stones and magic. Incidentally when I asked her about the counting system, she told me that any demons or monsters that can¡¯t really communicate with humans would be counted as an ¡®animal¡¯ instead of a ¡®person¡¯. After that Myun finished preparations for dinner and after setting up the table I started to eat. The topic in today¡¯s dinner was of course how Hegard engaged the group of mass goblins today. Farne was feeling quite regretful that he couldn¡¯t see the awesome battle, and Sharl and Mill was laughing whilst teasing him about it. As per usual everything ended normally after dinner. Today I was a little anxious to see if I could wake up in the middle of the night again, but worrying about such a thing is pointless, in any case I used appraisal and went to bed. It seemed that I was able to wake up during the night, but perhaps it was because I was really agitated after seeing a battle unfold before my eyes, I was a little tired and my waking time was a little bit late. Well it can¡¯t really be helped, in any case I use appraisal and head back to bed. Volume 1 - CH 15 The next morning, magic training was cancelled because the goblin corpses had to be properly disposed. Although it was a bit of a shame that we had to skip training, I was actually quite curious as to how they were going to use magic to incinerate the corpses. The members were the same as yesterday, but this time, Farne, Mill and Sharl were accompanying us as well. Farne was lightly dressed with a sword attached to his waist, he was walking by himself. Mill was being shouldered by Hegard on an even bigger basket than the one I was in. As for me I was being carried alternatively by the three retainers who were serving my father¡ª Sean, Rasegu and Dice. If we wanted to get to the area we were in yesterday, it should take us around 1 and a half hours, however because this time around, Farne was coming along with us, our pace was a little slower than before. Farne was excited questioning the three adults and Hegard about the battle they had yesterday with the goblins, but Mill on the other hand looked relatively bored. I was just nonchalantly using appraisal whilst sitting in the basket. Passing through the dense forest, we finally arrived after walking for about two hours. The goblin¡¯s corpses was already a mess as their soft stomachs had apparently been eaten by some sort of animal. Hegard and his three subordinates dug up a hole approximately 30 centimetres deep and collected all the goblin¡¯s corpses into the hole. With this the preparations seem to be complete. Because the hole is not very large, it only takes about 20 minutes to dig up. Sharl tells everyone to get far enough to be safe and then she tells the kids to pay attention to what she was about to do. Naturally. I wasn¡¯t going to look away. She pointed the palm of her hands towards the corpses, extended her fingers she shoots out a faint blue light towards the corpses. Soon after pointed her palm towards the corpses, the bodies started to catch on fire, it was quite the vigorous flame!! The flame burns the corpses very quickly. Sharl had a serious expression on her face as she adjusted her hands to spray the flame on to the corpses evenly. The flame created by magic is as expected different from a normal flame, the corpses not only caught fire from Sharl side of things but it also spread around to the other side. The smell of burning flesh is unpleasant, but I can only endure it for now. Farne and Mill had a grimace on their faces whilst looking at Sharl as she spout out flames from her hands. After continuing for about five minutes, she said ¡°I¡¯ll take a break¡± and then she headed towards us. I hear that Hegard is standing on guard for anything dangerous in the surroundings and two people were patrolling the area as well. ¡¸Right now, the magic I used was called an offensive magic ¡°Flame Thrower¡±. You guys probably won¡¯t be able to use it just yet, but at the very least, we can study a little about magic here¡¹ As soon as Sharl said this, she began her lecture about magic. Apparently, magic is separated by five different systems. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Void. The four great elements of magic is about using the four elements as the name suggests to generate: fire, water, earth and wind. For example, Sharl was using fire just now, but that fire was artificially made from fire magic. Finally void magic is a special kind of magic and it can do a variety of things that the four elements can¡¯t accomplish. It would be more fitting to call it a multipurpose magic. If you used the four elements magic without combining it with void magic, at best what you can do is release the four elements, therefore it is not often used by itself. For example fire magic no matter how powerful it is, is only fire in the end. Naturally, the higher the level of the magic user the ability of the fire magic will also rise accordingly, and the scale in which fire can be summoned and spread goes up. But in the end it is just fire, and you cannot manipulate it any further than that. In order to manipulate the element to a greater extent, you need to combine it with void magic. The fire magic Sharl used a moment ago called ¡°Flame Thrower¡± works by using ¡°Merging¡± and ¡°Continuing¡± in conjunction with fire and void magic. By the way, ¡°Merging¡± is the same spell that she used to unite the demon stones together. In other words ¡°Flame Thrower¡± is magic that uses fire magic to output fire, and then the fire is merged to shoot out in one direction, and then it is made to persist/continue in that form. In any case, the use of void magic is an essential aspect of being able to freely master and manipulate the four great elements, and it is not wrong to say that it is one of the most important magic you need to learn. To begin with, the reason why we needed to practice how to flow the magic freely in our morning practice is because this exercise is used as a foundation to build on void magic. The training of magic usually starts with perceiving the flow of magic, although I have said this before, there is a reason as to why Sharl¡¯s training starts with how to make the energy flow instead of how to perceive it. This is because being able to perceive magic is a type of minor magic: cantrip. Therefore, MP is not used up. And if she were to start here, than she would be going against great-grandfathers words, which was to expend all our MP in practice. Minor magic has a limit to how many times you can use it each day, and MP has a limit on the MP consumption before you fall asleep, just like how when you get really hungry, you may steal someone else¡¯s food but, there is a limit to how long you can survive like that. Normally, due to the relationship between age and MP amount, people wait until they become adults before they train in magic but I think that the real reason for this is because there are some strange incidents by which a male would be really low on MP and then start attacking a female, or they would rush into the toilets to do something dirty. Anyways, after explaining various things about void magic, Sharl told us that we should practice training magic as per usual. I was thinking that considering we were outside of the village and in a place where goblins may show up, it wouldn¡¯t be such a good idea to train in the wilderness, however Sharl said, that because we were still kids, even if a battle broke out, we wouldn¡¯t be much use so it will be fine if we were asleep. She said that because there is still some time for her to rest before going back to burning the corpses, and she can still help out with our training. After we fell asleep, we were laid down next to the root of the large tree. By the time I woke up, the goblin¡¯s corpses had already been burned thoroughly and only bone was left over. With this, it is likely that demons and monsters won¡¯t be drawn here as there was no meat left over. Hegard and the men kicked the bones into the hole they dug up and then covered it with soil. Right now, it was a little bit of time after noon, and so we were going to have a quick lunch here before heading back home. Because we still had plenty of time, everyone was walking at a slack pace. After walking for about one hour, we took a break. Everyone was taking a seat and after taking out their leather canteens they took a sip of water. If I am not mistaken, it was around this time yesterday that the goblins attacked, but when I thought about stuff like this, I was getting anxious of the fact that an attack may really happen, so I stopped thinking about that train of thought. Instead I was thinking about how magic is combined together. If the four great elements of magic are combined with void magic, I wonder if it could do something like this? Let¡¯s say we casted the ¡°Flame Thrower¡± magic from before but now we also added water magic to the mix, could we make some sort of warm water shower magic? Although it may seem foolish when you first hear it, but if this was truly possible, than I can think of many things that when combined together, will make an incredibly convenient magic. When I wanted to immediately ask Sharl about this, she told me that there was already people with this train of thought, and I hear that various combinations of magic were already being researched. I suppose this is natural, after all anyone would notice the benefits of certain potential combinations. However, Sharl also said that even if the same combination of magic were to be used, if the amount of magical power put into it is adjusted, the effects can become totally different, therefore, this has become a research topic that is essentially everlasting with limitless combinations. After our rest ended, I became a resident to my basket again. After around hour more hour, we returned to the village. Farne and Mill seem to be training in the way of the sword until the evening. Farne should have been really tired from walking all day, but he¡¯s still very diligent, he¡¯s truly great¡­ Because we returned relatively quickly I used appraisal whenever I could. Because recently my MP has been recovering at a rate of approximately 1 MP every 5 minutes, I have been using appraisal whenever I had the spare time, when I continuously used appraisal on myself, my appraisal level went up. When the level of my appraisal skill went to level 7, it seems that I am now able to appraise skills as well. Now then, let¡¯s confirm my previous doubts and clear up some of the things I¡¯ve had on my mind for a while now. I slowly used appraisal on Myun. ¡¾Myunerin Tobasu/19/2/7427 Myunerin Saguaru/2/12/7409¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Female/21/11/7409 Tobasu Household First born daughter¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 19 years old¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Level: 9¡ù¡¿ ¡¾HP£º84(84)¡¡MP£º9(9)¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Strenght: 11¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 18¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 16¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 10¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Wind Magic(Lv.2)¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Void Magic(Lv.3)¡ù¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Camouflage(Lv.5¡ù)¡¿ Fufufun, well I guessed as much. When I used my appraisal to further look into her name of Tobasu, the sub-window that came out explained the history of my great-grandfather Samato and there was no problems. However, when I examined her name of Saguaru with my appraisal ability, this is what came out. ¡¾Saguaru Family: A lesser retainer of the Debasu Kingdom. Founded at the 17th March 7247¡¿ ¡¾Sudden rise to power working as a: Combat Slave, Beguri Saguaru provided distinguished services in war. (Assasinating the enemy general in the battle of Coda Valley)¡¿ ¡¾The current family head is a person named Bondaru Saguaru who is from the sixth generation¡¿ The smell, the smell coming out of this housemaid is really dangerous¡­ After levelling up my appraisal ability, I was just really happy so I used it on everyone and everything, this is when I noticed this irregularity. Although she wasn¡¯t married, she had two names. Also the other name belonged to a completely different family. At first I thought of the possibility that Myun had already married once before. However, the fact that she was named as the Eldest daughter of the Tobasu family was weird. If she were truly married than it would display something similar to Sharl, like being the first wife or the second wife etc. In addition I also made sure of this when I looked at Myun¡¯s stats with status open the other day. At that time, I am sure that the name Myunerin Saguaru, was not in her status. It seems that after levelling up my appraisal skill, I have been able to garner more information that would otherwise be normally hidden. Although it will still take more levels before I am able to see the particulars of certain skills, in this regard considering how fast my MP is recovering, I will only need another 2 or 3 days before it will increase in level again. Because she had the special skill ¡°Camouflage¡± many things besides her status had a ¡ù symbol next to it, this probably represented the statuses that she was hiding. Other than her current condition, hasn¡¯t everything about her changed? By the way, before I reached level 7 in appraisal and was able to appraise skills, this is what came out previously. ¡¾Myunerin Tobasu/19/2/7427 Myunerin Saguaru/2/12/7412¡¿ ¡¾Female/29/11/7411 Tobasu Household Eldest Daughter¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 17 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 2¡¿ ¡¾HP£º65(65)¡¡MP£º4(4)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 8¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 12¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 8¡¿ ¡¾Endurance 8¡¿ This is what was normally seen. Frankly speaking, before acquiring my abilities, I didn¡¯t really examine the dates with scrutiny to figure out if everything matched, in any case I don¡¯t think I would have been able to detect anything amiss. Nevertheless, her camouflage ability is a truly splendid ability. Well it¡¯s fine. At the present time, she has never caused any problems, and has never shown any malicious intent. Besides, I don¡¯t really have any evidence against her. In any case, the fact that she¡¯s using camouflage on her status window is a suspicious act, right? Even if she hasn¡¯t shown any malicious intent, just with this fact alone, I think that it would normally be sufficient evidence. However, I cannot really refer to this fact at this point in time. If I start denouncing that her status window has been hidden by a skill called camouflage, people will start asking me troublesome questions as to how I knew of this problem. This is a natural thing. However, I couldn¡¯t really reveal my inherent skill Appraisal at a moment¡¯s notice. If I did, then I may reveal valuable information to Myun who may actually be a potential spy of another country, and not only that, I may be shunned by the people of Bakkudo village, and I can only see a negative outcome if I were to carelessly reveal my abilities. In the first place, I was only able to realize this fact because I have this inherent skill appraisal. This just goes to show just how powerful her camouflage skill is. It is quite interesting that the content being displayed when using status open and appraisal are slightly different. For example, I noticed that when I used appraisal, I could not only see the levels of my own abilities and skills, I could also see other people¡¯s levels and abilities. In status open¡¯s case, I can only see my own abilities. When speaking in terms of effectiveness, appraisal is by far more useful, the reason I used status open up until now, is because when appraisal was still at a low level, it couldn¡¯t see any of my special skills. From hereafter, it is unlikely that I will be using status open on anyone else, other than in the special circumstance where I have run out of MP and have no other choice. Although I kind of wandered from the main point a little, it should be fine if I just cautiously watched over Myun for a little longer right? It seems that she has already served the Greed family for several years, and many things are still unclear, such as how she managed to slip into the family? Or the reason she has come here? Right now I haven¡¯t got any evidence, so it will be fine if I spend some time to investigate more clearly, besides I also want to know the extent of her camouflage ability. Because I will find out more about these things as I level up my appraisal ability, I feel like it¡¯s only a matter of time. Anyways, I need to give more attention to Myun and her Tobasu family. Volume 1 - CH 16 Five years have passed. I have now reached 6 years of age, my appraisal skill has reached the MAX level of 9, and my MP has grown to 5284. I also started my sword training last year. In terms of my magical energy, it would not be an exaggeration to say that I am at a super human level. The four great elements have all reached a level of 5 and my void magic has reached a level of 6. Sharl¡¯s fire magic and water magic, including her void magic were at level 5, so I have already exceeded her level. I was concealing my abilities from Sharl, so in her knowledge, I was actually still a little bit inferior to her. Even so, I am considered a prodigal existence. My current level was still at level 2. There is a reason why it has only gone up by 1. When my appraisal skill reached level 8, I could see all my experience that I have accumulated, including the required numerical values to level up. Why was I able to know that level 9 was the MAX level achievable? This is because the moment I hit level 9, it did not display that I was level 9 instead it showed the words MAX. The experience value I needed in order to reach level 2 was 2500 EXP points. By the way, if I worked extremely hard on my sword training, until the palm of my hands were covered in blisters, I would accumulate approximately 2 experience points in a single day. If I trained normally whilst avoiding blisters from forming on my hands, then I would only gain about 1 EXP point. Therefore, I spent as much as 5 years in order to finally climb to level 2. I thought that once I levelled up, everything about my ability would increase drastically, however, what occurred was that my MP went up by 5 and my strength went up by 1. In all honestly, rather than increasing my MP value by 5, I would have much preferred that my other abilities increased in value. I was so convinced that my stats would go up evenly, and I was so excited about nearing my level up but now that this occurred, I just felt like an idiot. Although I was approaching a mental age of 50 years old, it couldn¡¯t be helped that I was still extremely excited about my level up. At that particular day, I was training diligently in the way of the sword, and the moment I felt that the sword was easier to swing, I had a premonition that I had levelled up, I quickly used appraisal on myself to determine that I had indeed increased to level 2, but after seeing that my strength values and my endurance values barely increased I was heavily disappointed. On the evening of that night, I was practicing my magic continuously, and I used appraisal on my Level up sub-window, it was at that time that I finally understood the meaning behind the sub-window. The sub window stated: When you level up, the ability you used the most before levelling will be used as a basis and placed on a position of 1st to 6th in order to determine which 6 abilities will rise in value. If I only trained in my MP and my Strength, then other abilities would not be able to rise in value. Up until now, I have never experienced my HP dropping, not only that I have never been in a real fight before, so I have never needed to use my Agility to evade any blows either. Naturally, I have never needed to switch targets or dexterously move around whilst I was merely doing my practice swings. Right now, I was contemplating as to how I would tackle this problem in the future. Well apart from this, because I levelled up, my Minor Magic: Cantrip also increased in the amount of times I could use it and I have been able to use this to my advantage and consistently wake up at 12 AM, so this was really helpful. Although it took roughly 1 year before I was able to perfect this, right now, I have no problems in waking up in the middle of the night. And it was a really simple matter of using void magic to instantly expend all my mana and faint back to sleep. Repeating this behaviour every single day, the amount of MP I had at my disposal had increased by a tremendous amount. Furthermore, Farne¡¯s MP rose to a value of 329 all according to my schedule, and Mill¡¯s MP rose to 855 points as well. Although Sharl seems to be surprised by the time their MP reached a value of 10, she managed to keep whatever she was thinking to herself and continued on with the magical training to expend their MP. At that night, Sharl was truly excited at the fact that her children¡¯s MP values were increasing so steadily and she reported her findings to Hegard and created her own hypothesis in the matter. Hegard became silent after hearing about the progress his children was making, but he did comment on the fact that Grandpa Samato was not that bright in terms of magical usage. In any case, because the increase in MP can only mean a good thing for the children, he wanted us to continue our training. At that time, I was still a baby, so I was sleeping in my parent¡¯s room and I could overhear their conversation. Although I was getting terribly nervous as they continued their conversation, they didn¡¯t even refer to me, and I could remember feeling a sense of relief in my memory. From that day onwards, we started to practice in the place where nobody could see us, it was one of the offices in the main building (I thought that it was some kind of attic but apparently it was an office) Well my parents probably wanted to keep this matter a secret from others. At least for me, this was a convenient thing. It¡¯s just that because we were in a closed room, there is not many chances for us to practice fire magic. In the end, Farne didn¡¯t even bother to learn to make use of fire magic, and Mill was only up to ignition type fire magic. Because Farne had already reached 13 years of age, he pretty much stopped his training for increasing his MP values and he was more concentrated on increasing the level of his elemental magic, he mainly practiced the use of earth, water and void magic. Even though he limited himself to these branches of magic, he was still proficient in attacking magic and he could even do slight healing magic. Also, he was able to increase the level of these elements and his earth and water magic level¡¯s reached level 3 whilst his void magic reached level 4. Although I felt that it wasn¡¯t really a drastic increase, considering the fact that we had zero actual combat experience and was just training in seclusion, it was more than good enough for the average standard. Well one of the main factors for his improvement is likely because of his abundant amount of MP and he could practice for longer than normal. Hegard was more than satisfied with Farne¡¯s progress, he was proficient in healing magic and he could use the sword at an average level of skill, and in the future, Farne would be able to easily defend the village. Even if he had to go to war, with his current capabilities it would be really hard for him to die in battle, and this was ideal for him if he were to become Hegard¡¯s successor as a lord. By next year, he would be really close to becoming an adult, and he would get enrolled to Webdosu¡¯s order of the knights as a lesser warrior for a period of two years, and after this period he would formally be recognised as the boss of our region and he would be granted a suitable wife so that he could be prepared to take succeed the family. On the other hand, after Mill reached the age of 10, she had become obsessed with the path of magic. After morning magical practice, she would without fail expend all of her MP. She had already passed the age of 10 and even though she was training diligently she could only raise her MP by about 3, considering the fact that she already had a huge amount of MP of more than 800, this kind of training was to be frank, insignificant for Mill, however, she herself had wanted to devote herself to this type of training, so I didn¡¯t really need to go out of my way to stop her. However, Sharl did give Mill a warning that out in the real world, she should at least keep half of her MP ready at all times because you never knew what you would encounter in times of need, and since hearing this advice, I could see that Mill had become hesitant in completely expending her MP. Mill¡¯s current level in regards to her magic¡¯s was: level 4 for earth magic, level 4 for water magic, level 1 for fire magic and level 5 for void magic. She showed a bigger potential for magic than Farne, but I suppose this can be accredited to the fact that she had 3 times the amount of MP that Farne possessed and she was able to train in magic for at least 3 times longer. Mill was apparently yearning to become a magician just like Sharl, although she was very diligent in magical training and she always listened to her mother whom she idolized, she also did not neglect her sword training. Because I was able to acquire the four great elements at such an early juncture, I was able to combine all the elements of magic including void magic to learn a magic called ¡°Anti-Magic Field¡±. The reason I wanted to learn this first was because it could erase magic generated from most types of magic. Furthermore, this ¡°Anti-Magic Field¡± is something that expended a huge amount of MP, the reason for this is because you needed to be able to use all types of magic and invoke them at the same time. The interesting thing about this magic is that if you continuously used it, you could use up to more than 5000 MP in a span of less than 10 minutes, and whilst you didn¡¯t gain a significant amount of experience, because you used all types of magic, you would accordingly level up in all types of magic simultaneously. Additionally, Farne had already started to hold a real sword, however Hegard still stays that he has a long way to go, Mill had been improving steadily in the way of the sword and she was now sparring with wooden swords in a mock combat type training. Because only 1 year had passed since I started my sword training, I was limited to doing my practice swings and creating blisters in my hand every day. In all honesty, considering my previous life training, I was more specialised in using the modern martial art of the bayonet so I would have preferred to train using a short spear or something. Right now, Hegard and Sharl had completely understood the mechanics of increasing one¡¯s MP and how they needed to still be in their childhood. It¡¯s just a shame that Sharl who was a magician, only had a limited MP of 44 which was mainly gained through aging, and so she decided to keep this method a secret within our family. Although one could not accurately determine their own MP values just by using Status Open, Sharl seems to be able to make an educated guess, just from the amount of magic consumption each spell took thereby determining a pretty accurate estimate of her MP values. However, in terms of my abilities, she could not grasp the full extent of my MP. Well considering that she had to guess an aggregate amount of MP at least 100 times more than her own, it was probably really difficult to do so. In any case, this particular discovery about magic was treated with a high amount of secrecy and Sharl was telling Farne, Milly and I to never disclose the amount of MP we had to outsiders and unless we were practicing Minor Magic: Cantrip we needed to be careful so that others won¡¯t get suspicious. In terms of my family situation, this pretty much sums up the situation, so let¡¯s move on to the society changes. Bakkudo village had a population of approximately 430 people, and if you included the Greed household which was reigning supreme in this area, there was a total of 62 houses. Under the supervision of the lord, there was eight households that were considered as samurai families and was part of the military personnel. Other than this, there was also the free folk under Shiemi-obaasan and the wolf clan that Kelly was in. The rest of the houses were basically agricultural workers. The village didn¡¯t really have any shops or inns or liquor stores etc¡­ In this area, the free people gathered nearby, where Shiemi-obaasan was running her medical centre. When someone wanted to come to the village in order to stay over, they would be sent to one of the lesser samurai families for lodgement or if they were more important guests they might be sent into the Greed household. Other than properties of land, the agricultural workers were able to have other types of properties. Although I¡¯m not sure if it was a regular thing, it seems that they were also given a salary. Also, not to mention things like marriage, the lords and samurai families didn¡¯t really interfere with them creating their own homes, clothes or agricultural machinery, and anything they needed for their everyday life was able to be kept as their own property without any problems. Also, there is no problem with allowing their children to inherit the property that they have built up. However, when there is a marriage between the agricultural worker classes, there is still a lot of uncertain points as to which child would receive the rights of succession. Slaves also existed in this world and although the word slave may seem like a gloomy way of life, in actual fact there was no unjust amount of manual labour imposed upon them. You were able to purchase slaves at a relatively low price, even so for those agricultural workers who were not yet able to afford a slave, it would take several years before they were able to purchase one. After saving up for so many years and finally acquiring a slave, it is unlikely for any of them to mistreat their slaves as it would cause an unreasonable amount of loss for them. To give you a picture of the current slave system, you can just imagine a peasant at the present age of Japan. It wasn¡¯t really a miserable circumstance whereby the majority of them were being exploited by their owners, it is more like they were an employee who works at an agricultural company. Well in a sense, they did do some heavy labour if you were to compare it to modern times, they were kind of like black label workers, however considering that in this earth, once the outside sky darkens, they cannot do anymore work, and they were able to retire for the night, it wasn¡¯t actually so bad. Even within the Greed Household, we owned several slaves, right now only two households in the village hadn¡¯t acquired any slaves. In a word, this literally means that more than 80 percent of the inhabitants in the village of Bakkudo owned slaves, and to be honest I was really shocked at this fact, and once again, I felt really lucky that I wasn¡¯t transmigrated into this world as part of the servant class. The thing is, if you were born a slave, you would actually need to work for a very long period in your life in order to get rid of your status, before you were allowed to migrate and travel out of your plot of land. If you were a slave, you didn¡¯t have to pay any taxes. The obligation to pay taxes were the duty of the free folk. Although the price is at 1 gold coin per free folk, because I didn¡¯t really understand the value of money, I can¡¯t really say whether this is expensive or cheap. For commoners who owned a plot of land, they would be imposed a levy on the size per square meter of land they had. Wheat is basically grown in most of the fields and as much as 60 percent is claimed as tax. As for the production, last year¡¯s production value is used as the standard value. If you claimed a new plot of land, you would be exempted from tax for a period of 5 years. Also, there is also a poll tax for those who owned slaves, but I am not sure about the amount of money required. After the lord collects all the taxes from the people, the lord himself has to pay a 60 percent tax to the superior feudal lord. The remaining amount could be used for daily life and infrastructure maintenance or improvement of your own territory, after allotting the money to breeding of horses for war, and then training the men as soldiers for battle, I dare say that not a lot is left over from the tax money. After fighting the Debasu Kindgom for such a long period of time, it could be said that the amount of expenses for war accumulated for several years is no small amount. This was pretty much all the information I collected thus far. Although gathering information is always an essential part to life, at this early point in time, I concluded that training my body will become the most important investment I could make for the future, for five whole years, I had concentrated on strengthening my magic and my body. Even so I could not stand idly as I watched the very young slaves and the elderly slaves were working so hard and yet they were doing it so inefficiently, so I showed them the proper way to thresh the crops. The method of threshing that I taught them was originally invented in the Edo period of Japan, and because the efficiency of threshing had improved rapidly, I was heavily praised by Hegard. I have been observing for any suspicious actions made by Myun every single day, but she wasn¡¯t making any suspicious movements, and I could not get any leads in this matter at all. Because it¡¯s not that good of an idea to be in constant worry and digging for trouble, I decided to proceed more slowly, and just obtain as much information as I could without her realizing about it. I managed to obtain some information in regards to how Myun came about into serving our family, but there has been no concrete evidence of her planning anything suspicious yet. Eight years ago, or another way to put it is 2 years before I was born, there was a skirmish in the border of the Debasu Kingdom happening, and Dangle who was Tobasu¡¯s master at the time had seemingly picked up a war orphan. Dangle Tobasu was approaching his fifties at the time (and now he was 57 years of age), in a previous battle, he had already lost his succeeding son and it was obvious that if things continued to go any further, he would be left without a successor. His parents had already died, and his wife had also passed away due to the epidemic that my grandfather took home, and perhaps because he became really lonesome he took home a war orphan. Surveying the results of the battlefield after the skirmish had ended, he discovered an absentminded girl standing in the midst of the battle field right beside a soldier¡¯s corpse, I heard that it was at this time, that he discovered Myun and took her home. In this world known as Orth, it was actually quite a common thing to adopt a son in order to take over the estate or even give succession rights to a son-in-law. Well Dangle probably was thinking along these lines. Anyhow, Myun was taken in as his adopted daughter. Hegard probably felt sympathy for the fact that she was a war orphan and permitted her to serve him as a housemaid, and I think that he even had thoughts of marrying her off to someone¡¯s second son. If my guess is correct, he had plans to marry Myun off to Dice who was the second son of the Dubois family. However, because Dice was planned to be married to another daughter as of four years later, Myun was still her own person. Because her status window displayed that she was 22 years of age, she was still in a marriageable age. She is still working very solemnly as a housemaid, and although she seems to be working with heartfelt sincerity, she still hasn¡¯t disclosed the matter about her camouflage. Moreover, when I occasionally observe her with my appraisal ability, I could tell that her experience was going up in tens or even hundreds of EXP points. It makes me truly wonder, how she is accumulating that amount of EXP points. Volume 1 - CH 17 So far within these five years, all I have managed to contribute to the village of Bakkudo is the creation of the threshing tool used to more efficiently thresh the crops. Even so, considering that the efficiency of threshing improved by leaps and bounds, it has certainly become a great contribution, however, considering that the words I made up using my great-grandfather was ¡°Continue to go around the territory with your father and try to search for methods in order to develop the domain, until you are able to start training in the sword¡± it probably wasn¡¯t a sufficient amount of progress. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t have any plans for development, but I could not really execute sophisticated plans very easily. Especially because Myun is here, I don¡¯t really want to rush things. Well the threshing machine I invented is like a huge comb with inverted rakes, it is a pretty standard invention that allows you to more efficiently thresh the crops in bigger amounts, but at the same time it isn¡¯t something a commoner could say ¡°Oh that¡¯s a pretty good idea you got there, but if it¡¯s to that extent I could have thought of it¡±. Even if I invented an extraordinary tool using my memory of the modern era, I may be treated as an anomaly where people would start to think ¡°I have no idea where this kid gets his ideas from, I think he¡¯s dangerous¡± and for safety purposes, I would prefer it if I could avoid that kind of possibility. (Japanese Threshing Machine Explanation Image) The direction this world seems to prefer is not something which looks extravagant, but more of something which is simple and effective to use. If this theory is true then as expected the best answer would be to use domesticated animals to farm. If I am able to introduce domesticated animals as a way to cultivate the land, it will not only make it significantly easier, because it will be possible to perform deeper ploughing of the land, it will increase the amount of produce available. Right now, the norm within Bakkudo village is to harvest crops twice a year, this is because we are using human hands to plough the soil and only the outer surface can be cultivated as a result, this leads to the soil being harder than normal and because the atmosphere is not optimal, there is insufficient nitrogen and the root of the crops doesn¡¯t extend easily. (TL: This novel is making me research farming terms hehe, The nitrogen cycle is a cycle in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into different organic compounds, it is one of the most crucial natural processes to sustain living organisms, in this cycle bacteria in the soil process atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, and this is what plants need in order to grow) Although creating something like a farm tractor is going overboard, if it is one¡¯s where the tool is pushed by animals, it can definitely be done, and from what I heard, this has already been done in some places. In any case, rather than creating a tractor and using a machine, it is much better and plausible to use domesticated animals as the form of dynamic force. As long as I can clear the financial barriers, I will be able to introduce domestic animals to the village, at the very least I will be able to introduce the animals to the eight samurai families and this will considerably increase the efficiency and improvement of cultivating the land. At any rate, if I needed to develop the plough invention from scratch that would be easy, or if some form of invention involving the plough and animals were already made within Marquis Webudosu¡¯s territory then I could also just purchase it. Another thing is if I purchase an already completely plough invention with the animal, I may need to adjust certain things to improve the efficiency. Lastly, as long as I could acquire the oxen and horses to pull the plough, I could make huge innovations which will help to develop the village. Moreover there also an issue that needs to be resolved in regards to feeding the domesticated animals with the pasture. But if I implement the three seasonal system of rotating crops based on the season there is a potential to increase the amount of crops we can yield and therefore, as a substitute for the grass, I can plant clovers to feed the animals instead. My household has three horses, and considering I have 300 hectares of agricultural land to cultivate, even if I started to plant clovers in 1/3 of the land, it would already be sufficient to feed these horses as it would be impossible for them to eat it all up. I will probably need to survey if there is already farmers within Marquis Webudosu¡¯s territory that have already introduced the three seasonal crop rotation method. When I think of the level of civilisation in this world, I think it is probably at this kind of level. In any case, whilst I may need to do substantial research about farming such as the optimal season in which to plant certain seeds, and or grow certain crops, if I succeed in the implementation of this system, it is likely to have a drastic positive impact on development of the land. Implementing something of this scale will require a much larger sum of money compared to just inventing the threshing tool, but as they say, extreme measures will yield extreme results. Even if I wanted to bring this proposition forward, after all it¡¯s about me trying to develop the territory so it isn¡¯t really something that I can get scolded for. Right now I am confident to say that my business acumen and knowledge is better than your average shopkeepers and even royalty. My biggest weakness is the fact that I don¡¯t have any capital money, though this can¡¯t really be helped. Up until now, I have hardly ever used cash, and I have never even been sent out on an errand to go by myself to say purchase goods from Shiemi-obaasan. Should I just come out straightforward and bring this idea with my father? ¡¸Father, I have an idea in regards to the farming in the territory. Could you please listen to my story?¡¹ ¡¸Hm? Alright, what is it?¡¹ During Lunch time at around mid-day¡­ I thought it would be a good idea to talk after we had eaten a nice lunch and our bellies had been satisfied. After inviting Hegard to the main office room, I began to speak about my idea. ¡¸Although we are working in the fields, the system we have in place right now is to manually use the hoe and the spade to cultivate the fields, right? However, if we were to continue using this method of manual labour, the men would need to exert a tremendous amount of strength to dig deeper in order to cultivate crops more efficiently¡¹ ¡¸Well, I suppose that¡¯s true, but what of it?¡¹ I grabbed a drawing board like object and used an agalmatolite to draw an image in order to better explain my idea. (TL: you can think of agalmatolite as a sort of chalk that he¡¯s using to write stuff) This works by using Minor Magic:Cantrip in order to ¡°Polish¡± the chalk like stone so that it can be used to write on note pads or blackboards etc, and it is a truly priceless item in this day and age. It is also possible to wipe it off like chalk so it¡¯s also really convenient. ¡¸If we can utilize oxen¡¯s and horses in Webudosu¡¯s territory, then we will be able to solve this particular problem. Rather than using a person to plough the fields using an animal will yield at least twice the result, not only will it increase the depth but it will also increase the speed. With the additional time gained as a result, we can use it to further develop the land¡¹ ¡¸I think that you¡¯ve mentioned this in the past, and I believe I¡¯ve made myself clear at that time, but domestic animals aren¡¯t going to come to us free of charge. If we have the animals, we will also need the pasture to feed them. And this kind of cost is not something that we can afford to maintain¡¹ Hegard answered as if he understood the entirety of my idea and its disadvantages. ¡¸Today, I¡¯ve also thought of a method in order to maintain the domestic animals with sufficient food. If I am not mistaken, right now, Bakkudo village harvests their crops twice a year, one part will plant things like: wheat, rye, beans etc and it will alternate as the farmers grow two or more crops in one field, is this correct?¡¹ As I said this, I continued to draw on the blackboard depicting the various states of our current farming system. ¡¸My plan is to improve our current system. For example, if we move the wheat to this plot of land. Then we move beans to this plot of land. We can grow pasture in this plot of land, and by splitting it into three this 1/3 plot of pasture will be more than sufficient to feed the animals even giving us excess food¡¹ ¡¸Fumu¡¹ ¡¸The first plot of land will grow: wheat, the second plot of land will grow beans. After harvesting the beans, we can immediately plant pasture on top of it. And after the land properly cultivates the pasture, the moment we harvest it, we can replace it with wheat. On the third plot of land because animals will be eating pasture, we will have plenty of animal excrement to use as fertilizer for the crops, and this will ensure the land grows fertile¡¹ ¡¸Continue¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I believe that in order to facilitate this process of farming, I will include animals to perform the labour. If we do use the animals, the amount of time we need to work will drastically reduce and as a result we can expand and create even bigger plot of lands¡¹ When Hegard erases the words from the blackboard he approached me with a look of admiration on his face. ¡¸You¡¯ve thought this out really well. Although the process may be a little different from what you mentioned, I believe that I have a method in which the results will be approximately the same. However¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸However?¡¹ ¡¸Whilst it will be possible to purchase more horses. If I wanted to purchase the horses, I would obviously need money. About 8 years ago, in order to keep the Debasu Kingdom in check for their border transgressions we had to send an army to depart to the outskirts of our border. And it is likely, that this kind of event will occur again sometime soon. For that purpose, right, now we cannot afford to spend a huge sum of money. If we were to implement your plan, it would likely take many years before we will yield the profits from purchasing the horses¡¹ Darn it! I completely forgot to include war in the equation. In this world, skirmishes occur quite often between the different kingdoms. Whilst there was rarely any events which required an all-out war between the kingdoms, small skirmishes apparently occurred on a yearly basis. Every time this happened, someone who was in a position of above an earl, within their territory will be required to dispatch a small army. Whilst Marquis Webudosu has a small scale army, if it was lacking in any way, the backup troops would come from the lesser nobles. Whilst it wasn¡¯t really a rotation system, Marquis Webudosu would to a certain extent sequentially pick from the lords under him to participate in the war. Any lords who were called to battle by the Marquis would then need to create an armed force and use lesser nobles to dispatch an army. In Bakkudo village, I hear that there are around 10 lesser nobles under my father¡¯s command. Because you are normally called at an interval of several years, it is a popular thing to save money for military expenses when you are not called out. What should I do? It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t have a trick up my sleeve to use, but if possible I wanted to save this hidden-play until it was necessary to use. Nevertheless, it was true that we needed money right this instant. Additionally, if I used my secret cards here, to a certain extent it will be a good learning experience for me. Whilst I still need to remain in this Bakkudo village, there is still plenty of things I can get accustomed to. Well I suppose it will be fine to use it then. ¡¸Money is the issue isn¡¯t it¡­¡­? I understand. Please wait a moment¡¹ Is it finally time for me to use my trump card? Well I will be forced to use it sooner or later, so I think that it will be a good chance to use it here. I left it in the storage room, and whilst going to retrieve it, I was thinking about certain things. Will this be considered something that is way above and beyond the current technology? No, it¡¯s already been discovered, although I am the one who discovered it, I used legitimate means to find it, and so it should be fine right? After persuading myself like this, I obtained the thing and returned to Hegard. ¡¸What? What is that ?¡¹ I placed one white and one black object on top of the desk. And I proceeded to pick up the white object. ¡¸This is a condensation of the sap that is released from a certain tree growing in the southwest woods of Bakkudo village. I give the name of this object ¡°rubber¡±¡¹ That¡¯s right, before I started my sword training, I had to travel around the vicinity of Bakkudo village with Hegard, and this is when I discovered rubber. The moment I found this tree, I was so happy that I jumped with joy. Naturally when I found it I had a nonchalant air as I muffled down my excitement, but within my own mind, I was truly jumping for joy, like an excited kid unfit for my real age. When you gather the sap from this tree and let it harden, it will become this kind of white rubber like material. ¡¸Fumu, it feels kind of flexible and it¡¯s quite soft. Oh? Ohh, if I pull on it, it can expand? This object, has elasticity and it even expands and contracts, this is a very interesting thing. However, even with such a thing, what on earth do you plan to do with it?¡¹ ¡¸Father, next please take a look at this¡¹ I handed him the black rubber this time around. ¡¸Mu, this object is quite hard. It is clearly very different form the white one. Whilst it seems to retain a little bit of elasticity, it doesn¡¯t expand and contract as well as the white one¡­¡­ Al, is this what you call rubber?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. The black one is a combination of boiling the sap from the tree with a stone like material from the mountain in the north to harden it¡¹ Even in modern times, rubber is a very important strategic material that can be used for a multitude of purposes. Even whilst I was in the Japanese Defense Academy, this fact was driven into me all the time. Gathering the sap from a rubber tree when you combine it with sulphur, and boil them together, it will be able to maintain a bit of its elasticity whilst also being hardened. As long as you didn¡¯t need to mass produce this, then we don¡¯t need any special technology to create it. As long as you had a usual frying pan, the sap from the rubber tree and some sulphur, then technically, even a child could make this object. Although the amount which is mixed together needs to be adjusted, it¡¯s a really simple process of just adding more to the mix. I lifted up the black rubber and brought special attention to it. ¡¸I believe that as of now, only Bakkudo village is capable of creating this particular type of rubber. Father, would you be able to see what kind of usage this rubber will have for us?¡¹ Even if I say so myself, I was talking in a really haughty manner. Not only that, Hegard didn¡¯t really have a preconception of rubber before I introduced it to him right now. Although I felt completely disgusted at the need to manipulate my own father with my knowledge in these types of matters, the only one who is able to decide whether the village will manufacture this product is Hegard. I needed to create a good impression of the product. And so I piled up even more convincing words¡­. Volume 1 - CH 18 ¡¸Certainly this thing called rubber is really interesting. However, I doubt that something like this could be changed into profits that quickly. Hmm, the thing I can think off the top of my head for this kind of product would be to create it into some sort of storage device where it can store normally fragile products and protect them whilst being transported¡­¡­Or perhaps another use for it is to make it into sturdy grip for the base of the sword or farming implements. Other then that¡­. I¡¯m not too sure what else it can be used for¡¹ Hegard seems to have taken a liking to the tactile sensations of the rubber, he was playing around with the white rubber and he wasn¡¯t really paying much attention to the black rubber I lifted in my hands. His answer was sufficiently good. Although he missed some of the potential uses it can be created into, but considering that he had no prior knowledge of the thing known as rubber, it would already be hard enough for someone to come up with the things he did. Well I suppose it¡¯s also because he¡¯s a lord of the village, and it is inevitable for him to be used to critical thinking and finding solutions to potential problems. ¡¸When I first found this object, I also didn¡¯t have a good idea of what it can be used for. When I first touched the sap that drips from the tree, I merely thought that ¡°wow this is sticky¡± and didn¡¯t really think much else of it. There was this one time where the sticky sap dried out and as a result it actually became springy in texture. And thinking that this must have some sort of use, I played around with it to find more breakthroughs. And that was the first time I managed to create that white rubber¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, Incidently, when we were going out for our patrol¡¯s around the village together, I vaguely remember that you brought a small bucket. Is that what that was¡­¡­. So, how exactly do you make this product? How much time does it take to make?¡¹ I started by explaining the chronology of events and how I managed to obtain rubber. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t really take much time to make. The sap I was talking about, even if you just leave it as it is, it will naturally harden itself, but in order to make it as hard as the rubber I made, it does take a little more time. Moreover, if you don¡¯t use the proper methods then only a part of it will harden or only the surface will harden. Additionally when you light a bon fire to burn the twig of the tree, you may notice a light brown fluid coming out of the tree. There is also this one time where I accidentally spilled the light brown fluid into the sap, and the sap immediately started to harden, therefore I got curious and used magic to fiddle around with it. And, as a result of trying out a variety of earth magic, water magic, fire magic and void magic I managed to figure out that the moment the sap gets dry it will immediately harden all the way to the inside¡¹ Naturally the story of me using a bonfire and what not were completely made up stories. I wanted vinegar but our house didn¡¯t really have any, and it was not possible for me to just start fermenting beer in order to create vinegar as I would need to obtain their approval by explaining the fermentation process in detail. Because I couldn¡¯t really help it, I could only wring out the fluids from the tree in order to make do. After obtaining the light brown fluids from the tree, I used magic in order to create acetic acid. I explained to my father how the dryness helped with the hardening process, when in actual fact, it is more accurate to say that through combination of chemical particles mixing with each other, a change occurred, well it would be really troublesome to explain the whole process but it should be fine if I tell him about it some other time, right? ¡¸Ahh, that¡¯s true, I know you brothers have a lot of magical reserves¡­¡­.. In normal circumstances you would only use desiccation magic against certain types of monsters so that you can dry out their skins¡­.. I believe that it should be fine because it¡¯s you, but you¡¯ve made sure that no one else saw you in the process of doing this, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I did all of this within the storage room inside the house, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems of that nature. However, if we were to simply dry out the sap, then it will possess a high amount of rubbish and garbage mixed in it, thus it is must better to filter out the sap by cleansing it with water and using linen cloth as a filter to remove the dirty stuff and only then should we start to dry the sap in order to attain the a better quality. And the results of filtering as much of the rubbish out of the sap as possible, is that you will be able to create the white rubber over there¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Let me teach you a little, at a time like this, the word you want to use instead of ¡°rubbish¡± is ¡°impurities¡±. In any case, the feeling of this product sticking to your hand is truly pleasant¡¹ In this kind of manner, Hegard was trying to teach me certain words or phrases. This is probably the way Hegard taught his children, I often caught him teaching Mill or Farne in a similar fashion. I think that his ardent zeal in teaching his children is quite the good thing. Although that may be, does he really like the feeling of rubber this much? Since a little while ago, Hegard had just been fiddling around with the white rubber. ¡¸¡±Impurities¡± is it? I understand. Well, let me tell you more about this rubber. This rubber can expand and stretch and when it shrinks it will return to its former shape. However, if you used a force too powerful, and you stretch it beyond its limits it will naturally break¡¹ ¡¸I see, I see¡­¡­¡¹ The moment he heard that Hegard started to use his strength in order to stretch out the crude rubber. He was level 15 and he relied on his strength to pull the rubber. Ahh, I should probably stop him before, it breaks and he gets hit by the recoil of the rubber. ¡¸Father, if you go any further then that, it will surely snap. If it snaps, the rubber will shrink vigorously and you may get hit by the recoil and it will hurt¡¹ ¡¸Ohh? Is that so? Even so, I want to test it out. Is it alright if I break this rubber?¡¹ ¡¸Well I don¡¯t really mind it, but¡­..¡¹ Ohh, this is amazing, its thickness is only about 1 cm, and its length is about 14~15 cm but it¡¯s able to stretch all the way up to 1 m long. Ah, it broke. Bacchin! ¡¸Ouch!! This really does hurt¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I told you¡­ The white one¡¯s main characteristic is that it is quite soft and it can expand and contract relatively well. Even with just that, I believe that it has a sufficient amount of uses¡¹ ¡¸Nn~ You think so? Other then what you just said previously, are you sure people won¡¯t just want to use it to play around with it?¡¹ ¡¸Well, for instance, it can be used like this¡¹ After saying this, I took the biggest piece of raw rubber which had just been torn apart by Hegard and brought out a knife. I started to cut the mass of rubber with a knife into long and slender strings. ¡¸We can also make a long and slender string out of the rubber, like this. And then, make it into a ring like shape, we can form a waistband for trousers and this will save us time form having to tie our pants every single day¡¹ ¡¸I agree that it is convenient, but I still don¡¯t think that is enough to become profitable¡¹ Hegard spoke to me with a little bit of disappointment in his face. ¡¸I suppose that may be. If that was the extent of its usage then I would also agree that it is merely a little convenient. However, this is only one example of the usage of rubber that I have thought about. But what if I made this string a little thicker¡¹ This time around, I spliced out the rubber but made it around 1 cm thicker. And a string about the length of 10 cm was created. After cutting the rubber into a string I passed it on to Hegard whilst continuing to speak. ¡¸To be honest, it would be better if it was a little longer but because this is just an example, it should be fine¡¹ Next I pulled out a Y shaped tree twig from the back of my right pants pocket, and then I pulled out a pebble from the front of my right pants pocket. This Y shaped object was a Slingshot. Attached to the slingshot was an elastic band which had the same sort of thickness as the one I just carved out, but was around 30 cm in length. I set the pebble in the slingshot. Folded up the window to open it and sling shotted the pebble outside the window. ¡¸Ohh!? It seems to works like a simple version of a bow¡­.? But what about the power?¡¹ Hegard spoke with both a little shock and admiration at the same time. ¡¸This elastic band was made using the same rubber I showed you. The only difference is the one I cut just now is a little shorter then this one. The strength will depend on the thickness and length of the elastic band, in addition to how long you want to stretch it, the other factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the size of the rock or pebble used. With the slingshot I have right now, unless you were able to aim and get a direct hit on to their eyes, if it hit a human being, it probably wouldn¡¯t cause much damage¡¹ ¡¸I see, I understand¡­.So this is something that can be adjusted depending on the circumstances¡­¡¹ Although Hegard had only seen me use this once, it seemed that he understood a little of what the slingshot is capable of if it is improved. ¡¸That¡¯s right. This rubber will able to output more force if we increase the thickness and length of the elastic band, also the size of the tool can be increased as well, and we don¡¯t necessarily have to use a twig to create a slingshot, we can even use metal as the components for the parts. But when we do something like this, it will become a lot bigger and heavier as well. In conclusion, we would need to create a rubber that was more durable and that still retained its elasticity¡¹ ¡¸I see. So the more durable one is this black looking rubber?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, however to tell you the truth, the black rubber is one of my failed experiments¡¹ ¡¸Oh? How come you purposefully brought a failure here?¡¹ Hegard asked me in a curious tone. It¡¯s reasonable though. ¡¸This black rubber had to be made with a similar size and so I tried to add various other things to the mix to potentially improve it¡­ ¡¹ ¡¸In the end, did you manage to do it? ¡¹ Geez, he¡¯s so impatient. Well I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. I understand the feeling. ¡¸Whilst it wasn¡¯t at the best standard, I did manage to do it. But turned a slight brownish color. I did this by mixing the sap before it dried out and turned hard, with a stone I found in the northern mountains, I first grinded the stone into powder and then mixed them together bit by bit¡¹ I took out a brown colored elastic band from my pocket. Hegard puts out his hands so I handed it over to him. ¡¸Hm? I thought that you said the black one is the one that had mixed materials? Well, never mind¡­.. In any case, this one is a lot thinner than the previous one, isn¡¯t it? However, this one also stretches much better. Not only that, the power it outputs when it shrinks back is also stronger¡¹ ¡¸We can also use this thinner brownish colored band in a similar fashion¡¹ I took out another sling shot from the left back pocket. ¡¸Mu, this is much smaller. And yet, the strength of this particular band seems to be stronger than the previous one¡¹ It seems that Hegard was pleasantly surprised as he spoke. Then, shall I go to the main subject? ¡¸Although I do have plans for the other types of rubber I just showed you, my main object lies in the black one which I have stated is a bit of a failure. This brown colored elastic band is something I made whilst experimenting, it is essentially an improved version of the white elastic band. However, my true objectives lie with black rubber. This black rubber doesn¡¯t really stretch very well, and because I had to mix a lot of ingredients into it, it has become slightly heavier, nevertheless, it is extremely robust. I believe that if I can perfect this black rubber, I can find plenty of uses for it¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by this? If you say that the black rubber, doesn¡¯t really stretch very well, and it is heavier than both the white rubber and the brown rubber, isn¡¯t it obvious that the other types of rubber are better? Even if you say the black one is more robust, can¡¯t we just grab a more durable tree or wood as the base?¡¹ Well it¡¯s natural for Hegard to think like this because, in this world called Orth, there has never been any rubber products in the market. I haven¡¯t really explained much of the special characteristics of rubber so I suppose he wouldn¡¯t know much about it. ¡¸Well at first glance it may appear that this black rubber doesn¡¯t have many avenues for its usage. However, whilst it isn¡¯t as flexible as the others, it¡¯s not like it has lost all of its elasticity. I noticed it whilst I was making it, and what I discovered was that the more ingredients I mixed to make the rubber, it would reduce the elasticity of the product, however at the same exact time, whenever it lost a little bit of elasticity, it would also become more robust and durable. And what¡¯s really interesting is that the durability of the rubber, depending on how it is made, has the potential to completely exceed the durability of the wood. Another important detail, is that because it doesn¡¯t completely lose all of its elasticity, to a certain extent, it can formed to various shapes¡¹ ¡¸Ok, well I don¡¯t completely get it, but you told me that it can become more durable than wood, is this true?¡¹ Oh, is that where he took the bait? But please let me just continue on with my explanation. ¡¸Yes, it¡¯s true, then please allow me to explain to you the various uses I have come up with for these rubber products. First let me start with the white rubber, this is made by merely filtering the sap and then hardening it, I will call this ¡®raw rubber¡¯, and I haven¡¯t really found much use for it. In any case, the things I¡¯ve thought up is that you can use it to place a thin layer over a horses saddle, or create it into a belt kind of shape and attach it to something, and of course using it on bottom of boots and or shoes to act as a sort of cushioning, which will make it much softer and easier to walk with¡­¡­Ah and naturally it can also be made into shoe padding to be inserted into the shoe itself. Whilst it is fine to put it outside of the shoe, due to how soft it is, it may easily get damaged. The next one I will talk about is the brownish colored rubber, this rubber is more durable and elastic than the raw rubber and because of this, it is also able to produce more force. However, at the same time, it is easily cut using a sharp edged tool. The way we can use this brown rubber, is just like I mentioned previously, we can use it to improve our clothes or even use it to invent new types of weaponry, and it is likely that we can also use this for our shoes. Another thing is, depending on how thick we make it, we can use it to help package products and bundle them up. If we made this into a bag of some sort, I assure you that it will be much higher in quality, than the water skins we currently use, which is made out of goat and pig stomachs and skins. Ahh, that¡¯s right. When the sap dries out and hardens into rubber, water won¡¯t leak through it. Therefore, we can also use it to make corks for barrels to prevent fluids from leaking, if we wanted to, I could very easily create a cork and use it to cover the current water skins we have¡¹ ¡¸I see, it seems that there are many uses for it¡¹ I think that I was able to increase the amount of favourability he felt for my rubber products slightly? ¡¸And lastly, about this black rubber. This black rubber was made and discovered whilst I was creating the brown colored rubber, it is created by mixing various stones grind into powder form and some charred powders. That¡¯s why the color is black. At first mixing a little bit of the ground powder into the sap would actually make it more durable whilst increasing the elasticity, however, there is a limit to how much you can mix. When I started to include charred powders of various kinds, it immediately made the elasticity become worse, however, the hardness and the durability increased. That black rubber, please try to use this to cut it¡¹ Whilst I said this, I passed Hegard a knife. Hegard placed the knife on top of the black rubber, but because it was much tougher than expected he seemed to be quite surprised. ¡¸This is¡­..quite tough, isn¡¯t it. Not to the extent that I would be unable to cut it though. But still, it is considerably strong. If it¡¯s this durable, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it is tougher than wood¡¹ ¡¸Because it is considerably durable, I would propose that we name this rubber, ¡®hard rubber¡¯. Next, please try to cut this¡¹ I took out a black rubber which was in my left pocket, the dimensions of this particular rubber were: thickness 5 mm, width 2cm and length 10cm. ¡¸ ¡­.!! This isn¡¯t even that thick, but it¡¯s still really strong. If I were to use this knife, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to cut it. Even though it¡¯s this small, this is quite impressive¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Well this took time to carefully mix and create. So whilst it may become a little heavier, it shouldn¡¯t exceed the weight of metal or wood, and yet it¡¯s still sufficiently robust. If molded into the correct shape and size, we may even be able to use this in parts of our Armor, besides that, this hard rubber can also be attached to the bottom of the shoe to make it more durable. Of course, it¡¯s not like it won¡¯t whittle away slowly, and it also won¡¯t be as strong as metal. Because this black rubber is kind of glossy like ebony, therefore, I will name it ebonite¡¹ The look in my father¡¯s eyes changed. This looks like it¡¯s heading towards a good direction. ¡¸This product, in a single day, how much of it do you think can be made?¡¹ ¡¸The amount of sap and raw material that can be harvested from the tree each day is very little. The amount created into rubber is approximately 1/3. Therefore, in order to make the rubber over there, it will take around ten trees¡¹ ¡¸I want to ask you about this tree, where exactly is this tree located and how much of it is growing? ¡¹ He¡¯s asking me with a considerably serious look on his face. ¡¸It grows in the southwest of the village, and there is around 200 to 300 trees, I haven¡¯t really counted it one by one, so I can¡¯t tell you the precise figure¡¹ ¡¸I understand. Next question is, in order to create the sap and turn it into rubber, just how much magical energy needs to be expended? Is this something Sharl will be capable of doing?¡¹ It would seem that he¡¯s totally taken my bait. If it¡¯s like this, I think it will proceed nicely. ¡¸Because it uses earth magic to accomplish, I think it may be a little difficult. But if it¡¯s Aneesama, I think she will be able to do it without any problems. However, the raw materials can be obtained by a combination of things, the fluids you get when you burn the tree or the charred powder are things which can obtained from the mountains even if you didn¡¯t have any magical capabilities, as long as you had sufficient time and the correct procedure, without a doubt anyone would be able to create this product. In fact, all of the rubber I have shown you today was made without the use of magic¡¹(TL Aneesama = Elder sister) ¡¸I see, it seems that there are many methods you can use in order to create rubber. In that case, you should try to make something useful for us to sell. If it begins to sell well enough, we can expand to selling the products to Doritto Town. And if it goes exceptionally well, I can even think about buying you those horses¡¹ With that being said, it was time for me to go into development of rubber goods. We shall see what I can accomplish! Volume 1 - CH 19 Right now the amount rubber ready to be manufactured is not really that much. I will say that I have approximately around 30 kg worth of rubber. Whilst you may feel that 30 kg is a huge amount, it takes quite a bit of time before this much can be gathered from the tree. The Para rubber tree grows in the vicinity of our Bakkudo village and it took me around 30 trees in order to create approximately 250 g of rubber each day. In one month, I made around 7.5 kg worth of rubber. If I collected the sap every few days, I could maintain this process and in about half a year, it will be possible to collect more than 40 kg worth of rubber. If you wanted to mass produce it, then this kind of quantity wouldn¡¯t be able to cut it. However, considering that there was hundreds of trees growing in the wild, if I collected them all I could obtain a considerable amount, moreover in order to facilitate this process, I could also begin planting the seeds of this tree. If I am not mistaken, this species of rubber tree grows exceedingly fast, and whilst the quantity may not be much, sap can immediately obtained from the tree within the span of several years after the seeds have been planted. Now then, where should I begin? I suppose I should start with the shoes first. Typically, boots are made from the skin of pigs, and as for the soles of the shoes, the people of this world would usually have wood as the base of their shoes. After that, they would perform finishing touches by adding more leather. They did use tanned leather so it is quite durable, however, it¡¯s pretty much as durable as skin can get, besides, putting on these kinds of shoes will feel quite uncomfortable. Perhaps, I should remodel sandals. If I cut out the raw rubber in the shape of the sandal and then put a thin layer in the middle layer of the sandal, it will make it much more comfortable. I should also do this for the shoes so that it can act as additional cushioning. Moreover I should combine it with the hard black rubber and place this part at the bottom of the shoe to increase its durability. As for the hard rubber, I¡¯ve already prepared some beforehand so it should be fine. After creating these type of shoes, I tried putting them on for a moment. Because the size is for adults, it¡¯s a little baggy on me, but I think that it should have increased the amount of comfort. Well I can¡¯t really tell because it¡¯s too loose on me. But oh well. I started off by making something simple, and it seems that there is no problems as of yet. The next item I want to make should have a little more impact. I think that the wheels of wagons can be improved, but because this would take too much time, I postponed this thought until now. Because I need to put pressurized air into the tyre of the wheels, I should probably start by creating a tube to transport the air. If I spent more time on it, there is probably nothing that I wouldn¡¯t be able to create, but for now I don¡¯t know how to make the valve. Ah, wouldn¡¯t it be fine if I just used wind magic to directly insert the pressurized air into the tyre? That¡¯s true, I don¡¯t even need the valve then¡­ Alright, I think I will give it a go. First of all let¡¯s create the air tube. A long cylinder of about 5 cm in diameter is prepared, and just before the rubber hardens I poured the (brownish colored softer rubber) into the cylinder. In doing this, I created a 4 cm diameter tube that I could push into the tyre to transport the pressured air into it. Another option would have been to create a flat board of rubber which you would just roll into the shape of a cylinder but because it would take too much effort to bond it together, I scrapped this idea. If I can just combine this tube with the small ring in the rubber tyre, then I can begin to pump air into it. It seems that the small ring which is supposed to connect the two parts together is a little bit bigger than it was supposed to turn out, but it was still within my calculations. Well I will cover the hole out later with rubber so that the air doesn¡¯t leak out, so it shouldn¡¯t really matter that much. For now, let¡¯s just try it out and start by directly injecting the tyre with pressurized air via wind magic. Ohh, its working. It will be a problem if I raised the air pressure within the tyre by too much, so I should make sure that it inflates enough without exceeding the necessary amount of pressure. In any case, I also checked to make sure that no air would leak out of the tyre, by first placing water within the tyre itself to check for holes. It was at this point in time that I noticed that I missed a very important thing, I was shocked at myself. If I was going to outfit the wheel of the wagon with a tyre, I should have probably created a more modern looking kind of wheel, like the one they used for cars, right? Up until now, the wooden wheel used in this world could only travel past flat surfaces and it would heavily rock if it were to step on a log or something. That¡¯s right, I completely forgot to make the rim. If things were to go as it were right now, without including the rim, the components of my wheel would probably travel for a few meters before miserably breaking apart. In order to create a rim, I would actually need to be able to create the metallic outer circumference of the wheel along with the inner parts as well, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t work properly. For now, my magic is not at a high enough level to be able to accomplish something like that. Not only would I need to create metal I would then need to shape it accordingly for it to actually work, because I don¡¯t think I will be able to do this, I guess I have no choice but to give up on this idea for now¡­ Well it¡¯s not like I was in a rush to immediately create a completed tyre, so let¡¯s just defer the task of making the rim of the wheel until later. Well this would obviously mean that I cannot continue creating the tyre itself, but it can¡¯t be helped. It would be better for me create things that will make me money, what this means is that, I need to create products which are easy to sell. As far as trying to accomplish this goal, this would probably mean that I should create something like a protective armor with the hard rubber: ebonite. Well because it is already a sturdy material in itself, I don¡¯t think I will need to form it into the shape of an armor so per say. All I need to do is prepare a flat shaped rubber approximately around 3~40 cm in size. To be honest, I wanted to bind the flat surfaced rubber with wire to strengthen it even further, but because I am unable to create the wire right now, I gave up on that idea. Well if I did make a chainmail armor it should be in a square shape, right? After that I also prepared sling shots of various shapes and sizes, and also the suitable length elastic bands to go along with the various sling shots. In addition to this, I had previously made a rubber glove which I created so that I could manufacture the rubber without getting my hands contaminated. It takes quite the effort to put your hands into this glove and I¡¯ve finally been able to reduce the thickness to about 0.5mm. Of course the gloves I made were nothing like the medical gloves they had in my previous world, these ones were much thicker and quite unpleasant to put on but it wasn¡¯t really possible not to use it. The ones from my previous world probably had a thickness of around 0.1mm. It was not easy for me to make the raw rubber a lot thinner without sacrificing the durability. In highly populated areas of the village, there is surely demand for this product as there will be plenty of sick people and this can solve some of the hygiene problems¡­. Well at least for now, I think that this level of quality is already sufficient. After that I also managed to prepare protective gear for the back of the hands and wrist it resembled a gauntlet type thing. Well, although my products were still far from complete, there was nothing that needed rushing, if I asked around for some advice and help, I could probably learn how to create the rim for my tyres and also the wiring to create a better chainmail product. Hegard also managed to gain a little more knowledge about the production and characteristics of rubber, so I¡¯m pretty sure that he would be able to know what materials were needed for certain products and a general idea of how the product is made. Several months have passed, and the prototypes of certain products have been completed. My void magic has steadily increased in levels, and this has significantly contributed to my ability in shaping and manufacturing products. First I use earth magic and wind magic to build a mould, and it was even possible to create a miniature sized model of certain rubber products. I did try to make the rim for the tyres, but because I was using earth magic, it wasn¡¯t really made out of metal, and was instead made out of soil. Well, because I couldn¡¯t really make the rim, I decided to ask Hegard for help, but in order to make the metal rim we needed plenty of materials which means more money needed to be spent, moreover we needed to draw up the blueprints as well. Another thing was that the nearest blacksmith was only available in the vicinity of Dorrito town, which was obviously quite far away, and if the creation failed, than it would be really troublesome to get the blacksmith to fix the product. According to my limited knowledge of this world, all I knew was that dwarfs were a race that specialised in blacksmithing. And if I am not mistaken, I thought that there was a dwarf in Bakkudo village? One of the lesser samurai¡¯s clan was a dwarf clan. I was filled with high hopes and expectations when I asked the dwarf Flintogeru, for help, but he replied ¡°If every single dwarf was a blacksmith specialist, how do you think the dwarfs can plant agricultural crops and brew good alcohol?¡± Well I guess that¡¯s true. But the problem is that I¡¯ve never seen a smithing place, and I have never seen a blacksmithing tool. Is my only option to crazily devote myself to magic and find a way to process metal in such a way¡­..? No, that would be impossible. Considering the pace at which my void magic is going up in levels, if I continued to practice as I have been doing thus far, and let¡¯s not forget that I also have to practice using up my MP in order to increase it, I will take about 4~5 years before I can see tangible results. The best I can do is put pressurized air into the tyre, aside from that we will have to wait until later. For back-up tyres I made various kinds of tyres, where the inside was purely raw rubber, or where I experimented with the soft rubber or the hard rubber or a mixture of both. After all that experimentation, I did feel as though the overall product had been improved somewhat¡­. But if you were to ask me, if the products would sell, I wouldn¡¯t be able to say for sure. I managed to improve the sling shot pretty well, and I managed to combine the main part of the sling shot with the ebonite rubber to increase the toughness. I also improved the handle, so that it was much easier to grasp. In my humbled opinion it has already surpassed the level of a mere toy¡­ When I tested out its power by aiming at a tree, whilst it may differ slightly from each tree depending on the type of tree it was, I confirmed that it was able to pierce through most types of wood. I also wondered just how much damage it could cause to the protective gear I made with the use of the hard rubber, if I tested it out I could probably figure out the power of my sling shot and how well my gear protected its wearer. Moreover, I also created a hose about 1~2 cm in diameter using the soft rubber. Whilst there may not be much demand for this product in Bakkudo village, I still thought that in the highly populated areas, they would need something like a siphon as it was generally useful. Another thing was that I made a square cushion from the soft rubber so that we could sit on it. I shaped it like a square cushion from my previous world, and I basically put air on the inside to give it that feeling of soft buoyancy. The rubber was quite thick, so I don¡¯t think that air would leak out of it. If it was covered up in some sort of cloth, I¡¯m sure people will find plenty of uses for it, for example: the driver of the wagons can always use it to sit more comfortably, or it can be wrapped around cargo and used as a sort of protective cushioning etc¡­ Because of the rim problem, I still could not make the air filled tyres just yet, I continued to steadily improve the design and practicability of the hard rubber used to make the tyre, and also the air tube which was used to keep the pressurized air within the tyres, I basically used and created anything I could come up with. Volume 1 - CH 20 Chapter 19: Manufacturing Experiment I¡¯ve made some more prototypes recently. The first is a protector I¡¯ve made using the hard rubber. This piece of protective gear was modelled in a similar fashion to those protective pads worn by athletes competing in American football and or Ice Hockey. The thickness is around 1 cm and I wanted to make it using the hard rubber, but I noticed that I couldn¡¯t really create a curved surfaced armor very well, so I decided to make each part individually. I used earth magic and wind magic to create the parts and then I used void magic to further shape the parts, I think I did relatively well. The best thing about using magic, is that you didn¡¯t have to individually create the parts using your hands and fingers, it was mainly created using the power of your mind and imagination, so it¡¯s really convenient in a sense. I got carried away and started thinking that I could make a full blown armor made of rubber, but I quickly realized that I couldn¡¯t figure out the problem to increasing the breathability of the armor and also the problem of its weight, whilst it wasn¡¯t as heavy as a metal based armor, it was still quite heavy for its size. Or more like I realized that we have a limited amount of rubber, so the idea of making a full fledged armor was rejected for now. Well in the end, by installing my protective rubber gear to the existing model of leather and cloth type armors, I managed to attach the protective rubber in various key locations to protect the main parts of the body. I created various types of protective gear, namely: the protective shoulder pads and elbow pads, and when I remembered the Kamen Rider series I used to watch, I couldn¡¯t help but to create a chest protector and belly band, furthermore to connect all the pieces together, I used a conveyor belt made out of rubber. As for the metal fittings used to create the belt, for now I used a combination of ebonite and small metal pieces. By normal standards, most people back in my earth would think the design has a lot of improvements that can be made to it, however, as a trial product, I can just get the samurai clans to wear it, and I don¡¯t think it will be a huge problem to do this. If you combined this with the hand and wrist guard I made previously out of the ebonite material, it would pretty much cover the whole upper-body in black rubber material and you will look kind of like a ninja. (Well I naturally knew back then that there was no such thing as ninja¡¯s but when I was a kid I used to read plenty of manga and now I could only see this piece of armor as a ninja¡¯s armor). The front surface of my protective gear was covered in ebonite of course to increase the durability, furthermore I also created various parts for the lower body as well, in particular areas to protect the knees, thighs and shin regions. Next I want to talk about shoes and sandals. On the feet side of things, there was no problems whatsoever. Up until now, the shoes in Orth were either made out of pieces of leather and or knitted with wheat straws, considering this fact, the rubber improved version of shoes that I created were much more comfy to wear by far and I think that the people were really satisfied with the quality of this product. Another thing that has recently become quite popular with the customers is when I applied the soft rubber to the linen cloth they wore. This type of cloth that I created by mixing linen with the soft rubber was truly versatile in the amount of uses it had. Although the durability of the product is only at a moderate level, you can wear the product like a raincoat and you can also use it as a hood to cover cargo when transporting various goods under the rain. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s really useful? Another high selling point was that if you rolled up the material tightly it can save up a lot of space and because it wasn¡¯t bulky you could easily store it away. In addition, in regards to the sling shots I created, this product was especially popular with the male population. I wonder if it would have been better for me to prepare even more powerful weapons¡­ I managed to create ebonite spherical shaped marble bullets which was around 1 cm in diameter, when I tried shooting with these new bullets I found that they flew really well and their power was quite good. It¡¯s just that the weight was lighter than metal moreover, if you were to just talk about the power then even if you picked up a small jagged stone, it would still be better than the ebonite bullets. Obviously I already took into consideration my heaviest rubber, and if I wanted the heaviest one it would have to be ebonite. There was no problems with the bullet being affected by air resistance, and this is quite important as a bullet that couldn¡¯t accurately reach its aim was essentially useless. What¡¯s more is that I found that the square cushion which used a mixture of soft rubber and an inflation of air was quite popular, however in terms of the hose which I thought would be popular in dense areas, people didn¡¯t really understand the use for such a product and it turned out to be really unpopular. Well the villagers did understand that the concept that the hose could be used as a sort of siphon, whereby they could use it to transport water from the bucket and let it flow through the hose, but even after knowing this, the demand for the product was low. I think that if a bathroom becomes popularly used in Orth then it would totally boost the popularity of this hose product¡­..I even created a rubber plug to go along with it, but I guess considering the culture of this world, I¡¯m put in the awkward situation of being unable to sell these types of products. When Hegard¡¯s Greed clan and the Samurai family clans advertised the rubber products that I made, in general the populous reacted really well to the products. It would really be inappropriate if Hegard claimed that all of these products were made by a kid like me, so what was explained to the public was that Hegard had thought of these ideas and merely ordered me to create these products. In any case people seem to believe that the second son of the Greed household was extraordinary¡­ I conducted the test for durability for my products and this test will last for about 2 months. I also tried testing the protective gear I made by placing it on a wooden dummy and then using a sword to stab and pierce the armor to test its endurance. Well, I think everything should be fine¡­ In terms of me creating the rubber products, Myun did not show any suspicious behaviours and was acting as per normal. But there was this one instance where Hegard held a big product launch and he said ¡°Because this is a really important matter, I think it will be better for everyone to attend¡±, therefore all of the important Samurai clans were invited along with any people who served under our family, naturally Myun was a part of our household so she was allowed to come along as well. I was wondering if by attending this special event, Myun would have some sort of reaction¡­ I was really careful whenever I made the rubber products to make sure to be in a secluded location before I created the products with magic. In any case, I think that even if she saw the prototypes in this particular event, it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. Even in the worst case scenario where these products were stolen without me realizing, considering the fact that one day I plan to sell these products outside of Bakkudo village, even if it gained more outside exposure, I wasn¡¯t really bothered by this. I also decided not to show any half-baked products which had a high amount of strategic value such as: the vehicle tyres and the rim. The only thing I showed in the presentation was an old prototype of one of the experimental tyres. Naturally other than the high value tyres which I omitted on purpose, there was also a couple of other unrefined products that I also omitted from the public¡¯s view. For instance, in I did not publicise any magical tools in the event. In any case, out of the products that were shown in the presentation, I managed to see a clear change in Myun¡¯s expression two times in the whole event. The first noticeable reaction she had was when I showed her something I thought she would be surprised with, and the other item she got surprised with was out of my predictions. The first product she was surprised with was the sling shot. Well to be honest because this was to be expected to a certain degree after seeing a new invention, when her facial expression changed after seeing the sling shot, it gave me a hint as to what she may have been thinking. After all, considering that this was a world largely at war, when seeing a new weapon invented one would have a certain amount of surprise. In any case, this may be the first time she had shown any reaction so at the very least, if she really was acting as a spy, I managed to figure out one of her interests, and I at least have a general idea of what I needed to be worried about. When I announced the sling shot, out of the people who attended, the samurai clans had plenty of questions, but other than the military personnel, and especially out of the women the only one who asked questions about the sling shot was Myun. Myun¡¯s question was ¡°With this tiny bow thing called a sling shot, even Al-sama can output that much power?¡± More so than a question, it was more like she was trying to get an approximation of its war potential whilst praising me at the same time. Another time when she changed her expression was when I showed her the improved version of the sling shot, this particular sling shot was able to shoot out a buck shot of bullets. In honesty at that point in time, I was getting a little too caught up by the fact that everyone was taking a liking to the sling shot and because Myun seemed interested I even presented the buck shot sling shot as a demonstration. The buckshot version of the sling shot had the same Y based handle, in other words, the only thing that changed is the elastic band used to shoot the bullets, this band was replaced with circular ebonite ring with a diameter of approximately 5cm. this ring is then fitted with several layers of thick rubber like condoms. These condoms were stretchy and could fit around 20 small 2 millimetre ebonite balls, and when you fully stretched out the material and fired it like a catapult, the projectiles can fly up to 15 m with a spread of around 1.5 meter for each bullet. When I previously tested the power of this device, it could leave a dent of about 2 cm into a tree. If it hit your eyes, it would most definitely make you go blind, and if it came into contact with bare skin, it would without a doubt be very painful. However, as long as it doesn¡¯t hit the eyes, if an adult just covered his face and ran past, whilst it may hurt a lot it wouldn¡¯t be enough to completely obstruct them from advancing. Naturally, the closer the target is to the buck shot the stronger the power becomes. I liked to hang this on my waist and pretend that it was some sort of cool handgun. I also made an elastic belt around 10 cm in length which could holster my sling shot. Like a western cowboy gunman I set up the sling shot inserting the bullets, I held the slingshot in my left hand and pulled back the elastic rubber holding the bullets as far as it could stretch and then released them towards the cedar boards which was approximately 15 m ahead, when I did this three of the cedar boards which had been lined up in advance broke upon impact. After launching the buckshot version of the sling shot which was connected to my waist by the rubber belt I could just naturally let go of the sling shot from my left hand and it would instantly fall back into place on my waist. At a time like this, if this was real combat, you could easily approach the wounded person in question and just finish them off with a knife at close distance. The great thing about this is that the time between taking the shot and transitioning into some other action is virtually seamless. Furthermore, it didn¡¯t really have a difficult process of needing to set up the sling shot before hand, and all you needed to do was grab the bullets and shove them into the sling shot, so if given another chance, you could also just launch another barrage of attacks, it was quite a convenient device. Additionally considering that there are around 20 bullets the area of effect is quite large, even if you aren¡¯t the most accurate aimer in the world, the chances of hitting the target is increased exponentially. You also cannot disregard the amount of power it has. Myun observed all of this with a calm gaze but to a certain extent I could see that she was really surprised. The other thing that Myun was really interested in other than the sling shot was actually the shoes. Because many other people were also really interested in this product, her actions didn¡¯t stand out that much, but one thing that was special about this was that when it was allowed for the people to try on the shoes, Myun personally tried the shoes. The shoes Myun tried on was not the boots, and was the sandal type, so considering that she was a servant, choosing to try on the sandals were quite a normal thing. However, the sandals she chose were ones that had a rubber strap on the top and could securely fix the foot in place, it was almost like a sneaker type sandal. This was one of the goods that made full use of the rubber characteristics. She tried walking in them, running in them and even lightly jumping up and down to confirm the efficiency of the product. At the very least I was able to make something which drew Myun¡¯s interest. The next step is for me to properly observe what Myun will do with the information she has obtained. Will Myun wait until I¡¯ve finished doing all my durability tests within these two months? Or will she immediately take action in order to go somewhere or to report this to somebody? There is also the miniscule possibility that it is all just my imagination and that her gazed just seemed to be suspicious. After all, she didn¡¯t even show an interest in the armor I created which was definitely one of the main attractions of rubber in my opinion. To be honest, I really thought that if she were to show interest in something, it would be the armor¡­ Well, the protective gear is one of the inventions which I am quite proud of and was the hardest for me to create, so I guess I may be a little biased towards it. Volume 1 - CH 21 Chapter 20: Product Launch! After the product launch presentation day, I have been observing Myun even more carefully than before. During the daytime she was always hanging around our house, so it wasn¡¯t really a problem to keep track of her, however the problem occurred when it came night time and when she returned to her own house. I was already staying with my brother and sister in the kid¡¯s room and I managed to create a surveillance type magic. With that being said, it wasn¡¯t anything too special. The moment that I was able to detect the amount of experience she had with my appraisal ability, I already started to have suspicions about her, and that¡¯s when I tried my hardest to think up a skill to monitor her. I realized that sometimes she would go out at night time and accumulate around 100 experience points, so there is obviously a need for me to see what she¡¯s doing at night time. Half of the reason I decided to develop this type of magic was because I was really curious how she was able to accumulate this amount of exp. In short the magic was basically a clapper made out of magic. Rather than actually monitoring her movements, it was more like a bell that would ring and tell me whenever a living being with a certain mass entered and or left the house. Of course, I was the only one capable of hearing this noise. I used a combination of wind magic and void magic to create this spell, but I don¡¯t think that my brother or sister could use this spell because they weren¡¯t very proficient with wind magic. In order to create and invoke this Clapper magic you only needed 8 mana in total (3 Mana from Wind magic, 5 Mana from Void magic), However in order to keep it active for long periods of time, you obviously needed quite a bit of mana invested in the ability. The amount of time the magic will remain active is set before creating the clapper, for it to persist for ten seconds, it would require a consumption of 1 Mana. Just keeping the spell active for 1 hour actually required a huge consumption of 360 Mana. Well in my case, I had an overabundance of MP so there were no problems in the Mana department. I would create this magic to persist before I slept until around morning time, and it would continue being active for approximately 10 hours, therefore it would immediately consume 3600 MP plus 8 MP totalling to 3608 MP. In all honestly the fact that it is able to immediately consume a huge amount of Mana is such a blessing in disguise for me and I¡¯m really glad to have created such a useful spell. Lately, I have been using most of my MP in creating my rubber type equipment so I don¡¯t really have the time to specifically stand still and just expend my MP. In the case that I do have MP left over, it is just a simple matter of using ¡°Anti Magical Field¡± and aiming it towards the empty sky, this spell uses a considerable amount of MP so expending MP is a simple matter. Although I want to boast about creating such a convenient magic, in truth there is a huge flaw to my clapper which reduced its effectiveness by quite a lot. Even if I correctly applied my clapper magic on to Myun, the chance of me realizing it when it activates is actually quite miniscule. Let¡¯s say for example I set the clapper at 7 pm until 12 am. I have to expend all of my MP and then go to sleep. When I do this, I sleep like a log. All of my MP is used up therefore, unless there was a really strong stimulus, within the 4 hours of my deep sleep, there is no way that I would be able to wake up. Something like a strong flying kick or perhaps a hard slap to my face is required to wake me up. Even if I tossed and turned from my bed and fell down into the floor, this kind of impact would not be enough to wake me up. Naturally, I won¡¯t be awoken by the sound of a mere clapper. Another thing is, even if I did manage to wake up somehow, I would be feeling so sluggish and really fatigued that I wouldn¡¯t be able to move. Since there is a growth opportunity for Mana until the age of 10, whenever possible I do try to increase my MP. I normally sleep at night and try to wake up after mid night in order to expend my recovered Mana again, however considering that I might have to monitor Myun¡¯s movements, should I perhaps reduce the rate of my MP gain so that I can monitor her movements properly? At the very least within these 5 years I haven¡¯t been able to detect any suspicious actions from Myun, but is this perhaps because I have been too lax and negligent? Although it is certainly not a good idea to be over think it, I felt that something was a little different with Myun today. I just have this feeling that she¡¯s about to do something. Though this may be because I¡¯m just being oversensitive. Even though I¡¯m kind of reluctant, I think that I can afford to skip expending all of my mana during the night if it¡¯s just for a period of several months. In order to make sure that nothing is going on, this may be a prudent action to take. The adult part of my mind noticed that perhaps this curiosity was part of the six-years old child mentality within me. Although I have been able to control my emotions quite well, I feel like this time around the curiosity is only growing more and more. Tonight, I want to try setting the clapper for 10 hours but I want to make sure that I still have a little bit of MP left over. I think that I will try this for a period of 3 months at max. By the way, within these 5 years of me expending my MP to its limits, I¡¯ve obtained more knowledge about how magic works. I have already been able to use the four elements in magic (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind) along with Void magic, I wanted to talk to you about how these 5 magical systems work together. Magic ability works in a similar fashion to inherent abilities in the sense that they both have levels to increase. When the level of the four great elemental magic¡¯s is increased, the main thing that increases is the quantity of that certain element that you can produce, however it is a completely different scenario for Void magic. When Void Magic is levelled up, the amount of things you can do increases. When the level of the Elemental Magic¡¯s is increased the things you can do with it is still the same, just because of this one factor, when someone levels up their Void Magic, they will feel as if they have grown stronger as a magician. As an example, if your earth magic was LV 0, you would only be able to produce a miniscule amount of soil. At LV 1 Earth Magic, you would be able to produce around 1 cup¡¯s worth of soil. And each Level you increase, you will be able to produce more soil, that¡¯s about it. To put this simply, the amount of soil you can cast is increased whilst the amount of Mana expended stays proportional, so essentially you are basically raising your ¡®limit¡¯ in terms of how much of that particular element you can control. Similarly, for water magic, it¡¯s the amount of water you can produce, however for fire magic it isn¡¯t the amount of fire you can produce, instead each level will increase the temperature range of fire. For Wind Magic the amount of Wind you can produce along with how much wind pressure it can produce is increased. Well Wind Magic and Fire Magic is a little bit of an exception to the rule, so I think that I will explain it in more depth the next time I get a chance. However, going back to Void Magic, whilst Void Magic is unable to produce anything in specific, it is able to affect things that are already created. Previously I have already briefly explained how the magic Flame Thrower works. Flame Thrower works by using ¡®Harden¡¯ and ¡®Continuation¡¯, but if you also combine it with ¡®Diffusion¡¯ and ¡®Guidance¡¯ than it can become exceedingly useful. In this case the words ¡®imagination is really important for magic¡¯ stands true. For example, Sharl might like to use ¡®Harden¡¯ to cast her spell, but for me I may prefer to use ¡®Fusion¡¯ and ¡®Direction¡¯ as this would better fit the description of the spell in my opinion. In reality, my Flame Thrower would obviously be able to work in the same way as Sharl¡¯s Flame Thrower, however it would surpass hers in several ways. Not only would I be able to increase the force of the fire, I would also be able to make it fly much further, Additionally, it¡¯s directionality will also increase, I can even gather the fire to a certain point creating something akin to a high temperature burner. If I wanted to pour more of my magical energy into the spell, it would be possible for me to create an ultra-high temperature burner, that was 1 cm in diameter with a reach of 10 m for at least one hour. By the way, if I added ¡®Guidance¡¯ I could even start making that ultra-high speed burner into the shape of a snake and I could start to wield it as a sort of Flame Whip. It is also possible to combine magic fire magic with the other types of elemental magic. If I added ¡°Launch¡± to the mix of Void spells, I could probably make it spring up like a snake and then launch itself, the moment it reached its target, the snake made out of flame would coil itself around its target and burn the target. Well, I haven¡¯t tried these out personally though. It seems that I may have gone a little off topic. Before going to sleep I would wash my face, and it was at this moment that I also looked towards Myun¡¯s house which was about 300 m southwest and set up the Clapper. The time it will persist for is 10 hours. If nothing happens until the morning, then I would as per usual eat breakfast and practice my magic in order to expend all my MP and go to sleep until midday, in the afternoon I would test out the durability of my rubber products and try to improve the models. And finally at night, I would reset the Clapper so that I could monitor Myun. The amount of times I can fully expend my MP has been restricted to once a day, but I suppose this can¡¯t be helped. For argument¡¯s sake, even if I didn¡¯t manage to find out where she went, or who she came into contact with, as long as I was able to find out how she managed to secretly increase her experience, this will have been worth it for me. Sure enough, several days later I think at around 9 PM, my Clapper reacted. I was already asleep at this point in time, but because I didn¡¯t expend all my MP I was able to wake up quite easily. I quietly got out of bed and pretending that I wanted to go to the toilet, I sneaked outside. I already secretly placed sandals inside of the bushes so I quickly put those on and fixed the strap to it. As I stood up I also invoked appraisal, when I looked towards the Tobasu House that Myun was in, she was already out of the range of my Appraisal and I couldn¡¯t find her. Crap. Don¡¯t tell me I just failed. I don¡¯t know which direction Myun went to¡­. Just when I thought I failed, I suddenly sensed a shadow of a person walking in the moonlight just 200 meters east of the Greed Household. Judging from the height, it may well be Myun. Because I could still activate target selection mode in Appraisal, after using my Appraisal I found out that it was indeed Myun. Whilst trying to suppress my excitement I tried to follow her footsteps carefully. Just in case I created a wall of wind 10 m in front of myself, just to create a sound proof wall to nullify any loud footsteps that I might make. Also in order to make sure that I didn¡¯t lose track of her again, I increased the brightness of Myun using my Appraisal mode, she was about 150 m apart from me walking through a field. I was still quite short and below 1 m in height, so I used this to my advantage, and it kind of brought back memories of my training in the self-defence force. Myun didn¡¯t even look behind her or around her, it was like she was walking in daylight she had a firm stride as she walked. Myun was walking a path cutting straight through the village towards the south. After walking for about 30 minutes she was no longer walking along the fields and she was walking into the main road away from our village. Beyond this point was a river bank which continued towards the south, and after a while there should be a road that curved towards the east. I was actually wondering at this point in time whether it was worth it to venture this far away from the village as it could become more dangerous, however considering that I¡¯ve come this far by throwing away my opportunity to grow my MP, I thought that it would be such a shame to just turn back now. In the off-chance that I did encounter some sort of monster along the main road, I was sure that I could use my magic to deal with it somehow, and I supressed my fear and decided to proceed onwards. I strengthened my resolve and I was maintaining my distance of approximately 150 m behind Myun. Following the road down south for about one hour, we reached another river that flows towards the southwest. The main road had a path that lead to towards the east. I was looking at Myun whilst keeping low. I hid myself in the root of this tree that was just perfect for my size waiting to see what she would do. Myun was looking around confirming that nobody was around and she took something out of her pocket and she headed from the main road towards the river. I quickly Appraised the item that she took out. ¡¾Korisaru Pellet¡¿ ¡¾Korisaru Grass¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Generation Day: 11/12/7434¡¿ ¡¾Value: 100¡¿ ¡¾Endurance value: 8¡¿ ¡¾Taking the leaf of the Korisaru Grass, drying it and then turning it into fine powder, Additionally an earthworm is mixed into the powder and pressed together to make this item¡¿ ¡¾If you load it up with magical energy and then place it into the water, it will soak up the water and change into a red jelly substance. Depending on the amount of magical energy poured into it, the gel should be able to persist for a couple of days before breaking down. It is a harmless substance¡¿ This is what came out of Appraisal¡­ I don¡¯t think that this Korisaru Grass is anything special. If I used my Appraisal on the surrounding shrubberies, I could easily spot some of these plants growing around the woods, but seeing it in its pellet form was a first time for me. What is she planning on doing with such a thing? I think it would be better if I watched the situation for a bit longer. Just when I was thinking about this, I realized something. That piece of gel was most probably used as a method of communication. The gel is swept away and flows down the river and I¡¯m guessing that someone will be on the other side to spot the gel. Even if it did get caught up somewhere, after drifting along for a while it should be able to reach its destination. After a few days, the gel would decompose leaving no tracks behind. It is likely that this wasn¡¯t an emergency type thing, and it was more like whenever Myun acquired some information, or if she obtained some goods, she would request for the other party to come and meet her, and this red jelly substance would be used as the signal to indicate her desire to meet¡­. If I am not mistaken, this river will continue to flow to the southwest, and will end up at a tiny sandy beach which will converge to the sea. I don¡¯t really know exactly how fast the speed of the gel will travel across the water, but judging from the slow flow of water of the river, it shouldn¡¯t be that fast. If there was someone that was waiting for a signal downstream, then it probably had to travel slowly so that it would be noticeable, right? Anyways, right now the time is around 10 PM, even at the fastest time, it will still need to flow down the river for approximately 7~8 hours. What should I do? My first option is to just do nothing and continue to watch what happens. The merit of this option is that including Myun, no one will be able to discover that I¡¯ve been tracking her. Meaning that Myun is convinced that no one has realized that she has been trying to get into contact with someone outside of the village. However, the disadvantage of this option is that this may turn out to be bigger than I expected. And in this case, Myun would have contacted someone from the outside, and potentially leaked out some very valuable information. Another option is to follow the gel down the stream without Myun¡¯s notice and retrieve it. As long as it didn¡¯t go too deeply into the water, because I have magic, I should be able to retrieve it. In this situation, I could probably pull it off once or twice, but after a while Myun would realize that her communication was not effective and she might try to find another method to get into contact with the people in the outside. Well before that happens, I could also report Myun and hand her over to Hegard, but unless she was caught red-handed, it would be really troublesome to explain how I managed to figure this out. The last option is for me to challenge and stop Myun here and now. The only merit in doing something like this is the possibility that everything is settled by tonight. The disadvantage is that I may not be able to get a clear proof of her actions and in the worst case I may actually have to fight her in battle. Even though Myun¡¯s true level is actually level 9, if I went full out and used all the magic in my disposal, I could probably knock her down if push comes to shove. To begin with, if I wasn¡¯t confident in my ability to win against her, I wouldn¡¯t even try to track her down. It¡¯s just that no matter what choice I make my relationship with Myun will probably break apart. When I thought about it simply, it was not good of her to try and contact someone from the outside. Even in terms of the rubber, although I did have plans to spread this product and sell it to a large audience at a later stage, if she leaked out the manufacturing methods of certain products or the method in which to collect the sap from the rubber tree, this could become really bad for me. Even within our family, Hegard has tried to keep this as top secret as possible, and the important things have always been kept within the Loyal Samurai families and not spread to the public. In the worst possible scenario, I may have to restrict Myun without killing her and take away her freedom to act. Even today, after expending a huge amount of mana in creating my Clapper, and then using mana during the afternoon to improve and repair my rubber products, I still had over 1000 MP in my arsenal. According to the scenario, I may even be able to enter negotiations with her and settle this peacefully. Considering that Myun has yet to realize my presence, I could use Earth Magic, in order to completely bind her movements and covering her entire body only allowing her head out of the soil to allow for breathing. I could also use Water Magic, using water to accelerate the growth of the plants and vegetation around her in order to bind her movements, however, if I used this method, she could have a knife and just cut her way out. I think it would be safer to go with the Earth Magic as I could just launch the mass of earth and press it together to tightly seal her movements. Whilst thinking about these things, Myun was inserting magical energy into the pellet. The pellet she took out was held in her right hand and her hand was shining with the faint blue color of magic. There is already no time left¡­ In that case, I should strike whilst the iron is still hot! I immediately invoked a huge amount of soil which is about 1 m in height and 10 m in all four directions right above Myun¡¯s head and using Void magic I shaped it into a circular shape, and caught Myun inside of it. Myun was totally surprised that a large amount of soil suddenly appeared above her head, and I made sure that the soil didn¡¯t bury her head whilst quickly tightening the circle of soil around her body. She was about 150 m away from me so it took roughly three seconds for the soil to travel above her, and it took another one second for it to harden into place. That just now, took around 40 MP from me, but I still had plenty more where that came from. If you were a normal magician, you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to cast anymore magic after this. After coming this far¡­ ah, I realized that I have another option of just returning home and informing Hegard about the current situation. But on second thought scrap that idea. Myun¡¯s whole body was covered in the earth and I slowly approached her from behind, using a murky voice to question her. Of course, I also made a wall of earth, just in case she turned her head around. ¡¸Hey, what are your objectives for doing this?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Who are you? I haven¡¯t done¡­¡­..¡¹ Is she trying to play dumb? This can¡¯t be helped I suppose¡­. I used my Void Magic and then specifically retrieved the Korisau Pellet from her right hand, the moment I took this from her, I closed the hole again. ¡¸Then tell me, what is this?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm, I wonder, what could it be?¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t need to feign ignorance. Why did you have such a thing in your possession?¡¹ ¡¸That voice¡­.Is it perhaps, Al-sama?¡¹ Myun¡¯s voice was filled with surprise. Oh man, I even purposely used a deep murky voice, but isn¡¯t she finding out it was me way too easily? What¡¯s the point of me even creating this wall and hiding behind it¡­. I proceeded onwards without replying. ¡¸Answer the question¡¹ ¡¸Doing something like this so suddenly, I¡¯m going to tell on you to your father you know?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, I don¡¯t mind if you do. That¡¯s if you can tell him. First, you need to answer my question¡¹ ¡¸Al-sama, if this is a joke, you¡¯re going to far desuyo. Please, hurry up and let me free¡¹ Umu, She¡¯s already found out that it¡¯s me, I guess it can¡¯t be helped¡­ I turned around to face Myun head on whilst lowering the wall of earth. ¡¸Hey, you know I wouldn¡¯t do this kind of thing as a joke or if I wanted to play around. Quickly, please just answer my question¡¹ ¡¸Even if you say that, all I have been doing is going out for a nice stroll¡¹ ¡¸Going on a stroll? Don¡¯t you know that this is the middle of the night? Did you think you could trick me with those kinds of lies?¡¹ ¡¸Along with taking a nice walk, I was also planning on throwing out the garbage¡¹ Humph. Now she¡¯s using garbage as an excuse? ¡¸Myun, although you are just planning on throwing rubbish away, you needed to use magic for such a chore? Just before, I clearly saw you gathering magical energy¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸And also look¡­¡­..Status Open¡­¡­.Myun, you don¡¯t seem to have any magical skills judging from your status. However, I am certain that just now you were using magic. How do you expect me to see this situation then?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Are you trying to stay silent? By the way, I can also use water magic. If I started to create a water bubble in this situation and immerse your head in the water, what do you think would happen?¡¹ ¡¸Are you planning on killing me?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm~ I wonder~?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you threaten me, you won¡¯t get anything out of me¡¹ This is getting pointless. No matter what I say it doesn¡¯t seem to be working¡­ Well then, how about this¡­ ¡¸I already know most of it anyways. Myunerin Saguaru-san. Not just the fact that you can use magic, you even lied about your age, right? In truth you are 24 years of age aren¡¯t you? The fact that you are pretending to be 2 years younger, aren¡¯t you just a fraud? Do you know who Dangle is?¡¹ Myun¡¯s complexion changed. After all, I just blatantly told her that I could see through her hidden status window. Should I continue asking leading questions? ¡¸In the past I¡¯ve always thought that it was weird. I saw that some of your status had something different about it. In truth I bet that you can also use Wind magic, and even Void Magic¡­.. There is also another thing I found strange. Sometimes during the day, you would forget about your duties and skip work, right?¡¹ Naturally, the things I was saying was a lie. I am only merging what I already know about her to create something believable. However, Myun seems to have given up after my questioning. ¡¸Have you already noticed it?¡¹ ¡¸What?¡¹ ¡¸The fact that I am able to disguise my Status¡¹ ¡¸I already pointed that out a while ago. So why don¡¯t you start telling me the truth?¡¹ Volume 1 - CH 22 ¡¸Can I assume that you came to Bakkudo with a hidden motive since the beginning?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, 8 years ago the village of Serino was in a skirmish and using that as a distraction, I had plans to enter the Ron Belt Kingdom, in the end I managed to infiltrate Bakkudo successfully. Do you know about the battle at Serino village?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve heard of it. Father also participated in this battle. Aside from that though, I don¡¯t have much information in the matter¡¹ In reality I knew more information. I knew that Myun had come to our house at the request of Dangle so it was natural to investigate it. Well when I asked Hegard about this matter, I tried to make it low-key by asking about the circumstances of how he had to depart to the front lines for battle. Naturally the war that Hegard participated in was the ¡°The Battle of Serino village¡±, therefore he would inadvertently talk about Myun and also about his older battles that he participated in, nevertheless I didn¡¯t have all the full details. What I did know was that Serino Village was a highly sought after territory by both the Debasu kingdom and the Ron Belt Kingdom, 8 years ago this particular village had plenty of skirmishes. Debasu Kingdom existed in the southern borders of the Ron Belt Kingdom and since a long time ago, the border zone was in heavy dispute. It can even be said that there is a skirmish that occurs every single year at the southern border of the Ron Belt Kingdom. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really a large-scale battle, the skirmish consisted of around 2000 people after including both countries and their reserve corps. It was probably like one of those back and forth battles whereby they used spears in order to ward each other off and they would repeatedly gain and loses inches of territory. In terms of the two countries colliding in a total war possessing an army in the tens of thousands, according to what is recorded in history, this occurred about 120 years ago. And since that battle, the countries have both tried to recuperate their forces and temporally retreated to the edge of their borders in which every year they would repeat these types of small scale skirmishes. By the way, the large scale battle was named ¡°The battle of the dirt prairie¡±. The Dirt Prairie is a fertile plot of land that exists in the boundary of the Ron Belt Kingdom and the Debasu Kingdom. It had a pleasant river and minimal forestation, moreover the land didn¡¯t have many up and downs or hills which made it an optimal plot of land to cultivate and develop. Originally, in the middle of this Dirt Prairie field, a green dragon existed and this dragon was actually acting as the perfect wall for the two kingdoms. Therefore, only small disputes would occur and they would occur away from the middle of the field and the dangerous green dragon. However, there was this one time that a group of strong adventurers came in order to subdue the green dragon. At the time, the party of adventurers who subjugated the dragon were actually made up of people from both the countries, therefore, both kingdoms sought to claim that this Dirt Prairie was theirs. This is how the current problem came to be. Naturally both countries would want this plain plot of land. In this world because earth magic exists, as long as there is fertile block of land, it will be relatively easy to commence development and relocate those people from urban areas. However, if the plot of land was filled with hilly uneven grounds and completely covered in a thicket of forest, then it would be unrealistic to use earth magic to cultivate the land. Sharl has an above average amount of MP in comparison to most magicians, and even if she were to use earth magic to cultivate the land, with the amount of MP in her possession, even if she were to go full out every single day for a whole month, I doubt she would even be able to develop 1 acre of land. (TL: this is about 4046.86 square metres) Not only would you need to level the earth to make it even, you also need to use the earth magic to clear any large rocks or obstructions. Unless you dug around 1 meter deep to make sure no large rocks were in the way, the farmers wouldn¡¯t be able to cultivate crops properly. To begin with, although a magician may be good at using a particular element of magic, if there is already an abundance of say earth or forest, if you wanted to remove the earth or transport it from one location to another, you would need to combine your elemental magic with void magic. Well I may be a special existence in this world as I have a huge amount of MP, but at least for the people of this world, it would be impractical to clear and clean a rampant area filled with hills and forests. In addition to this, the efficiency of magic changes quite drastically depending on the level of your magic. Anyways I feel like I¡¯m going to rant on too much about magic, so let¡¯s go back to our main point. In conclusion, just let me summarize that cultivating lands in this type of Prairie Field which was not only fertile but didn¡¯t have many hills or rocky areas was a superb location for development, and possessing such a plot of land could easily expand the territory of a nation. It is only natural for these countries to want such a thing. As a matter of course, this Dirt Plain was also ideal in terms of how close it was to the countries, so if they succeeded in claiming the territory, it would be easy to build a city and increase the strength of their nation. In an ideal scenario, the city that they developed could be used as a fortification point whereby it restricted the neighbouring countries from entering the border and this would be an overwhelming advantage that would give one party a huge boost in comparison to the other. I probably don¡¯t need to say this, but obviously both countries have tried to send people in order to set up a village. However, even if they wanted to do this kind of sneaky base set up, it is necessary to hide the village secretly until military forces could be sent to reinforce the small village. In terms of this kind of small base set ups, there has been several attempts. However, none of these kingdoms were dumb so they would periodically send a small unit of scouters to scan for the area and check to make sure that no secret bases were being set up, by sending these scouting parties, each country would be able to gain an accurate whereabouts of the village and its scale of operations. Moreover, just before it could grow into a threatening village the countries would most definitely send a force big enough to crush the developing base. This would be repeated over and over. And, one of the more famous battles was precisely the battle that occurred in the ¡°Village of Serino¡±. Serino village was just a little to the west of the central portion of the Dirt Prairie, and it was one of the first villages that Debasu kingdom tried to secretly develop. Soon afterwards Ron belt kingdom took possession of the village, and immediately following that, the Debasu Kingdom launched a counter attack to reclaim the village. After it being retaken by the Debasu Kingdom, the Debasu Kingdom were really cautious and they diligently worked to cover up any information leakage, they even managed to wipe out a scouting party from the Ron Belt Kingdom before they could get any essential information about the scale of development within the village. Feeling the pressure and sensing a crisis approach if they were to let Debasu Kingdom freely develop Serino Village, the Ron Belt Kingdom formed an army big enough to trample down Serino Village with brute force this is precisely the battle that happened 8 years ago, which was named ¡°The Battle of Serino Village¡± And at that particular time, Bakkudo village was drafted to become one of the forces that was required to attend the war, and it was also at this time that Hegard who was the current Lord of the village at the time organized a force filled and marched to battle. Amongst those people that participated in the war was Dangle Tobasu, who is the current foster father of Myun. They were able to successfully take the Serino Village by storm and occupy it, but they would soon receive the retaliation attack from the rallied forces of the Debasu Kingdom. Although they managed to hold the forces off, they also received heavy casualties and had no choice but to withdraw. Before they withdrew from the village, they burnt it to the ground. When Dangle was confirming the military gains from the temporary occupation of the Serino Village he discovered and picked up the stray Myun, from there Myun came to live as the daughter of Dangle possessing the family name Tobasu, and the rest of the story including how she came to Bakkudo village was already explained previously so in order to avoid mentioning the trifling details once again, I will move on. ¡¸Debasu Kingdom who obtained information that Ron Belt Kingdom was going to send an army to Serino Village looked for a resolution to win the war. Yes, Ron Belt kingdom was probably trying to figure something out as well. However Debasu Kingdom was ardently going through everything they could in order to have an advantage in these small skirmishes. Being able to obtain information about the nobles being drafted and who was participating in the war was also one of the hard work of the Debasu Kingdom. For such a reason, I have sneaked into Marquis Webdosu¡¯s territory¡¹ ¡¸As expected, you are a spy aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Spy?¡¹ ¡¸It has the meaning of a secret agent¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. If you have already understood this much, then there is probably no need to hide it any longer¡­.. The information that Marquis Webdosu¡¯s forces was planning a full out military attack on Serino Village arrived to my house several days before the attack on the village began. My house, the Saguaru family is a family of spies, our strong point is infiltrating various countries here and there, and we are directly serving the Debasu Royal family as it¡¯s retainers. Since I was around Al-sama¡¯s age, I have been given training for this sort of mission. All for the objective of infiltrating the enemy side one day, and obtaining information. The power to hide and camouflage our status is a trademark bloodline of those born under the Saguaru family. Those of us born with this ability are able to replace our current status with any person¡¯s status that we imagine within our minds¡¹ Yeah, when I reached Max Level on my Appraisal ability, I had already looked into her sub window and confirmed the abilities of her skill. In order to use her skill, it required a consumption of 1 MP, but the duration of the skill is dependent on the level of her camouflage ability. In actuality it¡¯s a really special skill, because you can only obtain the skill from your parents at a certain probability, it is not possible for people to acquire this skill after birth, and it is very similar to the inherent skills in my possession. Although it¡¯s a fixed probability, the chances of acquiring the ability seems to be considerably high, I¡¯m not really sure how the blood relationship of the Saguaru family is inherited but it seems to be a famous ability for those that knew the Saguaru family. ¡¸Is that so, and?¡¹ ¡¸Our family had yet to implement a spy within Marquis Webdosu¡¯s territory so it was one of our aims. The original objective was to gain entrance as one of Marquis Webdosu¡¯s knights or one of the retainers, but I was taken in by my foster father¡¹ ¡¸Are you unsatisfied?¡¹ ¡¸No. Whilst it was true that at the beginning I was a little unsatisfied at being unable to accomplish my purpose, but being taken in by my foster father and serving master all this time, I haven¡¯t felt any dissatisfaction. Comparing to my life in the Saguaru household, everyone here has treated me really well, and I¡¯ve felt like I¡¯ve been living in a dream. In the first place, for a spy being able to slip past this deep is quite rare. Normally being able to conceal your existence as a spy is very difficult. Because of this, even though I wasn¡¯t able to slip into my desired position within Marquis Webdosu¡¯s territory, being able to sneak in at all can be considered a success even if it isn¡¯t a perfect score¡¹ ¡¸Is that how it is? So you¡¯ve been leaking out information like this thus far?¡¹ ¡¸No. At first the secret agent from my side came in order to confirm that my infiltration had been successful and they were people that pretended to be part of the merchant group. However, Bakkudo village even amongst Marquis Webdosu¡¯s territory is quite the remote region, therefore, there has not been any significant information that needed to be reported. As Al-sama would already know, Master has not departed to battle for quite a long time now, therefore, I haven¡¯t had the need to send out any information either¡¹ ¡¸Then, you are saying that you¡¯ve basically been skipping your work? However why did you suddenly get so motivated to go out and inform them today?¡¹ ¡¸I think that you have already predicted this but, it¡¯s because of rubber. Those slingshots and sandals are very convenient objects for spies like us¡¹ ¡¸I understand. Is that all there is to it? And that Korisaru Pellet is the signal for contact?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, if the Korisaru Pellet is allowed to drift down this stream, there will be a place that it will stop at. The contact liaison from the Saguaru Family makes their rounds at least once every three months in order to check for any news, at the worst case scenario, after three months of continuously sending out these pellets, they will be able to know of my desire to come into contact with them¡¹ As I expected¡­ I didn¡¯t really know that the pellet would stop at a precise location, but well I pretty much predicted the same thing. ¡¸So, you wanted to get into contact so that you could tell them information about the slingshot and the sandals?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. I will only speak up to here. Because I don¡¯t really understand the precise details of how the process of contacting works. Thus, I don¡¯t really have anything left to hide. Is it about time to put an end to this? If it¡¯s come to this can you please leave a message to my foster father for me?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Why? Myun, do you want to die?¡¹ This was unexpected. My perception of a spy is like a ninja from Japan. It was the type of ninja that appeared in manga and comics. After all I wouldn¡¯t have a clue about what a real life ninja is like. The ninja that I read about in my childhood days all had a high sense of purpose and would never willingly give up on their duties. Well if they were cornered they would rather suicide in order to secure the information, but unless they were driven into an extremely desperate situation, they wouldn¡¯t choose death. Their loyalty to their organisations would take the highest priority and they would be absolutely obedient to their superior¡¯s orders, and trying to leave from the organisation itself would be considered a serious crime. To be frank, I got all this from Sanpei Shirato¡¯s Manga¡¯s. If I understood what just occurred with Myun right now properly, then it was the fact that she didn¡¯t try to formulate an escape plan, nor did she try to beg for her life or win me over, she merely started speaking all the information she knew. To be honest with you, for someone like me with a Japanese background, I don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s going on at all. ¡¸I don¡¯t really want to die, but I have been detected as a spy. I didn¡¯t want my foster father to be blamed for any of it, so I spoke about everything. So as to make an example for any more potential spies, it would be wise to kill me, right?¡¹ Ah, I thought about this occasionally but¡­ The people in this world are basically, ¡®that¡¯ aren¡¯t they? Their method of dealing with problems are really direct, or they give the kind of feel that they follow a straight path to their goals. Well I¡¯ve only every lived in Bakkudo village so I don¡¯t really know about the rest of the world but¡­ At the very least my father and mother are truly honest and upright people. In this world that was based on hierarchical societies such as these types of feudal societies, there is only a limited amount of information available and most of the people are brought up with decency and upright morals, I¡¯ve read about this in a book before but I didn¡¯t think it was true. Ahh, I remember it was one of the Defense Academy books I read before. I think it¡¯s similar to the teachings of the Soviet Union and or China back in the day. After all I guess for someone to have the mentally of ¡°I won¡¯t ever give up, I must accomplish my duties¡± this kind of mentality is a really taxing thing and requires a considerable amount of mental fortitude. When I was just born into this world, I also gave up on things many times, to a certain extent, it was really easy for me to think pessimistically. Most likely, this is because of a problem in MP. Myun¡¯s greatest amount of MP is at 10. Because she was capable of using magic, she actually has a bigger MP than Hegard, but if she used magic it would obviously reduce. Just a while ago, she poured quite a bit of her magical energy into the Korisaru Pellet, right now she should be at around 1 MP. If her MP goes below the value of 6 she needs to sleep in order for her MP to start recovering. The fact that her MP is at 1 right now means that Myun¡¯s mentality and willpower is akin to a five-year old child. Right now it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she was filled with pessimism. However, it¡¯s not like I want to kill Myun or anything, naturally the fact that I¡¯ve been in her care and have been living with her all this time has built a certain amount of affection between us. Moreover, I can already tell that Myun is really sincere and holds a deep gratitude for her foster father Dangle. The information only supports this fact even more. This may just be ¡®that¡¯ kind of thing, right? ¡¸Umm, you know Myun? You haven¡¯t really said anything I still have a lot of things that I want to know, and I haven¡¯t really ascertained that Myun has revealed everything she knows. I will have you accompany me for a little while longer¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­? I understand. Please ask me anything¡¹ The mentality of a 5 year old child is so simple isn¡¯t it? ¡¸First of all, it¡¯s about Saguaru. How many spies do they have across Ron Belt Kingdom?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really know but, at the time that I came here, there should have been four people. Although they went to a different nobles territory.¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, it¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s what you know. ¡­¡­.Four people is it? From what Myun knows, can you tell me how long ago these four have infiltrated and the extent of the information they have passed on?¡¹ ¡¸The oldest person should have already sneaked in 50 years ago. And from what I have heard, the spy that provided the most distinguished services was the one who passed on the information regarding the dispatch army¡¹ Buh, What the? that¡¯s not really that impressive¡­ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­.? Then apart from Myun, has there been any other spies that were discovered?¡¹ ¡¸From what I know, these has been no such thing. Therefore, I must be the most useless spy¡¹ I don¡¯t really think so. Considering her camouflage skill is so perfect, unless you were very doubtful of the person¡¯s movements or you were an experienced investigator, it is unlikely for anyone to see through you as a spy. Another thing is that the information that Myun would have passed on to the Saguaru family was indeed a very important piece of information. Although it wasn¡¯t game changing in the sense that I was going to market these products to more places in due time, but if you compared it to the information of that other spy, which revealed the particular details of nobles who were going to participate in the next war, the information in regards to my rubber technology is much more useful, at least in my opinion. ¡¸Well don¡¯t worry about it. Then I¡¯ll ask the next question. If the secret agent Myun was supposed to come into contact with got killed, what would happen?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? the agent who is supposed to come into contact with us, are normally at a mid-level adventurer skill level. I think that it would be quite difficult if you want to kill them¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine, this is just for speculation purposes¡¹ ¡¸I see. Well in the case that the agent loses contact or disappears then, there would be suspicions. Naturally the contact liaison would report to the upper branch who they were going to come into contact with, so the first person they would doubt would probably be me. And I think that they will send a replacement person in order to investigate what happened¡¹ ¡¸Well that seems about right. However, what if they got killed as they were doing the periodic checks for the signal?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know. After all, they probably can¡¯t distinguish between the agent getting killed by some sort of demon or beast, or whether it was because they got caught as a spy and got killed by humans. However, no matter the case, I believe that sooner or later they will send a replacement investigator¡¹ ¡¸I see. I guess that about sums that up. Then the next question. You have been going out during night time, am I right? If you say that this is the first time you¡¯ve tried to get into contact in order to leak information, then where have you been going at night before this?¡¹ Finally, I am able to ask her the question in regards to the mysterious way in which she is able to gain Experience Points. If she hasn¡¯t been all that active in being a spy, then this matter of the EXP becomes more urgent to know about. In fact, I am personally more interested in this piece of information. ¡¸¡­¡­As expected, you¡¯ve even known about this. So that I would not become obsolete I went training and tried to hunt demons. Although the places vary in location¡­¡­.It has been mainly around the outskirts of Bakkudo village, near the forest¡¹ ¡¸Heeh, So you¡¯ve been hunting demons? You know about the fact that in these past several years, both my father and I have been patrolling around our territory, right? How come we¡¯ve never seen the corpses of the dead monsters you¡¯ve hunted? And what of the magical stones?¡¹ Well since the start, one of my suspicions in how she managed to gain the EXP points is by hunting the monsters. However, I¡¯ve never even seen the signs of a struggle or the corpses of the monsters she¡¯s killed when I was patrolling the area, so I denied this possibility in my own mind. ¡¸The moment a spy from the Saguaru family succeeds in infiltrating the desired area, the contact liaison would provide us with a single magical tool at our very first meeting. As for me, the magical item I received is this bracelet that is always on me. This tool is able to change the corpse of a dead being into water at a fixed rate. Using this bracelet, I managed to dispose of the monster¡¯s corpses¡¹ ¡¸Fuuh, I¡¯m going to have a look¡¹ I never realized she had such a thing¡­ I immediately made a hole in the earth prison, and used Appraisal on her bracelet. ¡¾Saguaru Bracelet¡¿ ¡¾Brass¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Manufactured date: 17/6/7417¡¿ ¡¾Value: 100,000¡¿ ¡¾Durability level: 29¡¿ ¡¾This is a bracelet that is imbued with the properties of both Water Magic and Void Magic¡¿ ¡¾You can only use the Water Conversion magic once every 10 days. The requirement is that the body must be a dead body of a creature. Although there is no limitation on the number of things converted into water at the same time, the maximum limitation is 10m^3. The way the object is made is a combination of using the bone of someone from the lineage of Saguaru being applied into the Brass, additionally, it also requires the blood of the user to be mixed in. Only the blood of the user which was bound to the object will be able to use the item¡¿ Somehow this seems amazing. The only other magical tool I¡¯ve ever seen before is a simple magical clock. Because clocks were used pretty often, I didn¡¯t find them that impressive. However, the bracelet she had was precisely one of those impressive magical tools. But I see, only Myun is able to use this object¡­ ¡¸Well then, that¡¯s all for now. It¡¯s about time to head back¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡­¡­¡­.. Ahh, is that so¡­¡­.?¡¹ Myun had a look of slight confusion as I used my Wind Magic and Void Magic to blow away the earth locking her in place. Well she¡¯s still covered in dirt, but I suppose she needs to be able to endure this much. Volume 1 - CH 23 Chapter 22: The Maid''s Story I did not have any intentions on keeping Myun restrained on the way back home and she was curiously asking me the reason why. ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you kill me? I am a spy that was about to leak information to the Debasu Kingdom about the important rubber technology¡¹ ¡¸Nn? Did you want me to kill you?¡¹ I try to say it maliciously to intimidate her. Myun was timidly looking down and responded meekly. ¡¸Naturally, I don¡¯t want to be killed. But, I¡¯ve already told you everything I know about being a spy. When a spy gets found out, they will surely be executed. When a spy has already mentioned things like the amount of information leaked, who the information is passed on to, who they are cooperating with, there is no meaning to keeping them alive. Therefore, in normal circumstances, a person would take the necessary information from the spy and then kill them off¡¹ What she mentioned is probably the common sense of people living in Orth. In this world, there is magic and there are demons, moreover the cultural level has stagnated at the 15th century, so I understand her train of thought. When a spy is discovered, most of them are killed and it is a commonplace thing to dispose of them efficiently. A big part of wanting to kill them also lies in the fact that the person feels betrayed and wants revenge. Leaving them alive doesn¡¯t really give any significant advantages. Every faction in this world is likely to have spies to gather information, after confirming how much information they leaked out, it would basically be about relieving their aggravated feelings by taking it out on the spy. After all, this world doesn¡¯t really teach humanitarianism or human rights. ¡¸Fuu©`n, Is that so? However, it¡¯s fine. There is no reason for me to kill Myun¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡­¡­¡­ Why?¡¹ ¡¸If you still can¡¯t understand then, then how about this¡­¡­ Myun, all you have to do is think that you¡¯ve already been killed by me. Therefore, the Myun who was acting as a spy is already dead. And now the Myun that exists today, is no longer the same Myun that existed in the past¡¹ ¡¸!¡­¡­¡­ What does this mean?¡¹ ¡¸You should be able to figure that question out by yourself¡¹ Well, I think it should take another hour to reach home. At the present time, I predict that it¡¯s at around 11 pm. Hmm, I still have a surplus of MP, I guess I should try to clear any lingering doubts that I may have. Myun seems to be in deep thought and I hit her up with a question. ¡¸Hey, Myun, I want you to answer truthfully to the question I am about to ask you. Depending on your answer I have thought of a couple of possibilities for your future¡¹ She only had 1 MP remaining, and was in a mentally unstable state, thinking about various things Myun¡¯s forehead was crumpled up showing a complicated expression on her face, however she still managed to look me in the eyes. ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you try to resist me when I freed you from the earth magic? Even though you didn¡¯t seem to have a weapon, I am after all still a child. If you by chance held me down, or if you rushed me and tackled me, I¡¯m sure you would have been able to subdue me without killing me, perhaps you could have even tried to run away when you got the chance¡¹ ¡¸Oh it¡¯s about that¡­¡­..? At the start before I was able to react I had already been buried under Al-sama¡¯s earth magic. And when I heard the voice of the one who captured me, I was able to realize that it was Al-sama¡¯s voice, the moment I figured that out, I no longer had any willpower to resist. Ahh, I did have a weapon you know?¡¹ As she said this she grabbed an object from around her breast area, it was an ice pick that had a wire string of about 10 cm attached to it. And from her pocket she pulled out this small bottle and passed it on to me. How dangerous, to think that a woman¡¯s breasts would hold such a thing, I thought it was just for decoration¡­ Then, this small bottle is, P-poison? At any rate, whilst she was giving these things over to me I had a sudden thought of ¡°Why is she giving me all this?¡± To be honest, I was a little flustered, I hope that it didn¡¯t show on my face. ¡¸I already know that even amongst magicians Al-sama is a very splendid wizard. I understand a little bit of magic so even though I don¡¯t know exactly how much magical energy Al-sama needed to expend to cast that earth magic from before, I can already imagine how powerful Al-sama must be. I feel that it is meaningless for me to try and resist against such a frightening magic user. Moreover¡­..¡¹ ¡¸¡­.Moreover?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­.It¡¯s nothing¡¹ ¡¸Certainly I can use magic and even now I still have reserve energy. It is likely that even if Myun tried to resist and run away, I would have been able to catch up immediately. However, please answer the question truthfully. Is that really the only reason for your non-resistance?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡­I would have caused trouble for my foster father. Master and mistress have also treated me so well and have blessed me with kindness. I did have motives to sneak in and work as a spy, however, in comparison to the life I led previously, my life in Bakkudo village was like living inside of a dream, I had the privilege of living a carefree and peaceful life. I pretended to be alone and a war orphan, wearing meagre clothes, added to the fact that I was one of the people from the enemy¡¯s nation, but both my foster father and master treated me with kindness and acceptance. In addition to this, I was even hired to work as a maid. Once I found out that the other party was Al-sama how could I dare to lay my hands on Al-sama. Also, if I by chance was able to defeat Al-sama and run away¡­¡­if Al-sama lived then my position as a spy would still be revealed, and if I killed Al-sama, then I would be under so much guilt and suspicions would be targeted towards me. I would not be able to do such a thing¡¹ Myun just blurted everything in one go. Tears were welling up in the corner of her eyes. Her feet would periodically stop under the moonlit sky and she could not conceal her trembling voice as she spoke to me whilst looking down. ¡­¡­.Her first instinct is not to kill me, so I understand that she wasn¡¯t able to come up with any solutions. To be honest, I think that if she just killed me and feigned complete innocence she would be free from suspicion. ¡¸Is that so? Allow me to ask once more, then why did you attempt to do something that would betray your foster fathers expectations? I can believe the fact that you¡¯ve yet to spill any military information as there has been no dispatch of troops in Bakkudo Village recently. However, why did you suddenly choose to leak information in regards to rubber? Even if you didn¡¯t leak information about rubber, you could of grabbed some rubber products and just sneaked it into your room right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­..That is, while it may be rude of me to say, but I thought value of the information on rubber would reduce if I didn¡¯t report it immediately. When Master was talking about the rubber products I managed to overhear that¡­ He would show everyone rubber to hear their opinion and then proceed to commercialising the products¡­ If that is the case, before rubber is shown to even more people, the value of information of rubber would be very high right now, and the moment that it was made into a product and got distributed the value of this information would be drastically reduced. If I took my time, then by the time that I manage to report this information Debasu Kingdom, Bakkudo Village and even Doritto Town and the surrounding areas would have already known about rubber¡¹ After saying this much, Myun raised her face and firmly looked towards me. ¡¸For a spy that came from the Saguaru family, even the worst spies would be able to provide some sort of information once every ten years. When Master next participates in a battle and sends troops from Bakkudo village, if I am able to at least figure out who will accompany him and how many troops will be present, whilst it may not be the most significant information, it will still be considered useful, however, in the case that Master doesn¡¯t dispatch troops for the expedition then I wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain any useful information. In the case that no military information can be obtained, as a spy it is still necessary to report some sort of useful information to make it clear that they haven¡¯t been found out, therefore any sort of information whether it¡¯s the state of affairs in the territory or even the economic circumstances of the village will be fine, as long as something is reported. I have already slipped into Bakkudo village for a period of 8 years, however I haven¡¯t provided any information as of yet. If I sent information at this point of time, I thought that I could be relieved for the next 10 years¡¹ ¡°I wanted to hear those words¡±. It would be a lie if that¡¯s what I told Myun right now. However, her logic does make sense. Her analysis about the value of information on rubber was also pretty accurate. The fact that the information about rubber would reduce in value in the near future is a good prediction, and basing it on this fact, it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s lying about her motives. As expected, Myun is necessary. My objective is to ¡°create my own country¡± (Or rather than saying that maybe it¡¯s better to say that my aim or my dream), in order to achieve this goal, the first thing I need to do is to get stronger. Naturally it is important to have a strong mental strength, however the most important thing that I need to start off with is physical strength. No matter what you try to do in this world, as long as you had strong physical prowess you would respected, and it will become much easier to gather subordinates and or followers. Magic is useful to a certain extent but in this world there is something called ¡°Anti Magic Field¡± and if I only focused on training my magical power, it might turn out really bad in certain circumstances. I have already started my sword training but I¡¯ve only trained for a period of 1 year and after all I only have the power of a 6-year-old. I will grow up sooner or later but if I don¡¯t do anything to train, then in the end I will only be able to obtain the power of an average human being. In order to compensate for this, it is necessary for me to level up. Even Hegard is level 15 so he seems considerable strong, but what if he was only level 1, I think that at best, he would be a little better off than the average human. When you level up, your attributes inevitably increase and therefore you get stronger. Not only that, as a lord with strength you are able to garner respect from those around you. Although, in actual fact there are many points of governing where you can gain respect from, such as: how well you manage your territory, being benevolent or merciful to the people in your territory, etc¡­ Above all, the first step to gaining respect from the people is by being strong. No matter how well you govern your territory, or how much compassion you show the villagers, if a horde of goblins were to attack your territory, the only thing that stands between you and your territory from being destroyed is your ability to overwhelm the intruders and force them back. From listening to what Myun has just told me, it is a fact that when you kill monsters in this world, you gain experience points. In that case the fastest way for me to level up is to hunt these monsters and accumulate experience points. to be honest, it feels like I am in a game, and as long as Orth has these kinds of things in place, there is nothing I can do but abide by its laws, if I can get much stronger at a faster rate by hunting monsters, I obviously need to do this rather than trying to steadily get stronger by swinging my sword in practice, right? Naturally, I don¡¯t plan on neglecting my normal training and I plan to keep practicing whenever I have the time. No matter how much muscular strength someone obtains, if they don¡¯t increase their dexterity and stamina, I think that they won¡¯t really get much better at wielding weapons. The only time when you can overwhelm your opponent just by using pure brute force, is if your opponent was weak. Therefore, I have no choice but to hunt for monsters in order to increase my level, but I don¡¯t really know the way to efficiently find monsters, or where I can hunt them in relative safety. If I asked permission to hunt monsters at my age to either Hegard or Sharl, there is no doubt in my mind that they would immediately reject the idea and throw it away. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have any other choice but to hide this fact, but I have never had the opportunity to hunt monsters nor did I have the knowledge to do so. Yet, if Myun can lend me her strength it will become possible for me to go hunting. In any case, she was able to hide the fact that she went out hunting many times until now. She can even be considered an expert. Although I feel kind of bad in doing this, I think that I should make use of the situation and threaten Myun a little so that she cooperates with me. ¡¸I see. I understand Myun¡¯s thoughts. So, about the matter I told you to think about earlier¡­ The spy known as Myun is dead. Or rather, this is how I feel you should act from now on, as long as we can deal with the contact liaison, this will become the truth. In order to further this end, I thought that I would cooperate with you. However, the fact that you have tried to sneak in here as a spy is still a fact that cannot be denied, depending on the circumstances, if it comes to light that you were a spy, not even Dangle can shy away from his responsibility as your adoptive father¡¹ ¡¸£¡£¡¡­¡­¡£ Is, that so¡­¡­.?¡¹ ¡¸Well, hang on, don¡¯t panic. I haven¡¯t finished talking. That scenario will only occur if I tell on you to my father, you haven¡¯t forgotten this have you?¡¹ ¡¸£¡£¿¡­¡­¡£ What, do you mean by this?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really mean anything by it. It¡¯s just as it seems. As long as I don¡¯t talk about you and reveal your identity, no one would ever know that there was a spy from Debasu Kingdom, in our Bakkudo village, right?¡¹ Myun was still seemingly confused in the matter so I continued speaking. ¡¸I will keep quiet about the fact that Myun has infiltrated our village as a spy. Like I said before, we can manage somehow in regards to the contact liaison that you have to meet. However, if you want my help, I have a couple of conditions for you¡¹ ¡¸No matter what it is, I¡¯ll do anything. Please give me instructions. Please keep my secret!¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, I understand. I have three conditions. The first condition is that when you sneak outside to go hunting tonight, you will allow me to go with you. Let¡¯s do it together. The second condition is for you to tell me everything you know in regards to Debasu Kingdom and Ron Belt Kingdom. Even if you think I already know that piece of information, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me, I want to know everything. The last condition is; I want you to swear that you will never betray Dangle or my father ever again¡¹ After looking completely dumbfounded for a couple of moments, Myun timidly starts to speak. ¡¸Umm¡­.. Is that all I have to do? Shouldn¡¯t I receive some kind of punishment?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s fine. What do you think? If you can accept these conditions of mine, I will cooperate with you¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t wish for more. I¡­¡­ When I thought that I was going to die, I already partly gave up. I already assumed that there would be no other path other than death, for a spy that has already been discovered¡­. Thank you so much. For not placing the blame on my adoptive father, I¡¯m truly thankful from the bottom of my heart!! From now on, as long as it is for Al-sama, I am willing to do anything!! Please order me to your heart¡¯s desire!!¡¹ She suddenly prostrated herself on the ground as she thanked me profusely, and I got slightly perplexed, but I could see how grateful she was and it washed away my worries. ¡¸Alright¡­¡­..In that case, how about we get started by first allowing this Korisaru Pellet to flow down the river? Although we have to back track a little..¡¹ ¡¸? Why are we doing that?¡¹ ¡¸Didn¡¯t you say that as long as you kept in contact with them they would be appeased? They have to be contacted right?¡¹ ¡¸I understand. But the person that will come to meet with us is a considerably strong person. Even if we can use magic, we still need to be very careful¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I know. The moment that you succeed in getting in touch with the liaison, please tell me immediately¡¹ After that we both returned to the river once again and threw out the Korisaru Pellet down the stream. While we were on our way back to the village, I asked her various questions in regards to hunting, such as the good places for hunting, what kind of clothing you should wear, the dangerous points and the things you needed to be careful of. We also discussed about how we would deal with the contact liaison from here on out and I tried to absorb all the information that Myun could tell me. Although it¡¯s only a matter of time before we had to deal with the contact liaison, I still had to think about the impending matter of selling and marketing my manufactured rubber goods and the production plans I have in mind, besides I also need to consider how I am going to hunt monsters from now on. I also can¡¯t neglect my MP training or my physical training. There is a mountain of things I need to accomplish! Volume 1 - CH 24.1 About two weeks have passed, and for the first time I was about to go hunting monsters with Myun. At about 9 pm when everyone was asleep, I quietly sneaked out of the house. I haven¡¯t been given a proper sword for combat as of yet, so my only weapon are the knives I brought and the slingshot I made. Nevertheless, I still had my magic and Myun was coming along with me, so I didn¡¯t really feel scared. Myun said that since this was my first time, she would take me to a place that had weak monsters. We went along the riverside walking upstream for approximately about 1 hour, and then we advanced into the forest to the east of the village and walked for about 30 minutes. After a while the forest thinned and we came to a place that had rocks scattered across the ground. According to Myun, this place had a monster that looked like a slug and was about a couple of centimetres in length. It didn¡¯t really move that fast, and it didn¡¯t have anything dangerous like a poison attack. If you think about it, even if the slug reached about 1 metre in length, in the end it was just a measly slug. As long as you don¡¯t get surrounded and crushed by a swarm of them, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. Another thing is that, apparently these slugs live up in trees, and when passing animals walk by the tree in the ground, they would fall from the tree ambushing the prey and bite them in order to suck their blood. Wait doesn¡¯t it sound more like a leech rather than a slug? Anyways, I better stay alert and watch the trees above me. Because it was really dark and I couldn¡¯t really see that well I used Appraisal to brighten things up. When I did, I immediately detected that there was leeches on top of the trees here and there. Let¡¯s try using Appraisal on them one by one. ¡¾Hermaphrodite/23/5/7433 Large Leech¡¿(TL: Hermaphrodite = they can be both male and female) ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 1 year old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 1¡¿ ¡¾HP£º11(11)¡¡MP£º1(1)¡¿ ¡¾Muscular Strength: 1¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 0¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 0¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 4¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Blood Sucking(Lv.1)¡¿ Oh is that it? They don¡¯t look very strong. By the way, I want to show you guys, my current status. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 6 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 2¡¿ ¡¾HP£º24(24)¡¡MP£º4164(5379) ¡¿ ¡¾Muscular Strength: 4¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 4¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 3¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 3¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal (MAX)¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talent¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Earth Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Water Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Fire Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Wind Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Void Magic(Lv.7)¡¿ ¡¾Experience Points: 2849(6000)¡¿ This is the knife I brought ¡¾Knife¡¿ ¡¾Iron¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Manufactured date: 3/9/7431¡¿ ¡¾Value: 960¡¿ ¡¾Durability: 100¡¿ ¡¾Efficiency: 10-40¡¿ ¡¾Effects: None¡¿ I have a feeling that if I just attack it once using my knife, the leeches will die. Even I feel like if I get hit by my own knife, I will die instantly. But then again, is there even a 6-year-old in this world that doesn¡¯t die, if they get stabbed by a knife? Alright, well I know that there is a lot of leeches on top of the trees. At the same time, I also know now that leeches weren¡¯t a formidable foe. All I have to do is hunt down these innocent leeches and kill them. But, how am I supposed to do that? ¡¸Myun, there so many of them on top of the trees, but how do we get them to come down?¡¹ ¡¸Please watch me. To start off with, I will be the one to do it¡¹ After saying this, Myun immediately ran towards tree and weaved around it, this made the leeches jump at her. All of them were aiming for her but they all missed, and several leeches had fell down. The leeches that fell into the ground wandered around aimlessly but couldn¡¯t find any prey so they immediately begun to climb back up to the tree. Myun immediately went to attack the closest leech to her. Myun¡¯s weapon of choice was a wooden pole. Using the advantage of her lengthy weapon, Myun could attack the leech from a slight distance away. After attacking the leech several times, they would get crushed and stop moving. ¡¸Hmm, this doesn¡¯t seem to be all that efficient. Myun, can you please come behind me for a bit¡¹ I¡¯m not sure if this will succeed but¡­ I try to use a magic that has never been created before. First I create a large amount of wind using Wind Magic, and then I use Void Magic to make it violently blow across the trees. Although I used about 10 MP, not a single leech fell down. I guess so. I¡¯ve never heard of leeches falling out of trees whenever a storm occurs, If I remember correctly I think that leeches have some sort of suction mechanism. Then I guess the next step is pretty simple. From my previous life, I had heard that if you got bitten by a leech, all you need to do is use a burning cigarette butt and press it against the leech. This time around I used a combination of Wind Magic and Fire magic to create a really hot wind. It would be really bad if I started a bush fire so to start off with, how about I make it around 100 degrees? It seems to have gone well this time. Like droplets of water, huge amount of leeches starting falling down. I was using my blazing wind about 20 m in front of me but, isn¡¯t this like every single leech within the effected range? The leeches that fell down were all curled up due to the heat of the wind. Myun turned around and with a look of admiration on her face, she praised me. Now then, I should try to copy Myun and use a wooden pole to kill them from a distance. After I smashed the first leech and killed it, I checked using Appraisal and it seems that my experience went up by 13. What a load of crap! Are you telling me I can accumulate 6~7 days¡¯ worth of training with a single kill? However, I soon ignored the dissatisfaction from such a thing. I just concentrated on crushing them. My experience is increasing at a really fast pace. I feel completely exhilarated. When I continued to smash these leeches while using Appraisal on myself, I started to notice a certain thing. The leeches HP is about 10 and the experience value I gain seemed to be 2 above the HP number. But, sometimes I was also able to gain 4 more experience points above the HP value. After killing enough of them, something changed within the Appraisal window¡­. The Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents, which has remained at 0 all this time suddenly increased to LV 1. I panicked and immediately opened the sub-window for the skill (Up until now I couldn¡¯t open any sub-windows for this skill) ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talents: Depending on the Level of this ability, the amount of experience gain is increased. It provides for a 20 % increase per level. It rounds off to the nearest decimal point¡¿ Whatttttt?! What in the world is this ability? Up until now, I have never earned anything above 5 experience points so it never got discovered? Is this the reason that Gift of Natural Talent¡¯s have never increased in level? God dammit. Well, fine! Whatever. As long as I continued to hunt like this from now on, naturally, my inherent ability will keep increasing. But man, this is really absurd. If I ever raised it to the maximum level of 9, will it start giving me an increase of 200% for experience points earned? If it will become possible for me to grow up with more than three times the efficiency of a normal human being, isn¡¯t that a complete cheat? I mean I am already getting three-fold increase in my abilities when I raised a level. Wouldn¡¯t this be about 9 times the growth rate if I total these two factors? Ahh, it truly fits its title of ¡®Natural Talents¡¯. This is bad, I am getting way to excited that I forgot to crush these bugs which were totally innocent. After that, on this day, I smashed over 40 of the remaining leeches and my Gift of Natural Talent ability became LV 3. I also acquired more than 600 experience points. I was grinning madly while continued to crush these leeches until Myun suddenly told me ¡°If too many of the leeches are killed off, their race will be exterminated¡±. I was truly like madman. (TL: shouldn¡¯t he be a madbaby :P) I really hated the clean-up process after killing all these leeches though. We had to individually collect the magical stones inside of their gooey and sloppy dead corpses and then combine the stones together. Seriously this process made me feel nauseated. After that, we gathered their bodies all in one place and using the power of Myun¡¯s bracelet we changed them into water. Before I noticed it, it was already the middle of the night. According to Myun there was several hundreds of these leeches living in this area and it wasn¡¯t likely that they would get exterminated from killing this much, but after a leech is born, it requires about a full year to grow into adulthood (I think what she means by this is that it will take them a year to get at least Level 1). Therefore, it will be bad if we kill too many of them all at once. Indeed, it¡¯s probably not a good idea to kill too many of these leeches. If I continued my pace of hunting for the next 2 or 3 weeks, their race would probably go extinct¡­. In just a single day of hunting leeches, we managed to cause a great decrease of the leeches¡¯ population, it was a major event for the leeches. It will be simple to understand, if you just imagined 40 people suddenly dying within Bakkudo Village. Even though they were big and sluggish and looking at them made one feel sick, they were after all an opponent that barely retaliated or resisted, it was possible to hunt them down from a safe distance and safely gather experience points, but it probably wasn¡¯t good to take them for granted. Volume 1 - CH 24.2 Several weeks have passed since then and we have sent the Korisaru Pellet down the river plenty of times in order to get in contact with the liaison. It would seem that they have yet to get into contact with Myun. However, on a certain day, a strange man was mixed in the guards of one of the caravans that came to deal with our village. In anticipation of what might occur, I haven¡¯t been going hunting since then. This is so that we can save the magical power of Myun¡¯s bracelet. According to Myun it seems that the disguised caravan member was the contact she was supposed to meet. Usually the caravan and merchants would stay for about two nights within the village, therefore, I predict that if the contact was going to meet with Myun, the contact would probably choose either tonight or tomorrow night. According to my expectations the contact sent a message to Myun at around midday. A man approached Myun while she was washing the laundry and told her ¡°Tonight at the stroke of midnight I will be waiting for you at the south of the village near the river¡±. When I used Appraisal on the man, I found out that he was level 12 and was actually quite strong. However, I was planning on settling it with magic instantly, therefore, I was planning on going ahead of Myun in order to set up an ambush at the location and forcibly get rid of the spy in one fell swoop. Myun opposed my idea telling me it was dangerous, but I told her not to worry. I was getting ready and I set up my alarm clock with the minor magic: cantrip and I made sure that I would be able to wake up at night, so I eat my dinner and quickly went to bed. Because I woke up a little early I managed to get to the meeting point ahead of time and I quickly climbed up on a tree and waited for the contact person to appear. I was getting a little nervous but before long the contact person appeared. Because he was carrying a torch, even though I was quite a long distance away from him, I could see pretty clearly around him. I used my Appraisal ability to confirm that it was indeed the contact liaison and I tried to hide my presence as best I could. I almost thought that he had discovered me with his wary eyes, and he walked towards a sizeable stone on the river side and sat on it facing towards my direction. There wasn¡¯t any change in his appearance, and it seemed that he was just sitting down. This is bad. If he¡¯s facing in my direction, it will be hard to perform a surprise attack. Because it can¡¯t be helped, should I try to use Void Magic from this distance and fling a stone into the river to distract him? No no, because his torch is still blazing, if I throw a stone from this distance, it will be exposed quite easily and he may discover my location. What should I do? It may have been better if I didn¡¯t climb the tree. Right now he was right in front of me at approximately 100m distance. If it all goes well than it will be good, but if my attack fails, and he manages to dodge it, then it would only take him around 10 seconds to reach my location. I don¡¯t think I could go down the tree in time to prepare my counter-attack. In any event, it would seem that I need to change the direction he is facing. Should I use a lump of soil made by Earth Magic to distract him? If I do this, even if he had a torch, it may be harder to notice than a large rock. Ok, let¡¯s give this a go! I produced soil of about one bowl in size, and using a combination of Earth Magic to create the soil and then Void magic to guide it into the river, I threw it into the river. Just like I expected the sound of the soil *splashing* into the river, made the man turn around to have a look. Now¡¯s my chance! Just like the time when I captured Myun, I created a large quantity of earth to transform it into the donut shape and launched it towards the man. Even larger in size than the one I used on Myun, I poured more magical energy into this one, and in the blink of an eye, it approached the man with surprising swiftness and pressed him together in one go. Alright! I managed to succeed somehow. I slowly climbed down the tree making sure that I wasn¡¯t going to slip, and I could hear the man cursing, I slowly approached the man and just like the time when I approached Myun, I made sure to put a wall of earth around his head to make sure that he couldn¡¯t see me. I approached him from behind and I began to talk to him. ¡¸Now then, can you tell me what you were doing at this time of the night at this kind of place?¡¹ ¡¸W-who is it?!¡¹ ¡¸That doesn¡¯t matter right now. You should answer the question¡¹ At the same time, I summoned forth water right above the man¡¯s head. Naturally the produced water begins to pour down into the man¡¯s face and the rest was prevented from leaking out as the clay wall I made to wrap his body was very sturdy. The man was probably trying to escape out of the earth prison I made but that is also fine. The wall that trapped him was acting like a bowl that collected the water, and soon the surface of the water rises up to the man¡¯s jaw. ¡¸If you don¡¯t answer my questions, I¡¯m going to summon another surge of water, do you understand?¡¹ ¡¸Hiii, I-I understand. I¡¯ll tell you anything. Please what do you want to know?¡¹ ¡¸Like I said, what are you doing in such a place at this time of the night?¡¹ The spy was seemingly frightened by my aggressive tone of voice and tried to intimidate him even more as I spoke with confidence. ¡¸I am not here alone, I also have a companion, and if you don¡¯t speak quickly, look more water¡¹ This time around I summoned around a buckets worth of water. ¡¸I was waiting for a friend. I was supposed to meet here¡¹ ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you just say so from the beginning? So, where is your so called friend?¡¹ ¡¸They are one of the residents of this village¡¹ ¡¸Hou? Weren¡¯t you acting as one of the guards for the caravan party that arrived yesterday? Why would you have a friend in this village?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve known them since a very long time ago. I only wanted to talk¡­¡­¡¹ Again I summoned forth some water. ¡¸I-I¡¯m not lying! it¡¯s the truth, I think that they should arrive here soon enough¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? Ok, then can you explain why you are meeting at this time of the night?¡¹ ¡¸T-that is¡­¡­.¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, it¡¯s because you don¡¯t want to be seen by others right? After all it might be very important information¡¹ ¡¸£¡£¡¡­¡­ H-how did you¡­..?!¡¹ Alright, I got the conclusive evidence. It¡¯s not likely for him to say any more than this, should I just get on with it and deal with him? ¡¸You already know what happens to spies that get discovered right? If you have no intentions of telling me anymore things, then it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s get this over with¡¹ ¡¸P-please wait, what do you want to know? I will tell you anything!¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? However, I bet that you don¡¯t know the important matters, am I right?¡¹ ¡¸Kuu, B-but, if you kill me at this juncture an investigator will come to this location¡¹ ¡¸So what if they come? Once they investigate how you died, and they find out that you¡¯ve been killed by me, so what? Are they going to take revenge for you? Are they going to suddenly try to attack me? Do you really think that there is anyone in this world who would go that far for a mere, contact liaison?¡¹ ¡¸Wha, to what extent¡­.¡¹ ¡¸How do spies get in contact with each other?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know that much. I only came here because I received an order to get in touch with the spy¡¹ Hmm, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s lying. Well even if he was lying, it doesn¡¯t really matter. ¡¸Who gave you those orders?¡¹ ¡¸It was from Boss Beguru¡¹ Beguru? Who the heck is that? ¡¸What does he normally do?¡¹ ¡¸ I don¡¯t know what the Boss does but. Sometimes he would come here to confirm the signal from the spy, but I don¡¯t know what kind of signal they send, it¡¯s the truth! Please believe me!¡¹ ¡¸How can I meet this Beguru?¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t possible to contact him from my end. No matter what it is, when they need something, they will contact me. And then they will give me directions. This time around, my task was to meet with a woman called Myunerin Tobasu and receive some information¡¹ Hmmm, is that how this works? Then, I guess this is a matter of being able to trick that Beguru fellow or whatever his name is. In that case, would it become inconvenient if I were to kill this guy here? Just when I was thinking this much, unfortunately Myun had already arrived. Perhaps this spy got slightly relieved that the new person who approached me was Myun, he actually floated a smile. However, immediately after arriving Myun said¡­ ¡¸Al-sama. It seems that you have successfully captured him. Have you been able to obtain any information?¡¹ The moment the spy heard that Myun was on my side, he once again realized the absolute predicament he was in. Another thing is that he probably understood that he got betrayed by Myun. He began to curse Myun. Ahh, Myun. It¡¯s too fast for you to come out at this juncture. Or more like, didn¡¯t I tell her to come a little bit later? Well if I didn¡¯t then it¡¯s probably my fault. ¡¸Ahh, for now, I¡¯ve managed to capture him, but he hasn¡¯t said anything particularly amazing. Shall we just dispose of him?¡¹ It can¡¯t be helped. I actually wanted to let him live, and report that Myun had already died, but I guess this plan is a total bust now. It will be impossible to make him believe such a thing now. I don¡¯t think I have any other choice but to take care of him here. Furthermore, I¡¯m sure that this fellow has given a legitimate reason to go out at such a time during the night to the caravan members and so if we dispose of his corpse cleanly, it is unlikely that there will be any traces of evidence connected to us. I don¡¯t really hold a grudge against him, but without a doubt, he is working as a spy to conspire against us, besides just from speaking to Myun the other day, it¡¯s the common sense of this world to kill off any spies that are captured. Especially if there is no purpose to it, letting a spy live would be high suspicious wouldn¡¯t it? If I were to kill him by drowning, it would be really unpleasant to see, and the person himself would be in a lot of pain. ¡¸P-Please wait! Please don¡¯t kill me. I will do anything!!¡¹ ¡¸For a spy granting death is a natural thing¡¹ Although this may be cruel of me to say, I can¡¯t jeopardize Myun for the sake of letting this man live. I pulled out my knife and placed it on the scruff of the man¡¯s neck. ¡¸I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t kill me!! I¡¯ll quit being a spy!! P-Please what do you say?! When someone is begging for his life like this, it requires a serious determination to stick a knife into them. However, he already knows that Myun is alive and not only that, he even knows my name. If he were to speak of it to his superiors, without a doubt, they would be able to pin point it back to me as the second son of the Greed household. There is truly no other choice I cannot let him live. I increase the water level up to the man¡¯s lips. This is so that he doesn¡¯t spurt out blood from the neck down. The man was frantically begging for his life, and I decisively put strength into the grip of my knife and slit his throat. Though blood seems to gush out, because he was covered in the water, I didn¡¯t get any of it on me. In addition, I used water magic in order to cleanse the blood on my hands. I confirmed that the man had indeed died. Up to here I was able to perform things mechanically. And after Myun asked me ¡°What would you like to do with this man¡¯s magical stone¡± I regained my senses. Do I really have to carve out his body in order to retrieve the magical stone? Do humans even have magical stones in them? I was staying silent and Myun seemed to be aware of it. Myun used the power of her bracelet and changed the corpse into water. Ahh, that¡¯s right I need to hurry up and clean this mess so that I can go home. Using Void Magic, I made a hole in the earth prison in order to take out his clothes and wallet. His wallet had things like silver coins and copper coins. For now, I was uninterested in money so I handed it over to Myun. I also made a hole in the ground and placed his clothes there for now. Moreover I threw away the torch down the river. Nn? Is this a sword? This was the sword that was hanging on this man¡¯s waist. ¡¾Broad Sword¡¿ ¡¾Iron¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Manufactured Date: 3/9/7428¡¿ ¡¾Value: 97,500¡¿ ¡¾Durability: 500¡¿ ¡¾Effectiveness: 100-150¡¿ ¡¾Effects: None¡¿ Holding the sword in my hand I looked up towards Myun. ¡¸I will take this. I think that it will become really useful in the coming hunts we will have together. Where should I hide it so that it won¡¯t be found out?¡¹ We solemnly picked up the man¡¯s items and other than the sword and the money, I decided that it would be much safer to completely dispose of any other evidence, so rather than just burying it in the ground, I decided to burn them all away with Fire magic, and then using Water Magic to make the ashes flow down the river. After completely finishing the clean-up process, I started to calm down and thought about the next step and how this man called Beguru would react to the failure of this contact liaison in gaining information. The both of us walked back home in silence. After returning to the house, I noticed that I hadn¡¯t completely used up my MP. Apparently my Level had gone up though. ¡¾Alein Greed/5/3/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428 Greed House hold Second son¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Excellent¡¿ ¡¾Age: 6 years old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 3¡¿ ¡¾HP£º30(30)¡¡MP£º5242(5380) ¡¿ ¡¾Muscular Strength: 5¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 5¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 4¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 4¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Appraisal(MAX)¡¿ ¡¾Inherent Skill: Gift of Natural Talent¡¯s (LV 3)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Earth Magic (LV5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Water Magic(LV 5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Fire Magic (LV5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Wind Magic (LV5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Void Magic (LV 7)¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 6098(10,000)¡¿ For some reason, I gained around 2600 experience points. Was that spy really that strong? If I am not mistaken, his Level was at 12 and his HP was just a little over 120. Gift of Natural Talent is supposed to give me an increase of 80% at level 3. If you deduct it using maths, that means that the experience gained was 1400. Doesn¡¯t this mean that that man gave an experience of about 1400? In any case, this time around, all of my abilities went up when I levelled up. Is it because even though I used magic to trap him in place, the damage I dealt was given directly and physically using my own hands? I don¡¯t really know how this works just yet. Incidentally it¡¯s been nearly 2 months since the product launch of my rubber products. The durability test is also going favourably. All I have to do is obtain father¡¯s permission and I should be able to go into mass production. Volume 1 - CH 25 In the following week, the durability test for the rubber finally concluded. There were no problems with the durability of products, and in particular: Rubber-coated cloth, Cushion and Sandals, all these types of shoes were permitted by Hegard to commence commercialization. The slingshot and protectors however had to be postponed. Especially the protector, I haven¡¯t had the time to fully test its durability against piercing and slashing sword attacks. Well, it¡¯s no use complaining about that right now. I was hoping to commercialize the protector for a high unit price, but Hegard didn¡¯t permit the selling of the armor. Nevertheless, he gave me instructions to keep on improving the armor, and I was told to guide and teach both Farne and Mill in the method of creating rubber goods. At any rate, I readily complied with his instructions as I had no qualms about teaching my fellow siblings nor about improving the quality of my rubber goods. But there is one thing that I can¡¯t really understand. ¡¸Father, is it alright if I also provide instructions to the people of the village?¡¹ ¡¸Umu, in regards to this matter, I plan to talk to everyone about it after dinner. Until then, you should keep training hard¡¹ After saying that, he stood up from his seat as if the conversation was already over. He is probably going to patrol the territory. I wasn¡¯t really completely satisfied with his answer as the conversation got cut off, but, I trained my magic and used up all my mana in the morning and took a rest until noon. Well I suppose we are going to talk more about it during dinner anyways¡­ After eating supper, Hegard gathered the entire family and said ¡°I want to talk about something today¡± and he kept the fire inside of the lamp lit for the occasion. Both Farne and Mill didn¡¯t know what the topic was going to be about as they exchanged looks with each other and immediately turned their attention towards Hegard. It would seem that Sharl had already heard the gist of it before hand, and she seemed to be really calm and had the usual smile on her face. Myun was preparing some sort of tea beverage that tasted like black tea, and it seems that Hegard was planning on waiting until she served everyone their drinks before beginning to speak. I also felt that I didn¡¯t need to alienate Myun from our family conversations any longer so I just calmly waited in silence until my tea was poured for me. After serving tea to everyone in the room, Myun bowed and left the room. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to return into the room, but when I gave her a fleeting glance, she returned a light smile towards me. ¡¸Now then, the topic we are about to speak as of now, is something that both Sharl and I have already decided on. However, Farne and or Mill, or even Al, if you guys have your opinions about this, we don¡¯t mind hearing them. Depending on the circumstances, we may even reconsider our plans¡¹ Hegard looked at each of us sequentially as he spoke out. ¡¸Although I think you guys already know about this, Al has recently ascertained the durability of his rubber products. Well, after hearing the opinions of the people who were testing the products, it turned out that there weren¡¯t any major problems. Because there were no unforeseen problems, we have started production of various types of rubber products and distributed it to Bakkudo Village, we are also going to put it up for sale in other nearby towns. The goods we will offer up for sale are a variety of sandals, namely: Shoes, rubber-coated cloth and cushioned shoes¡¹ After saying this much, Hegard took a mouth of tea to moisten his mouth. ¡¸In regards to the slingshot and armor, I decided to postpone mass production for now. The reason for this is that, rubber is already going to be monopolised by Bakkudo village, so if we wait a little bit longer and raise the quality of our products, when we depart to the frontiers for battle, it will become useful in practical combat and serve as proof thereby increasing its price. Ah, in other words, it will propel the village to new heights and consolidate the fact that we provide special goods that we can be proud of. Therefore, I want the product to be improved even more, enough so that it can be used in actual combat in the near future, and after showing how useful these armor products are to those who have no idea what rubber is, only then will we begin selling it¡¹ Up until now, Mill had a face that showed she didn¡¯t really understand what was going on, but after that explanation, she seemed to understand a little more. Nevertheless, is that what Hegard was thinking¡­.. ¡¸When somebody uses either the sandals or the rubber-coated cloth they will soon realize how excellent these goods are. Although it¡¯s hard to predict the opinions of the masses before we put it up for sale, at the very least, both Sharl and I have high opinions for these products. Though I placed a considerably high price on these goods, it is likely going to be very popular. Aside from the nobles, I don¡¯t intend on making the price so high that commoners will not be able to afford it. Well, to be honest I don¡¯t have a clear prediction of how many of these products will sell, and I plan to work it out from here on out¡­¡­ However, in terms of life saving armors, I can¡¯t leave it to chance. Obviously we can¡¯t just put it up on the market, so that we can see if it can withstand a slash from a sword, right? Therefore, I plan to have improvements done to the armor from here on out and then use it in the next war. After all, it¡¯s about time that our village is called for battle. Depending on how well it goes at that time, I might even be able to sell it to the other nobles and aristocrats right on the spot¡¹ I understand, he¡¯s trying to promote the sales of the armor with actual combat proof¡­ I actually hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead. I actually thought that if I just did a presentation to show that my armor could withstand the strike of a blade within Bakkudo Village, that it would be enough as a sample and start selling it immediately. However, it never occurred to me to use it in actual combat as a proof of how superior the product could be. I don¡¯t really know if this idea came just from Hegard or just from Sharl, or maybe the both of them thought of this idea when they were discussing things, but what I do know is that my parents aren¡¯t just for show! Not only that, it seems that they also have quite the keen mind for business. ¡¸Alright, then in order to recap, I want you kids to remember something. In terms of rubber products, there is actually a couple of secrets involved. In regards to this secrets, you guys should never leak them out to outsiders, unless they are your family members. Even now there is already a variety of secrets, but as the amount of rubber products that is produced increases, so too will the amount of secrets around it. If you want to state your opinion about the other matters then we will be happy to hear it, but in regards to this matter, it¡¯s already been decided so I won¡¯t accept any objections. This is what I have decided as the head of the Greed Household. You guy¡¯s got that?¡¹ Everyone nodded. ¡¸I think that I¡¯ve got a good grasp on how to make the rubber products from Al. If there is something wrong with what I say, please correct me¡¹ After saying this, Hegard looked at me and started to explain the procedure in making the various rubber products. He didn¡¯t really get any specific mistakes, so I didn¡¯t interrupt him in the middle of his speech. I thought that I only briefly explained the concepts to Hegard in the past and he only got as far as touching some of the products, but it seems that he was able to accurately explain in depth as to the procedure of how to create these products¡­ I suppose that as the lord of this village he is really working very seriously. From this, I understood that he wasn¡¯t just blankly listening to what I said, and it can be seen that Hegard¡¯s powers of comprehension is really good. ¡¸In brief, magical power is not necessary to make rubber. By going through the proper procedures, anyone can make rubber products if they had the time. However, in the process of drying the rubber, it is most efficient to use magic to help with the process, this part is clear right? Also if you mix the sap, with the charcoal powder and the yellow stone¡¯s powder it¡¯s elasticity will grow, and if you keep adding more of these ingredients, it will eventually become hard and become ebonite. People can have a general prediction as to what is being mixed in, besides we are going to mass produce the products from here on out, so along with the increase in ingredients it probably won¡¯t be possible to hide this secret for a long period of time. However, the real secret is in the ratio and percentage of how much of each particular ingredient are mixed into the rubber. You guys got that?¡¹ Once again, everyone nods. Indeed, it¡¯s probably better to guard the secret of the mixture ratio and procedure of things rather than what ingredients are being used. Just like Hegard says, if we wanted to keep all the other elements a secret, it is probably impossible. Afterwards, both Farne and Mill was given orders to learn the manufacturing method of the various rubber products. At the same time, I was to increase the amount of rubber goods that was to be produced. Because I was allowed to employ the various retainers working under Hegard, I don¡¯t think it will take too much time to accomplish. As far as I knew, there are 265 Para Rubber Trees, that are able to produce sap. Up until now, I have only been able to efficiently gather around 30 of these trees to make into rubber products, but after receiving help, it is predicted that I can efficiently use around 200 trees. I also had to make sure that we didn¡¯t use up all the sap in the trees, and I started planting the seeds of these trees in a different location. Quite a lengthy amount of time has passed. and I think they know the children are getting sleepy, and so it was decided that we would leave the talk up to here for now and go to bed. The collection of rubber goes well, and the production has increased greatly. Well sap has been retrieved and the charcoal and sulphur have been ground into powder, and all we are doing is essentially mixing these things together, so it¡¯s not like people can fail in this. In regards to the mixing ratio, I already created a memo so they can¡¯t really get this part wrong either. After a period of 2 months, we have been able to create: 20 rubber leather boots, 100 rubber sandals, 1 meter in width and 50 meters in length of the rubber coated cloth and lastly 10 rubber cushions. In terms of the rubber itself, we have only managed to use up half of the amount. I hear that Hegard has confirmed the quality of the products being made and together along with Sharl and a couple of retainers, they are planning to go to the nearby Doritto Town in order to sell the products. I¡¯m told that according to the circumstances, they may even go to the Marquis territory towards the capital city called Keel, in order to sell the products. I don¡¯t really know how long they will be out for, but, considering they are directly selling the goods how long would this even take? Also if they were unable to sell any of my rubber products, this would be really bad wouldn¡¯t it? Na, but when I think about it calmly there is no way people wouldn¡¯t buy these products. However, I do have to address the problem of categorizing the products pretty soon. ¡¸Father, have you decided on the price for each of the products?¡¹ I daringly asked him. If the price was too high, nobody would be able to afford it, yet at the same time, if the price was too low, we wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the costs of purchasing the various livestock. ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ve already decided. Sandals will be 10,000 Zeni, the shoes will be sold for 30,000 Zeni. The cloth will be 5,000 Zeni per 1 meter, and the cushion will be 20,000 Zeni per cushion¡¹ Ahh, damn it. I totally don¡¯t understand the value of money in this world. ¡¸I see, by the way, what is the price to purchase a single horse, I wonder?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm let¡¯s see, if we want to use a horse that is fit for our house, it would probably cost around 6 million Zeni. Even the war horse that I will be using for battle, costs around 10 million Zeni¡¹ Huh? doesn¡¯t that mean that even if we sell all the inventory in our possession right now, all we will be making is 2 million Zeni? That¡¯s not nearly enough¡­. Well, I understand that the prices of horses are originally very high because they are considered as precious animals. However, the price of rubber is undeterminable right now. I mean, to begin with, how much value does 1 Zeni even hold? I think that the fact that I don¡¯t have any economic sense is finally starting to become a problem for me. ¡¸Umm, may I ask how much value skin sandals usually get sold for? Also boots¡¹ ¡¸Hmm~, let me think, leather sandals usually cost about 3,000 ~ 5,000 Zeni. Boots are roughly around 12,000~15,000 Zeni¡¹ I see, it¡¯s still quite vague though. I can see that in terms of regular prices, it is more expensive than the existing products on the market, but the rubber products are probably being sold on the cheaper side of things. ¡¸Al, I understand that you are worried. You are thinking that the prices I¡¯ve set are too cheap, right? However, you don¡¯t need to be worried. This is only the beginning. I predict that it will sell in bulks and I don¡¯t plan on stopping at Doritto. The moment the products become popular I plan on increasing the price to 5 times the current amount within the capital city. Therefore, it¡¯s alright¡¹ Saying this, Hegard pats my head as I watched over the luggage as they were being loaded. Umm, I totally didn¡¯t expect it to be 5 times, will it work out? Three weeks have passed. Hegard and the rest haven¡¯t returned yet. Because our parents aren¡¯t home, you would think that us brothers and sisters would be able slack off, however, one of the leading retainers serving under Hegard, called Beckwise Aizenside without exception would come every single morning and abduct us, and force us to compulsory sword practice. Well because I¡¯m still young all I¡¯m really doing is just practice swings so there aren¡¯t any big problems, but for Farne and Mill, they seemed to be getting worked to the bone. After asking about it, it seems that this is actually easier than when Hegard would drill them. Oi oi, I couldn¡¯t help thinking if that¡¯s really true, then how crazy is Hegard¡¯s training?! It kind of depresses me when I think about that fact that in a couple more years, I will be forced to this type of training. However, in the end it is a necessary thing, so I won¡¯t complain about it. In addition, after taking care of the last contact liaison that arrived, it would seem that no new contact has come to replace him. Approximately 3 months have gone by since then, and I¡¯m thinking that there is going to be movement soon, therefore, I haven¡¯t been going hunting at night lately. In truth, I have only gone hunting twice since then. I want to avoid a scenario in which Myun¡¯s bracelet is unusable in times of need, and this cannot be compromised so it can¡¯t really be helped. Volume 1 - CH 26 Several days have passed, and during the afternoon approximately one hour after we began our swordsmanship lessons, Hegard and the others came back home. I would have thought that when Hegard came back home, he would have sold all of the goods within the carriage. However, there was still some luggage within the wagon, and it seemed that perhaps he didn¡¯t sell very many goods? I was becoming worried and so I stopped my sword practice and ran up towards Hegard. ¡¸Father, you didn¡¯t sell very many goods? ¡¹ I asked Hegard this question and he was riding on horseback, he had a grim look on his face. Including Hegard even the people within the carriage; Sharl and Bogusu looked towards me with a consoling gaze, and they didn¡¯t say much and just smiled. Oh man~ Did they fail? My face might have appeared really disappointed and realizing this fact I tensed up my face to cover my emotions, I continued my questions in order to clarify what happened, I was already thinking of ways in which I could improve the rubber products. ¡¸Could you please tell me where it went wrong? I will make improvements at once¡¹ As I approached the wagon, Shawn who was acting as a guard for the carriage lifts me up and passes me on to Hegard. Hegard receives me with a smile on his face. ¡¸We sold everything, we even got orders to make additional items. Moreover, I bought something that I thought you would be happy with. Now then, once we take down our luggage, I will do a debriefing session. From here on out, we are about to be really busy!¡¹ However, my worries was unfounded, it seems they did it, it seems that everything was sold out. The luggage that remained within the carriage was not the unsold stock, but in fact it was actually other goods that they bought. I heaved a sigh of relief. It seems that today¡¯s agenda will be about gathering the retainers of the family and doing a briefing session about the rubber sale. ¡¸Everyone has assembled here, right? I¡¯ll get straight to the point; in today¡¯s meeting I would like to inform everyone of how the sale of rubber went down. In addition, I also have a policy for the future of the village that I want enacted and I want you guys to listen¡¹ When all of the retainers were gathered around the garden, he began his speech and looked around all the members. Everyone gathered here today were either, retainers or part of our family, also all the heirs from the retainer¡¯s side who had already grown up also attended this meeting. Myun was also here for a change. Everyone was sitting down on the ground, and they were giving their attention to Hegard who was standing ahead. The people standing behind Hegard included: Sharl, Bogusu, Shawn and Jim. They were the party members that travelled out on this particular business trip. ¡¸The first thing I want to start off by saying is that all of the goods we prepared this time were completely sold out. By the way, I only sold two pairs of sandals and a rubber-coated cloth of about 1 meter in length to Doritto town. More precisely, I should say that chose sell only that much¡¹ After hearing the good news of being able to sell all the stock, everyone¡¯s faces brightened with a smile, because the amount sold in Doritto was so miniscule I wanted to raise a voice of doubt. However, Hegard specifically mentioned that it¡¯s not that he wasn¡¯t able to sell but that ¡°he purposefully sold only that much¡±. What does this actually mean? ¡¸When we arrived at Doritto, the first thing we did was visit the ¡°Sagret Company¡±. That¡¯s because we wanted to sell our special products from the village in an open-air stand. After that, we met with Viscount Kindo who was the feudal lord of Doritto and he gave permission for us to trade and do business. He probably thought that it was some sort of speciality agricultural products, and he easily gave us permission and he even exempted us from tax. Therefore, we parked our carriage in the middle of the town and started to sell immediately. Because we were just getting started, as per planned we wanted to test the waters by putting up a price of 10,000 Zeni per pair of sandals¡¹ The group of people standing behind Hegard starts to smirk as if something interesting was being said. ¡¸By the time we arrived to Doritto it was already in the evening, so after obtaining permission to do trade, we only planned on selling goods for a little while before going to the inn. Thus, I entrusted the shop to the others and I went to make a booking for our lodging. After that I quickly returned to our selling location, but it was as expected¡­ Nobody really looked at our goods¡¹ Saying this Hegard face broke into a broad smirk. ¡¸Because it couldn¡¯t be helped, after that we closed our shop¡­¡­but well, all we really did was transfer the carriage to the inn. We took a rest on that day. And then on the very next day, we opened shop in the morning in the same place. Sharl even prepared a board writing the price tag on it¡­¡¹ Shawn was the one who continued the story. ¡¸What did the sign say again? Ahh it was ¡°Super high-quality Sandals, Bargain Price, 10,000 Z¡± wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ Everyone was listening absentmindedly as they didn¡¯t really understand what was so interesting. I didn¡¯t really understand why they were grinning so much either and so I was also pretty dumbfounded. ¡¸We didn¡¯t sell until noon. It was around the time when we were getting demotivated at the fact that we weren¡¯t selling anything and everyone was leaning on the wagon as we slid to the ground. It was at this point in time that Viscount Kindo passed by our shop. Perhaps the passing Viscount took pity on us who were trying our best to sell the speciality products from our village, and so thought he¡¯d buy some products¡¹ This time Bogusu continued the story. ¡¸Ahh, the Viscount had a really sympathetic expression. I really thought that Kindo-sama was a really kind person¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s totally so. However, we were truly having a tough time, he looked at us with a pitiful gaze and said ¡°Super High-Quality Sandals¡­¡­¡­ 10,000 Zeni¡­¡­¡­ Fumu, please continue to persevere and do your best to sell¡­¡­.¡± saying that he placed a silver coin in the grasp on my hand. The feelings I had at the time¡­. Couldn¡¯t really be described in words¡¹ Sharl was covering her mouth as she started to talk. ¡¸However, after that, wasn¡¯t it really amazing?¡¹ ¡¸Ahh, that was certainly incredible. Woops we wandered off from the main story. In any case, for the first time at around noon, Viscount Kindo bought a pair of Sandals from us. After that, just like in the morning we didn¡¯t sell anything after that. While there was some people who actually went by our shop, after they saw our price tag, they would have shocked faces and quickly pass through our shop. Even we started to think that the price was a little too high. However, after a little while, Viscount Kindo came once again this time while riding a horse. He quickly got off the horse in a panic and quickly said ¡°Please allow me to buy the remaining sandals!¡±¡¹ Hearing these words, all of us were talking excitedly in a buzz. Even I was a little surprised. He actually said, he wanted ¡°all¡± of the left over products? ¡¸Hearing his words, both Sharl and I instinctively tensed up. As expected selling rubber was going to work, we thought. However, the other party was a feudal lord who gave us permission to do business and made us exempt from tax. We were trying to find an excuse of how to refuse him politely when Sharl said ¡°Kindo-sama, we decided to sell our Sandal products mostly in the city of Keel. We are just about to close shop here. I am very sorry. However, as an apology, if you wish to purchase another pair of sandals, I will be happy to provide you with a rubber-coated cloth of 1 meter in length free of charge¡±¡¹ Hegard was speaking in a jovial tone as he tried to imitate Sharl¡¯s attitude towards the Viscount in a teasing manner. ¡¸It couldn¡¯t be helped right? I mean as expected after experiencing the product first hand, even Viscount Kindo realized how valuable the product could be dawa. In order to slip out of that place, there wasn¡¯t much else that we could do. Moreover, I think that the Viscount also saw various uses for the rubber-coated cloth¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true, it¡¯s just as you say. If I was to just refuse him at that time, things would have probably gotten stormy, using the rubber coated cloth was a pretty good idea to settle things¡­¡­Anyways, after selling another pair of sandals we also included the rubber-coated cloth free of charge. Well, when we think about the fact that we were exempt from tax it was already a pretty good deal, and we could always come back to Doritto on our way back home. Therefore, we folded up shop immediately and left our inn and aimed our sights on the City of Keel¡¹ Everyone asked Hegard ¡¸Wasn¡¯t there at least 100 Sandals, why didn¡¯t you just sell them all?¡¹or they asked him ¡¸If you were to sell everything¡­¡­.(People counting with their fingers)¡­¡­..I-isn¡¯t that one million Zeni?!!¡¹everyone one was kicking up a fuss. On the contrary as for me, I had an even better opinion of my parents. I believe that they discarded their chance to just sell all the products in one go and decided to wager a chance to perform business on an even bigger sale with bigger profits. Not many people would be able to resist the temptation of early profits. Especially because my parents seemed to be country side feudal lords who I thought were probably ignorant about business, but it seems that I was wrong. I was proudly giving them a pretty high evaluation, but after all, I had a mental age that exceeded 50 years of age, and 20 years of my life were spent on a food trading company, and I had a middle-ranked managerial position. If I were to be honest with myself, I really did underestimate my parents too much. I need to re-evaluate them. ¡¸After that, we didn¡¯t do any business on the towns we passed by and just headed straight for Keel. Meanwhile, we started have a discussion amongst each other. We were discussing about methods to sell the goods more expensively and more continuously ¡¹ Hmm, it seems that I need to re-evaluate them more and more. If we are talking about just going to a different place to do business anyone could think that up, however they mentioned the concepts of ¡°how to improve the price¡± and how they were going to distribute the products for a more ¡°continuous¡± flow of selling the products, and this was a splendid line of thought. It means that they at least understand the fundamentals of doing business. Sooner or later, there may be a time in the future, where I will have to teach them accounting concepts of closing accounts and creating balance sheets. It¡¯s pretty troublesome that I have to do profitability analysis even after transmigrating isn¡¯t it? ¡¸Because of this. We started to talk about various matters. We talked so much until our head was boiling and smoke was coming out of it. I mean, even a person like Viscount Kindo was in such a panic when he said that he wanted to purchase all of our goods. We also needed to take into consideration that there was a limit to the number of products we could make. Therefore, we thought it would be wise to sell these limited products at the highest price possible. If we can do this, this will enrich everyone¡¯s lives in the village. Along the road, we had many disagreements and continued to improve our ideas by brainstorming. What we came up with was two options, either we directly sold the products to Marquis Webdosu, or we sold it to the company that the younger brother of Marquis Webdosu manages. Both of these options had their own merits and disadvantages. If we sold the products directly to the Marquis then we probably didn¡¯t need to pay tax. That¡¯s because we could just increase the price to negate the tax if we wanted to. However, we didn¡¯t really know how many we could sell with this method. If it was used by the military, then we might be able to continuously sell the products. On the other hand, if we sold it to the company, then we would need to pay tax. If we just simply raised the prices by too much, then the general public may not be able to afford the products and the demand for the product may drop. However, the positive thing was that if we did this, the products would be distributed to the whole kingdom and not just within the Marquis¡¯s territory. If things went well, then it might even exceed the amount of goods we can continuously sell than if we had just merely sold it to the Marquis directly¡¹ Everyone became silent again and payed attention to Hegard. After confirming everyone¡¯s attention, Hegard started speaking again. ¡¸I was able to milk out those two points. For the time being, we decided to directly sell to the Marquis. Either way, we needed to have an audience with the Marquis. Even if we failed directly selling to the Marquis, we could still sell to the company, so we thought that this was a pretty safe measure to take. When we went Doritto, we merely called it a ¡°speciality product from Bakuddo¡± and it was possible for the Viscount to see the value in the products. Everyone here already knows that Rubber has various usages. It was not really necessary for us to insist on over exaggerating the usefulness of the product. At the same time, the Marquis has not yet been exposed to the product before, and so we thought that it would be good for us to first visit Sendohel-sama first. In this way, we wouldn¡¯t have to painstakingly advertise our products to the Marquis¡¹ Who is Sendohel? ¡¸As everyone here may already know, Sendohel is the Marquis¡¯s eldest son and he was assigned to be the leader of the knights three years ago. Although he was still relatively young, the Marquis still recognises his ability and skill with the sword and he is fit to be the official heir. Because we had Farne, I first approached him with the topic of Farne. I asked him if Farne could be enrolled to the order of the knights, whilst casually introducing some of the rubber products. As I expected, Sendohel-sama, had keen eyes. He soon took a liking to the rubber products. I¡¯m everyone will be surprised to hear this! but we have been able to secure the Order of the Knights as one of our regular customers!¡¹ Ohh, did such a thing occur? Nevertheless, this is pretty amazing. Everyone here couldn¡¯t conceal their excitement either and was getting really rowdy. Even I could not help but smile as this was really a big event. ¡¸The Sandals were used as part of the equipment for training the knights and was set for a price of around 40,000 Zeni. Boots were given to the knights participating in actual combat and for those riding horses, and the price was set at 190,000 Zeni. However, it was been requested that the boots shouldn¡¯t just have one layer of pig skin and should have double layers for the next batch. The rubber-coated cloth was sold for 30,000 Zeni for 1 meter squared in length. In regards to this, they wanted to be able to designated the size at the time of ordering our products. The cushion that we brought were sold for 100,000 Zeni, however they said that if we were able to make it thinner and also expand the size to the shape of the horse¡¯s saddle, they will be willing to pay 250,000 Zeni for each cushion. There was also another condition attached, and this was that instead of having rubber as the surface of the cushion, they wanted the surface of the cushion to be covered with the rubber-coated cloth¡¹ Everyone was flabbergasted with their mouths flapped open and they weren¡¯t able to speak. My voice also wouldn¡¯t come out. Isn¡¯t this literally selling it for 5 times the original price!? Normally leather bound sandals were supposed to be around 3000~5000 Zeni, right? And also, wasn¡¯t the original price of the boots set around 15,000 Zeni? Isn¡¯t the price more than 10 times in this scenario? There is a limit to how much you can rip someone off¡­¡­..no wait, isn¡¯t this actually really good? ¡¸Consequently, from here on out within half a year, we need to supply them with: 300 foot Sandals, 100 Boots, and for the time being all of the rubber-coated cloth should be made with a width of 1 meter and a length of 200m, the cushion should be remodelled to fit a horses saddle and we need to make 30 of these, and lastly, we need 20 pieces of the regular type cushion as well, this is what has been ordered. Everything totals to 46,500,000 Zeni¡¹ ¡­¡­¡­¡­. Holy crap, I think that we can afford those farming horses now¡­. TL: If you need a little refresher about the price of horses, it¡¯s 6,000,000 Zeni for a normal horse and around 10,000,000 Zeni for a Warhorse. Chapter 25 has more info about certain price of goods and about the economy in general so check it out if you want to. Volume 1 - CH 27 ¡¸This time around all of the products that were created were sold to the order of the knights serving under Marquis Webdos. We have been able to accumulate a total of 9 Million Zeni. This time around, the products that we had didn¡¯t completely meet the requirements of the other party therefore, I gave them a discount for some of the products to a reasonable extent¡¹ Hmm, was it 98 sandals, 20 boots, 49 m worth of cloth, and 10 cushions? Did the products I create really sell for such a high price¡­¡­? Considering that the price of a single horse is approximately a couple of million Zeni¡¯s, this would mean that we can at least buy a single horse and still have some spare change. At first I was worried that the trip wouldn¡¯t be successful but now it feels a little foolish for me to have been so worried. ¡¸The proceeds that we earned this time will be put into the various tools that we may need in order to continue making the rubber products. We also got a recommendation from Sendohel-sama and we managed to procure the goods at a lower price. The goods that we bought are these things¡­¡¹ Saying this Hegard looked back to the wagon and he tore of the cloth covering an object. There seemed to be quite a bit of baggage that was left in the wagon, and even after taking off the cloth cover, the insides were still hidden. Come on, if you don¡¯t open the bag, I can¡¯t see the contents~. Well aside from the things inside of the bags, I could see some things resembling metallic pans and iron kettles, what could those things be? ¡¸This is equipment that was bought from a blacksmith who discontinued his business in Keel. This equipment will be helpful when you need to pour the rubber into buckets. Another thing that was bought was a plow which can be used to plow the land. Later we can attach the plow to a horse and the horse can be used to cultivate and plough the land. If you have something you need just let me know. I haven¡¯t decided the fee for it, but I can at least lend you a horse¡¹ Hegard was proudly talking about the successes of his trip and everyone was cheering. Ueee~ You say that you are lending them the horse and the plough, but you¡¯re going to take money for it? But then again, if he were to just give these things free of charge, that would probably cause problems as well, besides, as long as he set the price cheaply enough, there won¡¯t be many problems, right? Anyways, with this we can probably successfully introduce domestic animals as a form of boosting our agriculture. Although it took a long time before we were able to achieve the objective, I still have a feeling of satisfaction as we did achieve our goals. ¡¸In regards to the plow, I will give a presentation to cover it in more detail tomorrow. And there is one last thing that I have to talk about. Presently, the person that has been making the rubber products is Al from my family, but considering that we will need to make more products than ever before, we will need a lot of manpower to sustain it. Therefore, it will be necessary to increase the amount of people that help make the products. Even now, we need to quickly produce sufficient amounts to fill the orders that have already been requested, there is a mountain of things that we need to get done¡¹ Hegards says this as he looks around surveying everybody. ¡¸Taylor, Enbelt, Arnold¡­¡­¡­..and lastly, hmm let¡¯s see. Diane¡­¡­. and Myun. Diane is not here right now, but please let her know later. From tomorrow, all the people I called out will start learning about how to produce rubber from Al. Farne and Mill have already started to learn, and any trivial questions I will leave up to Farne to answer tomorrow. You guys got that? And last but not least, although this is natural, I will obviously pay you wages¡¹ The people that had their names called out were the sons and daughters of various retainers working for our family. Only Myun was in her twenties whereas the rest of the people were around their young teens. Enbelt and Diane have just barely turned 15 years of age, and Arnold is only still a young 17-year-old. Well because he¡¯s a dwarf he already has a beard growing even though he¡¯s a midget. Taylor was 19 years old and the oldest if you didn¡¯t include Myun, however, if I were to apply the common sense of Japanese culture, then he would still be considered a youngster. Nevertheless, young people are said to have absorbent minds, this should be good for learning and memory. Allow me to do my best to properly train them. ¡¸Also if this business gets right on track¡­.. it may still take 3~4 years to really take off¡­. I can¡¯t really promise anything, but I really want to make this village take over the rubber product industry. From here on out, I would like to borrow everyone¡¯s help for rubber production. So that we may accomplish our goals, you guys can assume that you have quit the agriculture business and you should devote yourselves to rubber production¡¹ Although everyone obediently listened to Hegard¡¯s commands, there was some people who seemed uneasy when they heard ¡°quit the agriculture business¡±. The young people I mentioned before and their parents especially seemed to be a little anxious. In my opinion, being delegated into producing rubber is actually something to be happy about¡­. ¡¸Is there any questions?¡¹ Hegard was wrapping up his talk. It was at this time that various hands went up from the crowd. One of the people who raised his hand was Beckwiz, who was a retainer to Hegard. ¡¸Excuse me, in the end, did you visit Vicount Kindo on the way back home? Listening to the talk from before, I think that Viscount Kindo, is also really interested about ordering some of the rubber products¡¹ When they heard this, starting from Hegard, all the people standing behind him had a change in expression. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­ ¡¸Ah¡­..In regards to that¡­. I completely forgot. This is bad isn¡¯t it¡­¡­.I probably should go back¡­¡­ tomorrow I will head back to Doritto¡­¡­.¡¹ On the evening of that day, Hegard talked to us again after our meal. ¡¸Farne, Mill, have you guys become able to create rubber products?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, but I think that without the help of the memo prepared by Al, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make it yet¡¹ Farne said this. I guess this is to be expected. Starting from learning how to harvest latex properly, it¡¯s only been three months since he started learning the process. ¡¸Is that so, then Al should begin instructions on how to properly gather the latex. Ahh, , when I say instruct, I of course mean the newcomers Taylor and the others. Farne. You need to quickly come to grips on the correct mixture and ratio of creating the rubber products so that you will be able to create it without the memo, this is your most important objective. Starting from next year, you will be enrolled into the order of the knights working under Webdos, therefore you need to have perfected the art before then, alright?¡¹ After saying that, Hegard turns his face towards Mill. ¡¸Mill, have you been able to dry the rubber with the use of your magic?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, Father. I¡¯ve already learnt how to do so. Even Al has told me that I¡¯ve done good¡¹ Yeah, Mill is capable of using every kind of magic without trouble other than wind type magic, therefore, although she may not be as effective as me at it, she is still able to dry the rubber with efficiency. ¡¸Alright, Al, I¡¯ll depend on you starting tomorrow. We will probably be able to buy a couple more horses in the next three months, so we will need to build an additional barn. In approximately 10 days, the workers and builders from Doritto should arrive here in order to construct the barn. Everyone, remember not to be rude to them. If you do, it will give the whole Greed Family a bad reputation. I also order the builders to create a rubber manufacturing shed for you guys, before building the barn. The manufacturing shed will be placed next to a vacant land near the riverside. Al you can think about what you want for the shed so that it will be easy for you to manufacture. If you tell me when you want, I will convey that message to the builders¡¹ ¡¸Yes, Father. I understand. I also have a question, would it be alright to ask?¡¹ I wanted to ask about the blacksmithing tools. ¡¸Nn? What is it?¡¹ ¡¸In regards to blacksmithing tools, is there anyone in Bakuddo village who can use it?¡¹ ¡¸I have a general idea of how to use it. But the rest you need to manage by yourself. Even if you need to employ people, you may do so¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Me?¡¹ This was unexpected. If Hegard had a general understanding of how to use the tools, couldn¡¯t I ask him about it and do something with magic? No no, if possible I need to think of a method in order to profit. (TL: sorry guys I had trouble with this sentence, it may become more clear later when blacksmithing comes up) The morning of the next day, Hegard woke up early and departed towards Doritto. After depleting my MP in the morning and having a good rest, I met up with the members who will be working with me from now on in the garden during the afternoon. To start off with, I should take them to the place we can collect the rubber trees. Because all of the people gathered here have been trained in the sword and hard labour of farming, they seemed to act as if the two-hour trip to get here was nothing. Although considering that it took two hours for my short legs, in truth it probably wasn¡¯t that great of a distance. We went to the actual location and I instructed them in the method to properly gather the latex. I had already installed various buckets under the rubber trees, so all we really had to do was collect the contents of the bucket. After collecting the sap, we needed to make a new cut in the tree, but considering that the previous cut was there as an example, it wasn¡¯t really hard to replicate the action. Even though they didn¡¯t¡¯ have much experience, because there was so many people that participated in the harvesting, we managed to end the collection in surprising swiftness. After that, we brought back the gathered latex to the village (from 200 rubber trees, we can gather about 40 kg worth of latex every 10 days. When the latex is made into rubber, less than half will remain) I handed it over to Farne and Mill. Because it was already night time, although Farne and Mill started to create the ingredients such as the grinding the charcoal and sulphuric ore into fine powder, the actually process of mixing the ingredients to create rubber will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow, the rubber will be refined and will be poured into the mould. This is also not very difficult work. I have already prepared the mould and all they really had to do was carefully pour it into the mould so that it doesn¡¯t spill everywhere. After pouring it into the mould, us brothers and sisters would use our magic in order to dry it. In this way, the rubber production would be completed at an accelerated pace. It is more efficient since us three brothers and sisters have worked together, and because there are even more people with us now, it¡¯s even faster than before. As long as we had enough of the latex, we might even be able to supply the order of the knights with the goods within 10 days, the irony is that the item that takes the longest time to create is actually the product that uses the least amount of rubber, this product is the boots. The reason for this is that it is not possible to make the main body of the boots without spending time. The boots obviously need pig skin, and the process of gathering the skin adds to this time. In any case, for the time being, I made the insole of boots, and the bottom part. The good news is that Hegard has already purchased the boots and it was a simple process of remodelling the boots, after creating a sample for the others all I had to do was leave the rest to Taylor and Enbelt. Merely explaining the special characteristics of rubber and how to properly pour it into the mould took a great deal of time. When people have to be taught, I guess it¡¯s true when they say that time will rapidly pass. Hegard returned from his trip, and Viscount Kindo also made additional orders, the builders are also proceeding to build the shed and the barn. For now, there is no apparent problems. And so I let my guard down. It was at this time that I received a report from Myun. That among the builders who came from Doritto, there was actually a spy liaison working amongst them. That reminds me. The builders haven¡¯t finished their work yet. If I killed another one, will it cause troubles? I asked Myun to identify the target and I casted my appraisal on him. Oh what, he¡¯s level 6? His mouth is always half open and he seems to be an absentminded type of guy. We still have some time; how should I deal with this problem I wonder? Should I wait until night time? Volume 1 - CH 28 Well, I¡¯ve already decided that I need to take care of the contact liaison, however I have no good ideas about the method. Killing is something that can be done at any time, however right now, the builders were in the middle of constructing the rubber shed and the barn. If this is done poorly, it will naturally become a big mess. Last time around, the contact liaison was an adventurer and it wouldn¡¯t be weird for someone in that profession to just drop dead during an adventure. While obviously this new spy was not up to any good, his profession was that of a builder and it won¡¯t be easy to come up with a reason if he were to suddenly disappear. In any case, the possibility that a builder disappears in the middle of work is slim, and because it would slow the others down, they would definitely search for him if he were to go missing. Even if I were able to make his corpse into a puddle of water, if he disappeared without reason even the villagers of Bakkudo village may take action and thoroughly search the premises. After thinking about it this much, I noticed something. The reason why anyone would think that he disappeared without notice, is if I were to eliminate him in a location that no one could see. But what if I were to openly cause an ¡°accident¡± in broad daylight, could this possibly work? Somehow, I feel like my way of thinking has become similar to a professional hitman¡­. But, I¡¯ve already decided that this must be done. Last time around I also thought about this but, I cannot afford for Myun to be compromised, even now I still need her here. Up until now, she has taken care of me and she has been really helpful to me. I don¡¯t even know this guy, moreover he¡¯s a spy from Debasu Kingdom, he can¡¯t even be compared to Myun, therefore, I¡¯ve long made up my mind. When I think about how I¡¯m going to live my life in the future, this is nothing to even think about. Alright, let¡¯s make it look like and accident and dispose of this spy. Failures are not permitted. If I fail the first time, I don¡¯t think there will be another chance to make it look like an accident any longer. If there is a large external wound, then this will also be too obvious and it won¡¯t work. It¡¯s probably better to make him fall to his death from the roof and or beam while he is working on the building? No, the height of the roof is only approximately 4-5 meters. At this height, even if someone were to fall, it is really unlikely for them to die unless they are really unlucky. In this case, what should I do? Should I combine water and ground magic in order to create a delayed poison? If I imagine a puffer fish, I should be able to create a poison similar to tetrodotoxin right? However, even if I was able to make such a thing, how do I get him to take it? If I wanted to mix it in their food, then all of the builders eating the soup would be poisoned, that would cause troubles. Falling from death + Alpha can¡¯t I do something with this¡­¡­..? If all I do is think about these type of things, my mind goes a little wild. If I just left things to chance, then there is bound to be mistakes and that would be a problem¡­¡­ While supervising the others as they created rubber, I was thinking about such things. Right now, Diane and Myun were working on creating the rubber belt and the rubber boots. On the side, Farne was pouring raw materials in order to create the ebonite type rubber. Judging from the size of it, it was going to be the latch made for the belt. The raw materials for the ebonite are poured carefully into this square which had a ring-formed mould. Taylor and Enbelt were stirring the contents that Mill had already mixed beforehand, this was the ground charcoal and sulphur chemical compounds that would increase the hardness of rubber. Arnold and Mill was cutting a little bit from the sole of the boots and then pasting on the rubber to make it more durable. The work is going well. The only one who¡¯s not really doing anything is me. Considering that this is a rare occasion, shall we do a little experiment? I moved to the warehouse which was a workshop in the main building and started creating soil using earth magic. I was using earth magic in order to fill the bucket full of soil and after that I used void magic to sieve through the soil. If you were to ask me what I was doing, then I was experimenting to see if I could filter out only the metal content within the soil. Within a mixture of soil and earth, it wouldn¡¯t¡¯ be strange to find a some metal content in it right? Well at least that was what I thought initially, it seems that after trying it out, perhaps I was the crazy one to think that this would work; it seems that the metal content is close to zero. To put it into perspective, I made a wall of earth of around 10 meters in width by 1 meter in height, and from this, I had only about 2 grams of metal content. Just to produce this little amount of metal, required an extremely high amount of magical expenditure. The first step was to create the 10 meter wall of earth and this would require a proficiency level of level 5 Magic and it would require you to cast it approximately 6 times. Merely doing this would require an MP expenditure of at least 30. If you wanted to make this much earth and you were only capable of using level 3 Earth Magic, then you would likely need to conjure the earth hundreds of times. Therefore, my purpose is no longer to just filter out the metal content any longer, but it has changed to practicing to able to more efficiently draw out the metal even by a little. When I need to filter out the soil and use void magic in order to draw out the metal, I actually use about 1000 MP. My calculations are that it would take about 10 MP per cubic meter per second. The only person who would be able to produce Metal in this way is probably me. Even when I tried my best for the whole day, I could only gain 10 grams¡¯ worth of the metal. More troublesome was the fact that I had to dispose of the huge amount of earth that I generated. Even if I wanted to erase it using magic, then it would also take a similar amount of MP as filtering out the metal. When I thought about the fact that in a whole day I was only able to produce 10 grams, this is pretty much akin to about two pieces of 100 yen coins at best. If only I had magic that was able to directly produce metal, that would be so convenient, if this was possible, I would not only be able to more easily produce armor, civilisation might also become more advanced, By the way, I tried to filter out the metal even more and see if I could filter out gold, silver or other types of precious metal such as platinum, but that experiment did not succeed. Well it¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t able to do it, but I was only able to extract miniscule amounts that could be compared to sand particles, and if it¡¯s to this extent, I¡¯d rather assume that this wasn¡¯t possible to accomplish. Nevertheless, I was able to succeed in obtaining a nickel and chrome to some extent. I want to be able to produce stainless steel, but considering the amount I obtained, this is just not a realistic goal. These past few days, I have been totally immersed and fascinated at the process of filtering out metal. This is partly because I had received the second hand goods from that blacksmith that retired that Hegard managed to get a hold of. However, it¡¯s not like I can suddenly do blacksmithing, so honestly what I¡¯m doing probably doesn¡¯t exceed what you would consider ¡°child¡¯s play¡±. Woops, I¡¯m totally losing sight of the original conversation. Even if I may look like I am just playing around, I¡¯m still thinking about methods and ways to dispose of the spy. However, no matter how much I think about it, I can¡¯t seem to find any good ideas. I guess there¡¯s no other way¡­. Several days later, I managed to confirm from a long distance away that the spy was attempting to go up a ladder in order to build the framework of the rubber shed and the roofing, which was located in the riverside. I casually made my way to the riverside and approached him. The timing is also very important when trying to make certain you successfully go for the kill. I was approaching the shed with the appearance of a little child who was very curious to see how it was being built. While in actual fact, all the plans and basic layout for the design of the shed was created by me, I told Hegard all the details and he was the one who passed on all this information to the builders, therefore, the builders should have no clue about me and only perceive me as a simple child. I was looking at the construction of the shed at a distance of about 10 meters away and I was sitting on scraps of wood near the building as I looked up. Including the boss of the builders, there was 8 of the artisans who was working busily as they used a wooden peg to nail the framework of the building thereby assembling it. There is about 5 people that was working on the top. The spy in question was continuing to work as he moved over a beam. All that¡¯s left is for the timing to be perfect. Even if he was standing in that dangerous position for quite a while, he just didn¡¯t come to the right position. Hmmm. This is worrisome. But well, not even 10 minutes have passed, let¡¯s just wait and see what happens. 10 minutes later¡­. Not yet. Another 10 minutes pass by¡­ Oh, he¡¯s finally changing positions again. Will this be good enough? Yeah, I think this will do. If I started to cast wind magic, it would just like he just lost his footing right, right? While it wasn¡¯t appropriate for me to cast a violent gale, it should be enough to make him lose his balance. Now¡¯s my chance! I tried to use my wind magic in order to blow his body off the roof. Naturally I was waiting for the timing so that nobody would notice that magical light was coming out of my hands. However, for some reason, the framework of the shed itself greatly jolted and shook. Didn¡¯t they build this shed properly?! Not just the spy I was supposed to target, with the shaking of the building everyone who was at the top started to lose their footing. This is bad. Within a second of each of them shouting out, everyone started to drop into the ground. My initial plan was to use wind magic again on the spy as he fell down, to make sure he landed on his head, however if everyone was falling at the same time, I couldn¡¯t really do this and so I couldn¡¯t do much but watch as they fell down. However, perhaps I can make use of the situation and do something about it. I quickly approached the spy who fell down. If he was dead from this than it would be lucky for me, I used Appraisal on the spy and found out that ¡¾Condition: Both legs fractured¡¿he was injured but it was non-threatening to his life. There were also several others who ended up getting wounded because of the fall, but I don¡¯t really have a chance to finish him off right now. Although I don¡¯t really want to do this, there is no helping it. First I would create about a glass cups worth of soil using earth magic and then using void magic I could use it to stuff his mouth and the circumference of it in order to make sure his voice wouldn¡¯t leak out, at this point in time, I can only think of using my MP in order to make one of the beams fall on top of his head¡­ If I invested around 2000 MP would I be able to pull this off? I should get close to him pretending that I would start using recovery magic, and then instead use wind magic in order to make one of the beams fall down and crush him. I dashed at him while formulating this plan, but it was at this time that the boss of the builders suddenly called out the name of the spy and starting sprinting towards him. Gehh, are they close friends? If it¡¯s like this, I really can¡¯t kill him carelessly¡­ I can¡¯t help it at this stage, and I think that I need to legitimately cast healing magic on him now¡­. The person who received the most serious injury from the fall was the spy and so for now I decided to cast recovery magic on him. At the same time, I told the others to go and get Shiemi-obaasan as I continued to heal the next guy. After this I pretended to have used all of my energy and sat down. Well only these two guys had serious injuries that was enough to fracture their bones, so even if I didn¡¯t heal the others it should be fine. For the time being I only casted a little bit healing magic on these two. If I was to seriously go at it and cast healing magic, they would probably be healthy in no time at all, but I didn¡¯t want my magical prowess to be suspected and so I purposefully did a shoddy job. Apart from my crew which were producing the rubber, there was really no one else who knew that I had so much MP, so with this much I don¡¯t think anyone would start to doubt me. The spy was apparently the son of the boss¡¯s friend, and he was only a temporary worker. The person himself was feeling immensely grateful towards me. Even though I had tried to kill him, for me to receive his gratitude sent a shiver up my spine, but since it couldn¡¯t be helped I didn¡¯t say anything to negate it and just received his thanks. Moreover, it seems that the other 5 of were wounded received treatment from: Shiemi-obaasan, Sharl, Farne and Mill, therefore they were healed pretty well, and after resting, they would be able to start working again tomorrow. Well, I¡¯m stumped¡­ Because I started talking directly to him, my killing intent has been dampened. In truth, talking to him like this should probably be avoided. However, I mean after treating him with my healing magic, he was actually bowing his head to a kid like me, and I couldn¡¯t really bring myself to gush out my killing intent. Seriously, what should I do? This shed almost collapsed when I blew it with my wind, and because it was in the middle of construction, nobody really doubted that the cause of it was someone cutting corners while working on the shed. Additionally, the boss of the builders was really grateful when our group casted healing magic and so it became a trivial passing matter, I also didn¡¯t say anything. Well at this stage, they probably won¡¯t cut anymore corners when constructing the shed, I guess this is good. Although I feel somewhat shameful for intentionally causing a ruckus and then profiting from it. The fact that it already happened cannot be changed so there¡¯s not much use over thinking it. The other workers have started calling me ¡°young master, young master¡± and they are behaving in a really friendly fashion. Arghh Man, What am I going to do now!? However, things begun to change. The next day, a riding messenger came from the Webdos faction. It was a call of participation for the next expedition. This battle will be our chance to provide actual combat proof that my rubber protectors are of first rate quality, lately all I¡¯ve been thinking about is how to kill someone, so let¡¯s just put the matter off for now and think about murdering later. When I think of the expedition, I cannot help but to think about Hegard and the retainers that will follow him. Apparently, the military forces of Bakuddo village will depart from the village within one month. Hegard confirmed that we would be able to produce all the goods required by Viscount Kindo and the order of the knights within the allotted time and then he ordered us to begin production of the rubber protectors. I was always prepared for such a situation to occur, that¡¯s why I have always been consistently improving the protectors and so I feel like we will be able to meet the deadline with no problems. From the next morning, I plan to make a protector tailor made for all the members who is going on the expedition according to the size of their bodies. This time around there is a deadline, besides my hands are completely full with having to meet the orders of: Viscount Kindo and the order of the knights, and also with the production of the protective gear. Other than creating the improved model of the protector there is no need for me to expend large amounts of MP, however, being busy is still being busy. I almost wanted to just ask if I could just skip my sword lessons, but the answer is obvious and I myself understood that it was necessary for me to temper my body and train, so I tried to make do with the time I had, Ahh, that¡¯s right. After thinking about it, the spy hasn¡¯t really been able to get any confidential information regarding the rubber or the process of making it, therefore, wouldn¡¯t it be fine if we just allowed him to convey the matter of our family departing for the expedition? I was racking my brains out to figure out the solution, but it seems that the problem will soon resolve itself, I will just obediently accept this development with delight. When I ordered Myun to just convey the message of Bakuddo village participating in the next war expedition, the spy was trying to make the excuse that his injuries and body condition wasn¡¯t well and strongly wished to return to Doritto. However, the boss of the builders did not permit such an action, and he wanted the rubber shed and the barn to be completed at a faster pace. Perhaps the other workers were in high spirits after receiving healing magic or something? but either way they were really motivated and managed to complete the work in just a mere 20 days. both the barn and the shed was made quite well. The people who will be departing to the skirmish in the Debasu Kingdom is apparently going to be Hegard as the head chief, and Sharl is also coming along. Moreover, all the retainers from all 10 households were participating in the war as well. Even if you think that the scale is small, whether they proceed for the purpose of defence or for offence, an armed force, is an armed force. I was able to make it in time by equipping all the members who were dispatched with protectors and so I was really relieved, and along with the rest of the villagers, we saw them off. Two horses are used to pull the wagon, and because Hegard is using the only warhorse available, the horses cannot be used for agriculture development until they return. I had already completely all the orders from Viscount Kindo and delivered it to him, not only that, the wagon that was filled with the goods for the order of the knights were also filled with protectors for all sizes just in case they were willing to buy some goods. The person who was driving the wagon was Beckwiz and Sharl was sitting next to him. At first, they were planning on putting things like clothing and food inside the wagon, however, this time around, there was already going to be military provisions given to us and so they only brought enough food to stock them for the travel, and if they needed to they could replenish for supplies on their trip as they delivered the goods to the order of the knights in Keel. All of the retainers who were equipped with my ebonite protectors were covered in solid black and they looked both dauntless and really cool. I asked this matter to Hegard a while back and it seems that in this world there is already such things as metallic armor, however, the full plate armor was a whole body armor and it was way too expensive and so only senior level aristocrats would be able to afford such things. As for normal foot soldiers, most of them were forced to wear either leather armor or perhaps chainmail at best. Putting aside leather armor, while chain armor may have a good defensive power, it was really heavy to wear and so if you needed to march, it took a lot more energy to do so. When you compare it to a kilt which they wore underneath their armor in usual circumstances. my sturdy protector was by far the optimal choice. Naturally, I also made types that can be put on as easily as leather armor. Each person had various types of equipment tailored to them and while it may have been troublesome to make in some cases, this will most definitely increase their survival rate by many times over. This time around, the protectors were developed by taking into consideration that these protectors would be worn alongside some of the leather and other types of armors and so each piece was remodelled to fit. Additionally, in the world of Orth, it wasn¡¯t really dominated by males, therefore, there was actually a lot of women participating in the armed forces as well. This is pretty similar to the WAC. Although if you were to think of the women in the member of the Self-Defense Force I used to belong in at the time, women were not necessarily assigned for battle and was instead working as nurses and shelter people. Well if I am not mistaken though, there is surely some members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force that were women who were actually assigned to the front lines as a combat force, and in Israel there was also women conscripted to the war, therefore, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with having women in the force, well I suppose there is a huge difference in cultural between the two worlds though¡­. Anyways no matter the case, this isn¡¯t really a problem. This isn¡¯t earth, moreover it would be crazy for me to compare this world¡¯s inhabitants to the common sense of Japanese people. In the future, if there are more orders for us to develop the protectors, I will have to make more types of armor specifically suited for the women. When I was making the protective gear for Sharl, Hegard happened to be there by chance and gave me this advice I hear that they will take around several months to half a year before they are able to return home from the expedition. I had a really hard time resisting my instinctive urge to give them a salute as they departed. Volume 1 - CH 29 Well, let¡¯s put everything in perspective. Right now, the things I am doing are: All in all, these are the 6 things I classify as important work. Ah, well from number 4 onwards, it¡¯s not really accurate to call it work I suppose. Where did the Children¡¯s Welfare Act go to? Such a thing doesn¡¯t exist here. Let¡¯s think about these things sequentially. First let¡¯s start with number 1. In this aspect, there has been no problems arising out of supervision. If I just make sure to use a combination of Earth, Wind and Void magic to create the mould for the others, even though it takes a huge amount of MP consumption, the rest becomes pretty straight forward. I just have to make sure that no one receives any injuries, and I just have to make sure that the rubber is poured into the mould before it hardens and make sure this is done properly. This doesn¡¯t take very much of my time. Next is number 2. Even if I say I am improving my rubber products, if there is no request from the buyers to improve a certain product, I won¡¯t actually alter any of the current products. At any rate, the only products I sell are things that I myself would be satisfied with, therefore, unless it¡¯s pointed out by somebody that they would like additional improvements, I won¡¯t go out of my way to do it. Well, there are those rare occasions when I discover that a product can be improved, so I guess I won¡¯t say that I never improve it. Aside from this, the point is that there isn¡¯t much work in this department unless there is a request. And now moving on to number 3. In this aspect that are various kinds of developments. There is a mountain of things I came up with. Although, I still can¡¯t make the rim for the wheels so I am still suspending the development of the tyres for the time being. Soon it might be time for me to create rubber products for general merchandise. In all honesty, simple things like rubber bands are actually really useful. If a thin elastic band is made, it can be used to tie up and easily bundle several books together, or if a thin rubber-cloth is made it can be used to bundle up clothing and easily carry them around. Unless people actually used these products, most of them wouldn¡¯t know how useful it could be¡­ Another thing is that a condom is also important. In Bakuddo Village, there isn¡¯t any venereal diseases however, since ancient times, the act of copulation is source of infection and illness and the potential destructiveness cannot be underestimated. It is definitely something important to create. Now number 4. This is something I need to find time in order to do. Well because the amount of time that I have to supervise the others when working is not that much anymore, there isn¡¯t really any problems for me to find time to do sword practice. After all, I am only doing practice swings. As long as I had approximately one tatami mat of space, I would be able to swing my sword. After that let¡¯s talk about number 5. I still do my magical training and after waking up in the morning and consuming breakfast, I would expend all my MP. Recently, I¡¯ve been filtering out metal from the earth in order to expend my MP. After that I would also expend my MP after Dinner and also wake up in the middle of the night and do this again. There are times when I go out hunting together with Myun in the evening and so occasionally I cannot expend all my mana. Lastly point number 6. Up until now, I¡¯ve disposed of 1 spy. After that I didn¡¯t get rid of the next spy, but considering that Myun already gave him information about the dispatch of troops for the expedition, there should be no more problems for at least 10 years, right? That¡¯s what I want to believe. However, this isn¡¯t really a permanent solution. There are three fundamental ways to solve this problem permanently. One method includes completely destroying the Saguaru family which is the source of the spies in the Debasu Kingdom. However, this is extremely difficult to accomplish. Method two involves eliminating the man called Beguru, who resides in the city of Keel. In comparison to the first method, this is probably easier to accomplish, however, this may not be sufficient to provide a permanent solution. The third method involves making the spy organisation believe that Myun has died. Is this the most realistic method? I think that if I get the timing right, and when the contact liaison comes the next time in order to see Myun, if I can just make it appear as if Myun died right in front of his eyes, and he reports this to the upper branches, it will be case closed. After that, if I can also take care of Beguru, that would be even more perfect. Presently my focus is on making money, and considering the time span we have, this is not really the most pressing issue. Therefore, this probably means that the most pressing matter out of the 6 subjects is point number 3, which is development of new rubber products. Other than this, there isn¡¯t really any other problems. Let¡¯s begin at once, shall we? If I can create a variety of new products by the time both Hegard and Sharl comes home, wouldn¡¯t they be pleasantly surprised? The tuning adjustments for the various rubber products have been going well and so I wanted to produce the condom for health and hygiene reasons, but it hasn¡¯t been going very smoothly. This is because it¡¯s not like I can try it on myself, and I cannot really test it on anyone else either. If I wanted my parents to try out the product, I wonder what kind of face they would make¡­¡­? Well, I guess this has reached the point where it became sort of a hobby for me, and since it¡¯s not like I would need such things until the distant future I¡¯m not too worried about it. Even today, I am trying hard to improve the condom¡¯s membrane, but, even trying to produce a membrane that has the same thickness is such a hard thing. Not just that, but there is also the complicated issue of what kind of shape the membrane should take. Well, I guess I should give up for the time being and just delegate this to a past time hobby thing that I do whenever I have some spare time? I was secluded in the home warehouse under the pretence of developing new products as I absentmindedly thought about these things, when suddenly a flash of inspiration came to me. Up until now, what I¡¯ve done is use earth magic in order to form the exterior of the condom, by consistently adding the proper dosage of rubber to slowly solidify the shape. At the same time, after forming a cylindrical shape, I would close the tip of the condom with a lot of rubber. Therefore, the tip of the condom would have an excess of rubber and become distorted, and this would cause the thickness of the rubber to vary especially near the spearhead of the condom. Because of the difference in thickness, it actually causes a lot more friction and therefore makes it easier for the condom to tear. In that case, let¡¯s change my way of thinking and let¡¯s think of a new way to recreate the external surface of the membrane. First I need a sufficient amount of rubber as a base, and then I need to use wind magic in order to immediately send air down the condom to stretch out it¡¯s cylindrical shape and at the same exact time use magic in order to dry it and complete it in one go, I wonder if this would work? Because this needs wind magic in order to accomplish, only I would be able to create such a thing, but, I¡¯m sure that in the near future, there will be someone from the village who will be capable of using wind magic, I think that this might actually work out? Alright, let¡¯s do a trial experiment right now. Because it feels like it will take a long time before a perfect model can be made, for now let¡¯s just aim for a useable model. Pour the raw rubber¡­¡­¡­.and use wind magic in order to dry it! ¡­¡­¡­How is it? Thought not quite satisfactorily, for the time being it¡¯s not too bad. There isn¡¯t a difference in the thickness and it looks like beautiful job. I blew air into it and made it into like a balloon, and then using water magic I poured water into it and tried making it into a water balloon as I played around with it. Well, I wasn¡¯t intending to make a water balloon to begin with, and I noticed that it was really huge when it got filled with water. However¡­¡­. Isn¡¯t this a success? Uhiyoo~ I see the light. As long as I pay careful attention and properly make the external form, I think that this will work. It doesn¡¯t¡¯ really require a huge amount of raw rubber, and as long as you could use a sufficient level of wind magic, I think that it won¡¯t be too hard to start mass production. ¡­¡­.No, it requires quite a huge amount of MP, so it might not work? Well, I guess I can¡¯t really start worrying about that right now or there would be no end to it. For now, this is a success. It would be bad if I just played around and made these hygienic rubber goods all the time, let¡¯s also think about the other types of goods. How about making a life buoy? Or perhaps, I can make a rubber boat, that also sounds pretty good. Is it called a valve? or even if I made a cork stopper, this invention would also be very useful I think. Let¡¯s see, what other stuff can I make? Maybe a rubber glove will be good? But, what¡¯s the purpose of rubber gloves anyways? Well, I guess there no need to be troubled by it, let¡¯s just try experimenting! Creating various interesting rubber products and going hunting at night with Myun exterminating the leeches, before I knew it four months have already passed, and the expedition force with Hegard and the others in it have already returned to Bakuddo village. There were 0 casualties in the war, this was a joyous performance. The moment that the dispatched army returned to the village under the guidance of Hegard and Sharl, everyone returned to their homes and immediately rested, I suppose they must be feeling very tired right? After about two days of rest in order to recuperate, Hegard started to assemble those of them who participated in the expedition. ¡¸First of all, Everyone, you¡¯ve worked hard. Although it was quite the intense battle, the fact that nobody died is the most important thing above all¡¹ Everyone was paying attention to Hegard. ¡¸And now. In relation to the armor you have on you, if there is anything that you want improved, please be sure to say it. The person who made these rubber protectors is Al, therefore, if you have any requests it would be better to directly talk to him about it. Al if you have any questions yourself, don¡¯t be afraid to ask them as well, alright?¡¹ ¡¸My lord, In regards to that particular matter, I think it would be better to talk about it? I bet that Al-sama would be surprised when he hears about it!¡¹ One of the retainers, Beckwiz suddenly raised a new topic and wanted Hegard to bring it up. Uh-oh, is he going to immediately start talking about the improvements I can make to the protectors? I haven¡¯t even brought my memo with me. ¡¸Ah, oh. Alright. Al, you should be happy. Even the leader of the knights Sendohel-sama, used your boots and sandal products and was very satisfied with the quality and excellence of the product. Not only that, he also praised us in relation to the cushion that was being used on top of the horse saddles. Because sandals and boots are expendable supplies, he would probably need around 300 to 100 respectively of each of the products every half a year, and from now on, he is going to extensively adopt and use these products. Therefore, it¡¯s been requested that 300 sandals and 100 boots be delivered to him within the next 3 months. He also wants 500m of the rubberized cloth¡¹ Ohh, this is amazing. Well for now, this amount is still doable with how much we are able to produce. ¡¸After that, on our way home, we also visited Viscount Kindo. The Viscount was also really satisfied with our products. Next time, not just the sandals, but he plans to purchase the boots and the cushion as well¡¹ Muu, now that I remember, we also delivered goods to Viscount Kindo¡­ Is this getting a little too much? Perhaps Hegard noticed the look in my face, but he strangely said. ¡¸Hm? What¡¯s wrong? if we start selling, we will make a huge profit, we can even start buying horses ¡­¡­..Is there something bad?¡¹ Near the end, he was speaking kind of timidly and even though Hegard is my father, I thought it was kind of cute. ¡¸No¡­¡­ If we are talking about this much quantity, then it is likely that we will barely be able to reach the quota for production. But there will be no room for mistakes¡¹ I¡¯m sure that he understands what I am worried about right? I think that Hegard has understood the seriousness of the situation now. ¡¸Mu¡­.. Is that so? That¡¯s going to be troublesome isn¡¯t it¡­.. If we want to increase our rate of production, what can we do?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm let¡¯s see. The only way for us to do that is to claim new plots of land, and plant more seeds of the rubber tree, in order to increase the number of trees, this is the only thing we can do. However, I have never tried to do that so, I don¡¯t know how well it will work out¡­¡­ Moreover, even if it did work out successfully, for us to be able to obtain and harvest the sap from the rubber tree, we would need to wait who knows how many years before the tree is fully grown. Therefore, it would be really difficult to suddenly increase the rate of our production. If it is absolutely necessary, I can forcefully cut more of the tree in order to collect the maximum amount of sap from a single tree, but if this is done too often, the tree itself will be damaged and there is a possibility that the sap will not come out any longer. Until then, we must succeed in increasing the amount of rubber trees by planting them¡¹ As expected, I also answered in a serious tone of voice. ¡¸Fumu¡­¡­ is that so¡­..? I guess we need to clear out and cultivate new land¡­.¡¹ Somehow the atmosphere turned dark. I really hate this kind of atmosphere. ¡¸Apart from that, in regards to the improvement of the rubber protectors. I actually forgot to bring my memo, so I¡¯ll bring it and come back right now¡¹ I tried to shake off the dark atmosphere by speaking out in a bright manner and I went to get the memo board. After that the atmosphere became more peaceful, and everyone was boasting about their particular stories as I listened to how they wanted the protectors to be improved. There were some aspects of improvement that I wouldn¡¯t have expected. I think that it will take some time in order to do the improvements. The biggest issue the majority seems to have is that it feels stuffy. Although the elbows and the shoulders are quite alright, the chest area, abdomen area and thigh area was made from ebonite materials and was really quite wide and so apparently it was really stuffy. Similarly, the groin area was also in need of improvement. In regards to this particular aspect, there isn¡¯t much point for me to make a hole to create more breathing room as it would defeat the purpose and function of the protector, so perhaps it would be better to just remove it? Or perhaps I can give it a bit more ventilation on the backside to create some breathing room, although this would probably require more rubber and make it a little heavier, perhaps this will help with coping with the stuffiness? I guess I will experiment with this later. Additionally, it seemed that the people who wore the protective gear wanted some sort of design and or other types of materials added to it. Well at the very least, everyone seems to say that it has been very useful in actual battle so I was relieved knowing this. In this way, I continued to develop rubber products and improve them, along with hunting with Myun a couple of times each month, I was now over 6 years old. Volume 1 - CH 30 I''m not good with the blacksmithing terms, forging, tempering, refining, etc.. and that process so I''m not 100% sure if I got those parts right. If there''s a way suggested that makes better sense I might edit it. Even after just becoming seven years old. Once again today I''m developing new products and working on improvements for the protectors. It can''t be helped much saying it myself but I think I did a pretty good job on the protectors considering how difficult the requests were made to improve it. The requests were as follows: One. It gets stuffy so make air circulate through. Two. Reduce the weight. Three. Reduce the mass. Four. Since it''s too hard, make it more flexible. Five. Increase the defense. Putting it frankly, it''s all over the place. I can understand the requests but even with modern day Japan''s technology it''s impossible. Rather, it''s contradicting itself. I feel like I''ve understood a bit of the feelings of that engineer who made the Zero ship. For the time being I''ll start with measures to fix the stuffiness of it. Well, among these improvement requests it''s the most reasonable and I don''t think it''s impossible. During the war it seems it was almost constantly being equipped as well. It''s uncomfortable when it gets stuff after all. By the way I''ve already got an idea of how to fix this because the squires worked on it themselves on the spot. Furthermore, the troops that had leather armor on underneath the protectors didn''t have any problems other than their thighs as well. Wouldn''t it be fine to just wear leather armor on the entire upper body? Plates that are made of boards protect the chest and abdomen but of course they match the movements of the body. For example the exterior of the chest and abdomen parts I matched up to the muscles like Kamen Rider but the interior wasn''t bent to match up to the exterior. Obviously it was bent to some extent but even if you flip the protector over you''ll see the bends were made to match body type of the one equipping it. Due to this, it''s not very interchangeable. However, since I''m proud of how flexible I made it within reasonable limits with it fit to their body type. Obviously, there''s no problems at all with it over short periods of time. Rather, I was told the way I made it when messing around that didn''t fit felt more uncomfortable. But, bending it to their body type seems to have been the problem. Even though they''re wearing armor underneath it, because the armor underneath is made of thick material it sticks too close reducing air flow and within an hour they''re drenched in sweat and uncomfortable. It''s a problem that I didn''t realize it from the start myself but I still wish they would have told me in the first place. However, compared to leather armor it was easier since it fits to the body so it seems they didn''t think it would be a problem. Well, in some ways you could call this combat proofing, I guess. Supposedly Sharl was the primary one who started improving it on the spot. I guess being a woman that sort of thing bothers her after all. Everyone else was too stubborn. It seems that Sharl increased the air flow by sticking the thin rubber band she had for repair purposes to the reverse side of the protector. The rubber band isn''t very wide so if you use the right amount it certainly does increase the air flow if you put it in between your body and the plates of the protector. However, it was just attaching a rubber band so there wasn''t much effect and it still got stuffy. Though for the sake of that just loosening up the rubber band that attaches the protector to your body and then having someone re-attach it when it comes time to fight would be more simple and effective. Hm, if that''s the case then would it be better to think of a band that''s normally loose and quickly tightens up? However, even in that case if the battle draws it out it''ll have the same result. Thinking of the band itself, it''s probably better to focus on how to make it so the air flow in the space between the plate areas increases first. After several months of trial and error I ended up trying to dig a large gap in the interior of the plate. Though reducing it like that will lower the defense as well and the gap, or rather the volume of the protuberances increased so the weight increases as well making it pointless. But, it was also found that just the gap had insufficient air flow as well so I resolved that by adding various holes close to the exterior of the plates. I opened the holes close to the armpits and hips. After repeating tests that had my parents and the squires almost constantly wearing armor we were finally able to call it completed. I didn''t forget to have them do farm work and cultivation while wearing the previous version before there was proper air flow in the plates as well. I won''t forget their eyes filled with resent. It couldn''t be helped could it? Among the remaining requests two and three, reducing the weight and mass I''ve got nothing, it''s impossible. It''s a trade with five increasing the defense after all. In order to resolve this I''d have to develop a new material other than rubber and ebonite. It seems that reducing the weight can be done in various ways by increasing holes though reducing it by just the weight of a couple of holes is almost nothing. Four, increasing the flexibility is possible if you take that much away but once again it''ll lower the hardness of the ebonite and hit five, a trade with the defense. I mean, when we first started making it and testing the defense we went over all of this by testing slashes and stabs. That''s the thickness we decided on. Though having said that the thickest part of it is only about 4 cm and the thin parts of the exterior area are only 1 cm so if we reduce the ebonite and increase the hardened rubber we might be able to get more flexibility without lowering the defense too much. I was lamenting the exterior with a layer of ebonite and the interior with hardened rubber but it might be fine just to cover the chest, stomach, and import organs in front with ebonite. It might work just replacing a portion of the surface of the hardened rubber with ebonite plates. Even if I say hardened rubber, the density of the material is pretty high so it leaves plenty of defense. If that''s the case then it might work adding some gaps in the front of the ebonite plate so spears don''t slide in a weird direction when stabbed. It''s probably fine not to modify the surface of the hardened rubber. If I do that then it''s easy to figure out the direction it will slide when stabbed and just make that direction thicker or adding in a metal plate might work as well. Ah, it might be fine to do ebonite plates across the entire thing instead of just portions if we just change the thickness as well. In any case, it''s no problem as long as it''s lighter than chain mail or other metal-based armor. Even if you were to compare it to metal armor now it''s still much lighter and the defense is only slightly lower either way. Also, it might increase the weight a bit but unraveling chain mail and putting the chains in between the plate armor be good as well. Or maybe, save up some of the metal I''m making with magic right now, make it into wire and embed metal netting might be good as well. The iron I extract with magic I want to use for something else though so if possible I don''t want to go that far. .......... By the way, I forgot about a few things that are far more important than improvements to the protector. Farming and Forging. Just as promised Hegard purchased farm horses. Three of them all at once even. Thanks to that the cultivation of land for the new gum trees we''re planting is progressing at a high pace. I don''t know when exactly to plan the seeds so up until now I''ve been planting three seeds per month. Around November of last year I started planting them but none have sprouted yet. Well, this is something that should be resolved at latest within a year so we don''t really see it as problem. More importantly than that my parents hands down should be praised for deciding to allot the two cart horses we had until now to normal farming as we have the three new horses all allotted towards cultivating new land. The lending of the horses is a rate based on need* and the order is managed by the squire leader Beckwiz. Here I thought they would be lent out equally but it seems they''re being lent out while watching the rate of progress on each farm. It seems that the crops which have slow progress because the workers are doing forced labor in cultivating the new land are being given priority. As a result it seems they''ve managed to get all of the farms even. This isn''t a situation where just Beckwiz should be praised. I thought that rubber making money and bringing outside currency into the village was the result of my parents gaining some leeway but, wow, it was my older brother Farne that requested it. As expected of my older brother. As expected of a good looking guy. Farne is already 13 years old, one step away from becoming an adult. Next year, he''ll turn 14 years old and enter the knight group of Marquis Webdos, he''s going straight down the Bakkudo elite course. It looks like he''ll do fine just like this inheriting the viscount title from our father who was invested as a knight. "What needs to be done to make the village better, if you think about ways of developing it the answer naturally comes out. If you think about it until you feel like throwing up it''s unlikely you''ll make a mistake." Farne said those sort of cool guy lines as though they were obvious while laughing. Though I don''t know about the throwing up part my older brother is really a cool guy. But my parents might be more amazing having raised him to naturally say those sorts of lines. While I''m slightly dumbfounded after hearing his lines this time Mill says. "That''s right, older brother is going to succeed after father so he has to start thinking about various things from now. We should just move as older brother decides." ..Mill is the type that''s easily influenced I guess. "But since older brother is here we can leave if want as well." And whispered in my ear. Ah, she''s doing it intentionally. Come to think of it, Mill is still listening to Sharl and Hegard''s adventurer days stories. I guess you can''t erase aspirations from your childhood. Recently, not just magic, but she''s been doing sword training seriously, just like Farne from a short while ago she can swing around the sword where you wouldn''t think she''s a child. It might be possible in terms of pure swordsmanship she''s the strongest among us siblings. At this point there''s various problems with the statue size difference so Farne is holding back, but in terms of form and technique she already can hold her own against the squires. When it comes to me...I''m still just swinging the sword. Sorry about that. It''s become a bit of a complex so I made a wooden sword, or rather a wooden gun. Of course, it''s because it''s easiest for me to use the bayonet and bayonet fighting that I trained for in the past. Everyone around me just sees it as a distorted and bent short spear. It''s fine, this shape. Rather, even if you were to say sword, a forged sword has a dull blade and the sword itself only has a reach of about 70 cm. Though it''s short, it''s only obvious that a spear is better. Even a Japanese Katana is normally 60~70 cm, so a spear is good. Come to think of it, I wonder what I should do with the broad sword I stole from the spy I killed. Melt it down and make it into something useful I guess. But, it''s a bit of a waste. In terms of forging, Hegard taught me himself. It seems in the past Hegard experienced repairing armor a bit in the past, only the most basics, but even then it''s still better than having no example at all. Together with me the dwarf Arnold Flintogel also learned forging. Even though his father Geldan can''t do forging all he seems to be talented, he does a better job at repairing ploughs and hoes than me. Until now someone has always gone to Doritto once a month to get repairs on all of the tools so this is a factor towards developing the village as well I''m sure. Thanks to forging Arnold was removed from producing rubber and in exchange Josh the 14 year old son of one of the squires was added. Being close to Farne in age Josh seems to have been on good terms with him, so that''s fine I guess. I''m focused on tempering the iron I''ve accumulated. All of the iron I''ve saved up gradually until now has reached about 1 kg. It''s plenty enough to make a short sword, almost more than enough to make a 30 cm bayonet blade. If I place a stone pot on burning charcoal and add to the temperature of the flame using fire magic it quickly reaches the temperature needed to fuse iron. More importantly than that is making sure that the temperature doesn''t go too high and break the fireproof brick or stone pot we bought for forging. If I remember correctly by adding carbon to iron you can make steel and increase the hardness and toughness of it. In my case I''m taking just the iron out of earth with magic so smelting and refining isn''t needed. After going through two failures it''s good news I somehow manage to temper something like a short bayonet. The one who forged it was Arnold though. Arnold and Hegard didn''t know about the concept of forging with a hammer so I wracked my brains trying to explain to them how to use magic to make it easier. That''s obvious. In this world the concepts of molecular fusion and crystallization from molecular adhesion don''t exist, even if I were to explain it they wouldn''t believe it. I mean the hammer is used for almost nothing other than heating farming tools up and striking them back into proper form. Well, normally it'' used to "forge" the impurities out that weren''t removed during the refining process so there''s not much meaning to hitting it. If an appropriate amount of carbon is added while hitting it to make the iron crystals bind then that''s plenty. Magic banzai. Since it''s a bayonet there''s no need to add a curve like a katana as well. The point of the edge I imitated and only made it a double-edge blade part of the way through. In reality I wanted to make it the same as the armor with a thickness of 1 cm or so but after two failures I started to run out of iron so it was a last resort. Simply put it sucks. Even then I managed to get the thickness of the ridge to 6 mm or so it''s plenty to use for piercing. The sword blade is 30 cm or so, normally it''s supposed to be 12 cm down to the hilt of the pommel, 400 g or so for the type 64 bayonet straight sword. Even with just creating the hilt, making the rivet, and wrapping leather string around the hilt it looks somewhat right. If I were to remove the hilt and add a handle around the 1 m point where a gun would have it it could be used the same way a type 64 rifle is. There''s no magazine so I can''t use the magazine for a strike though. The hilt is made from oak using magic to dry it and mixing it with ebonite. In reality I wanted to make it easier to attach and remove by making the holding device for the bayonet but it was difficult so I gave up. With the type 64 minus magazine I thought I could compete with Mill and Farne but I forgot about the size of my body. It was too big for me. I can''t help this without getting bigger. Damn it. For the time being it''s fertilizer for the storeroom. Just as expected I was made fun of by everyone. Remember this. Maybe I''ll make a small one that matches my body size. I''ll eat more, exercise, and become a big man. Ah, physically and mentally. Volume 1 - CH 31 Another year is about to pass. Today is 2/14/7436 my birthday. I''ve turned eight years old. My level has gone up and putting aside my abnormal MP my abilities are near the level of someone in their early 10s. Alan.Greed/5/3/7429 ¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428?Human?Greed Family Second Son¡¿ ¡¾Status£ºNormal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º8 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º5¡¿ ¡¾HP£º54(54)¡¡MP£º6581(6581) ¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º9¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º10¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º8¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º8¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability£ºIdentify(MAX)¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability£ºGift of Natural Talent(Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºEarth Magic(Lv.7)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWater Magic(Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºFire Magic(Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWind Magic(Lv.7)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Void Magic(Lv.8)¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º20941(28000)¡¿ Just to explain a bit, level 5 is the average level of a 30 year old farmer. Again, my strength and other ability parameters are close to those of a level 2, 13 year old child. The normal leveling method of an average farmer that doesn''t train with the sword is they start farming at seven or eight years old, around 15 years old when they become an adult they reach level 3. Around this time their MP is between 3 ~ 4 and they start training in magic. According to what I''ve heard being able to use small magic, Cantrips around three times in a day is the measure. Then around 20 years old level 4, 30 years old level 5, mid-way into 40 years old about level 6. The fact that farm work is extremely inefficient for gaining experience is an understandable example. After observing it seems that the amount of experience points made from one day of farm work is between 1 and 5. It seems easier to gain based on heavy labor like cultivation. Compared to that training with the sword, no matter how much effort you put into it at best you''ll get 1 to 2 points per day doing just swinging the sword. When it comes to competition or practice matches, basically live combat fighting you can make up to 20 points in a single day. Nobles start training with the sword at 7 years old and change to real combat style at around 10 years old. By the time they''re about to be an adult they''re already level 5. After watching our squires and my older sister that seems to be the case. After that the amount of experience required for level up increases so it''s pretty varied but around 30 years old they''re between level 8 and 9. Then around 40 years old they retire from the squires (Though there are no women in the squires in the Greed family) and their son or daughter inherits their job in the squires. I don''t know if it''s because he''s talented or just because he''s still healthy but the squire leader Beckwiz is still going at 47 years old and is far beyond that at level 12 nearing on level 13. Of course, my parents who had a lot of real experience as adventurers fighting monsters when they were young are a special case. Obviously since I''m not allowed to do anything other than swing the sword the experience gain is inefficient but thanks to the Gift of Natural Talent with hunting once or twice a month you could somehow or other say I''m pretty good on my own. In April, Farne turned 14 years old and entered the knight group. Normally he was supposed to enter next year after becoming an adult but since he''s a noble it''s fine to advance it a year. In reality, I think they just want to show a good face to the Greed family after we started producing rubber products and sell a favor to Hegard. I wonder if it''s being too distrusting? During this era it might be okay for a noble to ignore the rules and enter early. In Japan it was something that would never happen so I''m not sure if its just my distorted point of view. Also, about Myun, she''s still working on making rubber products and occasionally coming with me to hunt at night. Her real age is already 26 so if she doesn''t marry soon things will get pretty difficult. Her adoptive father Tobas is already well over 60, he''s a squire member but just in name, I wonder what she thinks. Should I ask? "Hey, Myun. It might be a bit of an uncomfortable conversation but is it alright to ask?" "Yes, what is it?" That night as we were going to hunt monsters as usual I asked Myun. "Does Myun not plan to get married? Myun can use the sword and is strong so you could inherit the squire position from Tobas as well but starting training to be in the squire now is a bit unnatural, what do you plan to do about the Tobas family?" It''s difficult to say, you''ll miss your chance for marriage after all. I''ll just casually, very casually~ ask here. It''s not very casual at all though. "..I guess so. But, even if it were to come to bringing in husband.." Ah, it seems she was bothered by missing her chance for marriage after all. "But, it wouldn''t be strange if you already had a child right? The Tobas family will cease to exist like this?" If she already knows then it''s fine. There''s no other choice than to say it frankly. "I''m, well.. I don''t look very good after all.." No, no, don''t go in that direction. The conversation will go in a weird direction. "Isn''t there someone you like?" "No, not particularly.." As she says that her expression is a bit suspicious. Hm, there is someone. I''ll try misleading her into saying it. "Hm, how about Desdan? You''re the same age and often talking after all. Or maybe Bosch?" Desdan is 26 years old the squire Timba family''s second son, he''s got some rough points but a good hearted man. The reason why he still isn''t married at 26 is because he liked the girl his older brother Sean married and when they married he went off to become an adventurer. Recently he seems to have gotten injured, retired from being an adventurer and returned to the village. Just the same Bosch is the second son of the squire Donnel family, he''s 24 years old and the same age as Myun''s deception setting so there''s no problem. Bosch is the quiet type and often acting as assistant to the eldest son Rasseg that inherited the squire position. It''s said that he''s too quiet so he ended up being late on getting married. "Eh? Bosch and I aren''t in that sort of.." Ignoring Desdan huh. But, this seems to be a hit. It seems like her expression changed a bit. "I see, I guess that''s right. Bosch is quiet after all, not really the image of a squire." "Bosch is kind to everyone after all..And, he can use the sword as well." Hoho. "Though he''s still not joining the patrols of the squires right, I''m sure he''s no big deal." The patrol is when Hegard and the squires all gather and go around the forests thinning out and hunting monsters in the territory every 10 days or so. Farne keeps saying to bring him along as well but he hasn''t become an adult or a knight yet so Hegard hasn''t brought anyone but the adult squires and their siblings. Around the time I was born Rasseg got married at 19 years old and the Donnel family was stable so his little brother Bosch stopped training for the squires and just did farm work. "That isn''t the case, Bosch can fight properly!" What, the answer is already obvious. "Then there''s no problem is there. Talk to Bosch and Dangle about it. Or should I say it for you?" I say while grinning. I''m the worst~ "Eh? But, um...It seems Bosch likes girls with big breasts... In the past he always looked at Ann''s breasts after all.." Bosch is a closet pervert I guess. Ann is a rabbit people race farmer so her breasts are huge. I don''t know the cup but anyways they''re huge. "Men are all like that. And Ann is of the rabbit people race. Rather, when is that a story from? I think you might get a different answer now." Yeah, I have no basis for saying that though. By the way, it''s possible to marry between different races but it''s difficult to have children so it doesn''t occur very often. In Bakkudo there''s a human male and cat people race female couple but they haven''t had any kids. It''s not as if it''s completely impossible but it seems to be a considerably low probability of getting pregnant so it''s not recommended. "..Is that really the case?" Myun says uneasily. She may not be a beauty but her looks are average so that sort of expression is a bit cute. "I could indirectly try hearing about how Bosch feels for you?" Somehow or other it feels like I''ve become a guardian. Even in Japan up until the Showa era it was common for parents to decide on the marriage partner so somewhat, somewhat~ it feels kind of like that. "It''s almost as though Al-sama is an adult with how many things he notices..." She says while staring at me. Hmp, I wonder what in the world Myun is hesitating about at this point? "If you think about what you should to the point of throwing up, you won''t easily make the wrong decision. There''s no relation to age." "Really...Please don''t say something like what Farne-sama would say." I was exposed immediately. "Farne-sam really seems to think meticulously and deeply about various things and says sharp things but it feels like Al-sama naturally says things. Are you really a child?" "You''ve known me since I was born right, and, what are you going to do?" Myun quietly said it while staring at the night sky. "I''ll propose it to Bosch and my adoptive father myself. Even if it''s no good that''s for the best." "..I see..Good luck." I can''t say anything but that. That night it wasn''t the mood to go hunting anymore so I teased Myun as we returned. ........ By the way, on the forging end things seem to have considerably gotten on track. We buy iron ores with the abundance of money we''ve made from rubber products and can now make the farming tools and pots that we need ourselves. It''s big that the village can make cast metal products all on its own. Because of problems with demand everyday life articles are given priority but refining with my magic. I''m continuing to forge in particular with the iron I''ve sorted. Although, it''s almost entirely dependent on Arnold. Even though it''s not perfect, the performance is much better than my pseudo forged type 64 bayonet so Hegard and Arnold have realized the importance of hitting the unprocessed ores. Recently I''m trying to make an alloy tougher than iron so I''m challenging the production of stainless. In a ratio with iron I think it was around nickel 10% and chrome 15%. In the future I want to make a gun barrel which can use a life ring so for the time being I''ll use a random amount of nickel and chrome to produce stainless and then improve it from there. Alloys are fundamentally made by heating it up with magic and mixing it so it''s not very difficult to make. I converge it with fire magic, use void magic to accelerate that (isn''t quite the correct way of putting it but) and it''s not all that difficult to reach the necessary temperature to make an alloy. It just uses a lot of MP. Looking at it like this, it''s easily to tell that void magic is extremely useful in selecting things on the molecular, element, and atom levels. I''m primarily using it for metals right now but I noticed I can take out the elements of various other substances than just metals as well. It consumes a considerably amount of MP but I found out I can separate acid and other important elements as well. Hm? Then if I were to mix molecules could I create elements as well? Now then, Al-kun is testing out various things. There are successes but obviously there''s many failures as well. Failure is the mother of success after all. Volume 1 - CH 32 Otoko Aruji - Chapter 32: Considering Various Things In addition to wheat, barley and rye, various vegetables and potatoes, cotton and tobacco are grown in Bakkudo. Among those the most important I''m going to talk about this time is cotton. I''m going to pickle this in nitric acid and sulfuric acid that I separated with magic for a while. After that using water magic or anything to boil and wash it thoroughly and then put it into basket or something attached to a string and leave it in the river for a bit. At the same time removing any impurities that got mixed in completely. After that is before it dries shredding it up as finely as possible ideally into a powder. Even if you can''t get it to the point of a powder it''s still usable but more difficult to use. What am I making? nitrocellulose. It might be easier to recognize if I said it was the original raw material for making the gunpowder put in a bullets cartridge. In reality you''re supposed to make it into a powder before adding toluene (this is made from petroleum and some types of trees) then process it with acid and make dinitrotoluene then add a bit of plasticizing agent as well as the anti-combustion agent dibutyl phthalate in order to make smokeless gunpowder. It''s fine even if you don''t have dibutyl phthalate. Normally you''re supposed to use a stabilizing agent for safety purposes as well but it''s fine without it for now. In order to make gunpowder all you need is nitrocellulose and the rest is just meant to be used as additives. Therefore as long as you don''t pay heed to safety or deterioration you don''t need anything other than nitrocellulose. By the way, I tried taking glycerin out of plant oils for making nitroglycerin but it was way too inefficient so it seemed stupid. Also, I tried to make it from the sugar content that is made when brewing alcohol but they misunderstood it as if I was trying to steal alcohol so I''ve given up on the production of nitroglycerin for the time being and therefore can''t make cordite gunpowder. Probably, unless it was a person who learned it in National Defense University they wouldn''t come up with this type of idea so it''s fine either way. Nitric and sulfuric acid are made from saltpeter(all over the place in the northern mountains) and alum (used in tanning animal hides) so I can make as much as I need. At first I just made a little bit. After drying out what used to be cotton and setting it on fire, even if not as much as magnesium as long as it gives off a bright light and quickly burns away leaving almost no ash it can be called a success. After failing several times I finally was able to do it for the most part. I''m using an amount of cotton the size of my fist right now so the amount actually made is only a little bit so even if it fails it''s not enough to explode. Also, I don''t have any stabilizing agent so it''s weak to slight changes in temperature and humidity but I was able to make nitrocellulose. Hm, matching it together with stainless in worst case I can at least make a matchlock gun. Just being able to confirm this for now is plenty. After this I''ll take my time with, rather it''s better not to do it in Bakkudo. Someday even if small when I completely have my own territory. If I can''t get my own territory then...either way it''s going on hold. No, even if it''s just a few for my own use then I''ll make some? Anyways, for now this is fine. Black powder? Something that simple, it''ll be imitated right away, I don''t want to make any gunpowder that isn''t made using magic. At the very least something that requires large amounts of mana is something that won''t be easily imitated during my lifetime. It''s a greedy way of putting it but improvements to bows and blades spreading around isn''t much of a problem but firearms are no good. I absolutely need to make sure they aren''t used outside of my group. An absolute secret until the time comes they are needed. I was born with various advantages but when it comes time to die it''ll be just as simple as that. From here on out I''m going to train my body and level up and that combined with magic I''d like to think there''s not a very high chance I''ll die instantly from bows or blades but when it comes to guns there''s always the danger of instant death. If you''re unlucky you could get sniped and dealt a fatal blow by someone low level from a distance away or even a stray bullet. Guns have the advantage of being quick and easy to train in compared to blades and bows but when the enemy has them as well it becomes a disadvantage as well. I need to be careful when I use them myself. For the time being I can''t use them unless no one else is around. Therefore I don''t even want to make prototypes for now. For now that''s all for talking about gunpowder and guns. ......... Well then, let''s return to talking about the village as usual. Before Farne enters the knight group there''s one thing I need to do. That''s the production of his farewell gift. Of course there''s Farne''s rubber protection but Farne just turned 14 years old so it''ll need adjustments here and then to match his body. Especially in the next few years he should get much bigger. Even if I make the protector he won''t be able to use anymore right away. I should give up on a bit of the fitness and make it so it can be used for a while instead. But, the protector is just a bonus so not something I need to do. When I was a baby I was protected by Farne with a sword. Therefore, I wanted to give him a sword. I tried making a sword using stainless steel and the endurance and edge were incomparable to the ones made up until with mostly just casting but the maintenance is troublesome. It''s a pain to sharpen the blade and I think in terms of simple cutting ability my pseudo type 64 bayonet is better. It''s a great advantage that it doesn''t rust easily but as long as you can properly maintain the sword it''s not a huge advantage. Here''s where I should try making improvements to the pseudo type 64 bayonet and make it larger. I tried discussing it with Hegard and Arnold and they both agreed as well. According to Hegard the knight group will provide a sword but he understands the abilities of a forged sword and happily agreed. Most likely we wouldn''t be able to make something as excellent as a real Japanese sword but in the case of Orth, as long as it''s better than a forged or stainless sword there''s no problem. It''s not like I want to try and reproduce a Japan sword or anything either way. Hegard was immediately going to go to Doritto and get some high quality iron ores but I said I wanted to try using the iron I separated myself so he permitted it. Production was started on a sword using up all 3 kg that I had accumulated up until now. I continued using identify and checking the endurance on the iron material as the two us of forged it. We completed the sword four days before Farne was set to leave. ¡¾Long Sword¡¿ ¡¾Special Forged Steel¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:26/3/7436¡¿ The blade is very excellent and the endurance is high as well. By the way the blade Hegard used is ¡¾Long Sword¡¿ ¡¾Iron¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:3/9/7418¡¿ ¡¾Value:112400¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:610¡¿ ¡¾Ability:82-152¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ And the broad sword I''m hiding away is ¡¾Broad Sword¡¿ ¡¾Iron¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:3/9/7428¡¿ ¡¾Value:97500¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:500¡¿ ¡¾Ability:100-150¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ To that degree. Ah, the type 64 bayonet is ¡¾Short Sword¡¿ ¡¾Forged Steel¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:4/5/7435¡¿ ¡¾Value:291000¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:1520¡¿ ¡¾Ability:95-115¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ A short sword it says. Farne was filled with emotion at being given a sword and protector. I''m happy he was pleased. When sharpening it I was telling him not to use water but olive oil or some type of oil and at the end of maintenance not to forget to spread a thin layer of oil on it and Farne said "I''ll definitely become a knight within two years." And pledged to Hegard. W, what about me? After a short while the villagers all saw off Farne as he departed from Bakkudo with Hegard and the patrol troops. ......... Another month passed by. The day after tomorrow is Myun''s wedding supposedly. I knew about since her relationship with Bosch has been doing good since then but... I didn''t know that their wedding had been decided until just a short while ago. Even though I pushed her back that much not a single word to me about it. This old man is sad. Even in my previous life if there was a wedding I never only heard about it right before like this... Come to think of it when my subordinate''s wedding was decided they came to report it to me right off. When I was sulking and thinking about that Myun over-familiarly tries to talk to me. Hmp, she''s just a spy after all. I''m sure she doesn''t think anything at all of me. "Al-sama, how about it tonight?" It''s an invite to hunting at night. I considered declining because I''m annoyed but it might be the last time we can be alone together so I''ll at least complain. "Understood." This is the end. The time of departure is the usual 8 or 9 pm so there''s no need to get together. That night I went to the place we always meet up and Myun was already there. Myun comes to my side and says "Al-sama, have you been avoiding me recently?" I don''t need to hold back anymore. "Obviously." "Why?" What is she saying? "Place your hand on your chest and think about it." She realy put her hand on her chest and started thining about it. Idiot. "I don''t know. Did I do something impolite?" It seems she really doesn''t know. Well, it''s childish to keep acting angry. I am a child though... A child is a child, but wide hearted adult I am I guess I should forgive her? "Hmph, you don''t know? Even though you wouldn''t have been able to be together with Bosch if I hadn''t said anything." "Eh?" "I only just heard you were getting married five days ago, from father even." "Is there something bad about that?" What..? "Huh? Of course it''s bad? Normally shouldn''t Myun come and tell me first? Furthermore I didn''t know about it until the last moment like this? I was in shock suddenly hearing about it from father!" "No, I just heard about the marriage myself five days ago though?" "Eh..." "Eh.?" Something is strange. The conversation is odd. "Eh...Didn''t Myun or Bosch decide to get married?" "Eh... Why would I? I''m just a single daughter of the Tobas family and if Bosch marries into the family then he''ll inherit the patrol troop job from my adoptive father won''t he. There''s no way we could decide on the marriage on our own." Eh? Is that case? Myun continues her words as I''m surprised and can''t say anything. "It''s only obvious. It''s about the heir to a patrol troop, it''s something that father and the lord decide isn''t it?" Well then. I guess Myun''s wedding was decided without her knowing then? "It''s common sense. If there was a sibling in the Tobas family that was older than me or a younger sibling that father decided it would be different but there''s no way we could decide on the marriage all on our own right?" Oh my? Having it said to me, that does make sense I think. "Then, the ones who decided on the wedding were Dangle and father?" "Of course that''s the case. In Donnel''s family Rasseg is the one who holds the family head right now so I''m sure they passed it by him as well though." "Then then, in reality Myun or Bosch might not actually want to get married?" "If that was the case then I wouldn''t have talked to Bosch in the first place and Bosch would have turned me down as well." "No, I don''t mean that, after dating for a while...Thinking, Ah, this partner is no good after all." Really, her understanding is no good. "What is dating?" "Eh?" "What is dating about?" From there... "When you have a person you like before you get married or when you''re not at an age you can get married yet right? During those times you say, I like you, let''s date right? And, if the partner agrees then from there you starting dating right? In the first place, what did you say to Bosch?" "That''s only obvious. I like him so I want to marry him is what I said." Wow...Skipping all of the process and going straight to there...Hm? Wait a minute? "Could it be, before getting married... umm... you don''t kiss or play around? I was talking about that sort of stuff when talking about dating before marriage.." "Ah, that sort of stuff. For people who don''t get involved in the succession of their house that sort of stuff comes up. Therefore it''s not something related to me." O...Oh... I see. I''ll remember that. "So that was the case. Then I guess it can''t be helped that I didn''t hear from Myun about getting married...Sorry, Myun. It was all my own misunderstanding." I timidly look up at Myun as I apologize to her. "Really...It''s okay. I''m not angry." Myun laughs while saying that and embraces me. If possible I want for Myun to be happy. I wonder if there''s anything I can do? It''s way beyond the point of a weapon and she has more than enough rubber products. I''ll think about it a bit. ............... Author Note(Simplified by Translator): For the time being Al''s technological development is going to disappear. Obviously this will include all sorts of items and development. Molecules and acid, it''s a bit of a separation from the non-fantasy words. There''s no more of Farne for a while as well so here''s his current status as well. ¡¾Fansutan.Gur¨©do/18/2/7423 ¡¿ ¡¾Male/21/1/7422?Human?Gurido Family Eldest Son¡¿ ¡¾Status£ºNormal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º14 Years¡¿ ¡¾Level£º5¡¿ ¡¾HP£º65(65)¡¡MP£º334(334) ¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º11¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º11¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º8¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º9¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºEarth Magic(Lv.4)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWater Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Void Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º19213(28000)¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 33 The next morning after hunting with Myun, I was thinking while eating breakfast. I''ve been in the care of Myun for quite a while. I was taught various hunting grounds near Bakkudo, there are different efficient hunting methods and weaknesses for each monster, knowledge about monsters. A variety of common sense for Orth, about the Kingdom of Rombert and the Kingdom of Davas. There is no end if you were to try and total it up. When I think calmly about it, if there was no Myun, if I had killed Myun at that moment I would not be in my present situation. Experience gained by hunting monsters (not only experience points but, battle experience and knowledge are important) and common sense and knowledge indispensable for living in Orth. Although these would eventually be learned someday even if it was left to time, there''s no problem with learning it early on. Myun is literally my teacher. I would like to do something for my teacher''s new life. It was common in Japan to give things and cash, but regardless of things, I do not have any money, I''m not in a situation to get cash. Generally, I have never seen a marriage in Bakkudo where gifts were given. In the first place we''re not not rich enough to give gifts. Just doing a banquet and the ending it. After that the priest comes once a year and does the wedding ceremony and it''s really the end.. Mill talked to me at practice the next morning, she probably thought I was eating while thinking with a difficult face. It is already no problem to use simple magic without having to concentrate for both of us. Even though I said that it is limited to low level magic, when you use magic that is high level, you need to concentrate considerably. "Hey, Al, what''s wrong? You were making a funny face since having breakfast, does your stomach or somewhere hurt?" "No, it does not hurt anywhere, older sister. I was just thinking of a few things." "Hmm, about rubber?" "No." "Well, what about forging?" "No." "Oh, what about work in the fields?" "No." "Well, what is it then? Do you have something to worry about? Because tomorrow is Myun''s wedding party, you should not make such a difficult face." Mill said so and tried to end the story. Oh, shall I try asking Mill? "Sister, umm... Is there anything I can do for Myun for her wedding? Myun was...um..always together with me after all.." "Oh, that''s it. Does Al want to give Myun a gift?" It''s good she understands quickly. Though if I were to say it outright she would misunderstand. "Hm, usually you give furniture or clothes...but you wouldn''t be able to prepare them at this point, it''s too late..." Huh? You usually give furniture....? I did not know. "Ah but, the first thing is food. Remember, it''s been a about a year but.... that Bundo bird that Kerry hunted came out at Zal''s wedding." "Oh, yeah, that was delicious..." I remember that time. That was really delicious. I''ve only eaten Bundo bird that once, but it''s intensely remained in my memory. There have been several wedding banquets until now, but the impression from that time is still strong. At the time of a wedding banquet, naturally the most lavish cuisine is served, but the ingredients of most banquets are provided by the Wolf race hunter Doshu after all. In Bakkudo, the source of most animal protein is from chickens and their eggs kept by farmers, and then pigs, but hunters are also an important source of providing animal protein. Chicken meat and pork can not be eaten regularly. Putting aside chicken, the pig has few farmers keeping it from the amount of fodder they require, and only one to two pigs are eaten in the whole village monthly. Although it is a small village, since it has a population of over 400 people, and pigs have a weight of 100 to 200 Kg (Bakkudo''s pigs are not as big as pigs kept in Japan for food because we don''t have a lot of fodder. The variety differs as well.) so at best only two or maybe three servings per person per month is possible. No matter how you look at it that''s too little so the spoils from hunting are always sold out on a reservation basis. Sometimes there''s plenty to be sold without problems when large game such as white hair deer, Dengboar, Giant Toad, and Green Crocodile are hunted. It is too much for one family and since they can not pay for it alone, they buy it jointly. When it is a big game, our family often pays out money as well, since we''re the family of the lord we often get the best parts. But overall it is not very tasty. However, as everyone says delicious delicious, it is a reasonably high quality ingredient. Just my taste is too different due to my previous life. Among such ingredients, my memory of the Bundo bird vividly remains. I don''t remember tasting meat as good as that even in Japan very often. It was good enough to rival brand beefs such as Matsusaka and Kobe that I ate on business trips. Even though it''s bird meat, it wasn''t very sinewy, that itself was delicious. That''s right, as Mill says "a good marriage banquet" is lifted up and becomes a target of envy. If I was able to provide some kind of good ingredient wouldn''t that become a good gift? "Older sister, I understand. I think that I am going to hunt for today. It''s still early in the morning so I will go and get permission from father and then ask at Kerry''s house." "Eeh? But they''ve already made an order from the Tobas family right? I heard that 10 legs of Giant Toad are already prepared?" "That''s fine, I just want to send something myself." "But, it''s dangerous if only Al goes, so I think father would absolutely not allow it." "....There is no choice but to ask, depending on the case I''ll try asking father to accompany me." "...It can not be helped. I will go too." "Eh?" "I am already 12 since Kerry and I are the same age so father shouldn''t easily reject me from going right? But it''s not good if Kerry isn''t with us, we need to catch Kerry before she goes to work... Anyway, let''s talk to Kerry first and then we can go together to get permission from father." "...Thank you, older sister." Then we ran towards Kerry''s house and caught the Dokshu family as it was departing to hunt and explained the circumstances. We asked them to wait for us to depart and went to Hegard who is training with the squires and asked if we can go with Kerry as well as her parents as they hunt so we can get something for Myun''s wedding banquet, Hegard asked me and Mill our remaining amount of mana. We both skipped this mornings practice so plenty is remaining. Mill used about 20%, but I have not used even 10% and I still have about 6000 MP left. When both of us told him that we still have plenty of mana, Hegard called the squire leader, Beckwiz and had him accompany as an overseer. In order for us to not get in the way of the Dokshu family hunting he put emphasis on with Beckwiz and told us to be careful before returning to training. We were allowed because it wasn''t just Kerry but also her parents Zachary and Winry coming as well. It''s a good thing we talked to them first. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I prepared my sling shot and type 64 bayonet, Mill had prepared the short sword that she got from Fern and a sling shot of the same type as mine. Beckwiz just brought one long sword. In terms of armor Beckwiz had on upper body armor and we siblings just had it on our shoulders, elbows, and knees. The three of us went to Kerry''s house and the hunter family was ready and waiting. I reported that we got permission to go, and thanked them for allowing us to accompany them, after that we quickly departed. Today it was planned to head towards the forest in the eastern part of the village, but it seems we''re going through the forest in the north in order to reach the northwestern mountain area instead to find larger game. According to the schedule we''re supposed to be back in the evening, but depending on the tracking situation it seems there is a possibility that it will take until tomorrow. Tomorrow is Myun''s wedding banquet so I told them I definitely wanted to return home tonight, they said it would be alright while laughing. Well then, let''s depart. Zachary and the Dochsu family were all wielding a bow and knife as expected of a family of the Wolf people race that excels in endurance and strength, they were all wearing full body rubber armor as well. I notice a buckshot type slingshot hanging at their waist as well. Come to think of it, other than the knight group and Viscount Kindo they were one of the first customers. "Come to think of it, Al-sama, this buckshot type slingshot is a great thing. There''s no greater thing than this to shoot a bird. It''s not very good for shooting large game but it''s just right for quails. The bullets spread around a bit so it rarely misses as well." Zachary praised the slingshot. "And this protector is wonderful. I am not afraid of the horns of the deer anymore, it is light, and it helps that it fits the body making it easy to move." Winry also laughs while knocking against the chest part of the protector. Although there may be some flattery and kissing up I can tell from the way of speaking that they really feel that way so I feel a bit good as we head towards the northwestern mountains. We left at around 7am and after walking for about three hours we arrived at the northwestern mountain area. Up until here the reason we were able to hunt six quails and 3 Foto birds, which resemble the starling, is because of the Dochsu families skill with the buckshot slingshot. Mill and I didn''t bring a buckshot slingshot so were just watching. For the time being we put all 9 into a rubber bag, tied it tight, and hung it from a tree we marked. If you properly tie a rubber bag shut it cuts off the smell so other animals won''t be able to find and eat it. In a plain sort of way it''s doing a good job. After a short break of about 20 minutes, we finally head into the mountain. Even if I were to say the mountain, it''s not an area with rocks and gravel laying around but more like an extension of the forest. Panting while following after the Wolf race family for an hour or so the hunters all crouch down and check in front. We also crouch down about 10 m away and quietly ask Kerry. "What''s wrong? Is there something there?" Kerry glances to the side at me while looking forward with a serious expression "I don''t know yet, but my father seems to have found something." Oh, I forgot to use identify. I activate identify and quietly look at the front. Incidentally, the range of unique skills is also about double the range of ordinary magic. Magic is 20 meters per level so it''s up to 200 meters. In the case of Mill and I, we can extend the range further by putting in more mana though. Level - Range 0 - 10 m 1 - 20 m 2 - 40 m 3 - 70 m 4 - 110 m 5 - 160 m 6 - 220 m 7 - 290 m My identify can see up to about 450 m, but I do not have the confidence to notice anyone 450 m ahead. In the middle of this forest with my sight of view blocked by trees and leaves there''s no way to tell if a portion sticking out is a person or a tree. If I really want to distinguish it I have to confirm the direction of the identify and then look at the window that comes up. Of course if its hidden or only a part of it is visible then there''s things I won''t notice. In order to actually tell them apart the only options are for my view to be open or to repeat identify constantly while looking at the window. On a practical level for this type of forest I''d say 200 m is the best I can do. I quietly use Identify''s selection mode to sweep the area ahead. ¡­¡­I don''t see anything. Should I try repeating identify knowing it will just waste MP? Suddenly, Winry stood up halfway and moved to hide behind a tree 10 m ahead. Zachary also starts moving immediately afterwards and pulls close to the trunk of the tree a little away from the Winry. Kerry and Zachary were both hiding behind nearby trees. Mill, Beckwiz, and I just kept crouching down and watching not knowing what to do. After all there seems to be some sort of game. I concentrate in the direction in which Zachary and Winry look while using identify...I don''t see anything. Is what I thought but it seems I was looking in the wrong direction. I had thought it was a large animal or monster that was hidden behind a tree or a bird behind some branches but that was a mistake. The direction they are looking at and the direction I''m looking at matched, but they seem to be looking at the ground. I did not notice because I was paying attention only to 1 m above the ground. I noticed that a part of the ground 4 to 50 meters ahead could be chosen as an unnatural object for identify. Approximately 10 m ahead can be identified. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Asexual / 21/10/7433 ¡¤ Brown slime¡¿ [Condition: Good] [Age: 3 years old] ¡¾Level: 2¡¿ ¡¾HP: 125 (125) MP: 1 (1)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 0¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 1¡¿ [Dexterity: 1] ¡¾Endurance: 62¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Dissolve¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Divide¡¿ Oh, just a slime? I started to think of it was a weakling while remembering Dragon Quest from my previous life. I thought it was just a small fry with high endurance. After all, you often hear the name slime and they''re always the weak monster that comes out at the start of RPGs right? The hunters come back and Zachary says. "Al-sama it''s a bit bad. There''s a slime. Let''s go back and go in a different direction." I don''t know what you''re talking about. "Huh? It''s a slime right? If you hit with an arrow wouldn''t it easily be defeated?" Zachary was a bit surprised at my words and taught me while saying it. "Sword and arrows don''t work against slimes so even like that they''re considerably dangerous. If you go nearby you''ll quickly be engulfed and melted. It''s top class among the dangerous monsters in this forest." Huh? Is that so? Come to think of it, it''s not the shape of a dumpling like in games. It''s just spread out along the ground. Like just a slightly brown liquid. Since it''s mostly brown it would be easy to mistake it as slightly wet ground. "Even you can''t defeat it?" I asked Beckwiz the squire leader who was accompanying us. "It''s a bit impossible for me. I think it would be impossible for the lord as well. When we''re always patrolling around slimes almost never appear so it hasn''t been a problem, and they eat goblins so even we see them we just change directions." Hm, even Beckwiz and father are no good. Though if we were to change directions it will take more time. It looks like a liquid so what about burning it with fire magic? As long as I''m careful not to cause a mountain fire and then use water magic afterwards shouldn''t it be fine? "How about burning it with fire magic? That level I can burn all at once." I try saying to Beckwiz and Zachary. "Eh? Magic huh....It might work with magic, how about it?" Beckwiz asked Zachery. "I''m not too sure. Since I can''t use fire magic..." When Zachary answers, I try to push back there. "Well, I want to try and see if it can be burnt with fire magic then. If it''s no good let''s retreat. Or are slimes fast enough to quickly make it here once attacked?" "No, they are considerably fast if the prey is nearby but we''re plenty of distance away and it hasn''t noticed yet as well..." Zachary answered and looked at Winry. "I guess so, if you try it out and if it''s no good, as long as we retreat right away it''s not very dangerous." Winry replied like that so I decided to do it. "Okay, here I go!" I aim my left hand at the slime and at the same time use level 5 fire magic and use void magic to shape it into a carpet. The MP used was 5 for fire magic, 5 for shaping it, and 3 to fire it off. I didn''t particularly add any MP into the fire magic so it''s probably just enough to set fire to dry wood around 300 degrees. If it was just a matter of igniting a fire then if you take some time you can do an even lower temperature but just using fire magic without thinking it usually comes out to about this temperature. Just thinking of making it colder probably changes it to around -30 degrees.These two are the fundamental temperatures of fire magic and from there you can increase or decrease it based on the amount of MP used. Between them raising the temperature actually takes less MP than lowering it. For every 1 MP you put into it you can raise the temperature by about 100 degrees but the same 1 MP for lowering only reduces it by 1 degree. From the initial minus 30 degrees to around 300 degrees can be changed freely by directing it with feeling. The fire that flew towards the slime quickly engulfed the surface of the slime. After being scorched by the flame it quickly spread out to try and shrink itself but it died before it could get any smaller. I tried identifying it but it seems it doesn''t leave a corpse. I couldn''t confirm the slime died by identifying the corpse but I was able to check that I gained experience. The experience was about 750. Even though it''s a slime it''s pretty amazing. After confirming I immediately used water magic to put out the remaining fire and approached to pick up the magic stone but was stopped by Beckwiz. "Al-sama, it''s not confirmed the slime is dead yet. I''ll get closer first." The slime is definitely dead but no one else would be able to figure it out. "Yeah, I understand. Please do." Beckwiz fearfully approached but as nothing happened he just brought back the magic stone. It seems that the value is not much different from that of Goblin''s magic stone, around 200 or so. Anyway, I was able to handle the slime well so we were able to proceed straight to the hunting area. If you proceed straight ahead for 30 minutes it seems there''s a good place to hunt where there are large animals such as white hair deer. After walking for about twenty minutes, we started proceeding with caution. It seems that there is a swamp several hundred meters from here and it is where animals and monsters go for water. Winry and Kerry went out to scout. After a while Kerry came back a bit agitated and afraid. "Father, this is bad. It''s there. One-eye." Human claw? Or One-eye? What on earth is that? "What?! This is bad Beckwiz-sama. It''s a Horned Bear. One of it''s eyes is crushed but it''s pretty tricky and dangerous." "What..Horned Bear huh... That''s bad... Is Winry still watching it? We should retreat from here..." Zachary and Beckwiz are talking slightly agitated. What''s a Horn Bear? I tried asking Kerry. "Kerry, is it really that bad? Is it dangerous?" "Yes, the fur of the Horned Bear is extremely tough and you can''t penetrate it with arrows unless you''re really close and if you get hit with it''s calws you''d be in luck if you escaped with serious injuries. It''s a dangerous beast." "Al, I''ve heard of it. Horned Bear''s rarely appear, it''s an uncommon beast around here. There are some people who consider it a monster. Father and mother seem to have killed one a long time ago, but they said that it was quite strong... but it is also supposedly delicious..." What was that?! I reacted to Mill''s words. Is it delicious? I want to try it. I wonder if magic is no good? I guess it will burn if I use fire magic?...Ah! Wouldn''t work if I wrap it up with earth magic? "Zachary, Beckwiz, could I talk to you for a moment?" I call out to the two who are discussing whether to retreat. It seems they''ve already pretty much decided to retreat but I''ll just ignore that. "What is it?" Beckwiz answered. "I heard that Horned Bear is quite strong, but that it''s also pretty delicious. Can we not try hunting it?" "Certainly according to what I''ve heard it''s very tasty but...Um... I don''t think we can handle it with just us here." Zachary answers calmly. But for Myun''s sake I can''t retreat from here. "Yeah, it seems that a bow doesn''t work unless you''re considerably close, but how about magic? If older sister and I use earth magic and create a large amount of dirt and then use that to bury it wouldn''t it work?" I try saying my idea. Mill nods in understanding but the other three expressed disapproval. "I know that Al-sama and Al-sama''s older sister are good at magic, but the opponent is not good. It is not just a normal Horned Bear. After living for many years it grew in size and has gotten much more powerful. Until today we have seen it several times, but it is not normal. To be honest, I give up hunting and go home if I see it." Zachary says that. I wonder if it is like that Red Helmet that came out in the dog manga story that was serialized when I was in middle school? Do you need a hunting dog? No, if it is a wolf then 3BK, there''s three here from the start though... I guess I shouldn''t think of them as the same. "Well, even if you were to say powerful it''s just a bear right? If you bury it I don''t think it would be able to resist...How about it? If you can defeat here, you won''t have to be afraid of him from now on, and you can also have delicious food. How about trying it out here. " At that time, Winry came back. "Dear, it''s bad, One-eye, it''s bringing along cubs. If the wind changes, our location might be given away by the scent. Let''s return." Huh, isn''t that a bit bad? I heard that a bear with children gets extremely ferocious. Though I don''t know if the bears in Orth are the same as Earth but I feel like them fighting at full strength if there are children would be the same anywhere. Hm, I think it would be bad to try and push ahead here. I don''t want anyone to get hurt. In that moment, a large roar was heard. In an instant everyone''s body stiffened up. ........ Author''s Note: This time it''s Mill. ¡¾Milhauer ¡¤ Greed /26/2/7425¡¿ ¡¾Female/2/2/7424¡¤Human¡¤ Greed''s Eldest Daughter¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 12 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 4¡¿ ¡¾HP: 53(53) MP: 861(861)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 8¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 11¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 7¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 7¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Earth Magic (Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Water Magic (Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Fire Magic (Lv.4)¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Void Magic (Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 15147 (18000)¡¿ ¡¾Kerry ¡¤ Doksh/20/3/7424¡¿ ¡¾Male/5/4/7423¡¤Wolf People Race ¡¤ Rombert Kingdom Webdos Marquis Territory Registered Free People¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 13 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 4¡¿ ¡¾HP: 66(66) MP: 3(3)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 11¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 11¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 10¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 10¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 14965 (18000)¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 34 "Grrr....Gwroooooaaa!!" It was an earth-shattering loud roar. As soon as everyone heard the shout, all of our bodies went stiff and we couldn''t move freely. Though it was only for about 1 second, but we certainly stiffened up and couldn''t move. I identified Beckwiz, who was in front of me in a rush, [State: Panic (Small)] was the result. Also, his MP had decreased by 1 from it''s max. Although Beckwiz can use some magic originally, he still only has no more than a maximum MP of 20. After thinking about it that far I noticed. If I remember correctly Kerry''s MP should have been only three. It is bad if MP goes to zero! As you can imagine, Kerry''s MP has decreased by one to two, and his condition was [State: Panic(Large)]. Either on the verge of panicking or already panicked but either way he''s in a dangerous condition. What happened? What on earth is going on? Certainly the roar from a moment ago was frightening, but was it enough to cause a panic? "Gwrrr...goraaaaa!!" Uwa..Again!! This time everyone but Mill and I were unable to move again right away. Also right after the paralysis triggered I identified Kerry and his MP was already zero, he had fallen into a horrible state of panic. Most likely it''s what you could call a perfect state of panic. In no time at all he''s fallen to the ground and just flailing unable to do anything it seems. Also, three adults should have been Panic (Small), but now it has changed to Panic(Middle), and they''ve slightly crouched down and their knees are shaking. Each of their MP''s has decreased by an additional 2. Winry who originally only had 6 MP has already half of that and is nearing a bad state as well. I exchange glances with Mill and to start off Mill drags Kerry who can''t move behind a tree. I look around while hiding but I still can''t confirm sight of the Horned Bear. If we don''t prepare to hide or run away now then we''ll be left with no other choice. However, no matter how you look at it, it''s impossible for Mill and I to look after Kerry and three adults. "Al, in any case, hide everyone behind the trees! In worst case we''ll have no choice but to fight!" Mill says so leaving Kerry to me and goes to try and move the adults who''s knees are about to give way. As I expected, Mill immediately recovered from the temporary panic and gave me instructions. Mill''s condition has already recovered to Good the same as I. Perhaps listening to that roar may inflict a Panic state. Mill and I were able to recover instantly, but if we were to listen to that roar once again in the state of Panic(Small), although our MP is somewhat high, the Panic state might progress and we might enter a state of Panic(Middle). I instinctively felt realized in a moment, but now it is not the time to do such an analysis. Anyway, I must hide Kerry in the shade and help Mill...Help? No, I am not dissatisfied with helping out, but is it a situation to be helping? If we don''t quickly strengthen our defenses or go on the attack and neutralize it aren''t we just going to lose the initiative? For the time being I succeeded in dragging Kerry to the shade. There is plenty of time to make walls in the surroundings now before the enemy appears. Should I make earth walls with earth magic, or make ice walls with fire and water magic? I can make a wall of fire using fire magic as well but the base temperature is 300 degrees. MP increases this by 100 degrees per 1 used, but it takes about 10 seconds. A bear could pass through a wall of fire of only a couple hundred degrees with some burns but it has fur which can stop arrows. I''m sure it won''t die. Just like I once did to Myun and that spy, should I quickly engulf it in earth? While thinking about such things in a matter of a few moments, I look back at Mill who is pulling Winry by her hand. I saw it, probably about 250 m or so, a pretty big bear with brown hair. It''s running on all fours this way. With a glance it appears to be a height of about 2m. If it''s that then when it stands up it would be about 5m? It hasn''t started to speed up yet but at it''s current acceleration rate it might only take about 10 seconds for it to get here. I don''t have anymore time to think or hesitate. Obviously there''s no time to casually be using identify either. I let go of Winry''s hand, turn to face the Horned Bear, raise my hands and prepare to use my highest level 6 water magic 100x, at the same time I also use level 6 fire magic 100x to solidify it into -30 degree ice. Alright, I still have a few seconds to concentrate! I use 1200 MP of elemental magic to materialize a wall of ice that''s 5m high and 50m wide and long centered around the area 25m ahead of me. Obviously considering the timing, I''m using it at the minimum temperature and I''m not using it where it launches, but I plan to use it the moment the Horned Beard enters the right spot. I can''t afford to do anything excess like controlling it with void magic or adjusting the temperature. Or rather I don''t have that much leeway to do it. Water is springs forth abruptly from the ground across 50 meters and the water level reaches 5 m in an instant not even taking one second. At the same time an ice wall of 5 m in height appears in front of me. It is 50 meters wide and 50 meters long. The Horned Bear appears to have been frozen in the center of it. It''s like a statue locked in by highly transparent ice with no air bubbles along with the surrounding trees. I didn''t include sustenance in the fire magic so just like this it will eventually melt. Yes, only wind and fire magic require sustenance with void magic in order to maintain their effects. Earth and water magic remain permanently even if you don''t use any mana to sustain them after they appear. Although it would have been fine if I had used earth magic as well, earth magic materializes from above whereas water magic appears from below. Perhaps it may not have made any difference but I just wanted to stop its feet a bit higher so I used water which appears from below. After all, you can''t look down on the amount of resistance water puts up right? It''s currently May and the temperature is around 20 degrees. Even without maintaining it with mana, this amount of minus 30 degree ice won''t melt very easily but you never know what could happen and when. In the first place, I think it''s impossible to fight at such a close range with such a big bear, maybe. I further used water magic and fire magic to create about 10 m square of water and carried it above the bear then froze it into a distorted pyramid of ice before timidly identifying it. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Female/1/7/7403¡¤Horned Bear¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 33 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 13¡¿ ¡¾HP: 181(181) MP: 5(7)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 39¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 14¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 7¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 33¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Roar¡¿ While I''m at it I''ll also check the sub-window for the special skill Roar. ¡¾Special skill: Roar; A roar for intimidation. There is no level for this special skill. Intelligent creatures of equal or lower level as the user that hear more than 50 phon of sound will take mental damage and have their MP reduced. Decreasing MP increases in proportion to the volume of the sound heard(Maximum 5MP). Creatures that take mental damage will without exception fall into a period state of panic and their body will be difficult to move freely for a period of time. As a result, if the MP drops by 5% or more of the maximum MP value, it becomes a Panic condition and the time that it is difficult to move the body will last for at least 10 seconds. If you listen to the roar again during this effect time, the Panic condition will deepen and the moving body will be even more difficult. This condition lasts for at least 1 minute. Also, by repeatedly listening to the roar during the effect time, the deepening of the Panic progresses a further two stages, and eventually even if MP remains you fall into a complete state of panic and the spirit will cause symptoms of Panic . In the event of a complete Panic condition it will take at least 2 hours to recover and complete restoration will not be achieved unless some extent of MP is recovered¡¿ I see, so that''s why Mill and I managed to get off with only stiffening up for a short period. It seems that Kerry will recover after some time goes by as well, the Horned Bear is frozen, so we have time for a while. "Hey, Al. Did I tell you how mother defeated the Horned Bear in the past?" Mill says while cautiously watching the Horned Bear with her short sword at the ready. "No, I haven''t heard?" Mill continued her words in amazement. "She supposedly froze the Horned Bears head and limbs. If you freeze it''s head then it won''t be able to use roar and depending on the situation ice might enter its mouth making it difficult for it to get off... It seems from that situation that father somehow managed to defeat it with the sword..." "So that was it...I was absorbed in it after all...It''s not like I managed to do it because I planned it out." If you just think about it a bit you''ll understand but I used 1200 MP to make a wall of ice 50m around and 5m high. It''s the equivalent of using level 6 magic 200 times. Even if you were to just think about the amount of elements created it''s level 6 water magic 100 times. With level 6 water and earth magic you can create about 5 cubic meters. However, if this was earth magic, I can use up to level 7. At level 7 you can create an amount of about 10 cubic meters. By simple calculation this allows you to output elements of 8 times the volume while only consuming 1 more MP. If you were to think about using MP efficiently then just like this time you can understand the difference between making the same amount of water with level 6 and 7 water magic. This time I made 50m x 50m x 5m = 12500m^3 of water and then used fire magic across the same area to turn it to ice. Well let''s ignore fire magic. In order to make this same volume of water with level 7 water magic you would need to use level 7 water magic 12.5 times. Well, 13 times. The amount of MP it consumes at level 6 is 600 but at level 7 it''s 91. Since earth magic is the same, if I were to assume that I''m going to create the same amount of earth with earth magic, since it doesn''t require fire magic then you can figure that it would use 1/13 the amount of MP to create the same amount of earth. However, I wanted to stop the movement of the Horned Bear as soon as possible, so I ignored the MP efficiency and used ice. Even with earth magic, I have the feeling it wouldn''t have been able to dodge it but maybe by approaching much closer to here, I could have ended up activating it faster and end up trapping it in a different place than the center. Of course, even with the current ice it''s not perfectly in the center, it seems to be closer to my direction. The point is I felt frightened again. Even if it''s somewhat off from the center, there''s generally no difference and no need to use MP to maintain it. If I was as skilled as Hegard with the sword I wonder if I wouldn''t be quite as afraid? However, I don''t think not being afraid of a 2m bear running at you on all fours is something that can easily be done... But, as Mill said our parents defeated a Horned Bear when they were young with just the two of them. Even though I have several hundred times, compared to father several thousand times the MP but I was so afraid I could barely stand. Certainly my skill with the sword isn''t even worth comparing to father and even comparing to older sister it''s like the moon and a turtle. I know I can''t keep up with the sword. However, is magic a substitute for that? I may end up wasting my MP and end up running out during a critical moment. I glance at the Horned Bear and identify it once more. Since it is froze in ice, it should suffocate, but I don''t know if it really will. Since I was feeling worried I wanted to check if its HP is decreasing. Since it had decreased a bit I felt a bit relieved, relaxed a bit, and again used the void magic to prevent the ice from melting. Since void magic is at level 8, I can do pretty much everything with void magic. The duration and efficiency I can use is doubled so even with preventing this much ice from melting it only takes around 4 MP per 2 minutes. Since there''s no more problems with maintaining the ice I check what''s going on with the adults and they''re all holding knives and swords. Kerry is still trembling in the shade but that can''t be helped. It''s easy to understand how everyone was still trying to resist while falling into a panic. Certainly I also used magic to freeze it in ice, but that was just an extension of trying to stop the Horned Bear out of fear. Mill and adults were trying to resist. I just tried to slow it down so I could earn some time out of fear. I understand that it''s not a problem of which is better or worse but the problem remains which is closer to the thinking of a person who lives in Orth. Maybe, even if we had resisted, we may have all been killed together. Mill probably would have tried to use magic to freeze it''s head or limbs. Maybe we would have been able to do it if she succeeded. Or maybe she wouldn''t have been able to do it. However, what Mill tried to do and what I actually did seems to be the difference of heaven and earth. She tried to face that much of a threat head on. At the very least everyone other than I was somehow trying to kill the Horned Bear or at least wipe away the threat by killing it. In my case, I gave up on killing it right away and tried to gain some time to run away or something else, that just went well. This is fundamentally different from trying to be cautious and trying to achieve results in a way that is as safe as possible. Using the knowledge from Japan, using my excessive mana, I smashed leeches and toasted a slime...My pride that had grown excessively because that had gone so well has splendidly been broken. If I''m just going to prepare to run away when things get dangerous, what was that about making a name with strength? What was that about aiming to be the lord of a castle? What kind of mouth is saying that crap. The HP of the Horned Bear still remains at nearly 170. It is certain that he will die in a while. And I''m sure the experience from defeating the Horned Bear will come to me. That''s fine. Because I am the one who defeated it somehow or other. However, I really don''t feel like I defeated the Horned Bear. After all, it wasn''t a victory at the result of trying to defeat or kill it. It''s gold that just happened to fall into my hands when I was afraid and falling over. I have to change my thinking. I am not living on Earth anymore. I''m living on Orth. There''s a different method of living and a different set of values. It is not unusual for conflicts to arise at the border, and it is said that it''s not unusual for noncombatants to be killed. Besides the areas under the influence of humans, powerful monsters and beasts like this are wandering around watching vigilantly for an opportunity to get their prey. Violence dominates and those who do not resist violence with violence, will often be killed without question. Cautiously keep an eye on the surroundings, kill and eat any opponent that can be eaten. If you don''t, just a slight bit of negligence or self-conceit and you will be eaten. It is a natural world that includes all such things as good and bad, justice and evil. Rather than recklessly trying to oppose it, I must always remain calm and efficiently conduct myself. While I''m thinking about these things and maintaining the ice the condition of the Horned Bear went from Good to Suffocation. HP is decreasing quickly every few seconds. I''m sure it''s already at the limit. It seems that Mill and the others are still vigilantly keeping an eye out. They''re protecting the area centered around Kerry. It''s alright, it will die soon. There are many reflection points, but I must make use of them in the future. Even this time it seems. If I were to simply use earth magic to bury it then I wouldn''t have used such a large amount of MP and I wouldn''t have had to cut so much of my concentrate to maintain it. I still have more than 4500 MP remaining but if we we''re to be attacked by another enemy here it could be really bad. It would be different if it dies instantly but if I had been using earth magic from the start I would have not only been able to reduce the MP usage but I wouldn''t have to focus so much on maintaining the ice. It is a problem that I don''t have the leeway to focus on anything else for a while until this guy dies. The ability to make instant judgements, unwavering courage, the mental strength to calmly read the situation. Everything I''m lacking. Of course I''m sure there''s still some amount of influence, but it should already be at the level where I can ignore the fact that my emotions are being influenced by my body. ...Another enemy? Come to think of it, Winry said it was with kids. There should have been cubs! The gender of this guy that''s frozen and about to die is female. I''m sure it''s the mother. Based on the ecology of bears on Earth then the father bear shouldn''t be together with it. However, this is Orth not Earth. Didn''t God even say that while the ecology and natural environment is close to Earth it''s not completely the same? It''s pretty unlikely for a northern mountain that isn''t a volcano to produce sulfur on Earth. In other words, deny the possibility that the bears on Earth and the ecosystem here are the same! I thought that I just decided to be cautious and think things through calmly. I yell. "Everyone, be prepared for more enemies!" ........ Author''s Note: This time it''s Beckwiz''s stats including his naming for right after birth and after becoming squire leader. ¡¾Beckwiz ¡¤ Eisenside/14/2/7415 - Beckwiz ¡¤ Eisenside/18/3/7389¡¿ ¡¾Male/2/6/7388 ¡¤ Family Tribe ¡¤ Greed Viscount Family''s Squire Leader ¡¤ Eisenside Family Head¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 47 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 12¡¿ ¡¾HP: 109(109) MP: 18(18)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 19¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 14¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 26¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 20¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Wind Magic (Lv.2)¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Void Magic (Lv.4)¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 256329 (270000)¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 35 I suddenly issued a warning to everyone, so everyone took notice of me, but after all they quickly realized what it was tensed up and started being cautious of the surroundings. The remaining HP of the Horned Bear that remains frozen in the ice has just dropped below 30. Even if you take into consideration the endurance in another minute or so it''ll suffocate. I don''t have to maintain the ice anymore. I close the identify window of the Horned Bear that''s frozen and start being cautious of the surroundings like everyone else. Oh, that''s right. There are walls of ice that are 50 m in width in front, so the direction we need to watch out is limited to the sides and back. Since the swamp is beyond the wall of ice, it''s not as important to be cautious of behind. In that case, we need to be cautious of the sides. However, even if I were to say be wary of the sides, it is inefficient to look around here and there. "I''m going to create earth on the left side from the ice. Everyone keep an eye on the right." At the same time I make a similar earth wall on the left hand with earth magic. With this we should have considerably reduced the direction we need to be cautious of. I made it 5m in height the same as the ice so it shouldn''t be possible climb over or break through, even if it manages to do that it should earn enough time to prepare for it. Everyone seemed to understand my thoughts, and started to pay attention to the right hand direction. I already confirmed that the condition of everyone except Kerry has recovered well. "Grrr... Gaoooooon! " It was there as after all. It is the Roar of a different Horned Bear. I can''t tell for sure but it seems to be bigger than before. Oh, it''s not just my imagination. Winry''s MP has decreased by 2 and only has 1 remaining. Her state is also Panic(Small). The MP of Zachery and Beckwiz has also decreased by 2 and their condition Panic(Small). Damn it, this is bad. "Al, everyone''s condition is strange again! I''ll take them to where Kerry is!" Mill seems to have noticed as well. Mill and I push the one in worst condition Winry to where Kerry is under the tree. I tried using identify on Mill and I again while moving and was able to confirm that both of our MP has decreased by 2 as well. Next, we need to do something about Zachary and Beckwiz. If she hears that roar once more then Winry will fall into a complete state of panic as well. Even if we were able to somehow manage to get rid of the Horned bear, if all of the adults are in a Panic we can''t retreat. I don''t know where the new Horned Bear is yet. Even if I were to try and guess from the direction of the sound it is hard to grasp the direction because we''re surrounded by walls. However, since I still can''t see it yet, I still have time now to make a plan with Mill. I point to the right side with no wall and say. "Older sister, I think that the Horned Bear will appear in that direction. As soon as I can see it, this time I''ll bury it alive with earth magic. If I fail, then older sister, please take over." After hearing what I said Mill looked at me for a moment and said with a calm voice. "Okay, Al, I think that is probably the only thing as well. I''m counting on you." It''s so simple it can''t even really be called a plan but during these times if it gets too complicated it might fail. Anyway, some sort of instruction on what to do was necessary. We somehow managed to move Zachery and Beckwiz to the side of Kerry and told them to sit down, rather than returning to our original position we move 5m along the right wall and look through. Although it is somewhat melting, the visibility through the transparent ice is pretty good. However, since the surface is melting down, we should be able to tell if something moves on the other side of the ice wall but if it''s any further than a few meters away then I don''t think we''ll be able to tell. I use the selection mode of Identify just in case. I can at least hope for it to get caught up as a selection target. "Sister, if you see, magic or anything else it doesn''t matter what but hit it with something. In the moment it flinches I''ll crush it with dirt!" "Yeah, I got it. Be careful." Mill and I only said that much to each other. Mill still has more than 600 MP and can use everything other than wind magic pretty well so we might be able to do this somehow. Anyway, we''ll do anything we can to keep everyone alive. Just like that we continued to keep our guards up along the ice wall. The roar hasn''t come since then. I wonder how long has passed? Tens of seconds or a few minutes, maybe even close to 10 minutes have passed. Anyway, it feels like a long time. My palms are sweaty and feel disgusting. While waiting for the Horned Bear I wiped the sweat on my pants and I suddenly felt a bit lighter. Could it be I leveled up? Then I guess the frozen Horned Bear finally died from suffocation. However, I should have needed more than 6000 experience points to level up. This Horn Bear was probably a considerable amount of experience points. It''s not the time to be casually identifying myself so my level up doesn''t matter for now, I see, it''s still only been about one minute since that last roar. I can tell that I was really nervous. Tension itself is not a bad thing, but being too tense is not good. If I don''t relax a bit more I won''t be able to move right away when needed. It would be too pathetic to fail at using magic from being too tense and die. "Uwaaa!!" A scream filled with fear came from around where everyone was sitting. Damn it, from over there? I quickly turn around and try to confirm where the Horned Bear is appearing from. Did it go around the dirt or is it trying to climb over, which? It seems that Horn Bear has come around the earth wall. I feel it''s a bit smaller than the one I froze in ice. Is it the cub? It''s somewhat farther of a distance to go around the wall than go over it so it''s better for us. I quickly go to use earth magic. However, I''m too close to Mill to use the same sort of shape that I prepared with ice magic. Well then, I''ll use 90 MP to create dirt. Then launch that with void magic...this is bad! This time I''ll hit Beckwiz and everyone. While I was hesitating, Mill created a fire ball and fired it at the Horned Bear while moving away from Beckwiz and the others. Damn, what should I do with the dirt I made? I hold my hands out wide over my head. There should be a ball of dirt with a diameter of 29m above my hands. The volume is roughly 12500m^3 so the diameter should be about that. Normally you would compress and shape this as you fire it off. Ah, should I try rolling it? If I use void magic to harden the surface somewhat then it should roll with some momentum. I wonder if I can flatten it? No way, I may hit Mill. I guess I should fire it after all. Fire it off while shaping it. Just like before I shape it into a doughnut and have the Horned Bear get flattened in the center. Mill is leading it away by using fire magic and provoking it... Right now, fire!! A doughnut-shaped clump of dirt goes flying towards the Horned Bear. Alright, this will work! The Horned Bear stopped moving to see if it can dodge the dirt. Did it give up? Is what I thought but of all things it ducked down and jumped up all at once. Just like animals jump through a ring of fire at the circus it jumped through the hole in the doughnut! My shock was great as I was completely thinking I had it. The Horned Bear which had jumped up landed on a pile of dirt and then set me as its target. It turned its head over to here. Damn it, I''ll show you. I saw the fire ball that Mill used hit the shoulder of the Horned Bear and burn its fur. However, the Horned Bear just ignored the fire Mill used. It ducks down on the dirt hill aiming to run at me. In that moment, from the corner of my sight Zachary stood up and fired the buckshot slingshot at the Horned bear. It is a buckshot slingshot that can knock out a small bird but it probably won''t have any effect on the Horned Bear. Won''t it just piss it off? "Gyaon! " Wow, it seems one of the shots fired from the buckshot managed to hit its left eye. It seems to have faltered a bit. Now''s the chance! I control the dirt that''s become a hill again. "Grr!! Guwaaaaan!" Right before the dirt I was manipulating was about to cover the Horned Bear the roar came again. Since the distance was considerably close, it was a roar that felt like it burst my eardrums. This is bad. I''m sure Winry has fallen into a complete Panic, but what about Zachary and Beckwiz? No wait, it''s not the time to be thinking about that. With the roar just now my body stiffened up for a moment as well and my concentration was disrupted. This is dangerous. It takes me about 1 second to recover from the paralysis but how long will it take the Horned Bear to escape from being incompletely buried? I feel like it will take about the same amount of time. I immediately use wind magic to create a vortex of air like a tornado around it. The tornado should blow up the dirt and block off his sight. However, it may be a considerably strong tornado but there''s no way it has enough power to lift that several meter bear up into the sky. The chance of it breaking through with force is high, or rather I made it under the premise that it breaks through. The tornado just now is preparation for the next attack. I use water magic and fire magic, I''m going to use ice again, but this time I''m going to use void magic to shape the water before I use fire magic. Into the shape of a 50 cm spear. Then use fire magic to freeze it and make a spear almost like a sharpened telephone pole. Then I fire this off with void magic! There''s barely 30m between me and the dirt hill. I move the telephone pole to about 200m behind me. And, the duration on the wind magic has already finished so the Horned bear is covering it''s eyes on the top of the dirt hill. I fire off the telephone pole as fast as possible. I don''t know how many Km/per hour it was going but the telephone pole flies off at an insane speed. A super-large spear that is flying aimed at the Horned Bear''s head. If this hits I''m sure it would be an instant death. The Horned Bear has already noticed the spear flying at intense speed. However, it''s already too late. I won''t let you escape from my guidance even if you move a bit. Die. My aim didn''t miss, the telephone pole of ice pierces his skull and his head gets blown off somewhere. Everything has ended, I look up at the sky and the sun still hasn''t reached the middle of the sky. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ For a while after that we cautiously watched our surroundings but neither another Horned Bear or any other dangerous monsters appeared. Beckwiz and Zachary were both in the Panic(Large) condition, they only had six or seven MP remaining. It took about ten minutes for them to recover. There are various problems that appear when the condition changes from Good. Especially in cases like this time, it gives me various things to think about. Kerry and Winry did not recover even after two hours. Probably because MP is zero. Since we had so much time it couldn''t be helped, we collected the magic stones from the Horned Bears and while were at it put what is said to be the highest quality diaphragm, stomach meat, and liver into a rubber back. Even though it''s a pretty big bag it was completed filled with just that. The one that was frozen I used fire magic of about 100 degrees to quickly melt it. It can''t be helped that the surroundings became submerged in water. I quietly worked away while Beckwiz, Zachary, and Mill we''re talking excitedly. I was thinking about various things. Like if that roar can be blocked using ear plugs, starting from such pointless things, I thought about how it would be troublesome if anyone remembered that ice spear I used at the end. Starting from the conclusion, the two adults Beckwiz and Zachary were in a state of Panic and couldn''t remember much at all as far as I could tell from the conversation. They might have seen the ice spear I used at the end but as far as they are talking about that I can confirm they don''t remember it. Mill explained to the two of that, "In the end Al finished it off with magic". Now, let''s go home. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ We didn''t notice the one peeking at us from the brush. There was a considerably amount of distance and even after being cautious for a while there was no sign of an attack. Horned Bear''s supposedly grow into adults capable of reproduction within a few years. This one I would end up having to deal with for a while from here on out. It''s a one-sided relationship of him coming to attack though. Almost as if he saw me as his revenge or something... Volume 1 - CH 36 We somehow we''re able to get back to Bakkudo Village by night. Everyone was in a good mood because we were able to bring back a considerable amount of game. Even though it was just a few hours ago we all thought we were going to die how convenient. Thanks to the bright atmosphere I was also able to completely organize my feelings on the way home. I was made to think about a variety of things but that is well, something that will become an issue from here on out, it''s not something to worry about right now. Since it was completely dark by the time we returned, they got worried and were on the verge of forming a search party. Normally nothing big like a search party would happen. It''s dangerous at night after all, and if they were killed by a monster it''s possible that a second disaster could happen where the search party takes damage. This time it seems that since Mill and I, the lords children were included a search team was specially put together. It''s not like there''s a method of contact, and facing off against two Horned Bears, despite the fact that the two adults fell into a Panic state we all were able to return unharmed, so we weren''t scolded. . The place we were attacked at is a place that has been used for hunting for a while as well, it''s not like we jumped into danger so it wouldn''t feel good to be scolded. In the first place, other than Mill and I, everyone else is an adult. Kerry isn''t of adult age yet but right before at 14 after all. Isn''t it fine to consider him an adult? Our parents know about Mill and my magic power so they weren''t actually all that worried but even they were surprised by the result of two Horned Bears. That night we were told once again about how dangerous the Horned Bear is. It seems that after all that Roar is famous as being considerably dangerous but normally they don''t usually roar that often and when my parents fought against one in the past they never heard it. What does that mean, so we just had insanely bad luck? ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ The wedding banquet for Myun was gaudily performed the next day, there were many participants. I''m sure Dangle used up quite a bit of his savings, there was a considerable amount of different types of food. The Horned Bear''s diaphragm, stomach meat, and liver were considerably popular. I also tried eating it and it certainly was delicious. Yeah, it''s different from brand cows but a different type of deliciousness. More splendid than delicious. The wedding banquet proceeded without problems and ended at night. In the end Myun came to where I was and thanked me for a bit then smiled happily. Yeah, it''s fine as long as you''re happy. Give birth to a lot of energetic kids with Bosch. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Thus, two years were about to pass. I turn 10 years old and my level goes up once more to 7. My MP has exceeded 7000 and finally stopped growing. I''ve gone hunting at night countless times since then but never encountered any monsters as dangerous as the Horned Bear. It''s partially because I was alone and putting priority on only hunting in places where I could completely and safely do it. I eliminate all of the corpses using fire magic. The number of farming horses has increased to eight, and it helps not only for cultivating new land but also for normal farming. Also, we increased the number of rubber trees in the newly cultivated land by about 200 and still plan to put work into increasing them. Among the first of these new trees about 100 or so of them should be capable of producing sap within two or three years. Improvement of rubber products is slow but ongoing. Recently, it''s not just me but Taylor, Myun, Enbert, and Diane that are thinking up various things and we''ve increased the number of products. It goes without saying that sandals, boots and cushions are being improved, but the protector is also easier to use and the design is getting better. In addition, it''s still a small amount but rubber boats, lifebuoys, bands, rubber bands, etc. have also been developed and are being produced. My best work so far is the rubber balloon I made using the same method as condoms. It can be made with just a little bit of leftover latex and I casually made it thinking that it could be a toy for children but I don''t know who did it first, someone came up with the idea of putting sweet bean jelly inside it. Even though I call it sweet bean jelly it''s different from the type in Japan, in the village it''s a confectionery made by turning bean crops into a bean paste, smoothing it with water, and then letting it harden outside. If you were to ask me, it''s not very good, but there''s no other way to call it than sweet bean jelly. In the village it''s called Yomo but I call it sweet bean jelly. If you pack that into a small balloon and then open a hole with a toothpick it becomes an amusing food that slides out. Or rather it''s sweet jelly bean balls itself. Importing this to the capital has become considerably profitable. An especially big invention that was made wasn''t created by me but by Diane. I don''t know if it was a mistake or carelessness but it seems rubber with lots of air bubbles was made was made by spilling some carbonated water into latex, in other words sponge or rather urethane foam. Obviously, it''s not even worth comparing to real sponge or urethane foam but instead of using natural carbonated water I made artificial carbonated water using magic, and used that as a base to increase the number of bubbles. Thanks to that we were able to make something far more shock resistant than the sheets made from raw rubber. Now we''re also using it inside the protectors and as soles for sandals and boots. Also, since urethane is a synthetic substance, I don''t think it exists, but anyone can make sponges just by taking them from the ocean so they aren''t uncommon. Since natural sponges are commonly used for washing bodies and dishes, they are already being sold everywhere. By putting air into these natural sponges we were able to make even better cushions. By the way, making this artificial carbonated water requires a change of thinking, and when I was able to do it my way of thinking about magic changed greatly. In the first place carbonated water can easily be made by saturating carbon acid gas which is carbon dioxide in water. In my previous life I bought a soda siphon and made carbonated water so I should have known it well, but I couldn''t remember it. Previously I had talked about how important image is when using magic but that''s exactly the case. If elemental magic is used alone, an amount of element corresponding to the level of elemental magic used is created. I have been creating dirt and water with this until now. After that I make use of it using void magic, fire magic, and wind magic. Generally, there''s no problem with this at all. However, haven''t I already been using both fire and water magic at the same time? That''s right, I was making hot water and ice. This is still well within the normal boundaries of use. However, in reality this is not using both at the same time. In the case of hot water, first water is created then with no time difference fire magic is used to heat it up. Obviously ice is done the same. After that I use void magic in a short period of time to shape it, add to the duration, or fire it off. Until now, I never thought of using another magic at completely the same time nor did I think of attempting it. That''s because it was already plenty, and there was nothing I was troubled with. Of course, a big part of that is because of how Sharl taught me about it. Sharl never said "with no time difference" but rather "use them together" but since the result was the same and there were no problems, I had no need to think of "simultaneously use different magic together". I was able to think of this because trying to make carbonated water didn''t work well. Obviously, just the same as until now I tried creating the water, after that I used wind magic to make air, then used void magic to filter out carbon dioxide and tried to melt that into the water. Though, no matter how much I tried I couldn''t succeed at it so that became the trigger for me to change my fundamental thinking about magic. Why am I not able to do it? It''s because if I can''t put carbon dioxide into an airtight container with the water then I can''t saturate it. Since the sealed container itself can be made with a glass bottle and a rubber stopper, making it is no problem. There''s no problem with making water inside of it as well. Even if you fill an airtight container to near full with water the cap won''t fly off from air pressure. The air in the bottle seems to go somewhere for the same volume of water created. I don''t understand the principle but it''s magic so it can''t be helped. There''s no other choice than to think air is being converted to water. When making dirt it''s probably converting the air in the same space to dirt as well. It''s strange that when converting something as thin as air which is 1/1,000 or 1/10,000 the volume of a solid or liquid it doesn''t increase in amount, I''m sure it''s not converting the molecules of the air into the same amount of molecules so it''s probably pointless to think about it. However, it seems that the air created with wind magic is somewhat different. The air created by using wind magic is clearly generated in a compressed state. If that wasn''t the case there would be no difference in pressure, so even if you use wind magic the wind wouldn''t blow violently. Well let''s put aside the volume of wind magic for now. In other words, in order to make carbonated water, then you have to make air at the same time as you make water and use void magic to filter out only the carbon dioxide and melt that in. Although, if you had the proper facilities you could make them separately... It may take some time but it may be possible to make facilities just to make carbonated water but if you consider the cost it costs it just seems idiotic, so I want to make do with magic. In the end I''m sure some type of facility or tool will be needed but for now I want to test if I can "completely simultaneously" use magic. If I can do this then I can improve the efficiency on many things. For example when I''m making iron, until now I''ve been making the dirt, filtering it out, then eliminating the excess dirt. If I could do this then I can create just the iron from the start. Of course, if you use a trick with filtering magic it''s possible to take just the components you want from dirt directly into your hand. Also, you''ll be able to suddenly freeze something in battle. Or at least this is how thought of it. I''ll try giving it my best at using water magic, wind magic, and void magic simultaneously. I''m sure it won''t go very well since I have to simultaneously concentrate on multiple using multiple magics. I tried out doing everything I could think of to be able to use magic simultaneously. I thought it might be a problem of getting used to it so I try drawing with my right hand while writing with my left, in the end I was rubbing my knee with my right hand, hitting my other knee with my left hand, and switching out the process with both hands every second, I was doing considerably idiotic looking training such as that. However, I couldn''t do it no matter how much I tried. One time, I was using a log that was left along the path in the village as a bench while doing my idiotic training as usual when Sharl walked by and talked to me. "Al, what in the world are you doing?" It''s a tone of voice that''s suspicious of me doing stupid things. It''s not surprising. "Ah, No, that is...It is a training to use different magic at the same time..." There was no better way of putting it and it was embarrassing so I answered honestly. After hearing my answer Sharl broke into laughter and asked the reason. Since I had no choice, I honestly responded that it''s to make carbonated water and she finally understood. Although it is impossible to use magic completely simultaneous, it seems there is a trick to it. First off you use void magic to create a mana field then create water and wind inside of that field but that''s different from using them simultaneously. I point that out and she gets angry not to interrupt the story. Since that''s only obvious I obediently listen. It seems there are still some times when I can''t control my emotions. Though this time it wasn''t so much controlling my emotions as controlling my curiosity to be more exact. Come to think of it, God said I would quickly be able to control my emotions but didn''t say anything about anything else. I wonder if there''s a portion that is being influenced by my body after all. It can''t be helped. I''m sure there''s no other way to deal it other than training to control it or just growing. Anyway, you make mana field using void magic and simultaneously use water and wind magic but what you need to remember here is the small magic Cantrip, Reservation. It''s not actually using small magic Cantrip''s Reservation but a similar void magic. For example you use that Reservation void magic to use water magic and then use wind magic yourself. After that it''s a matter of matching up your timing and using wind magic at the same timing as the water magic from Reservation. I see, reservation. It was completely out of my mind. It took a reasonable amount of practice but I was quickly able to get used to using magic simultaneously with reservation. I was worried that when concentrating on one magic to reserve it might get caught up with the concentration on another magic but the fact that you can forcefully concentrate on it means you don''t have to pay attention to anything else. If you just concentrate on the magic you''re using yourself then you won''t fail with the magic you use after that, since you''re forcefully concentrating on it through reservation the magic you use prior won''t fail. With this I was able to simultaneously use water magic, wind magic, and void magic and was able to create carbonated water with magic. There are several people in the village who can simultaneously use water and wind magic so there shouldn''t be any problem from here on out either. The use of reservation to simultaneously use magic considerably expanded my horizons. It''s a change of the way of thinking. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I finished up just swinging the sword for my sword training when I hit 10 years old and started focusing on forms and training matches. Since my ability points are higher for my age I thought I would easily be able to compete with Mill and the squires but I was naive. Though I was certainly praised for the power which I swing the sword, my speed at evading, and my endurance to keep going, the parts which are directly related to physical ability but I still have a lot to learn when it comes to using the sword for defense and technique at switching to counterattack. Even if I do training matches it''s pathetic because I can''t even win once. This is proof my abilities completely don''t match up with my technique. It''s necessary to practice a lot and quickly raise my technique. It was like that where I couldn''t win at all with the sword but I didn''t lose to anyone when using bayonet combat with the spear I remodeled. I can even win against father half of the time and make it a draw the other. Practicing with the sword is important but this style matches me better after all. In the first place, I made it modeling after the gun and bayonet so I''m sure this weird shaped weapon didn''t exist until now, there were spears but no short spears as short as this, and I''m sure it''s the first time anyone has seen a smiting blow using the gun-stock or magazine. I''m sure father is just amazing for being able to react to it seeing it the first time and the squires and Mill aren''t inferior. Most likely the month after next Fan will be returning home. I want to hear various stories of the city when my older brother comes home. Also, I want to try a training match with Fan using my bayonet grappling and see what my current ability is like against an active duty knight. At the very least, how it compares to normal knights, if it''s completely no good, if it''s capable of rivaling them, in other words I want to know if in a few years when I become an adult and leave the house will I be able to reasonably avoid danger. Hegard was considerably surprised by bayonet grappling and praised me quite a bit but as far as I can tell from his expression it felt more like a father proud of his son''s growth. Also, even if he used to be an adventurer it was quite a while in the past. I''m sure he doesn''t know the current skill of the knights well, it''s a harsh way of putting it but, he''s just a country guy after all. While thinking about such things I continue in my daily practice and spend my days practicing magic and improving and creating rubber products. It was a beginning of spring as such when an event that would shake this peaceful and carefree Bakkudo Village occurred. The corpses of a total of six people who went to gather rubber, including five serfs and one squire member, were found cruelly torn to pieces. ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ When investigating the corpses it seems that that it was done by a monster or large meat eating beast equal to that. That seems to be the case because I didn''t see the corpses directly myself. Though even if I were to see them I don''t have that kind of knowledge so I wouldn''t know. If I see the wound I could tell if it was cut with a sword or if it was torn to pieces by fangs but they were torn apart in too cruel of a way that they wouldn''t show me. In response to this, when going to gather rubber you must have at least four members of the squire and one person from the Lord''s family including me accompanying. Also, the people who are gathering should be equipped as well. Even if I say equipped, I don''t mean with a weapon but a simple version of the protector I made with rubber. An amateur who hasn''t trained with a weapon is dangerous just swinging it around, it wouldn''t be a joke if they ended up hitting one of the guards accompanying them. Since everyone in our family other than Hegard can use magic, it''s thought that the two of us children would be fine when it comes to battle. Putting myself aside, Mill is already 14 years old, one step before becoming an adult, it was decided that we wouldn''t be killed very easily. In the case we''re attacked by a monster then one of the squires will run to request reinforcements, the remaining three squires will take it on while Sharl, Mill, or I back them up with magic. Also, if it seems like we''re no match for the enemy then we quickly retreat and earn time while waiting for reinforcements, is what was roughly decided on. Since I no longer need to use all my time to exhaust my MP, I have plenty of time now for sword and grappling training and they have been a good change of pace, I had no reason to refuse. I''m sure it''s somewhat dangerous, but I''ve continued hunting at night here and there for a while, it''s certain I''ve become dull to feeling it''s dangerous. Also, I wanted to try out the new magic I created through practice in live combat as well. One day when I was accompanying them to gather sap from the rubber tree I was secretly hoping for a monster to appear. Volume 1 - CH 37 This time there''s either others besides me going to gather latex. Four squires and four young men from the village who are on duty this me. The squires and I are equipping the the newly adopted standard of rubber protectors and the gathering members are wearing the older version which used to be the most up to date. However, the only ones armed are the squires and I. The squires all have a sword on their waist and I''m equipped with the bayonet I made. The work is going smoothly as we gather at our usual pace while remaining vigilant. After we had finished gathering half of what is planned it was just before noon so while it was a little fast we decided to have lunch while taking a break. The meal is black bread, vegetables, and a chicken sandwich. There isn''t much of dressing or sauce so to be honest it''s not very good but the gathering members can only eat meat every couple of days so everyone is biting into it joyfully. The gathering job is both forced labor and dangerous but since the chicken sandwich is always provided it''s considerably popular. Normally there''s no food given for forced labor like farming so that''s the secret to its popularity. I take a bite out of one while talking to the squires. "Is it fine to not have a lookout while one break?" "Yeah, there hasn''t been an attack since then, so I''m sure it''s fine. If we quickly finish eating and start being cautious of the surroundings there will be no problem." Jad''s son Whitney who just became an official squire a bit ago says. "Though, don''t monsters target these sort of chances?" I''m saying these sorts of things but it''s not like I''m saying it out of fear. It''s just because I know the importance of being careful. "Al-sama is careful. However, I understand. I''ll start keeping lookout right away. Hey, Jamie, you stand on the opposite side from me. Take care of the Southwest." Whitney says that puts the last bite of the sandwich into his mouth and heads to the Northeast to stand guard. Jamie heads off the same as Whitney to the opposite Southwest direction. They should alternate every 10 minutes. I feel slightly relieved and return to chewing the not very good sandwich. Black bread is hard so if you don''t seriously bite into it you can''t tear it apart. Come to think of it in my past life I think the black bread sold at the bakery near my house was somewhat soft inside and not as sour as this. I suddenly remember that I sometimes ate it with my wife on O-bon and new years when we got our hands on good ham or smoked salmon. I can still remember my wife''s face. It''s fine as long as she''s still living in good health. Around the time I was finishing up getting rid of the sandwich the squires who were on break discretely started talking to me. "Al-sama, excuse me but could I please ask for some hot water?" I guess it''s for after meal tea. Even if I were to say tea, that''s just what I''m calling and it''s not the real thing. There''s herbs that are grown in the village like mint which give off a good scent when you add hot water and calm you down. I was just thinking about drinking some myself so I turn the water in the canteen handed to me into hot water. The reason I don''t create the hot water from scratch is because while water created with magic isn''t bad for you it''s most likely pure water so it tastes bad. Everyone knows that so they''ve brought their canteens. The canteens are made from trees and use a rubber cork. I open the rubber cork and use fire magic on the water inside the canteen. If it was water created with magic then it would only take one use of level 2 fire magic to bring this amount of water to nearly boiling but since it''s not water I made it uses almost 10 times the MP. Since I''m casually heating up the water of everyone else with no problem it seems rather than thinking I have a lot of MP they just think I''m skilled at using magic. It''s not like there''s particularly anything to talk about though so I''ve never talked to them about that sort of thing. I change the water in everyone''s canteen to hot water and return them. Then put the herb leaves in and boil it for one minute or so and it becomes tea, herb tea, or rather hot herb water. Slowly sip away at it being careful of burns. It has a good smell and once you get used to it, it gives you a refreshed feeling so it feels like it tastes good. Just like that we had a relaxing break. During that time I heard Whitney''s scream. "It''s a monster!!!" ......... It finally came huh? The squires and I stand up and inspect our equipment. One of the squires runs towards the village for reinforcements. During these times we had already decided beforehand who has what role so there''s no hesitation. I sent Jamie to go call the remaining one then I hurry at full speed to Whitney. Whitney should be around 200m or so away. While there may not be much underbrush it''s in the middle of a forest with uneven ground. You can''t get as much speed as running in a field. It''ll probably take about 30 seconds. I want to get there as fast as possible but I have to be careful not to trip. If I were to trip then it would take even more time and in my case I have magic so as long as I get within sight range I can attack or anything else without having to get close to Whitney. I hurriedly run wielding my bayonet. During that time I use Identify to try and ascertain what in the world appeared even a bit faster. Before long the monster that Whitney is fighting against entered my sight. It''s a Kobold. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Male/20/7/7435 ¡¤ Dog Person Race ¡¤ Bozo Tribe¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age:3 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 2¡¿ ¡¾HP: 16(16) MP: 1(1)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 3¡¿ ¡¾Speed: 3¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 1¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 2¡¿ There''s four of those. Kobold''s are like if you were to have a dog take on the appearance of a human, they''re a monster that wanders around on two feet. They''re skilled with their hands like humans and have enough intelligence to use weapons and tools. They have small scales all along the surfaces of their bodies but the head is a dog itself. No, is it a dog person or a hyena, or maybe it''s a wolf? Well, since it''s not a wolf person race or werewolf so I''m sure it''s not a wolf. It''s a pretty common monster around here. It''s not nocturnal so I''ve never run into them when hunting at night but I''ve seen them several times during the day. Normally if we have greater numbers they have enough intelligence to run away based on the situation so while I''ve seen them I''ve never fought them. I guess they attacked this time because Whitney was alone. They''re aren''t a particularly strong monster. They aren''t even worth using magic so I should quickly head over to Whitney and join in the melee. I... "Hyaaaaa!!!" I let out that sort of battle cry while charging at the Kobold with the end of my bayonet. I stab my bayonet into the center of it''s chest and use the inertia from my charge to kick off and remove the bayonet. Since Whitney was fighting against four at once it seems he was gaining time by going on the defense. Just from a glance it seems he''s not wounded so far. In any case with this it''s gone from 1v4 to 2v3. Since the opponents are Kobolds we should be fine. I''m sure it''s just a matter of time to finish them off. In the first place if Whitney was resolved to go through a bit of danger I''m sure he could have managed them all himself. After this we just need to wait for Jamie and the other squire to come and it''ll be 4v3, then we can just all rush in for the kill at once. We focus on avoiding and parrying the swords and clubs of the Kobolds. It was at that moment. "Grrrrooaaaaaa!!!" A Roar reached us. For a moment our bodies stiffen up. This is...Is it that? A Horned Bear? The three Kobold''s crouch down in a panicked state. Whitney''s probably in a panicked state as well but not as much as the Kobolds. I quickly fix my posture, I have to prepare for the appearance of the Horned Bear. I''ll quickly defeat it with magic. Is what I was thinking but I found the Horned Bear several 10s of meters away on the other side of Whitney. It''s charging here a tremendous speed. This is bad. Whitney''s in the way so I can''t use water or dirt. It''s probably no good even if I use void magic to fire it off after creating it. Close range combat against this thing!? No way, this is no joke. But, what should I do!? If I were to retreat from here it would be abandoning Whitney to die. I can''t do something like that. It can''t be helped. I stand on guard in front of the panicked Whitney with my bayonet. There''s already no more than 10m of distance. I point my bayonet like a spear. The Horned Bear which was running on all fours was surprisingly quick and dodged my attack aimed at it''s head while moving to body slam me. The shoulder of it''s large body hits my chest and sends me flying. If I didn''t have the rubber protector I might have broken some ribs. It was that level of force. After being sent flying about 10m and rolling on the ground I cough while trying to stand but can''t get up well. It''s not like I received any external damage but it feels like I leaked all of the air in my lungs so the best I can do in my state is glare at the Horned Bear. However, if I don''t do something fast, Whitney will be killed. The Horned Bear seems to be aiming to kill off the Kobolds that are crouched down first. It faces the Kobolds and swings its right paw. I don''t know if it''s because I''m looking up from the ground but the Horned Bear looks awfully large. The 10cm or so horn on its forehead is sparkling as it reflects the light of the sun. The Horned Bear continues to swing its right paw just like that and lands a direct hit on the Kobolds crouched and shivering. Along with a sound like gushatt or guchott the Kobold''s head disappearances in a mist of blood. I can''t just keep watching absentmindedly like this. It could target Whitney at any moment and I still can''t breathe properly as well. I somehow manage to stand up on one knee and let go of the bayonet with my left hand and face it towards the Horned Bear. I use magic while being amazed at myself for not letting go of the bayonet. I use my modified version of the "Flamethrower" magic, a long and thin burner like flame and swing that or other control it to coil around the Horned Bear. The fire like a gas burner that''s generated from my left hand concentrates together and slowly stretches out. I desperately focus mana in and guide it towards the Horned Bears head from the it''s left side I''m facing. It seems the Horned Bear still hasn''t realized I''m using magic. This time it swings it''s left paw up. Damn it...The risen left paw is in the way so it''s difficult to aim directly for it''s head. Like I care, for the time being I''ll take that left arm! The gas burner like "Flamethrower" coils around the left paw that''s about to be swung down any moment like a living creature and I quickly tighten it. The Horned Bear can''t endure the heat of the flame and raises it''s voice. "Gyaaoooon!" This time it wasn''t the special ability Roar but a voice of anguish. My body didn''t stiffen up. I continue to tighten the flame. The "Flamethrower" wrapped around the Horned Bear''s left arm burns away the borwn outer fur and mercilessly burns it''s skin. The Horned Bear faces me as if it just remembered while it''s left arm burns and raises a roar of intimidation again. "Goooooogaaa!" My concentration on the magic is cut off at the same time as my body stiffens up. The "Flamethrower" wrapped around it''s left arm disappears in no time. The paralysis disappears at the same time as the roar and it''s completely set me as the target. Damn, next. My chest hurts so much it can''t be helped but I can''t afford to fall. Thinking it would be plenty to impede it''s vision I make enough dirt to fit in a bath. Then with full force use void and wind magic to scatter it. After that I make a spear of ice this time. I don''t have any time so it''s just a big larger than a normal spear. However, I made multiple years surrounding me. A total of 5. There''s no time to give them any distance so I just send them flying like that where I last saw the Horned Bears head. I heard a zubut sound just once. It seems I was able to hit the Horned Bear somewhere. I stick my left hand out again planning to use the magic I specially prepared and start releasing my mana but I remember Whitney is still around there so I had no choice but to give up on the new magic. Damn it, what should I do? The dirt I had scattered clears up and the Horned Bear appears. It seems that the ice spear destroyed his left eye. The spear is stuck in his left eye. Hm...I remember the one-eye I froze in the past. While wondering what the Horned Bear will come at me with next, it growls while glaring at me. I glare back just the same. My chest still hurts but I refuse to lose in spirit. I let out multiple spears again. And, of all of things, seeing that the Horned Bear turned around surprisingly quick and ran off at a tremendous speed. It seems Whitney finally came out of the panic and had fixed his guard with the sword but I guess it was surprising so he couldn''t react to the Horned Bears retreat as well. Just in case I use Identify on Whitney to check if he''s not injured and unable to bear it any longer I collapsed. It''s not like I lost consciousness so while laying there I Identify myself while my HP was halved my condition is still Good. It doesn''t seem like there''s a fracture but I guess it hurts because my chest where it body slammed is putting pressure on my lungs. But, I''m sure this will recover soon. Just in case I use recovery magic on myself but while HP was restored the pain in my chest is still the same. It was then that Jamie and the other squire finally came along. The run up and call out after seeing me on the ground but quickly notice the panicked Kobolds. Jamie stands guard at my side while the other squire finishes off the two remaining Kobolds. Soon after that I recovered and talked about the series of events. It was four Kobolds that attacked Whitney at first. I charged in and finished one off then went into defense to wait for reinforcements. During that time a Horned Bear appeared all of a sudden and attacked us. I managed to wound it but I couldn''t finish the Horned Bear off and it retreated. I talked about it all in order. The victims from before we''re probably done in by that Horned Bear. I forgot to Identify the Horned Bear as it retreats but the sight of looking up at it when it first swung it''s paw at the Kobold. The sight of it glaring over here while growling. And the sight of it running away as it retreats. They were all things that left an impression on me. I don''t think I''ll be able to forget it anytime soon. What''s surprising is the Horned Bear that looked that large wasn''t actually all that big at all. I know well since I disassembled the Horned Bear I defeated before but it wasn''t as much as that. The one this time was probably still young. I couldn''t think about anything but that Horned Bear that''s now one-eyed as we withdrawal and head home. This time we somehow managed to survive but what about next time? Somehow or other I feel like I won''t be able to become a full-fledged adult without defeating that one. Volume 1 - CH 38 Year 7438, Month 4, Day 4 It''s been a month since then and it''s just entered April now. It should be about time for Farne to return home. Farne should already be 16 years old and if everything goes according to schedule he should already have received investiture as a true knight or be able to receive it soon. After the first delivery of rubber products to the knight group since the start of the year just when I thought Hegard had been delighted to return home he brought back the news that Farne is going to become a true knight. The investiture of knights is only done once every three months it seems so the next time it will happen is in April. Hegard is at the age where he is almost 40 so after Farne returns and has children within a few years, he''ll be in his mid-40s. I''m sure he''s thinking about teaching Farne how to manage the territory until then and retiring. Orth, or rather in Marquis Webdos territory it seems that once they pass on the head of family and retire the previous head goes on to live gloriously in their freedom. Although, that''s only limited to families that have the leeway to do so, I''m sure we''re easily counted in those that have the leeway. Normally after retirement most remote viscount lords would continue training with the squires, farming, and join in on military mobilizations not any different to previously but I''m sure the responsibility is completely different and there''s some mental release as well. Things like the troublesome collection and payment of taxes, developing the territories infrastructure, even dealing with conflicts that occur between the peasants, I''m sure it''s a release from all the plainly annoying problems. If you have money then you can completely go on a trip purely to enjoy it it seems. Bakkudo is categorized as a farming village that primarily does cultivation so currently we pay taxes with wheat or the equivalent in money. Of course, there''s tax being paid on the sale of rubber goods as well but since our primary delivery is to the army stationed in the marquis territory we pay the taxes at the same time as we deliver the goods so there''s no need to worry about taxes from this business. During the time we make deliveries to Doritto in Viscount Shindo''s territory we keep a listing of all of the items and their prices that we sell. By exchanging a voucher of receipt there''s no problem if we give a copy of that and pay the taxes at the same time we make deliveries to marquis Webdos knight group. Even when we sell things in the capital through the company that the marquis little brother runs, since it''s actually just selling to the company in marquis Webdos territory the taxes are all calculated at that time. In other words, other than paying something like land taxes in wheat there''s nothing other than something like Japan''s consumption tax, so there''s not much need to worry over taxes. I an imagine there''s something like a tariff if you were doing business directly across different countries but for now that sort of stuff is unknown. Ah, there''s a head tax on Free People and the number of slaves you have as well. In other words something like a citizen tax does exist I guess? The increase in production of rubber products has certainly made Bakkudo more wealthy but the cultivation of new farm land and increase in yield of old land through deep plowing from using live stock in farm work was more effective than that. It''s an effect of getting an increase in agricultural produce on harvests from the same amount area with even less labor put in over the past few years. Obviously, cultivation of new farm land should be the biggest contribution but cultivated farm land is tax free for the first five years so there''s no contribution from any farm land other than our own portion. Our Greed family''s income for the past four years should be at roughly 1.6 to 1.7 times what it was until then. The amount of yield from harvests by planting area have increased an average of 10% per year for the past four years. A 10% increase is huge. Based on only last years harvest amount per area there''s a 60% tax imposed on it, normally taxes increase a bit at a time and every year the tax for peasants increases. Then, someday a period will come when the harvest amount is less than the previous year. But, I wonder if Hegard has foreseen that. It can be seen that since three years prior the amount of harvest per area reported hasn''t changed. Even though as far as I can tell there''s been a yearly increase of at least 2% to 3% for everyone on the same area, we haven''t collected the taxes. Therefore we haven''t paid the taxes either. Since the amount of tax we''re paying during delivery to marquis Webdos hasn''t increased much at all I know well but he''s definitely misrepresenting it. However, he''s properly reporting the area of cultivated land it seems. In the beginning I thought it was my imagination but I found a double-entry journal in the office room so I''m sure of it. It''s not like he''s collecting taxes from the farmers for his own profit so he probably has some sort of plan or maybe he just wants to let everyone enjoy good times for a few years, I don''t know. I don''t really mind at all even if he were doing it for his own profit, rather I''d be able to relax better more that way. At first I thought, "Oh, you do the job well, old man". For the time being I can''t read my father''s thinking. Well, taxes are a path you can''t avoid for when Farne returns and really starts his teaching to be lord, since he''ll definitely have to explain it, let''s ignore it for now. In that sort of situation when it comes to me I''m doing magic training, combat practice using the sword with the squires, and development of rubber products. I''m spending the same days as usual overseeing production and development. However, things all happen at once when they occur it seems. A fast horse from marquis Webdos came requesting participation for the next conflict. Hegard is currently 38 years old. Just a bit more and he''ll be 39 years old so his physical deterioration has started to appear. It''s something I''m a bit worried about but he''s just as skillful with the sword as always, and when it comes to close combat he can boast of beating unbeatable in Bakkudo so I can relax and send him off knowing he won''t die easily. I leak the information to Myun and it''s not something necessary to hurry with but in any case I tell her to call the point of contact. It''s fine if I go and release the Korisarperetto. Then I tell her that from now on Hegard and Sharl won''t be joining as guards to gather rubber for a while so when Myun is on duty to always have a weapon hidden. There hasn''t been another attack yet from the Horned Bear who''s one eye I destroyed but just in case. I don''t think it will be very dangerous because Mill or I will be accompanying but neither Mill nor I have anywhere near as much combat experience as Hegard and Sharl. Well, that specific bear will require some amount of time for the wound to heal I''m sure, so it''s unlikely for an attack like that again. The hell if it were to happen. Ah, come to think of it I forgot to talk about the successor maid to Myun. Since two years ago when Myun got married the daughter of a different squire family has been working as maid at our house. Sonia, a daughter of the Ryoug family, she is Diane''s little sister and helps with the production of rubber. She''s one year older than Mill at 15 years old. Her ability to learn isn''t bad and she''s completely inherited the cooking, cleaning, and laundry from Myun, she works well. Although, her ability to apply or develop things is a bit lacking, she fundamentally just does things exactly as she was told to do them, a person with nothing special of mention. Ah, in the two years since she became a her breasts have grown quite a bit. Huh? I wonder if my sexual desire has started to come out? But even no matter how you put it, isn''t this way too soon? Two weeks pass and the caravan from Doritto comes along as usual. It hasn''t been very long since I released the Korisaruperetto so I didn''t think the spy would be there but the worker from way back was there. He kindly came to talk to me and thanked me for that time. I checked with Myun that day but after all there was no contact, it seems being the guard this time was just a coincidence. However, I thought of a bit of something. I wonder if we couldn''t fake Myun''s death? I''m sure this guy is a point of contact so he should have a connection to the guy called Begle. As usual his mouth his half-open and he has an absent-minded looking face. Well, even if that''s the case there''s no way to confirm if he''s actually absent-minded, if it''s this guy I feel like I could trick him with a decent trick. Even if he''s an idiot I''m sure there''s no way he wouldn''t report the death of an undercover spy. Right away I went to discuss it with Myun. It''s not like she can become a ghoul in the middle of the village so it would be ideal if only Myun, him, and I knew about it, but I''m sure things won''t go that well. But, while I feel sorry for Bosch wouldn''t it be good to deceive all of the members of the village as well for a period of time? In other words, during the time this guy is staying announce that Myun died. However, Myun is actually still alive and just hiding somewhere while he''s here. Then once he leaves she can just casually come out. There''s no tool like in modern Japan that you can quickly make remote contact with or at least I don''t know of that sort of magic. Sharl said she didn''t know as well. In the first place, even if the wife of a squire in a remote place this were to die it wouldn''t even qualify as news, if we fake her death and that succeeds, even if she was actually still living afterwards I''m sure there''s not much chance it would be revealed afterwards. About the only problem is if this guy continues living, comes to Bakkudo again as a guard or something and finds Myun. Well, even in the case that were to happen then I could get rid of him that time. At that time Myun would have already been treated as dead so it won''t be thought that he was killed for being a spy. After completing the work on rubber for that day I made time to discuss with Myun by asking to listen to her opinion on improvement to a product. We made a plan to some extent and immediately set to executing it the next day. ....... The next day I requested to Hegard to go and search for a candidate for a new rubber farm (There''s already enough area being cultivated to call it a farm). Hegard tried to send along a number of squires as guards but since I''m sure they''re busy with preparation to dispatch and it''s not far off from the village it shouldn''t be very dangerous so I refused it. Even then Hegard wouldn''t accept it so in the form of me giving in I let Myun join me and in the worst case she can return to the village to request for assistance and he was okay with it. In the morning I departed together with Myun and we wandered around the border of the village to leave the impression we''re patrolling outside of the village. I made a random excuse that it was tools for checking the land and brought along a rubber bag but obviously this is a disguise and actually contains food for Myun for the time being. I went to recover the broad sword I got way back that I had hidden in a tree a bit away from the village and gave it to Myun. Obviously I''m using the bayonet. Several 10s of minutes after entering the forest. We should be roughly 1-2Km from the village. I''m sure around here should be fine. Myun and I dig up the ground as if there had been a struggle there. I add cut marks to random trees. I even smeared the blood of some rabbits or raccoons I don''t know what that we caught on the way around the area. I immersed myself in that boring process. I wonder if that''s the case, I was too out of it to notice the approach of a monster. When I realized it, it had already approached within 50m of Myun. It seems to have quietly and vigilantly approached. It has brown fur and a smashed left eye...Damn it, of all things that one. I try to suddenly point both of my arms towards it and use magic but Myun is in between us. I warn Myun and reach for the bayonet at my feet. "Nguuuuoooo!!" My body stiffens up. This is bad. It''s bad but it''s still good since it''s after I warned Myun. Myun has more than 10 MP as well so she shouldn''t be immobilized by one hit. At best she should be at Panic(Small). Is what I was thinking, but Myun didn''t even stiffen up and with a flowing movement turns around wielding the broad sword and goes on guard. Ha? Eh? Why is she fine? I''m thinking about that as the paralysis wears off and I release my left hand from the bayonet roll across the ground to get Myun out of my line of sight and aim at the Horned Bear to use a magic attack. Let''s put aside for now why Myun was fine. More importantly is the Horned Bear. It comes running over here on all fours. I''m close by and have no leeway so just like before I make five ice spears and launch them all at the Horned Bear. This time if even one of them manages to stab it I''ll use my new magic "Lightning Bolt" to aim at the ice spear! I don''t know if it was because I was able to calm down and react better this time but this time it didn''t seem as big as last time. It''s length when running on all fours is about 1m. Considerably smaller than the Horned Bear I defeated way back. Yeah, this one might be their cub. I think about that while trying to guide the spear to stab into its body. Myun must have felt that I was going to use magic so she leaps to the opposite and stands on guard with the broad sword. I send the spears flying at full power and with my guidance all of them hit the Horned Bear. It couldn''t be helped last time because the field of sight was blocked by the dirt cloud but if I can see this is about right. Take that~ The one who took that was me. Even if it''s a monster it has the ability to learn about an attack it''s taken once. The moment it recognized the spears coming it blocked its face with its arm. Thanks to that I couldn''t stab a spear into its remaining right eye. Beyond just that, I guess it shifted its body to a place with more defense right before the spear hit because none of the spears are stuck. Ah, there wasn''t enough momentum or the spears were too small, they were deflected by the thick fur on the sides and went in a different direction. And while it''s charge was decreased for a moment it''s still directed at me after all. Without being distracted by Myun it continues charging at me. If it goes on like this I''ll get body slammed again. Last time I got off with just being blown away because I was hit by the shoulder but if I were to take that horn then even with protectors it will be a serious injury at best. After I take a serious injury next it will be Myun''s turn and I don''t know if I''ll be able to concentrate enough to use magic when seriously injured. Here it would be best to use earth magic to reduce the force of his charge and aim at blocking his sight. I wonder which was faster as I create enough dirt in front of me to fill a bath. Before I realized it Myun had approached and stabbed the broad sword into the Horned Bear. Thanks to that as well, I was somehow able to avoid not just the horn but also the body as it charges in pushing through the dirt. Even though it was stabbed with a broad sword the wound must not have been very deep, it glares at me for dodging the body slam, turns around and takes a deep breath. Ah, it''s that. A Roar. This is bad, very bad. It''ll be really bad if I stiffen up. I wonder which would be faster if I use magic. "Zzzzzt!" "Uoooon!" The lightning that stretches from my left hand in instant coils around the Horned Bear mid-Roar but disperses as my concentration is disrupted by the Roar that started at the same time. However, we had a card that doesn''t receive any effect from the Roar. Myun swings the broad sword at the Horned Bear again. I don''t know if it takes a certain amount of concentration to do the Roar but up until now I''ve never seen the Horned Bear take any kind of action while roaring. It didn''t go as far as Myun landing a clean hit but even then she was able to cut the Horned Bear and once more leave a wound on it. My paralysis wears off after 1 second or so. Myun leaps back to my right side. The Horned Bear slowly moved backwards while blood drips from its wound and after getting a certain distance suddenly changes direction and runs off. I use Identify on it this time. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Female/11/1/7434 ¡¤ Horned Bear¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Bleeding¡¿ ¡¾Age: 4 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 7¡¿ ¡¾HP: 58(83) MP: 1(3)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 20¡¿ ¡¾Speed: 9¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 4¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 15¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Roar¡¿ Hm, level 7? Come to think of it, Roar only has effect if they are the same or lower level. I guess it was ineffective because Myun is level 9. Maybe it''s meant to be used after using it''s wild intuition to measure the ability of its opponent first. When it came to the parent bear it was level 13, so everyone there was affected by the Roar, and the last time this one attacked no one was above level 8 so it was effective on everyone. Hegard and Sharl said they defeated one when they were adventurers, since their levels are considerably high I''m sure it wouldn''t have any effect on them, if it was an adult individual that had some amount of experience in measuring their opponents they wouldn''t use Roar which leaves them wide open. In any case, it''s a relief we were able to repel the Horned Bear. I want to think that it won''t come to attack until it''s wound heals again. Or rather, it''s about time I settle things with it already. Honestly speaking it was dangerous again this time. It''s frightening to think of what would have happened if Myun who isn''t affected by the Roar wasn''t here. However, there was a lot I learned this time. As long as I raise my level then I can ignore the Roar and it''s possible to actually damage it in close combat. Since the quality of the broad sword Myun is using is normal then I think my bayonet might be able to do a little more. Well, that''s enough for considering things, now is the time to disguise Myun''s death. Trying to make the remnants of a fake battle is done thanks to this fight. Next is the setting. What we had thought of was Myun dying during a group attack by Kobolds and Goblins. And I had barely escaped with my life. Of course, afterwards Myun wouldn''t be dead and was just hiding waiting for the enemy to withdraw. Her ankle or something was sprained from being stepped on during the battle and she couldn''t return to the village so she hid inside of a hollow tree. I wasn''t able to properly confirm Myun''s death during the battle but given the situation I mislead them that there was no chance for survival, or at least that''s the setting we thought up. I''m sure my reputation will fall but that''s fine. I''m sure I''ll be resented by Bosch. But, I think that can''t be helped. I don''t want to be popular in the village I just want Myun to be able to live peacefully. Even if I were to be looked down upon or resented the only ones who could say it to my face are my family as well. I think if I were to say it was impossible and I had no other choice than to withdraw then my family would believe me on it. They should have that much faith in me. They should trust me. I want to think they trust me. Myun was worried about my position becoming worse to the end but I''m not actually all that worried about it. After all it''s normal for monsters to be wandering around and for combat to occur. Injuries occur and even just before there six deaths. And I''m the son of the lord and in past fights I never abandoned the villagers and ran even once. I can even use magic considerably well. Above all I''m still a 10 year old child. I say that to give Myun peace of mind. Myun makes cuts on my protector with the broad sword. Obviously this is to disguise the combat and I''m still wearing the protector. I''m saying random excuses to convince Myun as she cuts at me. Somehow it''s a pretty surreal image. From here on out Myun is going to move around the village, follow the river south and hide. I return to the village and let them know that Myun was killed then wait for the spy to depart, and release a Kroisaruperetto or something in the river as a signal. After Myun gets the signal she''ll return to the village. I don''t know if this will really go well but there''s no choice but to do it. I gasp for air as I run back and report on Myun''s death. I reported that were attacked by a considerably powerful large scale group of goblins. I gave it my best but since we didn''t realize the attack until last moment we lost the initiative. In the first attack Myun was knocked out. I use my perfect acting skills to report how I couldn''t bring Myun back with my power. Although, it''s only I that think I have perfect acting skills. Obviously there was an uproar in the village. I reported to Bosch while half crying as well. Bosch listens to the report while biting his lips and asks the location of where we were attacked. Hegard notices how Bosch looks and declares he won''t bring him to subjugate the goblins. The two reasons were that he won''t be able to remain calm and it''s only been two years since he became a squire so he hasn''t gotten back into the shape he used to be. Certainly for the nine years from when he became an adult until he married Myun he was engaged in farm work and he''s only level 5 lower than the average of the squires. Therefore, Hegard''s decision was something that made sense and he was comforted by his older brother Rasseg and Dangle. During that time the spy departed. I unnaturally talked to the spy about how Myun had died while watching his expression and after all it seems he had some thoughts about it, while asking what her final moments were like, I said she was certain to have been killed. Two days after the spy departed I released a Korisaruperetto and sent the signal to Myun. The night of the next day Myun returns to the village and reports just according to the setting relieving Bosch and everyone involved. But, when she started talking about something not in the setting I panicked. "I fell over after being hit in the head at the start but I was still conscious. Though my body couldn''t move because I hit my head. Even though he was in the middle of fighting Al-sama used healing magic on me. Thanks to that my wounds were healed but since the shock to my head hadn''t recovered I couldn''t move. When I finally managed to recover from the shock the battle had moved locations and I tried to go after Al-sama but I realized I had sprained my ankle. It would have futile if I ended up just being a burden on Al-sama so I went in the opposite direction of the battle. Since the Goblins were focused on the fight with Al-sama I was somehow able to get to a safe distance away but I ended up worsening my ankle sprain and couldn''t move even if I wanted to. It was all thanks to Al-sama that I was able to escape. Thank you very much. And I''m really very sorry for getting hit by the first attack and becoming a burden. If it weren''t for that it''s Al-sama after all. I''m sure you would have been able to deal with it all at once using magic. However, since I had collapsed I don''t think you were able to use magic. Really, how should I apologize..?" She said these sort of things. Though I wasn''t resented from the start but these words decided it. I ended up becoming a good guy that thought of the family of the squire group and without being able to use magic bet my life on luring the enemy away to keep Myun alive. ......... Around the end of April, preparations were finished, Hegard, Sharl, Beckwiz, and 10 others departed Bakkudo village for the battlefront with the Kingdom of Devas. It''s obvious if you were to call it obvious but this time they''re looking forward to reuniting with Farne who should be a part of marquis Webdos knight group at the battlefield. Yeah, if Farne is there then I''m sure it''ll be fine. Even though Farne can''t use fire or wind magic, the level of his magic is beyond Sharl, and he has an incomparable amount of MP. He''s most likely hiding this but in the case that Hegard or Sharl we''re to fall into crisis I''m sure it''ll be a huge help. If at this point Farne has already become a knight then he should be getting ready to depart to the battle, so retiring from the knight group and returning Bakkudo wouldn''t be allowed, and if he hasn''t become a knight yet then he wouldn''t return in the first place so either way I''m sure Hegard and Sharl will meet with Farne. Volume 1 - CH 39 Year 7438, Month 4, Day 28 After seeing off Hegard and the Bakkudo village dispatch troops Mill and I talk about the production of rubber while returning to the house. In order to do our morning magic training we seclude ourselves to the lord''s office room for practice. "Come to think of it, Al is able to use "Lighting Bolt" now right?" Mill says to me with envy. "Lighting Bolt" is a high-grade magic that requires a low level of earth and water magic and a considerably high level of wind and void magic to use. Since Mill can''t use wind magic even if she were to spend her entire life it''s impossible so I''m sure she''s jealous. "Yeah, I can already use "Lighting Bolt" at anytime." It''s often that magic which make use of various combinations of magic to use and are somewhat high-grade and useful have names. The "Flamethrower" I''ve been using from before, "Cure", "Cure"''s greater version "Cure Serious", and "Cure Critical", and some of the more famous ones, "Fire Ball", "XX Missile", for poison removal, "Remove Poison", one that blocks poison, "Protection From Poison" exists as well. Various names can go in the XX by the way. The ice spear I use is sort of like "Ice Javelin Missile". Training with magic is simple and none other than practicing to use these magics with names attached. As long as you take the time and can learn the elemental magic and void magic to use them fundamentally anyone can use them. If you plan to use it just pack in the necessary mana (this is often described as kneading the mana), and then all you have to do is adjust it with void magic. Unless your concentration is broken there''s no real need to worry about failure but if you haven''t practiced then it takes a while to use it or the effect is decreased. Think about it like preparing a fish. Someone who can''t use a knife doesn''t exist. Even if you''re lacking in technique as long as you take the time anyone can prepare a fish and make sashimi. Even if it''s unshapely and the lukewarm temperature is transferred to it, it''s still sashimi. It might not be good tasting but it can still be eaten and if you eat it you would still be able to tell what kind of fish it is. Well, if you want to call the mashed up pieces of meat that the fish had become sashimi at least. However, anyone can get good at if they do it enough times and be able to neatly cut sashimi. Cutting several slices while not leaving any excess meat. Being able to cleanly remove the skin. And reducing the amount of time for it to be made. In other words that sort of thing. After doing repeat practice enough times you stop using excess mana and reduce the amount of time it takes to complete the magic. In short, by getting a feel to the trick of it and establishing your own technique for it you can finally start saying you''ve "Acquired XX magic". Normally people can''t practice very much due to the amount of mana so even if they spend their entire lives they can only "Acquire" three types of magic or so. Even for people with a lot it''s at best five types. That''s why in comparison to normal people us three siblings have an exceptionally high amount of acquired magic thanks to how much MP we have. It''s only obvious. We have that many more chances to practice after all. Using that fish preparing example again, due to having low MP a normal person can only prepare one mackerel per day. However, we can prepare as many fish as we want and not just mackerel but much larger fish like sea bream or tuna or we can even do fish that require different methods to prepare like flounder. Obviously, it''s only natural that you can''t do it at the start but if you keep practicing it then eventually you''ll be able to do it while humming a song or even be able to do it at the same speed while smoking. "That''s nice~ being able to use all of the elemental magic... By the way, today I''m going to practice "Fire Ball" so I''m counting on you for the "Anti-Magic Field"." Mill says that with a grin. Cheh... How dirty... Since she can''t use all of the elemental magic it''s always my job to use "Anti-Magic Field". Thanks to that I have almost no practice in using attack magic against something. Just a bit of practice when I go hunting at night. That''s why I''m limited on the attack magic I can use. I don''t particularly need a target for "Flamethrower" so I''m insanely good with it but nothing beyond that. Even "Lightning Bolt" and "Ice Javelin Missile" I finally was able to use decently thanks to my night training. It''s not like I can''t use the "Fire Ball" Mill just said but if I were to use it I would take about 30 seconds. Putting aside war, it''s hardly something you can use during a fight. However, Mill has done quite a bit of specialized training with attack magic these past two years. I don''t know the reason why but most likely it''s because it bothered her that she couldn''t use anything but "Flame Missile" against the Horned Bear before. Even I want to try practicing "Fire Ball" and "Flame Missile"... I get that magic used for production or living are far more useful than attack magic but... How am I supposed to get a castle like this? No, it''s effective, certainly. But you know, for the time being I have no choice other than to solve conflicts with brute force, don''t I? Isn''t it plain to just make dirt there and bury them. "I understand... How many times are you going to use it today?" It''s not incorrect to say the attack power of attack magic is based on the amount of MP you pack into the void magic. Of course, it also depends on the level of elemental magic you use but the majority of it is decided by the level of void magic, the degree and amount, guidance and speed, and direction. I think you can easily understand if I use the example of creating a rock with earth magic and firing that off right? In deciding the power of the bullet the material it''s made out of is important as well but isn''t the majority of it''s power decided by the speed, weight, and shape? ..Magic that is like a missile is where you create the missile itself with elemental magic and then use void magic to make the gun or cannon to fire it. The job of launching it off, the gunpowder, is also void magic but it''s not like it''s being fired off with combustion so making more distance between is like the length of the barrel of the gun and you use mana to accelerate the bullet. That''s why the larger portion of the power is based on how much distance you can make it accelerate over in as short of a time as possible with void magic. Guidance can be thought of like bending the barrel of the gun to point at the target. Of course, it''s also possible to fire off magic outside of the maximum control range without using any mana for guidance. Though in order to do that you need to add a considerable amount of acceleration to what would be considered the bullet otherwise once it goes beyond the maximum range it will quickly lose force due to air resistance and the shape and in the end fall to the ground. And it''s no good if that practice isn''t done for each different type of bullet. Of course, it is possible to apply a part of it generally but putting aside if it was just making a rock larger, shaping it, and firing it off, it''s a bit different when it comes to how to use void magic for acceleration and guidance. That''s why even if you practice "Stone Missile" made of rock which uses 1 MP, there''s a necessity to practice each different bullet and how much MP they use for things like "Ice Javelin Missile", "Stone Arrow Missile", and "Fire Bolt Missile". If it comes down to not firing off the bullet, with no acceleration, just creating the dirt or rock and guiding it, burying it, or freezing it then there''s really no need to practice for just that. I think it probably takes the most practice for the acceleration of the bullet. Of course, as long as you have plenty of MP and time for it then you can get a decent amount of effect out using just about anything. However, I want you to think of "Fire Ball" as special as it''s like firing off a bomb. Of course, the speed of it is somewhat important but with this magic the MP put into the bullet itself is also important. You make the bullet with earth and fire magic and then use void magic to compress it as much as possible. Then you fire it off while maintaining the compression and when it gets to the destination you release the compression sending burning rocks and dirt flying all over. Since there''s no acceleration added to the scattering of the bullet the shrapnel isn''t much but the burning stones flying around is like an explosion. In order to use it you need at least 1 MP for the earth magic, 1 MP for the fire magic, and for the direction of void magic, 1 for compression, 3 for firing it off, and 4 for maintaining the compression, for a total of 10 MP, but even this is at best at the level of a fire cracker, if your intention is bloodshed then you need at least 3-4 times that put into the bullet. Even then it''s probably difficult to kill a person with. Even if they were right near the explosion it''d be a serious wound and if they got hit the wrong place they might die. However, even then it uses more than 20 MP (4 with fire and earth each for the bullet, 4x2=8 for the compression, and 4 for compression duration). If it was a normal magician then after that they would already no longer be able to carelessly use magic anymore. If a magician on the level of Sharl were to use all of their mana to the point of passing out then they would finally be able to make an explosion on the level of dynamite that could kill a few people. However, Mill is different. She pours 50 or 100 or idiotic amounts of MP into the creation of the bullet. I wonder if there''s enough force in it for it to be considered a bit of a military use explosion? Let alone using that sort of thing inside, you can''t easily use that sort of thing outside though I haven''t actually seen the explosion so I don''t know for sure. In other words in order to nullify that with the "Anti-Magic Field" I have to use more MP than that otherwise the explosion would exceed the "Anti-Magic Field". That''s why if I don''t ask how many times she''s going to use it I''ll have to re-use "Anti-Magic Field" again and if I were spacing out then it might create the tragedy of an explosion inside the house. "Nn~, around three shots..? I need to practice using filtering as well." Ah, I see... Then adding in a bit of excess about 700 should be fine. Mill is practicing attack magic but also properly practicing filtering magic for producing rubber and drying magic that doesn''t use wind magic as well. Putting aside drying, even though as long as you take the time to water down the latex sap and let it settle to remove the impurities, she wants to practice filtering to make it more efficient. Mill quickly got to using three shots of "Fire Ball" and then used up the rest of her MP practicing filtering magic. It can''t be helped so I''ll practice just making the bullets. When it just comes to making the bullet I can already make a considerable variety of types of them in under a second each but I can''t practice accelerating of firing those off during the day so it can''t be helped. Rather than that lately I''ve been practicing healing magic. In order to practice you need to be injured so it hurts and I don''t like it but I don''t like the idea even more of dying because it takes too much time to use so even if it''s painful I''m practicing with it. When it was just making cuts on my arms and legs I could still endure it but it took a considerable amount of time and resolve to stab myself in the foot with full force with my bayonet. I think it took about a year since I thought of it to finally do it. However, I can''t muster up the courage to stab myself in the stomach or chest. Even if I think next time when training when it actually comes down to doing it I start shivering. After all, just thinking about being unable to heal myself because it hurts too much to concentrate and there''s no way I can do it. I haven''t tried cutting off any of my digits either. It would be bad if I can''t reconnect the parts and in that case I would have to live the rest of my life without it. However, going off of the fact that large cuts are quickly mended to the point where there''s not even a scar on the skin then I feel like as long as it''s soon after you could reattach limbs or digits but... It''s no good, it''s scary. After all I can''t do it. Anyway, I''ve practiced to the point where I can heal large cuts and stabs to my arms and legs in an instant. At this point this kind of training doesn''t have much meaning so I want to train with my stomach or chest but I just can''t bring myself to do it and end up stabbing myself in the upper arms or thighs with my bayonet. By the way it seems like a certain amount of blood is being made when using healing as well so I''ve never gotten anemia. I wonder if there''s no other choice than to rely on that practice method? The practice method I learned from the village healer old woman Shaymi in the past. The other method of practicing magic. That is to recite a chant. No matter how much you improve with it the magic won''t activate until you finish reciting the chant but you can decrease the amount of concentration required to some extent. There''s no other effect than that but it''s supposedly a popular method of magic training. What was used to heal Farne in the past when he was injured by the Goblin. "I devote the mana source from my body, provide this person with the blessing of healing, Cure." By reciting a chant at a specified speed the mana is automatically used and the magic is completed. There''s no particular meaning to the chant itself. You can even recite "Abradabraalakazam" and it''ll work. It''s fine as long as you can connect a certain amount of mana to the words needed to attach it to the effect you want inside your mind. It''s the method to use magic with an effect when you''re not calm. Sharl cut it down saying, "it''s useless when you can''t speak, it takes more time than to just use magic normally, and it''s pointless until you find a chant that is compatible with your mana." In the first place since it takes time for it to activate she said there''s probably no magicians who use it for battle. Even that chant for healing magic just now might not seem like a lot to say but you have to be able to accurately say with a rhythm of about five seconds or it doesn''t work. Depending on the person it sometimes takes even longer. Though it''s occasionally shorter as well. One of the weaknesses to it is the amount of time it takes to find the chant and the mana that will interact with that. I''m one of the ones who heard that and gave up on it thinking it was stupid. It''s supposedly a common method of training for healers to show off the blessing of magic. After all, it''s the tool of their trade. Even then the majority of healers are actually using magic without the chant but old woman Shaymi said healing magic was difficult to use without the chant. However, it''s easy to say search for a chant that is compatible with my mana but how in the world do I do that? Randomly speak some words while using magic and this is it! find something like that? I have the feeling it''s probably impossible just randomly searching around. In that case, I should just trying asking old woman Shaymi who actually trained by reciting the chant. I quickly went to old woman Shaymi''s house. And tried asking the old woman the method to practice magic using a chant. "Hey, Shaymi, how do you find a chant that matches you so you can use incantation magic?" "Oh, does Al-sama want to use incantation magic?" Shaymi smiles while asking. "Yeah, the only way to practice using healing magic is to cut your own arms and legs after all. I''m worried about being able to concentrate if it was even greater injury." "Eh!!? Practice...Ah! You aren''t injuring yourself are you!?" Really now, don''t sudden make such a loud voice. I''ll get surprised. "Eh? Yeah, just watch...Hng!" I say while quickly stabbing my left arm with my bayonet, pulling it out, and using healing magic to heal it. "Wai...Wait just a minute, Al-sama!?? EH? Ah, yeah, it was certainly splendid healing but you mustn''t ever do that again! Okay!" What is that threatening attitude. There''s a living example of eyes becoming triangles in front of me. "Eh? But then I can''t practice..?" "There''s no buts about it! What in the world are you thinking! To injure yourself... In the first place I''m sure it hurts a lot.. Why are you doing something like this..?" I''m completely getting scolded. Like I said it''s practice. "Like I said if you don''t practice you won''t be able to use well right? For now it''s too scary so I can''t practice anything but my arms and legs but the stomach and chest are... um, scary after all." "..Then listen to me. I''m going to report this to the lord and madam. It''s not good if you aren''t scolded enough. And I won''t teach you the chant." Eh? "No way...Why! Then I can''t practice! Teach me!" "Going to the point of injuring yourself for the sake of practicing healing magic of all things, did the madam teach you that!? There''s no way that''s the case right? If you make a mistake and gravely injury yourself then don''t make it in time with the healing what do you intend to do!!" It''s fine if you don''t scream all of that. I get what you''re saying. Though I can''t relax if I''m not able to heal myself. "That''s why I''m practicing so I can make it in time. Though if I were using magic normally then I might not be able to concentrate right. That''s why I wanted to be able to use healing with the chant as well." "..I understand what you are saying. However, normally healing isn''t something you use on yourself. Just like Al-sama just because said the majority of the time you can''t concentrate. Normally you have someone else who can use healing use it on you. Therefore, you don''t need to practice using healing magic on yourself. I thought you could use healing magic considerably well... but it was this sort of thing. I cannot teach you. If you really must then get permission from the lord and madam." After saying that old woman Shaymi won''t respond to anything I say. This is bad. I mean Hegard and Sharl just left on the campaign so I can''t get permission after all. And thinking about how threatening old woman Shaymi got over it my parents are likely to get into a rage as well... Your entire body for the sake of your parents, filial piety starts from taking care of yourself.* There''s such a quote. I don''t know if there is in Orth though. I can understand that she''s angry over the same meaning of those words. I understand but in my situation it can''t be helped. Hmm, what should I do? I want to somehow talk down old woman Shaymi before my parents return. I need to think a bit about it. Volume 1 - CH 40 13 more chapters in volume 1... Year 7438, Month 4, Day 28, Afternoon Now then, after being thrown out of old woman Shaymi''s house I sluggishly walk along while worry about how to convince the old woman. I''ll try organizing things a bit. 1. In order to use magic there''s no need to use an incantation. 2. In that case, it''s possible to activate the magic in instant if you''re used to it. 3. However, it requires concentration and if your concentration is interrupted before it activates the magic fails. (Even if it only takes an instant it''s still not zero so concentration is an absolute requirement) 4. If you use magic with an incantation then the magic won''t activate until the chant is completed. 5. The amount of concentration required is decreased by using the incantation. (it becomes semi-automatic) 6. Incantations are different by magic and by person and it''s necessary to search for words that you''re compatible with. I''ll add just a bit to that. The instant that I mentioned in 2. is different based on the magic. If the number of different types of magic that is required or the level of magic required is low then it can quite literally be done in an instant.. even at longest around 1 second.. but, in the case that it requires a high level of magic or a number of different elemental magics then while you can''t call it an instant, it takes around 2-3 seconds. In the case that you''re not used to it then it can take more than a minute or depending on the situation maybe even several 10s of minutes, so compared to that it could still be considered an instant. And next is 3. the concentration but this is quite literally concentrating your mind. It requires an extreme level of concentration to knead the mana and use the magic you''ve decided on. Honestly speaking, it''s just right to say that you can''t do anything else at all until completion after you''ve decided on the image of the magic you want to use and start working in your mana. If it''s a magic that you''re very used to then you can finally move your body a bit at best. That''s why if you''re disturbed or unable to focus because of a distraction then you can''t start kneading the mana in the first place. Obviously you wouldn''t be able to use a different magic after you''ve started using and are maintaining one magic. The problem is after all 6. This alone is something that I don''t think you can do just at random. It was a bit too thoughtless to so casually say I was injuring myself in front of the old woman. No matter what the reason you''d normally realize that it wouldn''t be thought well of for a child to injure them-self. I wonder what I did something as stupid as that. Well, I guess greeting it can''t be helped. Rather than regretting something I''ve already done it''s more healthy to think about how I can make use of it from here on out. Next is the objective for why I want to be able to recite the incantation for healing magic. Why is an incantation necessary? There''s only one answer for this. It''s because I can''t deny the possibility that I won''t be able to concentrate enough to use magic from the pain or shock if I were to be heavily injured. Just that. It''s not like by reciting a chant that you don''t need to concentrate on the magic. It just reduces the amount of concentration on the magic you need to do. It just makes the kneading of mana into the magic being used semi-automatic through the incantation. In other words as long as you can maintain your concentration in any situation then you don''t need an incantation. There''s no merit other than reducing the amount of concentration required after all. That''s why I practiced so I could heal my arms and legs even if they were cut off in battle. I have enough confidence in this from how much I practiced that I could probably do it during battle or any situation. Although, I didn''t have the courage to injure my body or any important organs even if it was for the sake of training and I didn''t have the confidence that I could concentrate while enduring the pain from a sudden injury to my body. I''m sure if I spent enough time on it I could probably use healing magic even on a serious injury to my body. But, I just want to practice it because I think it would take some time and I don''t think I would be able to do it during combat. It''s a matter of whether you can calmly use magic enough for it to have an effect while dealing with the fear of death from bleeding or shock from taking a lot of damage to your body which has many important internal organs... There''s no way I could be confident. However, if you were to say that then it would be equally difficult to recite an incantation in that situation. If blood were to come up your organs or esophagus then you wouldn''t be able to accurately pronounce it so the incantation would really be meaningless. It''s not just a matter of properly pronouncing the words after all just like Sharl said if you''re in a situation where you can''t speak then it can''t be used at all. Hmm, I guess it can''t be helped for now.. Just like I thought of just now if it was an injury to my digestive tract organs, esophagus, or lungs and I spit up blood then there''s no way to recite an incantation after all... But you know... The body has a lot of area so it''s easy to become a target and get injured but if you were to use your arms and legs for defense then you won''t easily take an injury I guess... No wait, I should assume the worst situation possible... However, if I think about it normally I can''t argue against what old woman Shaymi was saying at all. If a 10 year old brat were to say something to me like, "I''m stabbing myself in the stomach so I can practice healing a serious injury to my body" and I was in old woman Shaymi''s position I''d certainly say, "What are you doing, you idiot!". If there was someone who actually accepted it and said "Alright, you''re sure enthusiastic about your training. I''ll teach you." then I can only think of them as madman. Is there no other option than to wait until I get big older then ask to teach me again? In the first place, I''m starting to lament training nothing but healing lately. For example I could have tried asking her to teach me because I want to try using attack magic while defending or running at the same time... I wonder why I said that sort of thing. Normally I''m always thinking about what kind of reaction they''ll have to what I say but this time I didn''t think about it all. Is this a result of my mentality being pulled along by the age of my body as well? No wait, even if that was the case if I don''t think of it as just me being an idiot then I might repeat the same mistake again. Good things are thanks to others, bad things are my own fault. If I don''t think like this then I won''t grow. I''m thinking about such helpless things with my shoulders drooped while returning from the center of the village where old woman Shaymi''s house is. ............ It becomes noon and Mill wakes up so we eat the lunch that maid Sonia made and then us siblings go to train with the sword. Even if I say go we train right outside of our house so we arrive right away. We have some matches using wooden swords with the children of squires who didn''t go on the campaign and then move on to production of rubber. Since I''m already used to the totality of it I can just flow right through each process of rubber production. I absentmindedly watch the process until night and return home to eat the dinner that was made. Somehow I don''t feel satisfied so I think I''ll go hunting tonight... If I go hunting alone at night then my feelings should be resolved a bit. And the means of taking on that Horned Bear isn''t something like healing magic but should be leveling up. Almost as if using magic when the Horned Bear uses Roar it leaves itself wide open. If I aim for that time then I can do plenty of damage with a spear or sword or even use magic. After confirming that Mill is asleep I sneak out the same as usual. I hold my bayonet while making sure not to be found by anyone as I go to the edge of the village and think about where to hunt, but for now I need to quickly level up so I should go to the spot with the highest monster count that gives a lot of experience points to level as soon as possible. If I were to go to the northwest from the northern area of the village then I should be able to go to the area with slimes but that''s where I was once attacked by the Horned Bear. Other than the Horned Bear, Slimes are the next highest experience monster around here so if possible I''d like to hunt them but somehow I haven''t been able to bring myself to go there since. Since I haven''t seen the Horned Bear at night even once until now I don''t think the Horned Bear is nocturnal but after all that place is pretty far away. It can''t be helped I''ll go East from the village. It''s easy for groups of Goblins to appear around the East side of the village. Other than that there''s also the nocturnal monsters Large Bat and Giant Rat. Depending on the situation you can even find a Hobgoblin which gives a much better amount of experience than Goblins. I can only hope for some Hobgoblins. After walking for about an hour and a half from the village I was able to find a group of monsters. Just as I hoped for it''s a Hobgoblin. I slowly use the Identify, which I''ve been using for scouting, on the biggest one in the group. ¡¾ ¡¿ ¡¾Male/17/5/7428 ? Hobgoblin ? Bazu Tribe¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 9 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 4¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 70(70)¡¡MP£º 2(2)¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 12¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 13¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 5¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill£º Infrared Vision¡¿ There''s 12 of them like with stats like that there. It seems they''re eating something at a campfire. They have lookouts in four spots and the remaining eight are surrounding the campfire. What a good harvest this is. It''s a group that I''ll probably get 7,000 or 8,000 experience from killing off. I''m getting excited since it''s the first time I''ve seen a group as large as this. Oh, I need to calm down precisely at these sort of moments. Hobgoblins normally form groups of a few at a time and I''ve only ever defeated one up until now. If you manage to make even a bit of an injury to one of them in the group then they''ll start to withdraw while protecting them after all. Even though I''ve seen them a number of times while gathering rubber since we''re always in groups of five or more they don''t attack so I don''t have much experience fighting them. They look similar to Goblins but their bodies are 150% larger and more compact and they''re almost like a slightly small human. However, they''re more than just a couple times stronger than Goblins, they are a considerably strong monster. Furthermore, their special skill infrared vision can see around 2-30m or so. I confirmed it with the elves and dwarves in the village who have the same special skill so there''s no mistake. Ah, just in case I''ll try Identifying it. ¡¾Special Skill£º Infrared Vision Vision that can perceive infrared rays of up to 3m per level in distance. In order to switch vision to this mode you have to consciously try to use this ability. After switching to the mode all things seen will have their colors changed based on the amount of infrared rays they''re emitting. Things that don''t give off little or no infrared rays will be seen as black and the more infrared rays they give off they''ll turn red. And if there''s something which gives off even more infrared rays seen then it can go beyond that into even white. Depending on the situation this vision can be seen even if there''s a wall in between the target. It''s not like the infrared rays are being seen directly from the eyes so if there''s a large object nearby giving off infrared rays vision can completely turn black or white and make it ineffective.¡¿ Yeah, it''s the same after all. It seems there''s no need to worry. Since there''s a campfire nearby they don''t seem like that much of a threat and their field of vision is short. It''s a considerably useful skill inside of a building with no light but if there''s distance then it''s the same as if it they didn''t have it. In reality I want to try taking them on one at a time with close combat for training but if I were to take them one 1v2 it would probably be unfavorable for me. And I didn''t come today for training but to gain experience points. I''ll get rid of the lookouts as quietly as possible then either bury the entire group or freeze them I guess... It''s not like I can''t not wipe them all out at once including the lookouts but there''s a considerable distance between the lookouts on each edge so the amount of MP it would use is a bit inefficient. It should be fine if I take out one or two of the lookouts first. I think about that while cautiously approaching just within the 200m viable range of magic and set my aim with Ice Javelin Missile on the lookouts. I''ve obviously taken into consideration the light given off when using magic and I''m wearing a rubber glove on my left hand when I use magic. It''s not like it doesn''t give off any light at all but still far better than not doing anything at all. I make the lookouts outline more prominent by using Identify and wait for the moment it turns to a different direction to fire off the spear and finish off the first lookout. I then approach the next lookout and finish it off the same way. The lookout died instantly after taking an ice spear to the side of its head. There wasn''t much of a sound at all but there should have been a sound of the lookout falling. However, there''s no sign the hobgoblins have noticed that half of the lookouts have already been killed. It seems like they''re talking about something in a loud voice while focusing on their meal. Alright, since this is the case it seems I can finish off the rest of the lookouts as well. I take a bit of a detour around the campfire and finish off the third lookout with ease. It should be fine already. I''ll bury them all with enough dirt to swallow up the remaining lookout as well... I wait 20 minutes after burying them and after I''ve confirmed they all suffocated to death I use "Anti-Magic Field" to erase the dirt. Using "Anti-Magic Field" across a wide area uses a considerably amount of MP. With this I only have a couple hundred MP remaining for today so after this I''ll just collect the magic stones and... it''s already a pain. Even if I ignore the corpses in this area I''m sure some other beast or monster will eat them for me and if that happens monsters might gather together so I could some more experience right? Let''s just ignore them. No wait, it would be bad if some weird monster were to come. Even if it''s a pain it''s better if I clean up the corpses, it can''t be helped. I guess I''ll do it. I quickly got to stabbing the pitiful Hobgoblins in the chest and removing their magic stones then gathered them near the campfire and used "Flamethrower" burn them. I use it like a flame thrower like Sharl did but raise the temperature to about 1000 degrees. I can spend as much time as needed so if I raise the temperature up enough they''ll quickly turn to ash. I''ll return home for today and prepare for tomorrow. It''ll be fine if I talk to old woman Shaymi again tomorrow. I''m sure I''ll be able to take care of it. Author''s Note: Shaymi''s stats. ¡¾Hannah.Shaymi /20/9/7386 ? Hannah.Ozgarl /14/6/7368 ¡¿ ¡¾Female/12/1/7367 ?Human ?Free Person¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 71 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 11¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 39(39)¡¡MP£º 45(45) ¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 6¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 16¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 7¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºEarth Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWater Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºFire Magic(Lv.4)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Void Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º182456(210000)¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 41 In the end even after exhausting my words I couldn''t convince old woman Shaymi. Most likely she predicted that I would show up to convince her again she wasn''t particularly surprised and just calmly shrugged me off. It would be good to investigate if I can learn about incantations from someone other than Shaymi. Since Sharl isn''t around right now I don''t really have anyone I can rely on for magic. I thought Myun might know something so just in case I asked her but she didn''t know anything after all. Not just that but she even said incantation''s are just a form of performing art just like Sharl did. I''m sure that''s actually the case after all. Since it only reduces the amount of concentration required it''s certain that they aren''t very useful. I guess it''s fine for now. Even if I were to say wounds to my abdomen, shouldn''t learning to conduct myself so I don''t take any wounds to my abdomen come first? Wouldn''t it be far more useful to practice dodging and blocking with a sword and spear? Otherwise, killing before you''re killed, practicing magic for the sake of attacking. Even if you generalize magic it''s not as convenient of a thing as it sounds at first. Honestly speaking, the image I first held of magic was like the old woman who made the carriage from a pumpkin in Cinderella, "you can do anything based on your imagination". Obviously that includes being able to fly through the sky on a broom, making delicious food, and while I did have somewhat of a fixed idea to it, just like now.... types based on elemental magic..or level based magic and the various combinations, I didn''t see it as something with all the troublesome limitations that it actually is. Just by waving a magic wand you can fire off one shot. It grants any wish you have. I had that sort of image. Isn''t that usually the case? The normal idea of a magician that a Japanese would have is an old woman or man with a long white beard that wears a black pointy hat and a robe and is mixing a large pot filled with something suspicious. Especially for my generation (My mental age is already 55 years old), I think most of the people would have this sort of image. After that it''s at most The Himitsu no ****ko-chan or magician sa**** right. I mean I''ve played the old RPGs as well but the ones I did were where the main character did the most basic stuff like using both magic and the sword, wore a suit of armor, and fought alone until the end. The types of magic that came out in those was limited to only about 10 different types of attack or healing because of the memory of the computers back then. In my heart as a child I thought, "Ah~, even a computer can''t completely recreate magic it seems". Normally you wouldn''t believe in the existence of magic and it was at the level if you actually saw someone seriously talking about it then you''d question their sanity. However, magic exists a firm reality in this Orth. It''s existence has been confirmed and since I accept it''s usefulness there''s no other chance than to learn it, is how I managed my training up until now, but at the same time I''ve understood well how it''s not omnipotent. Let alone omnipotent if you use it too much then you become mentally exhausted and pass out, and while using it you have to take on the risks of not being able to do anything else while you concentrate. It''s an unmovable fact that it''s convenient so I''ve already decided to continue my training from here on out but not just magic I''m sure it''s about time I start focusing my efforts into training my body as well. Should I run a marathon? Just cutting through the village there''s about 1Km so it''s not lacking in places to run, if I were to go to the fields then let alone a marathon there''s any number of jogging courses I can pick from. During my days in the self-defense force I had to run everyday until I hated it exhausting my endurance. Since my body has developed somewhat after hitting 10 years old, I''ll start running from today. Once I get used to it I''ll equip the entire set of protectors, my bayonet, and carry a random shoulder bag as well. If it was my body before I reincarnated then it would have been impossible but I should be able to do it now. Or rather I need to be become able to do it. The instructors of self-defense force university would say everyday "there''s no use for a soldier that can''t run" and make us run every single day. Even after finishing the education period and being stationed somewhere I ran everyday together with the young members. They say that members with the Ranger Emblem have more endurance than marathon runners. It''s not like they''re competing over speed so they''re considered a good soldier just by being able to run at a sustained speed with heavy equipment for countless hours.. That''s it, wouldn''t it become a bit better if I practice using magic while I run? It''s not like I have a time limit so I can practice as much as I want. The moment you think of it is the best time, I''ll start doing it right away. I eat lunch after failing to convince old woman Shaymi in the morning, do my sword training the same as always, then get right to running while keeping an eye on everyone producing rubber. Since it takes some amount of endurance to do sword training and my physical abilities have been raised I was able to run easier than I thought. However, it started to get somewhat painful after running for an hour. The real thing starts from here. I''m still not equipping anything and running in light clothes so I''ll run for 30 minutes without breaks from here. After deciding that I just keep running. It''s painful even just to respond to the greetings of the villagers. It''s about time I test it out. Since it''s the first time I''ll start with something easy. Identify... no problem. This is just as I thought. Recently I''ve started to think that while Unique Abilities use MP they aren''t considered magic. Well, anyway. To the next. The magic "Light" should be good. It doesn''t use anything but void magic and if you don''t add to the duration it only uses 1 MP after all. If you don''t add to the duration when using the magic "Light" it only shines for about 5 minutes but it''s plenty for training. "Light"... Huh? I guess it''s no good. It seems like this will be good training. In the end I wasn''t able to use the magic "Light" while running today. However, I''m satisfied by the fact that I couldn''t do it. I push my tired body forward as I finish my running. I want to take a bath but it can''t be helped for something that doesn''t exist. I guess I''ll bathe in a warm water shower. Unless you have an excessive amount of MP there''s no one who would use magic like this so it''s close to a special privilege of our house but that can''t be helped. I decided to wash away the sweat behind the house. After all, the "Warm Water Shower" magic includes water magic and uses 9 MP, which is more than the MP "Flamethrower" uses. And since a certain amount of water is necessary it''s pretty much pointless unless you have water magic at least level 3, and level 3 is only about a bucket of water so if you want a proper shower you want at least level 4. In other words it''s not a magic that you could normally use so casually. In our house there''s Mill and I though so we use it pretty casually. .......... Year 7438, Month 5, Day 30 A month has passed since then. I''m still running everyday after magic training in the morning but I still can''t even use the magic "Light". I''m not worried because I didn''t think it would go that easily from the start. In the first place, the running itself is for increasing my endurance and the magic is just an additional bonus, so I''m not really worried about it. While there''s some slight inclinations since Bakkudo village is fundamentally flatland it''s easy to run along the paths between the fields and just right for training. There''s no path in the areas where we haven''t started cultivating yet so I''m primarily running along the path that crosses from north to south through the village. With summer being close, while it''s exhausting to run there''s a refreshing feeling of release being surrounded by the verdant fields. Recently I''m running everyday in the early afternoon so the villagers smile and wave as I''m approaching. More importantly than that, since I started running I''m using up all of my stamina so it could be considered a problem that I don''t have any remaining to go hunting at night, but I guess it''s fine for now. After noticing that I''m always taking a shower before lunch Mill said she would join me in running. I was happy since it was getting a bit boring running alone. However, before three days had passed she quit running saying it was "tiresome". Damn it. .......... Year 7438, Month 6, Day 30 I still can''t use "Light". More importantly than that, its started to get warm out so I might not have to use warm water shower soon. When Mill asked, "Why are you running so enthusiastically?" so I acted cool and said, "I want to be able to use magic while running", and she made fun of me. Seriously, damn it. It was a coincidence but when I was accompanying as we gather latex sap for rubber we encountered that Horned Bear. I went on guard thinking it would attack but it just turned around and ran off without raising a roar after catching sight of us. I took a breath in relief but the ones accompanying me said things like, "It was afraid of Al-sama". I''d prefer if you don''t let me get full of myself. .......... Year 7438, Month 7, Day 30 After all, I still can''t use "Light". I tried using a different magic but it was no good. I switched to using regular water for my shower. The delivery of rubber products it on break since my parents are still dispatched to the war. I''m sure it''s fine since they''ve dispatched along with the knight group but I wonder if it hasn''t become a problem since they said they would explain to viscount Kindou. I want to do something about this. We probably need to teach the squires so they alone can do the deliveries. Since I think it''s necessary when my parents return I''ll quickly get to discussing it. When I said to Mill, "isn''t using magic while running the same as using magic while swinging a sword and necessary for an adventurer?" and she got excited and started running with me. Mill is 14 years old. It''s easy to trick a brat. However, that it took a month for me to think of this logic to convince Mill, I''m an idiot as well. ......... Year 7438, Month 8, Day 30 I''ve started to feel like it might be impossible to use magic while running in the first place. It''s been about 4 months since I started running so I started wondering if I''ve built up some endurance and thought I might have added 30 minutes to my original running time of 1.5 hours to get it to 2 hours, but when I used a clock magic tool my running time had only gone up by 20 minutes. I''m sure it''ll be difficult to run for another 10 minutes after this. When I tried going to hunt at night I was able to manage it easier than I thought but when I woke up the next morning it was way too painful. Unexpectedly, Mill is still running together with me. ......... Year 7438, Month 9, Day 30 Of all things, I felt like I succeeded with magic for an instant. There was no light but I felt like the mana flowed through it. This might actually work. However, isn''t it about time for my parents to return already? It''s almost been about 5 months since they left. Last time I think they returned after about 4 months. Well, it supposedly takes over 6 months during the long times so I guess it can''t be helped? When I told Mill that for an instant I felt the flow of mana she jumped around in joy. No, the mana didn''t flow for Mill but for me... When hunting one night my level went up. It would be good if I can properly fight it with this but in this situation I feel it''s probably leveling up as well. I can''t be taking it easy anymore. Whether it''s during the day or Hobgoblins, I can''t afford to be picky. .......... Year 7438, Month 10, Day 4 Finally the 10 Bakkudo village dispatch troops including 1 extra returned. I''m sure it''s because Farne returned after growing up and becoming a knight. I haven''t seen Farne in more than two years but I was surprised by how much he''s grown. I thought he would have grown up considerably but still had a bit of innocence remaining though maybe it''s because of the training of the knight group but he had a calm and fearless expression and sharp movements. Since Mill and I jumped at and hugged him we felt how much he had grown even more so. However, it wasn''t just happy things. One of the squires that had been accompanying them was killed in action. It was Jadd. Since his son Whitney has already become an official squire there''s no problems with taking over the head of family but it''s a shock to hear that someone I knew had died. I received the same level of shock when I heard that six had died previously in the attack from the Horned Bear. The cause of death was a stray arrow that he took during combat but it seems that arrow was smeared with poison. He died not long after he was shot with it. Sharl can''t use earth magic so she lamented the fact that she couldn''t use detoxifying magic. Huh? If that''s the case then the numbers don''t match up. There''s one too many. I slow confirm everyone''s faces. And, there''s a woman I don''t know. It was hard to tell since she was wearing the same rubber protectors as everyone else. Who is she? Mill seems to have realized as well and asks. "Father, who is that person?" "Hn? Ah, a guest. I''ll introduce you later." Is the conversation I overheard. The unknown woman had pretty greenish-yellow colored hair and was beautiful enough that you''d turn around to check again. I wonder if Sharl was like that when she was young. Farne goes to her side and talks to her intimately while helping her remove the protectors. Hey now, why are you getting so intimate with my older brother, don''t be making such an embarrassed face towards Farne, you whore. Just because you''re a little bit good looking it''s ten years too early for someone of unknown origins like you to be talking directly with the heir to the Greed family. I endure grinding my teeth while taking the protectors from Sharl and placing them in the warehouse. There Farne tells me to hang up this as well and gives me her protector. The protector I took was one of the spare ones I made. Since she was using the protectors I thought she was a squire of the knight group but this is one of the spares of the new type that only our village is using so far. The only one equipped with the old type of protector in here is Farne and that''s been used for a number of years. In order to match up with his growth spurts we''ve changed the rubber belt a number of times so that''s new but starting with the shoulders, the plates that cover the chest, and abdomen are all the same as before and have cuts and marks from being repaired. Since it''s already small for Farne''s body I''m sure it troublesome to continue using this one. Since Farne can do all of the processes for producing rubber himself, whenever we delivered things to the knight group he took a bottle of charcoal, sulfur, and latex so he must have been adjusting and fixing it himself. However, I somehow can''t seem to accept it. Since she was using the village''s protectors I don''t think she''s related to the knight group and father says she''s a guest, who in the world is she? Why don''t I Identify you? ¡¾Shanleid.Webdos /1/4/7438¡¿ ¡¾Female/13/5/7422 ?Human ? Webdos Family Eldest Daughter ? Marquis Webdos Knight¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 16 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 5¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 62(62)¡¡MP£º 15(15) ¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 8¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 12¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 9¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºEarth Magic(Lv.1)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWater Magic(Lv.1)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºFire Magic(Lv.1)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWind Magic(Lv.1)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Void Magic(Lv.2)¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º27655(28000)¡¿ Eh? H..Huh? The one who was of suspicious origins was older brother. Author''s Note: Since Farne''s condition is good and he was trained by the knight group his stats are a bit high. ¡¾Farnestan.Greed /1/4/7438¡¿ ¡¾Male/21/1/7422 ?Human ? Greed Family Eldest Son ? Marquis Webdos Knight¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 16 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 7¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 78(78)¡¡MP£º 338(338) ¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 13¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 12¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 12¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºEarth Magic(Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£ºWater Magic(Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Void Magic(Lv.6)¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º51624(60000)¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 42 Chapter 42: A Fundamentally Happy Story Year 7438, Month 10, Day 4 Shanleid is probably the eldest daughter of Marquis Webdos son, Sendel, in order words Marquis Webdos granddaughter. In other words, in this territory you would start counting from the top to find what place she would be in terms of importance. In this case, "importance" is the same as a high social standing. It''s not as if she''s made some great achievement. Well, right now isn''t the time to talk about something like that. And on the second line of Identify, there''s "Marquis Webdos Knight". She was a member related to the knight group as well. Since I wasn''t too sure on the difference between a viscount and a knight I wanted to check the sub- window but I can save that for when the discussion ends. However, I wonder why in the world someone with this kind of position would come out to this countryside? I wonder if it''s an inspection of the base for producing rubber products? This is bad, I haven''t cleaned it up. However, for it to be an inspection it''s unnatural that she doesn''t have anyone accompanying her. Since she hasn''t been introduced to us yet I''m pretending not to know, but I wonder if my behavior isn''t awkward all of a sudden? I start to feel worried because I feel like in this world the territory lord could brush away a viscount from the countryside as if he was brushing away dirt. In any case, there''s no other choice than to wait until everything calms down. The families of the squires have started to gather I''m sure they''ll talk about Jadd as well. Hegard probably won''t talk about it until the families of all of the squires gather I''m sure. Hegard and Sharl confirm the condition of making rubber products with Mill. Normally it would be about the period to make deliveries and we didn''t do any deliveries the last period, so we have a lot of stock, since it would be scary to get scolded by father we never stopped with the production. We''ve produced enough stock to make deliveries twice. After confirming that father told me to organize the goods and went right away to tell the squires that they would be leaving tomorrow to make deliveries. Organizing the goods is obviously going to be done after our discussion. After everyone was gathered, Hegard starts to talk. Among the people who gathered I heard the voices saying, "Who''s that beauty?" and "Jadd isn''t here." stop. "Everyone, for starters you''ve all done well giving it your best while we were gone on the campaign. Thanks. And I just heard but it seems the cultivation is going well as well, you''ve really done a great job. Thanks." Hegard says that and makes a bit of a painful expression. "In regards to the campaign but, Yunis, I feel sorry for you but Jadd died. Those cowardly Devas bastards smeared poison on their arrows. He died from that poison. I wished for everyone to return safely but it was no good. It''s fine if you resent me." Yunis is Jadd''s wife and Whitney''s mother. She raised her head firmly and said to Hegard with tears flowing down. "Since Whitney has taken over as a squire I thought this would be the last time that person goes on a campaign, but I guess it can''t be helped. If he died like a true squire on the battlefield then that''s fate. There''s no reason to resent the lord." After hearing that Hegard apologizes to Yunis once more. After that he talked about the general war situation of the campaign this time and said. "I''m sure it''s about time everyone wants to know so I''ll introduce you. She''s the eldest daughter of the leader of the knight group Sendhel-sama and the granddaughter of Marquis Webdos. Her name is Shanleid Webdos." Shanleid walks forward from the group behind Hegard and lowers her head. Everyone is surprised by the sudden appearance of a person of high standing and goes quiet. I am too. "Just as Viscount Greed just introduced, my name is Shanleid Webdos, pleased to be meeting you all. However, I will be marrying Farnestan-sama in one month and become Shanleid Greed. In regards to everyone, I''ll be in your care from now on." After saying that she lowered her head again. Even if you say that all of a sudden... Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment but soon after it was an uproar as if you poked a bee''s nest. I mean isn''t that true? It''s the wedding of the lord''s eldest son and the partner is the granddaughter of the direct family of this territory''s lord. Mill and I are spoiled by our older brother so we''re facing the ground with a complicated expression. I gently take a look at Farne and he''s embarrassed being teased by everyone. Next to me Mill is looking up at Farne as well. "Furthermore, I''m very sorry but to add to the report that Viscount Greed-sama just said about the battle this time... This time our Marquis Webdos territory''s Webdos Knight group was central force during this battle but the one that took command over everything was the Knight Jeffrey Bitwaz the sub-leader of the kingdom''s first knight group." After saying that lady Shanleid Webdos held her words for a moment. Come to think of it whenever we heard the reports from Hegard until now there was never any information like that. "Just as was reported by the Viscount-sama, the battle took place on the western side of the Dart Plains. There wasn''t much of a difference between the number of soldiers on either side and because of problems with the terrain we had to take them on from the front, but in the end our Kingdom of Rombert came out with the victory. That''s even though the numbers were about the same and normally it would be a battle of many losses brought into a draw. Even though it was in part due to the command of Lord Bitwaz, the forces of Bakkudo village played an active role in contributing to this." I wonder what in the world she wants to say, though it''s gotten a bit more detailed it''s no different than what Hegard just said. "However, it isn''t just that. While there were several battles, Rombert only gained the advantage after several fights around the middle stage. Until then there wasn''t much damage to either side and it was believed that both sides would take equal damage... After several conflicts that could be called skirmishes the commander of the knight group I was a part of died. Since that''s something that happens all the time it isn''t the problem here. The problem is after that the trend of the battlefield quickly started to change. The one who commanded the force that took the lead was the one who had just been knighted this spring, lord Farnestan Greed. Of course, it was also in part my father the knight group leader that appointed him but lord Farnestan Greed also received an unusual push from that platoon''s commander. Normally it''s an exchange that would never happen. Since there were more experienced knights that belonged to the platoon. Normally the next one who becomes the commander is the knight that has been there for the longest time." Well, it''s only obvious since it''s older brother. He''s excellent after all. I don''t understand what''s the problem at all. When I look to the side Mill is acting as if it''s only obvious as well. However, I''m sure he was also envied. "I''m sure my father had considered over it after seeing him train together with the knight group but in any case the knight leader used his authority and made the youngest knight Farne, No, Lord Farnestan Greed the commander of my platoon. Obviously, some of the more experienced knights were displeased by this but, Far, Lord Farnestan Greed shut them up by showing his true ability. In the first battle he lead he defeated six enemy soldiers. After that no one complained about his position. In the next battle he succeeded in cutting into the enemy camp, in the battle after that he was given rear guard during a retreat and succeeded in keeping the damage to zero. In the next battle he was given some freedom to make his own decisions and after it started he charged at the perfect timing and was able to damage the enemy greatly. After that during the final battle he proposed himself directly to Lord Bitwaz and detoured around the battle behind the enemy and succeeded in cutting down the enemy commander Baron Kobitt." As the commotion gradually got larger when it got to the point of cutting down the enemy commander there were voices of, Amazing~" or "As expected of Farne-sama". Hmhmn, isn''t all just stuff that''s only obvious for older brother, what is there to be surprised about? Mill isn''t particularly surprised either but is making a proud face. I wonder if I am as well? Rather than that isn''t she being too familiar saying Farne. Ah, isn''t it fine? "After our triumphal return to the capital he was praised with a first-class achievement, in the knight group his promotion and admission to the first knight group of the kingdom was considered, but Lord Farnestan Greed refused all of that and excused himself from the knight group in order to return to Bakkudo. His reason was that he must succeed after his father viscount Hegaryarl Greed and develop this territory." ...Seriously? As expected of older brother, he''s so cool~ If you mention the first knight group of the kingdom then among the stationary troops of the kingdom of Rombert it''s the elites, and the only ones allowed to be members of it are the purebred soldiers, I''ve heard it''s a huge honor. Normally you''d have to gain investiture as a knight then after that gain some experience and only people who''s abilities have been recognized are allowed to take the harsh test to enter. I don''t know how much they get paid but even just the promotion within the Wedbos knight group is significant, he refused all of that huh? Everyone is swallowing as they listen without a cough. "His majesty, Thomas Rombert the Third was very disappointed but when it comes to the heir of a territory the wishes of the person them self are given priority. After that, Viscount-sama please take over." "Ahhh, umm, what was it, I didn''t think it was very good to praise my son too much... Well, that''s the case. And so. Instead of Farne, Mill it was decided that you''d be able to take the entrance examination for the first knight group of the kingdom next year. They do it at the start of next year. Since you''re almost an adult, it''s a good chance. Go and give it your best." Eh? Ehhh?!? Did Hegard not just casually say something amazing? I reflexively look at Mill. It seems like Mill doesn''t know what she was just told. And Farne walks up next to father and adds to that. "Mill, you''re skilled with the ken and can use magic better than I can. Thinking it would be no good I tried asking Lord Bitwaz and he said it would be okay. It''s not like I used you as a scapegoat or anything? Among the knight groups associated with the king, the first knight group is the smallest but filled with elites, even just taking the entrance exam should be a good experience but... since you have no experience in a knight group it''ll be fine with just the live combat exam and even if you were to fail since you''ve taken the exam for the first knight group you''ll be able to take the entrance exam for any of the other knight groups... Hey, do you not want to do it?" Since Mill was dumbfounded and not making any sort of reaction Farne''s voice gradually lost its enthusiasm. No, I think she''s just surprised and can''t speak. After all, I''m surprised as well. "Eh? I...I don''t not want to do it. But will I really be able to enter the first knight group?" "That''s why I said there''s an entrance exam. Already acting like you''ve passed? I''ve heard the exam is considerably harsh?" Farne says that while teasing her but his eyes aren''t laughing. "Ah, Yeah, Yes. Exam...There''s an exam right... Yes, I''ll give it my best!" Mill''s choice of words has gotten suspicious but I''m sure shes trembling inside as well. "Yeah, I''ll train you plenty until the exam. And I''m sure you''ve already realized but Shani is invested as a knight as well, be prepared because we''ll both wring you down." Aa~ Older brother is also calling her by a pet name. And he hasn''t even realized it as well. "Yes, Lord Greed, Lord Webdos, I''m in your care!" I guess Mill has recovered she replies in a formal manner of speech. I guess they were satisfied with that response, older brother and my parents are nodding, but Shani''s expression seems a bit stiff. I wonder if she''s nervous in front of all the villager''s she doesn''t know. After that we discussed Jadd''s funeral and Farne and Shani''s wedding date, during that banquet not just Shani''s parents but the territory lord Marquis Webdos and his wife, her grandparents will participate so things will be crazy with where they''ll lodge. Since there''s nothing we can do about lodging, there''s no choice other than to open up several rooms in our house. ........... By the way, when it comes to older brother''s wedding there''s something that I have to think about. It''s fine if he marries Shani. Well, there''s no reason for me to be against it and fundamentally you could say it''s good news. But, I wonder how much of our family secrets we''re going to reveal? And how much of what are we going to conceal? There''s a necessity to confirm stuff in that area. Obviously, even though we''re in the countryside, since it''s the marriage between noble heirs rather than the consent of the individuals themselves, it''s more about the consent between families. As far as I can tell from Shani, she''s not acting reserved towards Farne, and even seems to have a good impression of him. I think that there''s no problems there, or rather I want to think. It requires confirmation though. If I were to take a suspicious viewpoint then after taking all of the information about the production of rubber she could divorce him. Though I don''t know of any families that have divorced so I don''t know if that''s possible. Since us brother and sister are the children of the lord and we had things like training and production of rubber we don''t have very many close friends within the village. Even then Farne and Mill are good mannered and good looking so before I was born and before training with the sword they had a reasonable number of close friends as kids but since I became of matter and mind I haven''t played together with anyone at all and between being busy with training and development of rubber products and the fact that my mental age is already adult I wasn''t very progressive in playing around. After all, how am I supposed to play around with little kids when my mental age is between late 40s and mid 50s? Time is finite, there''s almost no leeway to be playing around and wasting time. That''s why, when it comes to my common sense the only other place I have to obtain it outside of my family is Myun. My conversations with adults or teens are all work-related so there''s no reason to even think of bringing up a topic like divorce. Recently I''ve had some leeway so it isn''t limited to just that but in any case there''s an order to stories. Isn''t the system of marriage a low priority? Father is cheerfully talking with mother, older brother, and Shani about something while drinking alcohol and in the first place they just returned from the campaign so I''m sure they need some rest for today. It should be fine if I clear everyone else out at an appropriate time and discuss it tomorrow. Tomorrow the older brother couple (it should be fine to already start calling them like this), will be focused on training with Mill so I should have plenty of time to discuss things with my parents. ............. That night after the banquet-like dinner I talked with Mill. Mill had wanted to become an adventurer. I wonder what''s going on in that regard? There should have been something to think about there but, it seems that the first knight group of the kingdom was more appealing and saying things like "Eh? Adventurer? There''s no comparing something like that to the first knight group right? I''m going to give it my best from here on out. I''ll need to train even more and pass the test." with no regrets at all. Well, if she has no regrets than I thought that would be fine but of all things she started suggesting I become an adventurer. It''s already fine if I leave the house to older brother and if he''s marrying the granddaughter of the territory lord then it''s safe, and there''s no other option for a second son like you to give it your best as an adventurer, was supposedly the reason. Although, even I know there''s not many other options, I''ll eventually leave the house, leave the country, and I need to create my own country. It might be good to go as an adventurer for a while, is what I started to think from her how good her persuasion was. In the first place, while I''m summarizing it all at once as creating my own country but the methods I wasn''t thinking of a method like getting promoted as a soldier, leading an army, going independent and starting a rebellion or revolution or that sort of thing. I was either going to enter the service of a different country and rise up from there or put together a group of subordinates like a thief group and start an army, just those sorts of methods that vaguely would somehow or other match up with this era. It''s not as if I can''t take the method of seeking out other reincarnated people and make them into allies as well. Putting aside if they''re suited for fighting or not, the growth that reincarnated people have on level up is huge so it''s easy for them to become suited towards fighting, and depending on the knowledge they learned in Japan then they could be a good talent in terms of politics as well. And they should all have some sort of Unique Ability as well. Depending on the content of that they could be an effective hand as well. Depending on the situation there might be someone out there that surpasses me as well. We''ll get to that when we get to it though. In any case, for now I can''t miss out on putting effort into strengthening my body and raising my abilities. I have no choice but to level up as well, training with the sword and spear are necessary as well. There are lots of things to do and things I have no choice but to do. Authors Note: In the world Orth there are almost never massacres during wars. They just do the usual Knight stuff making vocal messages and letting out a few casualties per fight. The victory or loss of the battle is usually decided when provisions run out, or one decides to send an envoy expressing defeat. In the case of Farne, he managed to defeat six people so it was a pretty big amount, though they are just low level squires or mercenaries. Furthermore, the reason the war was won was because the enemy leader was killed, which is unusual, so it''s worth that much praise. Normally commanders are often taken as hostages and ransoms are paid after the battles to the winner. It''s only the underlings job to die. There''s also almost never night attacks. Obviously, it''s not as if there aren''t wars for the sake of invasion and siege attacks on castles as well, but those types of large wars only happen every few decades or several hundred years. Those types of large scale wars between countries require a lot of funds and resources so they don''t happen very often. Volume 1 - CH 43 It seems Farne and Shani slept in the guest room last night. Mill and I were whispering together late into the night in the kids room that Farne used to sleep in as well but in the end he didn''t return. I guess you could say it''s only obvious since he''s engaged but to us siblings it feels a bit lonely. After training with magic, Mill gets caught by Farne and Shani and is currently training with great praise. Now is my chance to talk with my parents about the disclosure of our secrets to Shani. "Father, I''m sorry to ask during sword training but there''s something I really need to confirm." I start whispering to Hegard during sword training. "..What is it? Is it no good after training has ended?" Yeah, if it''s not now then it''s inconvenient. "I want to talk together with mother right now. About Lord Webdos." "! Ah, about the rubber?" Really, are you still going to continue the training, oh~ I guard against Hegard''s attack while stepping back. "Eh? Yeah, also about magic...Ah!!" I quickly try to charge in and stab Hegard but it was easily evaded and I ended up taking a attack to my side. I barely managed to dodge that attack and swing my sword at Hegard but it was blocked. "...That''s right, I guess we should listen to your opinion as well, alright, bring Sharl to behind the stables." Hegard says that and briskly walks towards the stables. I go to the main house to call Sharl. .............. Sharl and I walk towards Hegard, who''s swinging the sword behind the stables. Hegard says while swinging the sword. "Sharl, our second son is worried about how much we can talk to Shanleid about in regards to magic and rubber." "Oh? Is that so, Al?" The both of them start talking like it''s nothing at all. "Yeah, is it okay if you listen to my thoughts on it?" I speak in a tone so it''s not taken too seriously as well. Hegard stops swinging the sword and they both aren''t saying anything so I take it as an OK. "I don''t know much about the world so I may say something rude but please listen to my thinking first... Our family is selling rubber products to Marquis Webdos Knight Group. I''ve heard that those products are now a must-have piece of equipment among the knight group. Also, after entering the knight group older brother has smoothly been promoted and officially been invested as a knight six months ago. During the battle this time he seems to have made quite the achievements as well." I consciously make my tone of voice more and more serious as I continue talking. "It''s more or less fine in regards to the rubber products. It seems that the tree that provides the raw materials only grows in the area of Bakkudo and I haven''t heard about rubber products being created in any other places being found yet, so I think that the knight group and the marquis little brother''s company at best think, "Ah, Bakkudo village has good luck". What I want to know here is how Bakkudo village and our family are seen by the marquis territory or other lords? If possible how they thought before and after we started producing rubber products." After saying that far I look at my parents faces. My parents looked at each other for a moment then Hegard says. "..Al, you really... I guess so, before we started making rubber products they just thought of us as a normal viscount family in the most remote region. Though we were considerably poor compared to others within the territory to the point of being counted close to the bottom, we weren''t quite as far as the poorest. Since I took over as lord I''ve given my best at cultivating the fields and patrols to chase off the monsters so thanks to that I think I was seen as a lord enthusiastic about managing the territory. I properly sent out soldiers when there was a war and while we were poor when I took out loans with other lords I properly paid them off so I don''t think I was resented or looked down on. How about it, Sharl?" "Yeah, I guess so. I had never heard of the Greed family until we got married and in the capital I think the majority of people wouldn''t have heard of it, at the very least until that point the Greed family was never a topic. It might have become a bit of a topic when I got married but even though I was of a duke''s lineage it was a branch family that can''t even use the Sandak name, so I don''t think it was much at all. After you became the lord I''ve always lived in the village so I don''t know what people outside think anymore." Come to think of it, Sharl was the grandchild of Duke Sandak. If I remember correctly she was the fourth daughter of the third son. I don''t think that''s even a noble anymore. Since it was the third son then he probably entered some family as a husband but it seems like he didn''t even have the Sandak name, and the fourth daughter is basically a normal person. "After we started selling the rubber products when I unexpectedly met some other lords in Keel they were envious but it''s not like we were very wealthy to begin with, to our family it''s become a large source of income but in the marquis territories there''s a lot of lords who still make far more income than we do so I don''t think it''s anything to be envied for. However, it''s certainly true that our territory has profited thanks to the increase in our income, it might be unnatural for us to not be envied at all." "That''s right, but I don''t think it will become that serious of a situation. Even if you were to say our income has increased it''s still counting from the bottom, we just barely have gotten up to the average lords level, I''m sure the marquis himself is probably delighted that his taxes have increased?" Hmn, is it that sort of thing. It''s true we weren''t living a very wealthy lifestyle and even if our income has increased it''s at best 60% to 70%, so this might be the average income for a lord in marquis Webdos territory. It''s true that in Japan if you were to win a lottery ticket worth 600,000,000 you''d become a target for jealousy but if it was just at the level of 10,000,000 then people would just honestly congratulate you for it I guess. My example is bad. It''d probably be better to think of the marquis as a large corporation and the regional lords as subsidiary companies. A certain subsidiary company develops a ground-breaking product and the large corporation adopts that as a part in one of their products. Thanks to that the subsidiary company that was running a bicycle operation was able to make enough profits to contribute to the concentrated balance sheets. During that time, the other subsidiary companies are... Yeah, I''m sure it doesn''t really matter at all. To the large corporation a subsidiary company that was almost luggage up until now is improved, I''m sure they wouldn''t go through the trouble of stealing the new product of a subsidiary company that''s finally entered its growth period. However, if they seem a little bit too promising then they might send in one executive, sort of feeling I guess? Up to here is just as I expected. "I understand. Then, next. Older brother was smoothly able to become a knight. That is certainly the result of older brother''s effort but is it common to become an official knight within two years of entering the group? I wonder if he won''t be envied?" My parents responded immediately to that. "Yeah, it''s normal. It''s normal for the child of a peasant to take a bit longer but while small Farne is the heir candidate of a lord. If they''re in that sort of position then unless their behavior or skills are completely terrible then it takes about two years to become a true knight. I was worried that some situation would come up where Farne uses magic and proves himself to be too promising and become a knight sooner than two years. However, Farne said he didn''t use magic in front of others at all besides healing magic when it was absolutely necessary. And he said he limited it to something considerably simple as well. That''s why when it comes to the amount of mana he has or his magic technique he shouldn''t have stood out too much...Ah, so that''s what it was..." It seems like Hegard understood what I was trying to say and gave me information that is a relief. In regards to Farne''s amount of mana I''m sure older brother managed to keep it a secret within the knight group. At the very least he probably restricted it to a level where he''d think so. "That''s right. There were two things I was worried about, the first one is Shanleid-sama... the fact that she is the eldest daughter of Lord Webdos, the direct line of the marquis family. And how far the thoughts and in what direction the marquis and knight group leader Sendhel are involved. Next, the second is even if those thoughts are something appropriate, how much about us siblings mana amount and original magic training methods should we talk to her about and in the case that we do talk about it, would she report that to her parents, the Webdos family, those points. Since it''s already been decided that she''ll marry older brother eventually children will be born I''m sure. If we''re going to teach those children using the same training methods then I don''t think it will work that she their mother wouldn''t know as well." This time Sharl responds. "Al, in other words you want to say this right? The first is whether she might try to steal the method of making rubber products and leak it to her family in order to prevent Bakkudo from monopolizing it. And the other one is through some method maybe they realized Farne''s mana amount or magic ability and have come to investigate the secret, and if it''s valid then she''ll leak that to her parents just the same right?" Yeah, though it''s slightly different and there''s some parts lacking, for the most part. "I understand your worries. When we heard the proposal for Shani to marry Farne from Sendhel-sama during the campaign we couldn''t respond immediately either, and discussed the same thing. However, since we couldn''t come to a conclusion by thinking about it we called out Farne and listened to him. Ah, at first we didn''t use this method of asking. In the first place, when we were on the campaign the story about them getting married didn''t come up from the start. We heard about Farne''s marriage for the first time after the stir had ended on our way back. It seems that originally Shani hated Farne. Even though they were the same age as a knight she couldn''t win against Farne in anything. Even though she''s the eldest daughter of Sendhel-sama, she has three brothers and a little sister so she somehow wanted to be successful as a knight, even though she was giving her best at it since it was her only option, she lost to Farne entirely so it seems she hated him quite a bit. Farne said he didn''t realize because he was always training frantically without spare time to think." Hmn, is that how it was? Then why is she coming as a bride to someone she hated so much? It''s gotten even stranger... After pointing that out this time Hegard says. "What Sharl said just now isn''t what we heard from Farne but what we heard from Shani in the end. Even if we were to say she hated him it was more she found him detestable. It seems at first she thought of him as rival or something and tried to compete with him but Farne didn''t pay any attention to her and easily left good results. Even though she was putting in her best effort since Farne was also putting in his best effort she couldn''t close the gap. If you were to ask what kind of training then obviously since it was the same knight group they completely knew the content of their training. He wasn''t doing anything special at all. Just simply giving it his best at the training. Unable to keep up with him with the sword, spear, horsemanship and such battle techniques then she tried to challenge him with academic abilities but kept beating at everything she tried, so she found that detestable. Why is this person hindering my goals, it seems she found him so detestable she just kept observing him." What in the world is that, is she a stalker? "Just like that when a year or so had passed, there was supposedly some field training. Farne and her were both on foot as squires accompanying a senior knight. At that time her platoon was driven into a corner and had to flee. Normally you''d give up and admit your defeat there or resolve to die and make a final charge but Farne calmly analyzed the situation and tried to create a foothold to counterattack. Pretty much everyone had given up and was preparing to make a final charge but there Farne requested they retreat once more, reorganize the platoon, and look for a chance to counterattack, he was supposedly scolded for running his mouth even though he was just a squire. In response to that Farne said if you give up on the way or make a meaningless charge then it''s only obvious you''ll lose, losing means becoming a prisoner, and that means placing a burden on the territory and people to pay the ransom, if they were to die there and the platoon get destroyed it''s the same as not being able to protect the territory and people behind you, so they''ll end up being trampled by the enemy. Losing is in other words that sort of thing, even though I''m a squire are you really a knight if you can''t recognize that? is supposed what he said." Ah, that''s just how older brother should be. "The senior knights seem to have given Farne a beat down for talking like he knew what it was like but even then Farne didn''t bend his opinion. It seems that was the first time Shani recognized Farne. Ah, I''ll never be able to beat this person, is how she felt. Well, thanks to wasting time on that dispute they ended up losing that training but when recapping the training there was a knight who tried to denounce Farne for going beyond his authority and speak his opinion on the strategy insulting the official knights even though he was just a squire. The knight leader Sendhel took the matter seriously and gathered evidence from those related on the spot to give judgement. Even though Farne didn''t have permission to speak he ended up saying his opinion so he was given the punishment of cleaning the stables for six months and the punishment for insulting a knight was being forced out of the knight group. However, based on the content of his speech and the situation the platoon was in at the time, that resulted in the insult his punishment was reduced to three months without being removed from the group. It seems that the majority of the testimony was from Shani. Farne was in the center of that judgement holding his chest high not saying a word when not given permission even when he was told he might have to leave the knight group. I don''t know what happened to the knight who made the complaint and the one he supposedly insulted." ...Farne is really honest. "In any case, from that on Shani recognized Farne, or rather realized she liked him it seems. It seems like she was originally quite bothered over it. Unexpectedly, it seems soon after that she went straight to Sendhel-sama to ask for permission to marry. It seems Sendhel-sama had some thoughts of his own about Farne but he put some conditions on permitting it. He said it would be fine if Farne is invested as a true knight, after that if Farne agrees, and on top of that his father, in other words me, gives permission as well. However, until Farne is invested a knight she can''t reveal it at all and can''t even tell Farne about it, was one of the conditions. But, at almost the same time as he was invested the battle started. In reality it seems she wanted to quickly discuss with Farne about getting married and ask me for permission. She supposedly talked to Farne right after he was invested as a knight but because it was in the middle of a war she couldn''t talk to me. I didn''t even have enough time to slowly talk with Farne after all." I see, I''ve understood that Shani is completely head over heels with Farne and doesn''t have any hidden agenda. In regards to rubber products, I wonder if he thinks that it would be fine as long as his daughter marries into the family? "I understand on the reason behind their marriage. I''ve also understood that it seems the chances they''re aiming for information about rubber or our magic as well. But, there''s no way we can guarantee those feelings will remain the same from here on out is there?" Since divorces aren''t recognized for the heads of noble families and their heirs, there''s no reason to worry about divorce. After a few more years when Farne has children I plan to turn over the family head to him after all. However, it''s certainly true we don''t know how Shani''s feelings may change from here on out. But, in regards to rubber products there''s no need to worry. For us it''s an important and large business but for the marquis it''s not very big at all. Then about magic, I don''t think there''s any other option than explaining it all to Shani and talking about the situation. Obviously, that''s only after she''s finished the wedding ceremony and completely a member of the Greed family. Until then we''ll just keep an eye out and if possible keep it hidden until the two of them have children. Therefore, for now stop training with magic at the house. Though the magic you use for the production of rubber it can''t be helped so I''m sure she''ll quickly realize your mana amounts are quite a lot. That can''t be helped but from here on out try to do work without using magic as much as possible. It can''t be helped if the efficiency drops because of that but next year I plan to have one of the squire families quit farm work and exclusively work on rubber so eventually the production amount should return to normal. Until then I''m sure it''ll be a bit tough but give it your best. Ah, which family would be best to make exclusive for that you trying thinking of first, once you''ve decided let me hear the reason. It''s fine if you decide by the end of the year so take your time thinking about it." Hmn, so heads of noble families and their heirs can''t get a divorce? That is, how should I put it... During the time things are going well I''m sure there''s no problem but if there''s a discord in their personalities after getting married and they want to split up what do they do? Is there no chance other than to endure it and continue with their marriage? Ah, bigamy was accepted wasn''t it? Then is it fine? I have the feeling there would be some living apart, but I wonder if that''s not close to a divorce? Ah~ really, how annoying. I don''t particularly care about rubber but I don''t know what to do about the method of magic training so I was asking but I didn''t have an opinion from the start. If father decides on a policy then that''s fine. After that all I have to do is think about a squire family to exclusively do rubber related jobs but I can take my time with thinking about that so its no problem for now. "I understand, I''ll do as father says. With this I won''t have to worry about what I should do. I''ll tell older sister later as well. Thank you for listening to me." "Al, I know you''re worried about us but trust in your family a bit more. Shanis is going to become family soon. If you were to say that then you could say I''m also a member of Duke Sandak''s family." I felt like I was hit. It''s just as mother says. Being suspicious of my family over something boring, am I an idiot? "It''s just as mother says. No matter what the details were that I would doubt the woman older brother recognized, something was wrong with me. That''s the same as doubting older brother. I''m sorry, please forgive me." Hegard strokes my head while saying. "It''s fine, Al. We were thinking the same thing as you at first. Questioning that and trying to resolve it to remove your worries is definitely not a mistake. Rather than that it''s good you managed to realize that without being too trusting. That''s the type of disposition needed for a noble and someone who is entrusted a territory. You don''t know what will happen to the territory and people with just a single decision you make... It''s definitely not a bad thing to think about various things. But, Shani is already going to become family. Once she becomes family don''t doubt her anymore." "Yes, I understand." Ah, Hegard is a good father. Don''t you think? I felt like my feelings were relieved a bit. Volume 1 - CH 44 Year 7438, Month 10, Day 6 The next day it was chaotic planning for where the marquis Webdos party would lodge at when they come to participate in Farne and Shani''s wedding banquet. Even if we were to open up the guest and reception rooms it would only be enough for the marquis couple and Shani''s parents the knight group leader couple, but most of Shani''s siblings aren''t adults yet so they''ll most likely be accompanying as well. It seems the eldest son has already entered the knight group as a squire so he won''t be participating. Also, it''s only obvious but there should be guards as well, we have to prepare their lodging as well. Our squire houses are generally made with at least one spare room in the case of sudden guests so we should be good on space but the marquis direct family grand children and soldiers on guard should be of a considerably high status so we can''t hold back on the quality of the bedding and furniture as well. Right away there wasn''t bedding and people buying or changing furniture. Since there''s also the delivery of rubber products it''s already confirmed we''ll be sending out a carriage immediately so Hegard ordered the squire leader Bekwiz to make a list of the things needed. Also, since it''s in the form of us receiving a bride from a considerably high status noble then we have to prepare a reasonable amount of money for an engagement gift as well. Although, it seems the market price is about 50 gold coins so our family can somehow or other collect it at this point so it''s not an immediate problem. Since it''s something I''ve been thinking of I try proposing it to Hegard on this occasion. "Father, since you''re going to make deliveries for the first time in a while, how about taking this chance to start bringing along someone other than the dispatch troops with father that can take care of the rubber deliveries from now on? From here on out we could have someone alternate on taking care of the paperwork and in order for them to take care of the deliveries if another case like this comes up show their face and get acquainted with the other parties, it should reduce the amount of work of father and older brother from now on as well?" "Oh? That''s certainly true... I guess I''ll bring along some of the young ones from the squires... It should be good for letting them get to know the outside world as well. Nn...But I''ll hold off on it for this time." "Eh? Why?" "No, obviously I''m going to continue making rubber deliveries myself but after a while it''ll probably center around Farne and Shani as well. Since that''s the case I''m sure it would be better to start introducing from them. And you haven''t thought of which family will work exclusive on the rubber yet right? It''ll be fine if take it slow after that." "I see, understood. I guess that''s true." Hmn~ is he thinking about leaving an impression for the next generation? I''m more of the type who''s thoughts lean towards profit that can be made now. I''m lacking when it comes to relations between nobles and the subtleties of business in this world. In my thinking since you''re just going to setup a supervisor then introducing them sooner rather than later would be better, so that supervisor can gain experience as well the sooner the better. Currently the production and gathering of rubber is mostly being done by the squires and their family but as long as they have the ability I think even the serfs would be fine. Of course, even in Orth if they''re highly skilled then it''s possible for a slave or serf to become a free person or a peasant. However, that''s a chance only given to a small group of people that are highly skilled. I still feel uncomfortable dealing with things in regards to social standing like nobles, peasants, and slaves. Each of them have their own set of rights decided by their rank and that''s the foundation for social order. It seems I still haven''t been able to rid myself of my Japanese temperament. Well, for the time being it hasn''t become a big problem yet, it''s certain that my way of thinking is unusual in Orth but it''s not particularly bad. Even in my previous life I had a negative opinion on whether people are all equal or nonsense like equality but the basis of my thoughts are that all people have a certain amount of rights based on the responsibilities that are decided for them and those rights aren''t something other people should intrude on. The definition and basis for those "rights" are me (or rather it would be better to say modern Japan), and they are considerably different from the norms in Orth. I''ll bring up a few examples to explain it simply. For example childbirth. The only pregnant mothers who have midwives or other helpers with them during childbirth are of the rank of free peoples or higher. The slave rank including serfs aren''t allowed to have helpers during childbirth. Obviously in the case of a breech birth or those sorts of unusual pregnancies it''s common for both the child and mother of the slave ranks to fall into a dangerous situation, sometime they even die. However, if they''re off the free peoples rank then there''s no problem with having helpers and if there''s someone among the help that can use healing magic unless it''s an extremely unusual case with the pregnancy then there''s rarely failure with the childbirth. Also, the right to be armed as well. Other than a portion of the slave ranks that is combat slaves, normally slaves aren''t allowed to have weapons. You would think what kind of idiocy is that in a world that''s overrun by monsters and beasts but it''s that sort of rule. Obviously if there was some sort of unusual situation where an enemy country is attacking and they manage to come across the weapon of a noble killed by a monster then using that weapon in an emergency is different. Even the usage of rain protection gear and when it''s okay are decided by the social status ranks and the materials of clothes as well. Well, the material of clothes is special and when it comes to nobles it''s not as if they''re allowed to wear just anything. For example, nobles aren''t allowed to wear clothes made of hemp but it doesn''t matter what peasants wear. If you were to ask me those sort of things are the epitome of absurdity. You''d think who in the world profits from that? However, there were similar regulations in the past on Earth as well. In other words, the "rights" I think about are broad and uniform across all of the social standings but on this Orth they''re regulated considerably detailed based on social standing. In the gently falling winter rain there''s serfs who do farm work while getting wet not allowed to wear a straw rain coat with a commoner farmer right next to them wearing a straw rain coat and thick clothing. If you were to think about the efficiency of work then it''s true that wearing a rain coat and warm clothes would help but no one thinks it''s wrong. It can''t be helped if they don''t have the money to buy it but it''s not even that sort of problem they just aren''t allowed. If you were to ask a question on that the response is, "that''s what''s decided" and if you ask the reason it was decided you''ll get a blunt answer of, "even though that''s common sense you''re weird for questioning it". Well, there''s no meaning in going through hardship myself for the sake of others rights so I stopped thinking in regards to that for now. ............. Mill and I haven''t become adults yet and we''re still the children of the lord so we were able to escape from doing the troublesome jobs for preparing the banquet. Since we''d just be in the way wandering around the two of us run together through the fields while training to use magic while running as usual. Since it''s a good chance I decide to tell Mill about the content of the conversation I had with our parents yesterday and ask about the content of the training she did with Farne and Shani. "Older sister, how was the training yesterday? Was the training of the knight group sever after all?" Mill responds while breathing heavily. "I guess so... All we did yesterday was normal practice matches but I wasn''t pushed very hard. They did say they would go a bit easy on me because it was the start after all." "Hmn, I see. Then you don''t know what kind of training it''ll be yet?" "Yeah, but I think it''ll be reasonably difficult. However, I''m definitely going to enter the first knight group. I need to make use of this chance." What a hungry mentality for a 14 year old. Well, neither Mill nor I are succeeding the family after all, if you were to think of it normally we''d at best just end up becoming a random husband or bride within Bakkudo and end as normal squires. In the first place, Mill was aiming to become an adventurer because she didn''t like that. The common sense of Orth, or rather the common sense of the Kingdom of Rombert, I don''t know how to put it correctly but it''s normal for anything after the second son of a regional viscount family to become a commoner after the heir has been decided, other than that the only options are to raise their name by being an adventurer, and finally end up as the soldier for some noble family or if they have the money start a business somewhere. When it comes to a special example then they could be given a different set of land to cultivate and start a new viscount family there as a lord, which rarely does happen. Also, there''s the other route that''s slightly more possible like what Mill is trying to do, enter into a random knight group and aim for a career as a soldier. In that sort of meaning, the option given to Mill is one of the best possible. There are four permanent knight groups under the King, and while each of them are special, but if someone we''re to think of a knight the majority of them would imagine the first knight group. Wearing a suit of armor, riding on a horse equipped with a spear and sword, charging into the enemy, well, that sort of mental picture you could say. Even though that''s the case among the four knight groups they''re the smallest in scale, with only around 500 or so members supposedly. Inside of that the actual combat personnel is only about 100 knights or so and 40-50 squires so a considerably compact organization. However, this knight group is the most elite in the kingdom and just like I said before just being able to take the entrance exam is considered an honor. There are examples of being exempt from the entrance exam but that''s limited to a special case, only the prince or princess that is one of the first heirs to the throne. Even then it''s not like they can become the knight group leader right away, it''s done thoroughly so they have to start from a squire as well. Also, when a knight that''s passed the entrance exam is allowed into this knight group they have to give up their title of knight and start over again from squire. Their previously ranking doesn''t matter after becoming a member of the knight group, in the case that it''s the heir to a noble family then they have to set a governor to manage the territory or depend on their partner, in the case that parents or children are alive then they depend on them to manage the territory. Of course, if they quit the knight group then they can return to their previous social standing. It''s different from the other organizations and knight groups in the kingdom in that it''s completely an ability based rule, there have been numerous princes and princesses that have become members, but there are none that were able to become the knight group leader Since it''s that much based on ability, I''m actually relieved that Mill won''t be bullied or scorned for being from a remote viscount family. Although, with Mill''s personality even if she were to fall into that situation I think she would manage to do something about it. Knights who receive investiture from this knight group are called senior knights and ranked above normal knights. Also, since there''s only 100 knights in this knight group it''s organized with just three companies but the leader of a company is a viscount, the sub-leader for the knight group is semi-Baron, and the leader of the knight group is a Baron. These noble standings aren''t single generation but while smaller than the same rank of nobles they''re also given a territory. Also, even the regular knights without an official position are given a pension until they die after a natural resignation. While they''re members of the knight group these noble rankings don''t matter but when they resign they''re granted as a reward. Although, if they were originally a ranking higher than that then the reward has no meaning so it''s abridged. In other words, even for the children of nobles who can''t succeed their houses or based on the situation commoners and free peoples the path to becoming a noble is open. Enter a random knight group at first, if they don''t become a knight there then they can''t even take the entrance exam but even if they are knight it''s not like just anyone can take the exam. Just in order to take the exam you need the recommendation of an influential noble, knight group leader, commander of a company in the first knight group or higher. Normally, it''s fine as long as they have the recommendation and they don''t even need to be a knight, but it seems through many years of customs the common sense that was spread was that being a knight is a condition as well. After entering the knight group the life of a squire is waiting but this again a considerably harsh lifestyle. There''s no need to look after the horses but starting from maintaining the equipment of the senior knights and taking care of their everyday necessities, the various information that''s needed for a knight as well as the education needed for managing a small territory, and studying about behaviors and morals, there''s almost no time to sleep. Obviously they can''t ease up when it comes to the most important combat training as well. Living like that for a few years (it''s a bit longer than other knight groups with an average of 4 years. Also, if they remain a squire for longer than 10 years then I have to resign), and after you finally are able to receive investiture as a knight you have to do studying and take command during a large scale battle within one year. Since it''s not normal for someone to enter it in the first place, there''s almost no true knights in their teens. What''s with that curriculum, is it Self- Defense University~? However, it''s one of the elite courses in the kingdom of Rombert and since it''s just about the only path to rising up in social standing, while there are almost as many people who aim for it as there are stars in the sky it''s still popular. Every year about 20 people take the entrance exam and about half of those 10 people are able to pass. There''s also about 10 resignations so the scale doesn''t change much at all. Even if you fail the entrance exam, a knight group like marquis Webdos knight group for example would gladly welcome you in after. Since even just receiving a chance to take the entrance exam requires that much effort, it''s almost as if Mill managed to get lucky on a lottery ticket. In that case I''m sure she''d be enthusiastic. Even I want her to definitely pass it. After reincarnating it''s no joke that I''d want to live such a constricting lifestyle so I''m fine as an adventurer. As you get older your thinking keeps flowing towards living by easier and more comfortable methods. No, it''s because I plan to become an adventurer outside of the country after all. Let me use my excuse. "Al, I''m starting to get hungry. Isn''t it about noon? Let''s return and have lunch. I feel bad for Sonia if the lunch she makes gets cold." Really...I wonder why she says those sorts of things. There''s still a bit longer until noon. "Older sister, it''s still too early for lunch. Let''s do one more lap." "Eeeh~" Why are you making such a face like you''re going to die? It''s making me start to feel sorry. .......... That night before dinner Farne and Shani are going to say thanks to the squire houses that are providing lodging during the wedding and give greetings at the same time. They left after saying they''d be back by dinner. Hegard took this as his chance and once more put emphasis on things related to training with magic. Basically, until Farne''s children grow up and start their magic training, we should do our magic training outside where it can''t be seen. If all goes well then by spring of next year Mill will be leaving the house so it was largely to prohibit Mill from disclosing the magic training method and things in relation to our mana amounts. Mill listened quietly. We also confirmed the conditions where it would be okay to use magic. During times when our family or our lives are in danger. Times when there''s no one else around so it won''t be revealed that we used magic. These two are the primary rules. After that it''s just the bare minimum so that we won''t be suspected. The same as usual. However, it was different tonight. If Mill finds it necessary when taking the entrance exam to the first knight group then she can use it within appropriate levels. Mill and I were both surprised by this. They definitely wouldn''t have said this until now. Even Farne had the same conditions when he entered the knight group. Even if he enters live combat I''m sure he was told to strictly protect what he was told. While us siblings are quiet with a surprised expression Hegard looks at us and opens his mouth. "Mill, this is a chance for you to open up your own life. The preparations were done by Farne but that doesn''t matter right now. I don''t want my daughter to fail to meet up to that chance just to protect our secrets. Of course, it''s absolutely no good to display more mana than is necessary but your mana and magic technique will someday definitely be a big help to you. It''s just a matter of that being the entrance exam. From here on out we can help Farne but in regards to Mill, if you pass the entrance exam then you''ll be leaving us. We won''t be able to help you out anymore." "That''s right, Mill. Even if it''s just practical skill, you can take the exam for the first knight group. I think you''ll definitely be able to pass but even in the case that you were to fail there should be a lot of knight groups that would want you. If it comes to that then I''m sure you won''t be able to return here anymore... Therefore, we''ll give you permission here and now. Use the power you possess within reasonable means to give it your best at cutting open your own path. Raise up the Greed family name." Hegard and Sharl give such a speech to Mill. It seems Mill can''t respond right away. "That''s why, Mill, until the exam it''s only obvious to train with the sword but don''t be negligent in training with magic as well. I heard from Sharl but you''re still taking it easy because you have a lot of mana and you''re lacking in technique at using an appropriate amount of mana. Sharl said you can''t compete with Al on that end." It''s true that Mill has a tendency to waste too much MP. It''s common for her to pour too much MP into the void magic. Even if she has a lot of MP she can''t eternally keep using attack magic. "Mill, you can use magic plenty well but you also need to think about efficiency as well. There are times when your mana will run out as well. Well, in your case it''s not that big of a worry but if you''re using too much mana when you use magic it might be something that you get reduced points for on the exam. Think properly about that from here on out while you''re training." Sharl continues saying that but somehow it feels like this is starting to turn into preaching. "I understand. From here on out I''ll continue training with the sword and put effort into magic training as well. And I''ll definitely pass and enter the knight group!" Mill declared that with a serious expression. In the small light of the lamp her long straight hair was shining beautifully and the side of her face looked awfully adult. I wonder what I can do to help older sister, I''m conscious of the fact that I''m starting to worry again. Volume 1 - CH 45 Year 7438, Month 10, Day 22 After finishing deliveries of the rubber Hegard returned home. The wedding is going to take place on the 10th of next month. The day before the priest will arrive together with Marquis Webdos. I guess when it''s a wedding where one side is a noble of high standing then a priest performs the wedding on the same day. Since there''s 28 people accompanying them the allotment of their lodging was performed. Come to think of it, I was asked by Farne if I could prepare the same type of sword I sent Farne to Mill before her entrance exam. If I''m going to give one to Mill then it''s true I should start preparing pretty soon. I''ve saved up more than enough iron to make a single sword, I could even make three swords. I guess three swords wouldn''t be quite enough? After giving an immediate response that it would be fine and Farne brought me behind the house and said. "Al, as a matter of fact about the sword you and father gave me before... This is an incredibly good sword and I''ve been saved by it countless times. Even during the battle before it was a situation where other knight''s swords were being damaged but I was able to use this one with no problems at all. I want to let Mill use a sword that''s on the same level as this one. Even if it''s just the practical skill exam it''ll probably take place over several days. According to the story I heard it''s a part of the exam where consecutive practice matches take place using a real sword as well. If your sword ends up being destroyed or knocked out of your hands during that practice match then you lose at that point. It can''t be helped if it gets knocked out of her hands but a normal sword would be worn-out after doing practice matches over and over. ...I guess the best way of putting it would be that if their strength is equal, it will break after taking on 10 people. However, in that regards I think that this sword would be fine. Obviously, I''m sure the opponent will have more strength than Mill but precisely because it''s a practice match using real swords they won''t try to go straight for the body right away. Of course, it''s also fine to use a shield but Mill is no good with the shield right? It''s better for her to use a small shield attached to her arm and focus on defending with the sword and in the case of that type of shield she can use both hands on the sword so she can swing the sword with more power. That''s why I''m begging you Al. I want to send a good sword to Mill." Yeah, I didn''t know about the practice matches using a real sword but there''s that sort of reason. In the first place I''m also in agreement with giving a sword. "Yeah, but I''m sure older sister would be more delighted if older brother also helps in the production so please help me out on that end. Arnold is supervising the forging equipment, as a matter of fact it wouldn''t have been possible to create older brother''s ken or my sword without his help. In order to make this sword a lot of strength is needed so help is necessary." "I see, there''s no problem with that. I learned a bit of forging in the knight group as well. It''s fine." "No, I think it''s probably a lot harsher than what older brother is expecting. And it takes a considerably amount of time to make as well. Since Arnold also has the job of repairing farm tools as well." "Yeah, there''s no problem when it comes to time as long as we make it in time for the exam. And even if you say it takes time it''s at best two or three days right? Melting the iron down, pouring it into the mold, and then making detailed adjustments by hitting it right?" "Fufu...Well, look forward to it. Ah, since older brother is going to become the Lord it''s better to teach you how to do it I guess. I made the materials for that sword by using earth magic and void magic. In order to get enough materials to make one swords worth it takes me ten days of giving my best without rest. That amount of time isn''t taking into consideration the mana used to clean up afterwards. It takes using up all of my mana three times a day and taking a break after that. And in this village the only one who can do the important parts of forging is Arnold. Father can only help with the parts of it that require physical work. Of course, even I can''t do it." "Eh...It..It was that difficult? Then if you were to normally do the cleaning up and other jobs while gathering the materials how long would it take? If it only takes earth and void magic to make the materials then even I could probably do it but it feels like it would take forever.." Farne is speechless over it taking more effort than he thought to make a sword. "Well, it does take time to do that but it''s not impossible. If you just spend some time on it practicing then older brother should be able to do it as well. Well, things related to that I''ll explain over time." "Ah, Yeah.. I understand.. I see, so it was that difficult... I didn''t realize it. Al, I was really saved by this sword. I''m grateful for it." Farne says that while lifting me up into a hug. I''m already 10 years old so I''m heavy and it''s embarrassing. Though I''m happy. Ah, that''s right, since it''s a good chance about this as well... "Older brother, it''s a completely different matter but what are you going to do about kids? Do you want them soon?" "Hn? Ah, No, Shani and I are still young after all... Just a bit longer, I guess around 20 years old I want them I guess... But why?" "As a matter of fact..." I''m sure it''s best if a rubber based hygiene product is being tested at the start for its primary purpose right? I can quickly make the lubrication by mixing water with dried seaweed after all. I''m sure the bowels of a pig aren''t bad but I think it breaks the mood. ............ Year 7438, Month 11, Day 10 Farne and Shani''s wedding ended without problem and the banquet ended with everyone getting excited. It''s already close to night but there''s still a lot of people drinking and making noise. It''s my first time seeing Marquis Webdos but he''s a plump and kind looking old man. He''s already past 60 years old so I''m sure old man is fine. His son the knight group leader, Sendhel just looks like a normal middle aged guy at first sight but when I went near he has a build that rivals Hegard and when I tried using Identify on him he was level 15. It''s my first time seeing someone the same level as Hegard. His age is 2 years older than Hegard at 40 but since he properly shaves he looks younger than Hegard. Although, he''s got three wives and one of them is still only 19 years old. What in the world is that? Is this the secret to his youth? I guess to Shani it would be like having a mother only three years older. I''m sure it''s a complex feeling. And, No wait, this isn''t Japan it''s Orth. This is totally normal. I don''t know if it''s in return for the engagement gift but as a tool for her Shani''s wedding a considerably high-quality dresser filled with clothes and a carriage was given. But, if you were to ask if this matches up with 50 gold coins, I feel like it doesn''t, well it doesn''t matter. Everyone''s okay with it after all. It seems that the Marquis also knew about Mill''s entrance exam for the first knight group and has great expectation for her. It seems there hasn''t been anyone from marquis Webdos territory that''s entered the first knight group in the past 20 years so directly being called out by the Marquis, Mill was considerably stiff from how nervous she got. ............. Year 7438, Month 11, Day 22 I was taught how to use throwing knives by Myun. The ones that Myun has had since before like Senbon, throwing needles. Don''t think that just because there''s magic there''s no need for methods of long-range attack. There''s no loss in knowing it, isn''t it valid to have during times when you don''t want to use mana or need an attack with makes no sound or light at night like magic? However, this is difficult. When I tried acting cool and put three in between my fingers to throw at once Myun laughed at me. If you don''t throw them one at a time the power is lost and it''s harder to aim properly supposedly. Well, if you think about that makes sense. I thought it didn''t need to stab very deeply if it was smeared with poison but she said she doesn''t know of any poisons that are quickly absorbed through just a small cut on the skin that will kill or knock out the opponent, if you don''t stab it in as deep as possible or into a vital point then the effect of the poison is halved. Myun also taught me about the way to create poison at the same time. If you mix the blood of the tree frog and leaves from Ganbi grass then you can make numbing poison. After that she didn''t know what kind of poisons could be made from the plants and animals around here. Poison huh? This is effective as well. It seems the knights of the kingdom of Rombert hate poison and consider it cowardly but I''m not a knight after all, I don''t particularly find poison cowardly so it''s fine. .............. Year 7438, Month 12, Day 30 It got dragged out until the end of December but I finally completed the sword for Mill. It''s a quality piece that Farne took on a lot of burns (though they were quickly healed with magic) enthusiastically following Arnold''s instructions to make. ¡¾Long Sword¡¿ ¡¾Special Forged Steel¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:30/12/7438¡¿ ¡¾Value:896000¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:4070¡¿ ¡¾Ability:122-192¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ It''s endurance is a little bit less than Farne''s sword but the ability is almost the same. Although, I only provided the materials and after that it was a comfortable job of just watching the endurance as it was made and giving orders to hit in different places. But, the scabbard and hilt I made myself. I think they were done durable and coolly but since there''s almost no ornaments only God knows if she''ll like it. Also, I made protectors for Mill as well. Obviously I made it slightly large thinking of her growth but if she fails the entrance exam there''s no helping it either way so I made something that fits her body right now and carefully matched the size. The protector I''m giving to Mill this time has a D ring made of ebonite connected to all of the different parts. I made it so the same sort of snap ring connector made of ebonite and a bit of metal connects the protectors through the D ring so it can be attached and detached thinking it would be convenient. It should work fine she puts a simple sword, stuff needed for maintaining equipment, or handheld food into the spare rubber belt. Is what I was thinking being pleased with myself until Farne said, "those types of small items are things that the squires hold". As a result of considerations about the shield, I made various holes in the arm portions of the protectors from the elbow to the wrist and you can put a metal stick into there to use as a shield. I think it''s lighter than holding or being equipped with a shield. If it''s too heavy you can just pull it out and since the surface is made of ebonite it still has some decent defensive ability. ............. Year 7439, Month 1, Day 3 If this was Japan, New Years Day would be in full bloom but today is the day when Mill departs for the entrance exam. After loading all of the rubber products and Mill''s equipment into the carriage they leave. Bekwiz is driving the carriage as the coachman and Mill will ride alongside him. Hegard is going to accompany on a war horse and two squires will walk along as guards in the usual organization. In the end Mill wasn''t able to use magic while running. However, I''m sure she''s built up quite a bit of endurance from her running everyday, her Endurance stat has increased by 1 point. It wasn''t a waste of time, since the results appeared before her entrance exam it was proven that there was meaning in it. Me? I don''t know why but it hasn''t gone up. Though I feel like my endurance will go up in just a bit more as well. Farne gave Mill the sword just before departure. Mill closely held the sword while saying, "I''ll give it my best" and hung the sword on her belt. After that, she gave her greetings to Sharl who''s going to stay behind this time and came over to me. She hugs me as I''m not saying anything and kisses me on the forehead saying "Thanks", then draws her sword and cuts off her long beautiful blonde hair while everyone is watching. Yeah, it''s a beautiful scene but the cut is uneven so you should really not probably not do that. After that, Mill climbs onto the coachman''s seat of the carriage and without facing forward waves to everyone seeing her off. Mill departs as all of the villagers cheerfully respond seeing her off. 5m, 10m, Mill is leaving. With this the children''s room will become more spacious. 15m, 20m, I might never see Mill again with this. 30m, 40m, Mill faced forward and fixed her position on the coachman''s seat. 50m, 60m, when I lowered the hand I was waving it hit the handle of my slingshot. 70m, 80m, Mill''s appearance keeps getting smaller. Suddenly my emotions overflow. It''s been a while since I couldn''t control them. "Older sister! Older sister! Older sister!!!" I scream while running off. "Older sister!!!!!" Shit, what''s with this feeling. "Uuu...Older sister!!" I don''t know what''s going on anymore. "Gu...Older sister!!" I''m already running at full speed. I see Mill turn around. Mill is smiling. As she cries. Volume 1 - CH 46 Tough decision on the title this time.. Most accurate is prob Effectiveness Ratio but Hit Chance?/Chance of Hitting? or Accuracy Ratio? feel pretty correct as well. Year 7439, Month 1, Day 4 After seeing off Mill yesterday I didn''t feel like doing anything so I wandered around a bit from the village mindlessly pretending to patrol. Since I spent a day just staring at the clouds my feelings cleared up a bit. It was a good change of pace. In this world I''m sure it''s not strange to see someone off for the last time in a lifetime. If a normal villager were to get married to someone from a different village then they wouldn''t normally be able to see their family again. In regards to Mill it should be fine if I leave the village as an adventurer then there will be chances I can meet her. That should be fine. Even though the long-awaited children''s room finally got more spacious I''m currently in the process of moving out. Since Mill is gone it''s too large for me alone. Even though I say that it''s only about 6 tatami or so. It''s not like I''m buried with how many belongings I have like in my past life, around four changes of clothes and some everyday necessities, the thing that''s the more troublesome to carry is the bed. Though I say bed, it''s probably not as amazing of a thing as everyone imagines. Simply put it''s a large box filled with straw. Since it''s got a false bottom of about 30cm it''s not all that different than a bed. On top of the box that has become that false bottom you pack in straw and then put something like sheets over that and lay down, and then above that you cover yourself with a thin blanket and that''s how the beds are in Orth. If you don''t dry the straw well then it gets fleas so on days with good weather it''s pretty common to see various houses drying straw. When I first found that out I wondered what kind of barbarians they were sleeping on straw but since I''ve spent several years sleeping on it now I don''t particularly think much of it. The only ones using blankets with cotton in the house are my parents, Farne, and his wife. If Marquis Webdos hadn''t come for Farne''s wedding then we wouldn''t have gotten new blankets so they would have been using a straw bed as well. No, it''s just my guess though. In any case, since we''re lacking in rooms, we can''t always have the guest room and reception rooms taken up so I consulted with Sharl about my older brother and his wife taking over the kids room and I move over to a storage closet or something. Sharl laughed while saying there was no need to go that far but since the storage room has already become my room for developing rubber products it''s no trouble for me. The storage room is attached to the house but you can''t enter the house from it directly so the door is independent. It''s convenient for me to go out and hunt at night as well. More importantly than that I told Sharl that I thought it would be painful for a newly wed couple to have their room be the guest room right next to our parents room for so long. Sharl made a slightly surprised face and said, "It''s amazing how you noticed Al, you''re kind" smiled and gave me permission. And then after breakfast today the situation I''m in is moving my bed together with Sonia. After hearing about my move Shani was strongly apologetic but it''s no problem, you''re being the first test case for me after all. This old guy will cooperate with you as much as needed~ as I''m whispering such low-class things in my mind I''m smiling externally and saying, "No, it''s convenient to have a bed right next to me when I run out of mana while developing rubber products. Please don''t worry about it." like an honor student. Farne was making an expression that can''t be explained but didn''t say anything. Yeah, the future lord should just be holding his position firmly. But, somehow that face looks like he has something he wants to say. I''m sure Farne has probably realized. Even though he''s realized he can''t comment on it so he has no choice but stare and make that expressionless face. Well, it''s fine. I''m sure it''s not a bad thing for them that I''m moving out. Come to think of it, I previously handed Farne a rubber made hygiene product for contraception. After that I''ve handed him them several times but I wonder if the size was fine. Since Farne isn''t saying anything I think it''s fine but it''s probably a good idea to properly ask once along with how well they work. It''s embarrassing though. .......... Starting today it seems it''s my turn to get ringed out by my brother and Shani with sword practice instead of Mill. Since Farne and Shani have both gained investiture as knights and have live combat experience I''m sure there''s plenty to learn. First we did practice matches using a wooden sword but both of them were too strong I couldn''t keep up at all. Damn it. However, the instant I switched to using my bayonet I gained superiority. Hmm, I''m sure it''s their first time seeing bayonet fighting as well. Both Farne and Shani were surprised and said "Did Al think of that weird weapon? and "Since the end is so thick I figured you would try to hit with it but I didn''t think you would use the projection in the center as well" in admiration. It''s true that bayonet fighting is my technique but it''s not like I invented this spear or rather bayonet, the forms of movement are something I learned in the Self-Defense Force as well. That''s why I don''t feel like I was praised but since I have no way of explaining it I just kind of ended up with an awkward expression. However, that this fighting style works plenty well against knights gives me some confidence. But, it''s only limited in regards to humans. Whether or not it will work against that Horned Bear... I''m sure I need more training including the sword. ............. After finishing sword training I go to production of rubber products. Since I''m already mostly just a supervisor and I don''t actually do much myself I''m explaining the flow of process to Shani. Since it''s been a while since Farne seriously took part in the production it''s helping as a review for him as well. I decided on the Ryouga family as the exclusive squire family to do rubber production so excluding Sonia and Diane I''m also explaining it to the Ryouga family at the same time. Everyone''s listening with a serious expression. Incidentally, the reasons why I chose the Ryouga family is that Sonia is our families maid, their entire family is very loyal to us, and Diane has aptitude with all elemental magics so her MP is comparatively high, just that. Honestly speaking, the one with the best technique in producing rubber is Taylor but Taylor can''t use magic. Since the efficiency of producing rubber goes up tremendously by using magic in the drying process, magic training to raise the magic level in the morning is an obligation. This is the same for Shani, while her magic is all low level she has aptitude with all elements so if she trains properly her MP should be about the same as Sharl. Of course, it would be troublesome if she fell asleep, devoured down food, or went into heat so it''s a moderate amount of training. Also, I feel like Shani has a slightly high amount of MP. Since her level is nothing special I''m sure that''s something where the cause is she occasionally used up all of her MP as a child. Since it''s not as abnormal as us siblings so I don''t think it''s the result of serious training. She probably only used up her MP a few times at best or still within the limits of MP going up thanks to an abnormal amount of luck using up MP since learning magic. Well, it''s not strange for there to be people like this. After that I handed Farne a memo with the improved mixing ratio for sulfur and charcoal. This alone is something we have to keep a trade secret for the family of the lord. Farne carefully puts that away and after confirming no one is around slowly opens his mouth. "By the way, Al. Would you teach me the method to make that one thing." "Ah, that. Please wait just a moment. I''ll bring the mold right now. But, that''s a bit difficult to make if you can''t use wind magic." "Ah, I see, there''s a mold for it.. Yeah, show it to me." I return to the house and get the mold for condoms from my room/warehouse then return to where Farne is looking bored near the work shed. "Did the size not match up?" I ask while pretending to be as calm as possible. "Ah, No..Yeah, I guess so." I''m sure that''s the case, since it''s a mold I randomly made after all. "I''ll remake the mold. In reality, umm, it would be better to see the real thing but.." This is...embarrassing. Seriously embarrassing... "I..I see? That''s right isn''t it... Yeah, is after this okay?" I feel like Farne is feeling the same way as me. "Yeah, that''s no problem. And since this is a good chance I want to ask once thing but.." I try desperately to remain calm so I don''t grin while making an expression that says I don''t mind at all as I talk. "Y..Yeah..What is it?" Somehow his eyes are darting all over. "Umm..How did it feel using it?" This is purely because I''m the developer of this product. I must figure out any problems. "Yeah, it was good. I don''t think I''ll be able to return to pig bowels. I''m amazed you thought of it." Hmm? He snapped at it as if he wanted to get away from the topic. "Is that so, then that''s good. But, were there any problems or bad parts to it?" Wait just a moment there, I''m a researcher. You must provide materials for research. "I guess so, I can think of several points. First, it was easy to tear. Can you not make it a bit more durable? Also, it''s far better than pigs bowels, it''s certain that it''s not even comparable but after all, umm.." "There''s some discomfort?" "Yeah, that''s the case. Is it possible for it to be made a bit thinner?" I thought he would say it. With this I think I''ve already made it close to 0.1mm. It''s already at the limit. "Hmm, to be honest if I try to make it any thinner than this I think it will tear even easier. In order to make it less likely to tear there''s no other choice than to make it thicker. Currently at least." "I see...After all that''s the case.." "It''s difficult without making a new rubber mixture ratio I''m sure.. Right now it''s using raw rubber but try mixing in a little bit of sulfur or if you don''t try making it from the materials it''s probably impossible. Ah...How about older brother try researching it starting from the materials? You could make one with the best material that matches yourself." "Mu..Yeah..I guess that''s true..But, won''t it be a considerable waste of latex?" "No way, it doesn''t use up much at all. Isn''t it fine to try testing it with a small amount?" With this a seeker of the truth has been created huh? Farne is almost 17 years old. I''m sure at this age he wants to do it several times a day and can probably manage it. I don''t think this is the type of conversation you have with a 10 year old sibling but it''s only natural for seekers of the truth to gather. Wouldn''t you think so? In the next moment there was a scream from the rubber work shed. Two seekers of the truth turn around in surprise. The partner of one end of the seekers of truth is crouching down near a river after running out the door. Wait, it''s sister-in-law Shani? What is it? I wonder if there''s an outbreak of poisonous gas? There''s no way that''s the case, other people came out of the work shed after Shani but no one''s expression is bad. Ah... I guess I''ll try using Identify? ¡¾Condition: Good (Pregnant)¡¿ Aah, morning sickness. I watch as the former seeker of the truth runs to his wife. Yeah, it seems you don''t need any hygiene products for a while. Come to think of it, he did say it quickly tore or was easy to tear didn''t he? I wonder what he did after it tore? It''s only obvious I guess. Volume 1 - CH 47 I ran into mental vocabulary block a few times on this chapter. I''m sure there were better ways I could have written the immunization stuff but gave up on it for now. Also, young Al-ford hasn''t realized it yet but he has made the two most important things he will ever make in this series, Condoms and Water Beds. (Srs they have much plot values) Next chapter, Sat morning maybe? If not I''ll probably have a few chapters out Sun/Mon. Like 6-8 more chapters to the end of volume 1. Then I''ve already done 1/4 of the side stories between volume 1 and volume 2. Year 7439, Month 1, Day 5 It''s been the atmosphere in our house to celebrate Shani''s pregnancy since yesterday. Though even if I say that the only ones openly delighted are Sonia and Sharl and older brother and Shani are giving off a complicated feel. Yeah, sorry. No, I don''t think it''s all my fault though. If this was Japan and you get married at 16 and have a child at 17 you''d have to wonder who the thoughtless junior high graduate idiot is. However, this is Orth and it''s definitely not all that strange.. even in Orth it''s reasonably unusual I think. It''s normal for couples to have children right after getting married but those sorts of couples are usually past 20 years old, it''s normal for even young couples to want to get past their honeymoon period before having children. Obviously even if you say unusual if you were to gather 10 pairs at random there would be about 2 pairs like this so not to the point of worrying about it. It seems like older brother was thinking about family planning after all, pretty much anyone in their late 10s would want to enjoy that period of their life without raising children. You can see an expression that, that sort of lifestyle has missed it''s mark but it seems Shani isn''t hiding a slightly happy expression as well. Last night when Farne said to me with a troubled expression, "I believed in it because it was something you made.." though I felt apologetic I said, "Even if you say that I''m still 10 years old, I don''t have that sort of experience. In the first place did you properly wear it? I can''t wear it myself to test it out I just made it based on things I heard from Taylor, Enbert, and them. I even said I couldn''t guarantee if it''s durable or not.." and as expected Farne went silent as he couldn''t say anything back. In regards to Shani''s pregnancy it seems that the squires Sean and Rasseg are going to hurry after Hegard who left the other day to tell him. It''s going to be Marquis Webdos first great-grandchild, since the next time we go to delivery rubber products will be in April, if they hurry they can probably still catch up now and tell them. .............. Since sister-in-law is pregnant I''m once again twisting my head trying to develop a water bed. It''s something I thought of since you need to relax as much as possible while pregnant. The last time I tried to make it I just tried making a huge rubber cushion and putting water into that as a prototype but obviously that was nothing more than a giant water bag made of rubber. If there''s a lot of water then it''s hard and doesn''t feel good and if it''s too few then it''s no different than sleeping on the floor with a rubber board because of your weight. Even if you adjust it and make it just right if someone other than the person them self gets on it then it''s the same thing in the end because of the weight. There''s no way I''m doing customization based on the individual for something like this, is how I rejected it. In the first place, since you can''t remove the insides of the cushion the rubber will eventually deteriorate because of the water. In order to prevent this you have to put a stopper on it and when it''s not being used take out the water and dry it out. Since I''ve already made a rubber boat and floating ring I can do something about the stopper. However, in the case of the water bed (or rather water cushion) since the volume of water isn''t as small as the volume of air the rubber takes on the internal pressure. And the weakest part is the portion where the stopper is. Since I didn''t know how the pushing mechanism of the stoppers for rubber boats and floating rings worked in my past life I omitted the mechanism that pushes it inward. I inserted a small ebonite pipe into the surface and and on the hole of the inner part of the pipe I stuck a rubber board that''s slightly larger than the hole to the edge. If you do this then when you blow air into it the rubber board acts as a hinge and opens up and if you blow in enough air then the internal pressure pushes on the board so it seals it somewhat. In the end you just need to properly put a stopper on the outer end of the pipe as well. It''s not perfect but since it worked without problem this was fine. However, with this stopper there''s no problem with the stopper itself but since the body of it and the ebonite pipe aren''t a single thing no matter what I do about it the surroundings of the stopper end up weak. Since it wasn''t much of a problem with floating rings and rubber boats I just ignored it but when it comes to a water bed if an adult lays down on it then that spot is easy to tear. In trying to have expectations for the flexibility of the rubber I tried to let the rubber adjust to the pressure and reduced the thickness of it but this time the water was cold so while it might be good in the summer in the winter it would be a bit painful. Even if you used hot water it would cool down after a while. If you endure it for a bit I think it would become a bit better from your body heat but trying to endure the cold without a proper blanket in the winter, I rejected it wondering what kind of punishment game that is. I never used a water bed in my past life after all. In the first place, if I fail at making a water bed then it ends up wasting a considerable amount of rubber. Since I''m putting all of the prototypes and products I failed to make into the "Failure Box" next to the work shed and anyone can cut them up or use them they aren''t a completely a waste though. While thinking about these sorts of things and whispering water bed, water bed to myself Diane started a conversation with me. The content was a job from knight group to increase the comfort of the cushions. There are two types of cushions we take orders on one for use when riding a horse and one you place on the coachman''s seat with driving a carriage, both of them swell up a considerable amount when being stored. If you don''t do that then they become uncomfortable when you put your body weight on them but it seems they want them to be both more comfortable and more durable. It''s true that it''s much better than not having anything but you still can''t help the feeling that you''re sitting on a balloon. It''s not just limited to Diane but I told all of the young squires that take part in rubber production to try and think of ways to improve it last year but I honestly didn''t have much expectations for it. She suggested making partitions on the inside of the cushion to structure it a number of small air pockets. It''s not like I didn''t think about a structure with small air pockets but even though it''s small the amount of rubber it uses will increase and more than that in order to make all of the air pockets you have to use wind magic so I gave up on it early on because it''s not durable enough for a cushion that doesn''t use a stopper. However, I ended up regretting that I gave up on this air pocket structure. Since it was troublesome to increase the number of times I have to use magic I abandoned a valid idea myself is what I finally realized this late. That''s right, the air pocket structure. Why did I think I could only use a stopper on one spot? You can''t do everything yourself. After all, having various people give out ideas is this effective. In the first place, even cushions won''t swell up that much if we make it with air pockets and it''s only obvious the comfort would be good. I immediately gave permission to make it to Diane and I started making prototypes for the water bed right away. I close the end of roughly 10cm cylinder shaped rubber pipes and add stoppers to all of them. After lining those up and sticking them together I cover them all with rubber cloth. Hmm, at first sight it looks like a mattress, in actual fact it''s a water mat not quite bed. I get right away to putting water in with water magic and try laying down. Uo..Th..This is good.. In between the cylinders filled with water there''s a layer of air and I made the rubber cloth so that it doesn''t let the air escape so it''s become a double layer cushion of water and air. I haven''t attached it to this prototype but if I work around the way the rubber cloth is attached and add a stopper like the floating ring then I''m sure it''ll be even better. Hm, I''m bidding farewell to the straw bed starting tonight. Since there''s still a bit more rubber leftover I can make one for Shani as well. After it''s leftover again I''ll make them for Farne and my parents as well. I wonder if this will be a good product as long as you can use water magic? I''m sure it''ll sell. I''ll try using wind magic to put air into it as well. It falls behind water but this isn''t half bad either. Even though I thought of making cushions why didn''t I make this until now? I guess it''s the preconceived notion. That''s right, just thinking all on my own I''ve given up quite a few times because I overlooked or couldn''t think of things. Come to think of it, when it comes to jelly beans, at first I was making that balloon but now Enbert is making it. It might be a good reference for the rubber hygiene products. I''ll try listening to his opinion. Since Enbert can use wind magic, how about trying to make the balloon for jelly beans? is what I said and he started from making three per day. Right away I went close to Enbert and it was just as he was using a strange tool. He was using a long and thin wooden board with several 1 cm diameter rods made of wood standing up from it. Was there something like that? I don''t remember making something like that? Enbert is normally making sandals. He has the job of mixing the raw materials that will become the sole into a bucket and pouring that into the mold that will become the sole of sandals and boots. If you don''t pour it in without doing too much or too little then it doesn''t come out uniform so it''s an important job that requires a craftsman''s technique. At first we were making it by pouring it into the sole mold until it was overflowing and then scraping off the surface to make them the thickness but there was too much rubber being wasted in the process so he said to make the mold a bit deeper. He boasted that by creating the mold a bit thicker even if you put in too much you can use a spoon to return it to the bucket and if you pour it in carefully you can use the perfect amount so I made it for him. In the end he made a perfect sole so I had peace of mind in leaving it to him until now. I was wondering what in the world he was going to do with that weird board so I went to his side without calling out to him and watched as he dipped the rods into a bucket filled with latex and lifted it out. And then obviously the rods that were stuck into the board had their surface covered by latex. After flipping the board over and placing it on the work bench it''s like there''s several rods sticking out from the work bench. He repeats the same process with a different board several times and the work bench became like a flower of needles. It seems he''s finally taking a rest so I call out to him and this was how he creates the balloons after all. With this he can make a lot of balloons without the need for wind magic. If you just use drying magic after this then in no time at all a lot of balloons are completed. In the first place even if you leave them be since the amount of rubber itself isn''t much while it takes a bit of time it doesn''t even need drying magic. I felt like scales were going to fall from my eyes. Wi..With this maybe co..condoms will work as well? I properly wrote down in the memo in my heart to try making a prototype mold later when no one is looking. ............ They were extremely pleased by the water bed. I made the rubber thick and durable furthermore I covered the entire thing with rubber cloth so even if you put sheets on it and do some pretend wrestling it shouldn''t easily break. I softly whispered to Farne, "Since I made it considerably durable even if you both sleep on it, shouldn''t break. Once I have more leeway with rubber I''ll make a larger one." I really take good care of my older brother. In addition to taking care of my brother I''ll consult about making the mold for a prototype. Since mother and sister-in-law are innocently squealing as they make the bed I quietly bring older brother to the kid''s room to consult about it. Since there''s no longer any need to worry about failing because of the endurance so you can do as many tests as you want over the feeling of it and the endurance. In the first place, there''s no other way of helping this without listening to Farne''s opinion and making improvements and it''s more efficient for older brother to do the research on materials. After all Farne was making an awkward expression but acknowledged it. Alright, let''s hope that by the time I become an adult and leave the village we''re in mass production of a quality product. Though I haven''t seen any in this village according to Farne there''s patients with venereal diseases in the knight group as well and if you go to a large city like Keel you can even see people lacking a nose. It seems that after all venereal diseases are common. I''m sure the mechanism of being infected by germs from contact during sex isn''t understood but I''m sure that from experience it''s known that "if you have sex with someone who has a venereal disease then it spreads". If I can mass produce it then I could spread the common sense that, "if you''re using a condom then even if you have sex with someone with a venereal disease the chances of the illness spreading will lower considerably". Since it''s difficult to explain that there''s no other choice than selling it was a method of contraception but even then it''s still better than doing nothing. Eh? Even if they''re infected with a venereal disease then you should just use magic to heal it? Yeah, obviously there''s that sort of thinking as well. However, healing illnesses with magic is an extremely high-level technique and even I can''t do it right. The best you can do is use magic to recover HP and hope that raises their immunity. If they have an illness and I Identify them then their condition becomes Condition: Disease (--)... occasionally there''s an illness name and occasionally there''s a cause in the --. Normally it means that the source of getting sick is that the pathogens have invaded the body and exceeded the immunity power. If the advancement of the illness is only in the early stages then there''s just a small decrease in current HP and with just a single use of healing magic it''ll recover soon. However, after the condition of the illness advances a bit I don''t know if it''s because it uses the stamina of the body but their strength, speed, and endurance values when identifying start to decrease. Along with that the maximum value of HP also decreases. The original value still remains in parenthesis but for some reason that portion is shown in red letters. Obviously if they recover then it returns to the original value but I don''t know if it''s because the maximum value of HP is decreasing but even if you use healing magic to restore them to full HP their HP doesn''t return to its original value and only recovers to their current maximum value. Once it comes to this point there''s no effect of healing magic other than to temporarily provide their body with a bit of comfort. It seems that there is a type of healing magic exclusive to healing illnesses but, "this!" or "with this everything is fine" type of magic doesn''t exist, or hasn''t been discovered yet. Otherwise it''s been discovered but for some reason it''s being concealed. The magic for stopping festering of a wound is reasonably well known and even something like a heavy cold (pneumonia?) will end up like I just said if it advances too far, the best thing you can do is use healing magic to contribute to increasing the power of immunity a bit at a time. I''ve been thinking about this since the past but right now I''m making a certain hypothesis for it. The foundation of healing magic is void magic along with water magic but there''s also the method of using earth and fire magic as well. If anything it seems that the amount healed when using fire and earth magic together is larger, in others you could call it highly effective healing magic. It could be possible that "healing magic" for the sake of recovering from illnesses might be a type of attack magic against pathogens? In a way you could say that antibiotics are a type of poison attack against bacteria and viruses right? Although, I don''t have the knowledge to make penicillin by cultivating mold so I gave up on antibiotics far in the past. The magic primarily used for making poison is water magic and earth magic. Healing magic uses the same magic. In the past, dysentery was brought into Bakkudo village brought about a calamity and at that time Sharl and old woman Shaymi made great efforts with healing magic but after the symptoms had advanced to a certain point it seems they weren''t able to save them. A lot of venereal disease have an incubation period and the longest ones can go up to several years. If you aren''t aware that you''ve contracted the disease during that time then you wouldn''t use healing magic on yourself furthermore if you can''t use magic yourself then you wouldn''t think to have someone else use it on you. In the first place, if you''re not using it on yourself then you normally have to pay for someone to use it on you. By the time you realize it, the symptoms have suddenly started to advance and magic probably won''t have much effect at all. As far as I know there''s no sort of magic to check the condition of living things so unless there''s some kind of symptom you can recognize or trauma then there''s no method of knowing that you''re in an abnormal state. I''m sure there are doctors but there''s no way they''d be in this countryside village. Since that''s the case my Unique Ability Identify is amazing. Even without a doctor I can definitely discover the abnormality. Ah, in the worst case there''s the method of living using this. A diagnosis-er huh? ............. That night, I gently opened the door of the warehouse that I''m using and roughly confirmed my equipment, and as I was departing in high spirits I quietly passed the kid''s room. The window was closed but you can completely hear the voices. I pretend not to hear and quietly pass by. I''m tenyearsoldsoIhavenointerest. A means of protection against illnesses is of great importance. It''s good as long as I can make something that''s durable and difficult to tear. It''ll be good as long as I can reduce the number of children born with venereal diseases thanks to this. The feeling of using it is secondary. It''s secondary. No, it''s important isn''t it. If the feeling is bad then they won''t use it after all, if it comes to that then it won''t spread as well. Yeah, it''s no good if they aren''t compatible. In that case lotion is also necessary but I don''t think there''s any problem with the lotion I''m making from seaweed or some kind of marine plant I don''t know so there''s no need for improvement here. More importantly is what to do about the storage of the condoms. There''s no vinyl bags I wonder if there''s no other choice than to do like when I went on a foreign trip in my past life where they were in a paper bag with potato starch or flour and then the lotion was sold separately? Ah, though it''s a waste if I can think of something airtight but there is the option of a small rubber bag. I''m sure that area will be the bottleneck when it comes down to selling them around the capital or beyond that. Ah, that''s right. I just realized there''s no point in worrying about it myself anymore. Tomorrow I''ll consult with Farne again. Let''s do that. That night I hunted a lot of nocturnal monsters with my feelings completely refreshed. Volume 1 - CH 48 Amazed I finished this one before I have to go do stuff. Next chapter probably not until tomorrow. Though the next few chapters are some of the longest ones yet and like this chapter filled with a lot of pointless crap. Next chapter not so much but the few following that until the last one are pretty dragged out. I don''t feel like fixing the PoV switches in this chapter so just beware that the way I wrote it is kind of weird at times. Year 7439, Month 3, Day 26 Hegard and the others returned. It seems that Mill was safely able to pass the entrance exam for the first knight group. Since it was something that everybody was wondering about when they stopped by to greet Marquis Webdos, Knight group leader Sendhel, and Viscount Kindou they all without fail asked the result and gave praise each time. It seems that the entrance exam is always given privately while cutting all contact with outsiders so he didn''t know what kind of content it was at all. It seems there was a gag order put on it for Mill as well so she was prohibited from disclosing it and after passing she was allowed to stay outside for just one day but she didn''t talk about it then. That''s why there''s no announcement of what kind of grades the examinees got or what the standards for passing are, only the names of the ones who pass are announced and it''s a bit dull. Although, while it was dull it''s only obvious that the other than Hegard the other examinee''s had people accompanying them so every time someone''s name was posted there was voices of rejoicing. The announce of those who passed was done on the next morning from the last day of the exam, after the announcement ends those who didn''t pass quickly come out of the gate of the knight group but those who pass didn''t come out until close to lunch. I''m sure those accompanying the ones who passed like Hegard were bored, it seems that until Mill and the others who passed came out of the gate they were exchanging information about where they were born and all the troubles until then but since Mill hadn''t really gone through much trouble at all it seems he couldn''t help but to shut his mouth while feeling a bit troubled. However, it seems that squires who accompanied Hegard couldn''t stopping grinning. If it were my past life then I guess it would be something like, "Someone from our villag passe tha exam inta Tokyo University dabe~"? No wait, if I think about the number of people able to take the exam and the low rate of success then it would be closer to the level of passing into the army officer school or naval academy in the pre-war days. Exchanging information between the parents of the examinee''s or that sort of thing, I think it''s that sort of image. After that she was allowed outside for just one night and she purchased all of the things she''ll need for the time being, and in celebration they ate at a high- quality restaurant, during that time it seems that Sharl''s parents and older brother the current Duke Sandak appeared, offered words of congratulation, and gave a gift, it seems to have been a fun experience because Mill was too tense in front of the Duke and couldn''t speak properly. After the topic of Mill passing into the first knight group had passed, next up was Hegard congratulating them on Shani''s pregnancy and while it''s a bit too fast he got them some baby clothes as a present. I see, it''s the first grand child for Hegard. I was about to laugh thinking, he''s a grand father before 40, what kind of DQN (Delinquent) family is this? but this is Orth, normal, it''s completely normal. In reality Farne was born from Sharl and Hegard when they were past 20 years old so it''s only just a bit fast that Farne and Shani are having a child. Also, along with baby clothes Hegard returned with two horses. It seems these two horses aren''t farming horses but war horses. I guess it''s consideration for the fact that both Farne and Shani received investiture as knights so they can both ride on horseback. Since last year starting from the dispatch of troops, Farne''s wedding, and the purchase of these war horses even though our family finances must be a burning chariot he sure is in high spirits. Putting aside the expenses since the war horses will definitely be needed from here on out the most I can do on that is show admiration that he was able to buy them in just a few months such a short time after the wedding but it seems it was something requested by knight group leader Sendhel during the last dispatch of troops when the wedding was decided. In any case, finally Hegard had returned. Mill is no longer here but with this our family has all gathered together. I''m sure the period from here on out we''ll all be giving it our best at our jobs to recover the money we used. That night when I went out to hunt I heard voices come from not just the kid''s room but my parent''s bedroom. It''s good I was able to collect enough rubber for my parent''s water bed before Hegard returned. Being young is so nice~ ................ Year 7439, Month 9, Day 1 Shani gave birth. Old woman Shaymi acted as the midwife and Sharl was present. I did as old woman Shaymi said and did various jobs preparing the hot water and preparing the baby clothes. However, since I didn''t have any kids in my past life when Shani suddenly started having labor pains my heart started beating in a fluster and I wasn''t able to focus on training or rubber production. When everyone was panicking only Sharl alone was calm and when I was told by Sharl to call old woman Shaymi I rolled out of the house and ran at full speed. In my half-assed knowledge I think a lot of luke warm water, clean cloth, and the delivery stand was necessary. Come to think of it I don''t remember seeing a delivery stand. I just had a sort of vague image that it was somewhere in old woman Shaymi''s house but there''s no way there''d be something like that. In the first place the childbirth was done in our house. I thought healing magic would required during childbirth but it seems that healing magic is only needed after childbirth. If you use healing magic while in the middle of childbirth then the birth canal returns to normal and the contractions could kill the baby it seems. After I thought about it that''s only obvious. You could say childbirth equals injured. What''s it going to help healing that midway through? Ah, Farne and Hegard just kept pacing around impatiently and were completely useless. I guess it''s that sort of thing for men after all. Well, it''s unthinkable that Shani would lose her life in childbirth because of her endurance and health from training in the knight group. I''m sure it''s fine just to be careful in the case of an abnormal pregnancy. That''s the reason there''s a midwife after all. In the case that something happens if we jump in then even if Farne is useless if I''m calm I can use healing magic I''m sure. Twins were safely born. The older brother is named Zellot and the little sister is named Rebeccana. Zett and Becky huh? Since there was only one bed for infants in the house we had to prepare one more in a hurry. We went to Sean''s house who had just had a child born several years prior and were able to resolve it by borrowing the bed they aren''t using anymore. However, fraternal twins huh? Since it only showed Shani as Condition: Good (Pregnant) when I identified her while she was pregnant I didn''t think it would be twins. That''s right isn''t it, I can only identify the the things that I can see. .............. Year 7440, Month 2, Day 14 I''ve turned 12 years old. As a result of my vigorous hunting at night I gained another level last night and became level 9. I''ve stopped easily losing in power but if I were to seriously compete using strength with father or the squires in their 30s then I would definitely lose. However, I''ve gotten to the point where I''m not that much weaker. It seems like my skill with the sword is going up as well but I still can''t win against my father, older brother, or sister-in-law. However, since my physique has gotten bigger if I use bayonet style I can overwhelm them. Up until now I''ve been misrepresenting the large portion of it using technique but since my height has grown reasonably and along with that my weight has increased it''s big that I can somewhat use power attacks. Shani''s returned to training since the start of the new year and I''ve been getting hazed by the two of them for the first time in a while. However, since there was a six month blank when I tried identifying her, her strength, dexterity, speed, and endurance had all decreased a bit. Since I''ve grown in level, age, and while it''s just feeling my endurance is going up from running the growth of my abilities is considerable. It''s stopped being as painful as I thought it was. Zett and Becky are quickly growing up. I think their current weight is about 6-7Kg or so. The water bed has a good reputation in the family but since it uses far too much rubber we decided not to mass produce it but it''s about time for the rubber trees we planted in the past to be ready. After next year they''ll just keep increasing so it might be good to start limited production. By going through Webdos Company the circulation has somewhat gone outside of the territory and there''s been an explosion of orders from companies from distant places. It wasn''t just the jelly beans? Since Shani''s condition had returned starting from April they''re both accompanying on the deliveries for the first time. It seems that during that time several people from the Ryouga family that exclusively works on rubber production will be accompanying them. At long last our income has stabilized and since last year we introduced our first cows in Bakkudo. Since I unusually stubbornly said a female would be good while it was a big expensive we purchased a female cow. We can drink milk and while I don''t know how to make it but if I put some effort into it then I might be able to make butter and cheese. Since it will normally be used for farming I''m sure the production amount will be less than a milk cow but I doubt it will be zero. In the first place, wasn''t the milk cow made through selective breeding? I don''t know for sure though. In any case, the fact that we introduced a female cow is a big reason why Shani was able to accompany on the rubber deliveries. Since she doesn''t have to worry about milk for the babies. After that I made a bath besides the rubber work shed. Since you can make hot water as long as you can use water and fire magic I thought baths would be normal in Orth but that doesn''t seem to be the case because of level and MP. I mentioned it previously when I talked about the shower but in order to make the minimum amount of hot water for a bath you need at least water and fire magic level 4. It''s pretty much impossible for an average person to get their level that high. They either need to seriously start training with magic or use magic to damage monsters in live combat. Even the squires that are involved in rubber production didn''t have any of their magic to level 4 until we started half-forcing them to do magic training. Sharl certainly had both at level 5 but she''s never used MP to take a bath. I''m sure it''s taking into consideration the worst case of an urgent situation or she has to use healing or attack magic right after preparing a bath. Diane is at level 4 now and Shani is at level 2. There''s several others as well and I''m good as well. Since I''ve pretty much completely stopped working on the production of rubber I can use the excuse that I''m using that portion of mana. I gradually changed the rubber I had saved up into ebonite and plastered that to the inside of the bath then hardened it. It''s fine if I open a hole in the floor and use a rubber stopper to stop it up. After that if I just leave water in it then it''s fine to just heat it up using fire magic and when the water starts to get dirty it''s easy to replace. I prepared two baths and just one of them is to be used for bathing. The other one is for pouring hot water. The bath for pouring hot water I put at a higher elevation and then connected it to the bathing bath with a hose. If you just heat that hot water up to boiling then it''ll last for over two hours as plenty of warm water at a good temperature. After releasing this bathroom to the villagers the number of people that have resumed magic training has increased it seems. The method of training magic has already been established, or rather as much as you use elemental magic while small you gain experience points for that portion so as long as you''re careful of your MP there''s no problem with using magic everyday. Since we primarily do agriculture there was plenty of people who could use water magic from the start. Although, unless you can make it shower using water magic, which is difficult, it can''t be used for farm work so it isn''t used very often. Since there''s a river nearby as long as we do the irrigation properly then the amount of water magic used by the villagers can be ignored. After all, just think about it. I want you to imagine that there''s an average serf male here. He starts working in farm work at age 7, turns adult at age 15, starting there he will try doing magic training for the first time. If he has talent and uses it then that''s fine at this point it''s already 1 in 10. And the number of people that can use water magic is 1 in 4 or 2 in 4. Among adults, there''s 1 in 30 that can use water magic. However, at first they can''t make more than just a single spoonful of water. Farm work won''t wait for them. There''s no way they could be leisurely doing magic training. And then they get married, have kids, and have to work even harder at farm work to feed their children. If a normal person learns to use magic the level will finally go from level 0 to level 1 after using it everyday for several months. And with that they can make a cup full. After that if they give their best at it everyday without getting bored, making water that doesn''t taste good, after a year they''ll finally notice when they check their status that in red levels their level has become 2. Even if they have high hopes for how much they''ll be able to make, it''s a bowl full. Even then they''re still young in their 10s. There''s almost no benefit in MP increase from aging. In order to use magic you have to concentrate but they''ve started to get used it, I''ll give it my best, is what they think while using magic every day, every single day. It''s not like their MP will become zero every time they use magic but since they don''t have much mana in the first place they know full well that if that decreases they''ll become mentally unstable. I think it''s around this time that they''ll start being warned about doing it too much from their partner, friends, siblings, or parents. And they break down. Ah, magic isn''t that convenient, is what they''ll think. After that they just forget about magic and just continue giving their best in farm work everyday as something that doesn''t exist in the first place. I''m sure the lord''s wife was originally a noble and I''m sure they were talented enough that they can defeat monsters as adventurers as well. In the first place our births is different and there''s talent as well. It''s only obvious that it''s impossible for a serf or commoner like me. They think that, comforting themselves, and putting more energy into farm work. I''m sure there are times they suddenly remember it and use magic as well. However, one day on the side of the work shed where they''ve been doing rubber production since several years ago a bathroom was made. After the great squires that do farm work, practice with the sword, and of course the ones doing rubber production as well finish their jobs anyone is allowed to use it. Since there''s a river we''re not lacking in water and we often bath but occasionally we also boil up hot water and wipe our bodies as well. However, I''ve never soaked in hot water. Come to think of it, Hans from next door said it felt good. Well then, I''ll try entering as well? I take my towel and while it''s not so expensive to be called precious a small bit of soap that cost a bit and go right away. There''s quite a crowd. I wonder if it feels so good that this many come. In a large bath made of rubber that''s roughly 2m in all directions there''s about 50cm of hot water. Since lots of people are using it the depth of the water seems to go to 60cm. Now then, let me in as well, when I was about to enter I was called out by the guys already submerged, "Hey, Kaninda, wash your body before you enter", that guy is Sakrigan. He warns me with his face red and laughing almost as if he was drunk. Hmm, I see, and think as I look around and find several buckets laying around. I wash my body the same as several other people doing the same way and finally submerge into the hot water. It''s lukewarm but it certainly feels good. Then the hot water slowly gets warmer. But the increase stopped at a temperature before it was too hot. It seems that there''s another large bucket on the dirt hill nearby above this one and that''s filled with hot water. If the water in the bath starts to cool down then you take out the stopper in the rubber tube going to this bath and the hot water comes down. Yeah, this feels good, the exhaustion gradually disappears. Sakrigan says, "I''ll get out first" and leaves. I continue bathing a bit longer while saying "Ah". After getting out of the bath Sakrigan puts his right hand on his head. What is it? Is he going bald? Is what I thought but his right hand lit up. It seems he used magic. A bowl or so of water comes from his right hand and Sakrigan says, "uhya~ it''s cold!". Obviously. Since it''s water. Sakrigan turns around with a crude thing hanging down and says, "You can use water magic as well right? Try doing it when you get out of the bath. It feels good." When I get out of the bath I try doing like Sakrigan. It''s been a while since I used magic but I was able to do it without trouble. Oh~ This certainly feels refreshing. I wipe my body with the towel and return home. I''ll try suggesting it to my wife, it seems tomorrow is the day when women can enter. Since she can''t use water magic I''ll have to tell her to take a bucket full of water with her. And well, just like this it becomes a current where they start using magic again. Well, it''s all just my imagination though. However, I think it will raise the ability of this village if everyone uses magic to raise their level when they have free time so it''s true that we started paying wages to people who have a certain level of water and fire magic to manage the baths. Also, if they have a certain level of wind or earth magic then they have uses for the production of molds in rubber making and drying magic so we put out a notice for this as well. In other words if you can use magic then we''ll pay so it''s fine if you come and work. Isn''t there meaning in offering jobs to women and the elderly who are unsuited for the physical labor jobs? I was thinking about that on my 12 year birthday. Then while accompanying as a guard for gathering latex sap I found something unusual. Of course, since there''s a need for a guard we''re gathering at the gathering place that''s considerably far from the village. I found several trees with cuts on them at a point that''s higher than an adults height on the way. The cuts are three parallel lines running across. All of the cuts are still fresh. Ah, I see. I thought it was about time for it to come. Let''s end this. Volume 1 - CH 49 Year 7440, Month 2, Day 14 I tell one of the squires who is accompanying the rubber gathering group as a guard "There''s a monster. I''m going to walk a bit away." and move away from the group. I thought he would say something but this young squire always puts importance on the things I say so even if he refused I had confidence I could talk him down. Just as planned, he didn''t say anything I feel relieved that my request was accepted and walk about 100m along the north side of the group. The reason I moved to the north is because all of the cuts on the trees were on the northern side and while it''s a considerable distance away that watering area is to the north as well. The reason I moved away from the group is that I wanted to reduce the number of people affected by that Roar and while I''m at it I want to end things with it one on one. Honestly speaking, I don''t have the confidence that I can fight while protecting people who are in a panicked state from the Roar. In any case, I started walking separated from the group but after a few minutes my stomach started to rage with pain. Mu.. Is this the large one? is what I was thinking, but I realized I should just go quickly and stretch my arms out to my waist. I made the rubber protectors for the waist portion so that protect the abdomen so they''re in the shape of rubber bikini pants. In two spots on the front and back of those pants there''s a rubber band attached with a thin ebonite hook. This hook connects across the stomach side and the back to the body of the rubber protectors. Even if I say in the form of pants they aren''t attached on the sides by a string like a bikini but rather in an hourglass form where they protect the front and back with rubber belts growing out to attach them. In other words the pants part is suspended by a rubber band. It''s got a simple structure where if you release the hook that its being suspended by then you can easily take it off and put it on. I quickly detach the rubber belt for the back end and lift up the crotch portion of the protector, pull my pants down and squat down in the brush. Since the thigh protectors are in the way I can''t lower it to my knees but it''s troublesome to remove the thigh protectors and if I lower myself enough I can still go to the bathroom. Obviously I''ve already confirmed that my surroundings are safe. I strain but it doesn''t feel like anything will come out. Really now... Even though my stomach hurts this much just let me go already... After struggling with it for a bit a little came out. Hmm, even though my stomach still hurts it doesn''t feel anything more will come out. It can''t be helped. I wipe my ass with some leaves nearby and when I was about to lift my pants I realized the abnormality. Ah, even if I say abnormality the Horned Bear didn''t appear. The one in my stomach. This pain is not normal. And at first that pain was in the center of my stomach but now it''s moved to around the right side of my abdomen. When the area around the center of my stomach started to hurt I thought it was a bit strange but it can''t be. While it wasn''t much I had a bad feeling being near the shit so I endure the pain while moving a bit. I''m sure the appearance of my protector hanging down like an apron while holding my stomach with my ass naked must look pretty bad, while I was thinking something stupid like that my composure suddenly disappears. This is bad, it hurts mama. I tried Identifying myself and it came out ¡¾Condition: Disease (Appendicitis)¡¿. After all, damn it. I knew that even in Bakkudo village there were occasionally people that went from Appendicitis to Peritonitis and died. As far as I know it was just one a while ago though. It''s not like we can do surgery and while old woman Shaymi gave it her best just using healing magic is pointless. Since it''s an inflammation occurring in the large intestine even if you can somewhat remove the bacteria that''s causing it since there''s already pus even if you raise your immunization it won''t heal all on its own. This is bad, really bad. This is a dangerous situation. It rivals the Horned Bear. No, depending on your way of thinking about it, it''s way more troublesome than a monster. It hurts, damn it. To the point where I can''t even let out a voice. The cold sweat feels disgusting. Never mind, it''s not like I''ll die from sweating so it doesn''t matter. Ah, it hurts so much I can''t calmly think. Calm down. Let''s organize things. 1. Appendicitis is definitely occurring. I even identified it, there''s no mistake. 2. In my past life I also had appendicitis and was healed through surgery. 3. There''s no way I would have experience with surgery even in my past life. 4. In a lecture for the Self-Defense Force there was a hygiene class on simple surgery for a gunshot wound and makeshift fixes for bleeding that I learned. You quick shoot up injured soldiers with morphine and send them to the rear. 5. I''m alone right now. It hurts too much so I can''t raise a loud voice. If I tried to let one out I could but it took several minutes to go to the bathroom so I''m sure they''ve put even more distance during that time. I doubt it''ll reach. 6. If I leave it alone like this it''ll eventually become peritonitis and the chances of death are high. 7. I can somewhat but move right now I''d even lose to a turtle. Yeah, this is bad. In the past when I fell ill with appendicitis it was around when I was starting out in elementary school. I remember it hurt insanely bad and I cried. I was taken to the hospital and I got surgery under localized anesthesia. After 10 minutes the surgery ended and the surgeon who was in charge of my surgery showed me the appendix he cut off hanging from a strange tool. I think it was a weird thin object 4-5cm yellow from pus. Even in the 1970s the surgery could be done in that short of a time. I have no anesthesia but there''s no other option than to prepare myself here. Even if I don''t do anything I''ll die. No, I might not die. But after all there''s a high probability I''ll die. Which is it? That''s right, this is the situation which I was trying to train for once upon a time. Right now I''m about to undergo that situation compulsively. In an unexpected place I''ve ended up having to cut my own stomach. I made a surgical stand where I can comfortably sit up. Ah, it''s not like a made it mobile I just made it slanted like a reclining chair. I remember a famous manga I read in the past where the protagonist does surgery on himself. If I remember correctly he used a mirror during that time but I don''t have something like that and nothing that could be substituted for it. I''ll confirm my belongings. Bayonet, too big. Useless. Knife, I''m sure I can use this in place of a scalpel. Maintain. Protector, just in the way. Useless. Clothes, the upper shirt is dirty but I could use it for something. Maintain for the time being. Other than that... there''s nothing. I recline on the simply surgery table (?) and somehow remove all of my protectors other than the legs, I removed my clothes as well. I lowered my pants as much as I could. I see my all too crude thing has shriveled up. It doesn''t matter at all. I take out the knife and use fire magic on the blade. Since it''s sterilization about 100 degrees should be good. Next I use water magic to cool it down. I don''t think there''s microorganisms in water made with magic so this should be fine. Just in case I use healing magic. I feel like it''s become a bit less painful. Alright, I have to pound what I need to do into my head. First, I cut open my right abdomen. Below the skin there''s a layer of muscle so in order to nut damage my organs I need to slice the muscle as well. Stick my hand into the wound...Ah, I forgot to disinfect my hand. I can''t do anything but wash it water, well that''s fine. I stick my hand in and search for the large intestine. It''s probably thick so if I touch it with my finger I should know. If possible pull that out. If I can''t then I''ll have to search for the appendix with just the sensation of my fingertips so it''s better to pull it out. And then cut off the appendix. After cutting it off I use magic to make water and wash the cut wound. After that use healing magic on the large intestine. Quickly return it into my stomach and use healing magic. In other words cut off the portion that''s inflamed and change it into a normal injury. Then use healing magic. All is OK. LIKE ITS OK, THIS SHIT. If this doesn''t work then I''ll have no choice other than to use healing magic to pretend it doesn''t hurt while moving. However, with that there''s still a high chance in the end that I won''t live. The scar after surgery in my past life was about 5 cm. But that was probably where he looked at the cut, stuck his fingers in, cut out the appendix, stitched the wound with surgical thread and then stitched the cut as well. Won''t I have to cut off double that amount this time? With no anesthesia. I pick up a random tree branch and bite down on it using it in place of a mouth piece, then place the knife where I remember the scar I had in the past was along my right abdomen then in despair I put a bit of power into it to stab in and quickly draw it back. "Fnggghaa!!!" (OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!) I only cut the skin. I spread open the skin I cut with my left hand. And I bring the knife to the start of that cut and slice once again. I''ve sliced up countless fish I caught in my past life. My knife skills are at the level of a craftsman~ I lied, the tears start to run. My drool drips down from the sides of the tree branch. Ah, I forgot to Identify. My HP has decreased. There''s some bleeding but it''s not to the level of the time when I stabbed my arms and legs with all my strength. It wasn''t pointless that I was punched by father after old woman Shaymi tattled on me. There was value in doing something as idiotic as that. I''ve gained resistance to the pain after all. Sorry, I''m lying again. It hurts insanely. "Gu...gugigigigiigi.." (Pain, Pain, I wonder if it would''ve been better to stop, damn it) I somehow was able to make a 10 cm cut. It''s probably around this area, I randomly try guessing and put the knife on a leaf besides me, use my left hand to open the cut, and stick the finger from my right hand inside. Obviously it''s my first time touching my internal organs but there''s no helping it hesitating at this point. I gave up on thinking and stuck my finger in wriggling it around and a bit deeper inside I felt a sensation of something squishy. It feels pretty thick around 6-7 cm. Huh? I thought I would have to push through the small intestine to get to the large intestine. However, it''s unlikely for the small intestine to be this thick. I keep my finger on that while carefully moving the finger towards the center of my stomach. I feel like it ends around the end of the cut. Ah, this area is probably the end and the cecum. In that case the appendix should be hanging off that end. I continue to search around inside of my stomach with my finger. And I find something like a shriveled up water balloon. My HP is slowly decreasing and it''s almost down to 2/3 remaining. I hold back my will to use healing magic and confirm if I can cut that off while it''s still in my stomach. Hmn, it''s not that I can''t do it but it''s difficult. If it was someone else then I could do it without problem. I realize for the first time my drool is leaking down my chin, neck, and chest. The pain is intense but I''ve gotten used to it so it must have gone numb I guess, it seems I''ll somehow be able to do this. It can''t be helped, I guess I''ll pull it out. I grab onto the cecum portion and pull it out in abandon. Even if I say I pulled it out, I don''t mean I pulled it completely out of my stomach. It''s just sticking a bit out of the cut. But I can see it. This should be plenty to cut it off. Even if I use identify it''s probably impossible to make just the appendix light up if I cut it off and use identify on that portion then I''ll know right away if it was correct. I reach out to the knife with my trembling right hand and hold the knife like a kitchen knife and pull on the appendix with my left hand. Then I cut as close to the base of it as possible all at once. It didn''t particularly hurt, I think. I wonder if it''s because I''m extremely focused beyond when I use magic... Well, for now it doesn''t matter at all. I hold the appendix candidate that I cut off in my left hand and bring in front of my eyes and pray while using identify. ¡¾Appendix¡¿ ¡¾Human''s Large Intestine¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Inflammation¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date: 14/2/7440¡¿ ¡¾Value: 0¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 0¡¿ ¡¾One of that organs that makes up the large intestine of a human.¡¿ ¡¾If you intake it there''s a possibility that appendicitis will outbreak.¡¿ It was correct. I throw the appendix away and sigh a breath of relief, I place the knife on my side and quickly wash away the blood and pus around my intestines with water magic. Obviously while being careful to prevent water from entering my stomach but it can''t be helped that some gets in and since it''s not poison some should be fine. And then I use healing magic while pushing it into my stomach. I use healing magic on it consecutively and the cut was repaired. My HP has recovered to its original value and my condition has returned to Good, for now that''s a relief. The pain itself has disappeared but I feel extremely exhausted and a bit nauseous. It shouldn''t matter if I ignore the nauseousness but the exhaustion is too much, I already don''t feel like moving for a while. I wonder how long I was spaced out? The exhaustion is still weighting on my body but I''ve recovered to the point where I can move. Uwaaa... My dick is completely exposed. In the end I didn''t use my shirt so I just remove it all and take a shower. After that I use wind magic to dry myself off and wear my clothes and protectors. I return my knife to it''s scabbard and pick up my bayonet that was laying around. I start heading towards the rubber gathering location with a slow pace. Yeah, the exhaustion still remains the same but I can walk and it doesn''t hurt anywhere. The scar has cleanly healed and you shouldn''t be able to tell from before. My pants are a bit dirty from the blood that dripped down but this can''t be helped. My condition is still Good, no particular change. Alright, I''ve made it through a huge crisis. I successfully made it through. In addition, I was also able to complete one of my goals of using healing on my torso. The satisfaction finally starts to overflow. My caution of the surroundings must have been negligent from my exhaustion and satisfaction. Also, the smell of the blood that dripped down when I did surgery must have scattered around. I overcame a huge job, it was bad that I completely let my guard down from the relief of escaping a dangerous situation. Suddenly I realize that I''m surrounded by a group of 6 Kobolds. Ah, shit. How idiotic am I? Even though the opponents are Kobolds with how bad my condition is right now it might be a hard fight. Since they''re scattered in the surroundings it''s difficult to use magic as well. For the time being, I''ll use magic to kill off one of them. I use the magic "Lightning Bolt" and kill one of the ones on the left side in an instant. I quickly stand on guard in a battle stance with my bayonet. Before the Kobold that''s charging at me from in front can hit me with it''s crude club I stab into it with my bayonet and at the same time I kick off while withdrawing my bayonet using the gun-stock to smash into a different Kobolds nose knocking it out. I then run to front right and escape from the encirclement. I run a few 10s of meters and while quickly turning around I swing the bayonet keeping the three Kobold''s that chased after in check. With the exhaustion and fatigue I''m sure my face looks pretty bad. I''m sure the Kobold''s see me as a wounded prey. The right side of my pants has blood on it after all. The three Kobold''s growl at me intimidation as I stand on guard with my bayonet. Shut up you dog bastards~ It seems that the one from my left is the leader. It seems to be saying to the other two, "Go attack him already" as it yells and gestures with the club it''s holding. I think the other two will run if I kill off this leader. Even if several of my attack magics can be used in less than a second they''re too close. Even if I were to use it here I feel like I''d take a hit from one of the ones other than my target. This is where I''d like to use it while running but unfortunately I still can''t use magic while running. It feels like I might be able to get a grasp on it in a bit more though... There''s no option other than to defeat these three with close combat. It seems they aren''t idiotic enough to follow the leaders orders to attack so the remaining so are gradually moving to the right to try and surround me. Damn it. I need to move the battlefield before the encirclement is completed again. If I''m surrounded then even if the opponent''s are Kobolds then it''s a disadvantage for me. I don''t think I would lose at all but I don''t want to feel anymore pain today. I guess I''ll wait for the encirclement to be complete then break through in a hole somewhere again. If I''m lucky then I can kill one more there and there will be no problem if it''s the leader. I carefully take a deep breath while remaining on guard. Suddenly the center changed his stance with the club. Now is the chance! I restrain the one on the right with my bayonet while trying to slip through the one in the center and the one on the right. It seems like I won''t be able to kill any this time. I''ll run a bit more to gain some distance then finish things with magic. I successfully keep the one on the right in check while evading the swinging club of the one in the middle by ducking to the ground. I then jump back up and use that momentum to run off at full speed. I felt like I had run quite a bit but I still hear the breathing, footsteps, and howling voice of the Kobold''s from a few meters behind me. Che... Come to think of it these guys are dogs. In other words running and swarming is their specialty. I''ve long since passed the three I finished off and returned to the area where I did surgery to remove the appendix. Hmn, it''s fine if I just do a marathon and run back to the village like this. If I was in my normal condition and the Kobold''s don''t raise their speed anymore than this then that would probably be possible. However, it doesn''t seem like the exhaustion in my body will allow that. After running for a few minutes I started to resolve to take a few hits and take on the three Kobold''s in close combat. I turn around at a random tree trunk and swing the bayonet, making it so the Kobold''s can''t carelessly get close. I''m sure it''ll hurt if I get hit by that club but unless it hits a vital point on my head then I doubt they''ll be able to knock me unconscious with a single hit. I''m wearing a simple rubber helmet on my head but this is still a prototype and I''m only equipping the inner portion which is shaped like the kind a rugby player uses. It really is better than nothing, to the point where I just need to make sure I don''t take a hit to my head. I decide on my resolve and just as I was about to attack a random Kobold, in the corner of my vision, around 30 m away, it was there. ............. The three Kobold''s are still going strong in front of me. The fact that there aren''t any excess people in my surroundings that would become a burden is the only point different from last time but if I think about my condition then wouldn''t I be worse off than last time? With this distance then it would actually be helpful if it uses Roar once to take out these Kobolds. If it does that then even though it''s impossible to bury it with dirt because it''s too close I should be able to hit it with magic once. No, I should hit it with one right now with resolve to take a hit from the Kobolds. I raise my left hand planning to use magic on the Horned Bear. The Kobold''s see it as an opening and charge towards me. "Gwwwwuoooaaaaa!!" The Kobolds collapsed in an instant falling prostrate in front of me. I reflexively prepared for my body to stiffen up but the magic wasn''t canceled. It seems I exceeded his level. It means that it was worthwhile going hunting all of the time. Lightning stretches out from my left hand and makes a noise like it''s cutting through the air as it reaches the Horned Bear. My specialty magic "Lightning Bolt". Since I just used you already know it right? The electricity surges around the Horned Bear''s body. With this his muscles should be contracting and his movements should be more dull. I start to knead my mana preparing to use the next magic "Ice Javelin Missile". In about one second I create a telephone pole and move that behind me in order to accelerate...it certainly dulled his movements but not as much as I hoped! There''s already no more than 10 m of distance! I cancel the magic in a hurry and stand on guard with my bayonet but it''s already right in front of me. It steps on one of the Kobold''s that''s in a panic state while approaching. Is it going to try and body slam into me again? Or does it intend to stab me with the horn on its head? I reflexively take my left hand off of the bayonet again and use wind magic. Right, I''m just using wind magic. It''s not like I''m using it in combination with something else so it activates in an instant. It''s not like I''ve just been drying rubber day after day. On my left side, in other words between my body and the tree trunk compressed air springs forth and explosively starts expanding. Thanks to that my body shifts to the right direction. However, just barely the Horned Bear''s body slam succeeds in grazing my body. It probably got dragged into the expansion of the air and shifted to the right as well. Since I was closer to the point where the air appeared it was just that the degree I shifted was larger. Even though I was prepared for it, suddenly being exposed to a large amount of expanding air all of the bones in my 12 year old body feel like they''re creaking as I shift right into being sent flying be it''s left shoulder. I was sent flying 10 meters or so again rolling on the ground. Thanks to my improved protectors and inner headgear I didn''t take a fatal injury and unlike last time my lungs don''t feel like they''ve been crushed but I''m sure there''s a considerable amount of damage. It seems that it''s staggering as well. Since I''m unusually calm I quickly use healing magic to recover my HP. Hmm, it might be from the experience I gained in the surgery just now. I was able to recover the same usual in about one second. I quickly charge towards it''s flank with my bayonet at the ready. Along with a good sound of sspsst, my bayonet stabs into it''s flank. With this I should have given it a considerable injury. I immediately put in power to try and pull out my bayonet but I don''t know if it was because it''s muscle tightened or it tensed up from the electricity just now but I couldn''t pull it out. Damn it. Then I''ll kick off and use the power of my foot to pull it out but it started to swing it''s left paw. I can''t afford to take this. It couldn''t be helped so I let go of my bayonet and jump off. Simultaneously I draw the knife from my waist, it''s such an unreliable weapon against the Horned Bear. The length of the blade is only about 10 cm. The Horned Bear takes a deep breath with the bayonet still stabbed into its flank. Now''s my chance! I''ll take back my bayonet during this Roar that I knew would come! Just as planned it raises a Roar, during that opening I throw aside the knife and succeeded in taking back my bayonet. If it had an expression I''m sure it would be showing astonishment over the fact that it''s Roar didn''t have any effect. Pe...Take that bitch. I calm down even more thanks to the fact that I was able to take back my bayonet and I had enough leeway to use identify. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Female/11/1/7434 ¡¤ Horned Bear¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Bleeding¡¿ ¡¾Age: 6 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 8¡¿ ¡¾HP: 69(100) MP: 2(4)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 24¡¿ ¡¾Speed: 10¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 5¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 18¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Roar¡¿ Hmph, it seems like that stab and the first lightning damaged it for about 1/3 of it''s health. It seems to have become a bit wary that I retrieved my bayonet as well. It glares at me with its remaining right eye and lets out a low growl from its mouth. Most likely, if I were to show an opening to use magic it would immediately jump at me, taking the magic while crushing me while I can barely move with its weight. Also, if it hasn''t learned yet that the Roar already has no effect on me then it''ll be my chance. If it''s learned then it probably won''t use Roar anymore so I won''t have any chances. Close combat with this guy. Even though it should be so scary that I''m pissing myself my mind is strangely calm. I wonder if it''s given me confidence that I was able to use healing magic right away and had good timing to take back my bayonet when it used the Roar? We both are glaring at each others eyes while looking for an opening. I don''t know how much time passed but I remain on guard with my bayonet while it has it''s upper body held up ready to swing its left arm. Since it''s right arm is on the ground if it doesn''t swing it''s left arm it can''t move to the next action. I gradually move my legs to take distance but I wonder if the wound on it''s side isn''t bothering it? It''s HP has decreased by 10 points since then. It must have realized that my eyes had vaguely shifted when I was wondering about that. It uses its entire body like a spring and jumps at me while swinging its left arm. I thought I had skillfully evaded it to the right side but the claws on its left arm hit my left arm. The protector I have on my elbow can''t endure and gets taken away by it''s claw as the rubber band tears. It''s not like it''s Jumping Left Hook directly hit my body but my stance collapses when the protector on my left elbow gets torn apart. It''s a hook that was powerful enough to tear apart a durable rubber band. It''s only obvious that it would cause my stance to collapse. While my stance is still broken it lands and this time starts to swing its right arm. This is bad, if I take a clean hit that might decide the match, depending on where it hits I could even die in one hit. I desperately try to fix my stance, I try to go on guard using my bayonet as a shield, this time I took a hit with my left forearm. "~~~~~~~~~! OWWWWWWW..." However, while the claws of its right arm exceeded the metal rods embedded in the gauntlet protector the claws didn''t reach my left arm. Although, the momentum from being hit was intense and I can''t put any power into my left arm. It''s the same as if my arm was torn off. It''s on guard breathing almost like a large dog, "Haa~ Haa~". It took this round but I''ll show you next time, you piece of shit! I temporarily give up on my left arm which I can''t move and properly hold the bayonet on my right side. I show like I''m warily guarding with my spear while looking for a chance to use magic. After making sure my bayonet is properly stuck on my right side I let go with my right hand and use wind magic between the two of us once more. I end up being blown away but I was prepared for it and it was completely close to a surprise attack to it. I use healing magic in the instant I was blown away by the wind magic and somehow land while rolling the bayonet into my hand. However, I was able to earn some distance. I raise a cloud of dust with earth and wind magic. And I go on guard with my bayonet and charge at it''s left side again. Since it''s left eye is crushed and thanks to the temporary cloud of dust it must have lost sight of me. It stands up and starts swinging both of its arms. I succeed in stabbing into its left side while matching the timing when it finishes swinging its left arm! This time I don''t make the pathetic mistake of being unable to pull it out, since I didn''t stab it in too deep. I quickly pulled it out, take some distance again and stand on guard with the bayonet. There''s no need to continue an impossible offense. It''s already wounded. It''s fine as long as I keep my ground cautiously and damage it when possible. It came down to the development of glaring at each other with a distance of 5 m again. Shit. My condition is still bad. I just thought about such cool things but I don''t want want a drawn out battle. The exhaustion is still remaining and even though I''ve used healing magic the numbness in my left arm is still remaining so it''s hard to say I can move it plenty. And once again I don''t know how much time passed since we started glaring at each other. I''ve already started let out a cold sweat from my entire body. It''s HP is gradually being lost, it''s below 40 points. Even though my condition is bad, my wounds have recovered, I''m sure it''s intention is to retreat as well. However, I''m sure it knows that the moment it shows its back to me that it''ll be attacked with magic, it stays on guard glaring at me not to miss a single movement. At that moment I heard a voice from far say, "Al~~!" That''s older brother''s voice!! This must certainly be divine grace and I probably grinned. Do...do..do..do I hear the powerful sound of the war horses hooves from behind me. I wonder if they''re already several 10s of meters away. I thought, with this it''s my victory! and lowered my posture a bit with the bayonet sticking out prepared to charge. However, that was my negligence. Even though they''ve approached to within 10 meters, Farne hadn''t arrived on the battlefield yet, in order to avoid hitting me he probably can''t use magic as well. I should have only changed my posture to attack after Farne had arrived on the battlefield. Probably, it was able to tell that I didn''t seriously intend to attack, the moment I pulled back my bayonet to change my posture the Horned Bear charged at me all at once and swung its arm. I somehow took the claw with the protector on my right shoulder I was blown away like wood chips and smashed into the tree on my left side. I felt like I heard a boki or baki sort of bad noise from my left arm and my left arm became useless again. The pain was so intense I felt like everything in front of me turned red. After landing a hit on me, I saw the Horned Bear turn around and retreat, right before Farne arrived. And there I lost consciousness. Volume 1 - CH 50 Like 4-5 chapters left in volume 1 but the next 2-4 are a bit of a pain. Going to try and get them out of the way ASAP. Tomorrow if possible. Year 7440, Month 2, Day 15 It seems I was carried by Farne yesterday but since I had lost consciousness, I don''t have any memory after the Horned Bear started to retreat. When I look at my body my equipment has been taken off and I''m in a more comfortable appearance. I can''t see any sort of problem with my right shoulder that was hit or my left arm which the bone should have been broken. A dull pain remains but I already knew that it wouldn''t be perfect for a while after using magic to heal the wounds, I wonder if Farne used healing magic on me. Just in case I look at my right abdomen but it was cleanly healed. I can see young smooth skin that you wouldn''t think I just did heavy surgery (in my mind at least) yesterday. Even if I identify myself my condition is Good even though I suffered such heavy injures I don''t seen any particular problem. I''m hungry so I get Sonia to feed me something to eat. When I enter the dining room of the main house no one was there. I see, it''s already long passed the time for breakfast, I''m sure they''re in the middle of their morning jobs. Sonia is probably doing laundry along the river. Then it can''t be helped I''ll give up on food this morning and return to my work place and room, when I arranged my equipment and thought to go train my magic the door to old kid''s room, which is currently my older brother couple''s bedroom opens and Sharl and Shani holding Zett and Becky in both hands came out. Sharl notices me right away says something to Shani and takes the babies from Shani then says to me. "Al, I see you''ve gained consciousness. Is there anywhere in your body that feels strange? If not then you''re meal is ready so eat it." It seems my meal was prepared. I''m thankful. I cheerfully return to the dining room and sit at my seat. Sharl follows me into the dining room and lowers Zett and Becky then goes into the kitchen and brings my oatmeal and food cooked with chicken meat on a wooden plate. Since I''m pretty hungry I quickly say thanks, put the spoon into the oatmeal on the wooden plate and start eating. Sharl picks up Zett and Becky that she just put on the floor and sits at her seat. At that time Hegard, Farne, and Shani entered the dining room. I guess Shani went to call Hegard and Farne. After seeing me eating food Farne made a relieved expression, Shani just saw me a moment ago so didn''t have any change in expression, and it seems Hegard was making a difficult expression as they each sat at their decided seats. What is it? I wonder if I''m going to be criticized? Or scolded? I continue eating nervously but I wasn''t told anything in particular as time passes. Being looked at as I''m eating I started to feel uneasy and increased my eating speed partway in order to finish eating already. "Al, you don''t need to eat in such a hurry. Eat your food slowly." Hegard says that but what''s with this atmosphere? It''s somehow a weird mood so it''s only obvious I''d hurry. I slow down a bit but since I''ve already finish eating most of it I''ll be done soon. There''s only the noise of me eating and the babies voices in the dining room. It''s contradictory but I slowly hurry as I finish up my meal. I''m sure he was waiting for me to finish eating, Hegard opens his mouth. "Al, there''s nowhere in your body that feels abnormal right... then that''s fine. You, what do you remember about yesterday?" "I remember losing my consciousness at the end after letting the Horned Bear get away. I almost remember up to there." "I see, Farne came running and healed you... Then, Al. From here is the main point... Do you remember two years ago when were gone for the battlefield there were six people who went to gather rubber and were killed?" Eh? Did something like that happen...Ah, I remember now. "Yes, it''s only obvious, I couldn''t forget something like that." "I see, after that there''s been no direct damage but you know that there''s often sightings of that Horned Bear right? In the past there was a pair of Horned Bear in this area but after you and Mill defeated them that was the first damage that could be called damage. After that even if the Horned Bear was seen there was no conflict so I overlooked it but with the case this time I''ve decided on it. We''ll do a mountain hunt and finish off that Horned Bear. Did you manage to injure it this time? If you did then tell me what level of injury it was." What! A mountain hunt huh. And here I was worried for a moment there. "Yes, I injured it. I hit it with one shot of "Lightning Bolt" and stabbed it twice with the spear. One of the stabs with my spear penetrated up to the base of the blade." Shani was surprised hearing that and said. "Eh?!!? They defeated two Horned Bears with just children!? And putting aside the magic but stabbing a spear in up to the base!? Al, you''re amazing. The skin of Horned Bear''s is extremely durable and can''t easily be wounded." Hearing that Hegard said. "Ah, Shani didn''t know huh? It wouldn''t be wrong to say that the blade of Al''s spear is the prototype for Farne''s ken with how high-quality it is. If it''s that spear then it''s possible." Wh...What about my skill... "It''s because of that spear and Al''s skill at using the spear." Oh, Older brother..Nice follow. Shani says with admiration. "I see now. It''s true that when Al uses that spear his strength isn''t normal. If you add that spear that''s like a sword then it can be done huh." Shani continues to say that a pair of Horned Bear''s are strong enough monsters and big game that the Webdos Knight group occasionally takes subjugation jobs for them. Several years prior Mill and I defeated two of those all at once and this time while I ended up falling unconscious in the end I managed to heavily injure it, if it was the knight group then it would be a great achievement. It seems it''s a monster that they normally hunt using the entire knight group of 30 knights and 70 squires but this is also in part to keep the damage to the knight group to a minimum. Hegard tries to compete by saying he and Sharl killed a Horned Bear in the past as well but Sharl slaps him and says that sort competition doesn''t matter. "In any case, we''ll do a mountain hunt. Us and all of the squires. Do you have any sort of opinion?" Hegard entered a conclusion. ..Should I say it? No, I have no choice other than to say it. "I understand on the mountain hunt. But, that many members isn''t needed. Father, mother, older brother, Beckwiz, Sean, and I, also while they aren''t squires the hunters Zachary and Winry. The other squires and sister-in-law should please restrain from coming." In reality I want to include Myun as well. But, as expected including Myun would be a bad idea. Myun''s foster father Dangle is level 9 and close to 10 as well so he meets the qualifications but he''s over 60. After all bring an old person.. That Horned Bear''s level is 8. Anyone lower than level 8 will fall into a panic after hearing that Roar once. Older brother''s level went up just the other day and is 8. He''s still 8 and under so there will be some effect from the panic but since he has a lot of MP it''ll be at best the same as Mill and I in the past stiffening up for 1 second or so. After hearing that Shani''s eyebrows reacted. Hegard and Sharl exchanged glances before looking at me Farne is staring at me. "Father and Mother have only fought against a Horned Bear once right? That time did the Horned Bear raise a loud howl... I doubt it did. Yeah, I heard about it before. This is something you''ll understand if you ask someone that has fought a Horned Bear in the past but if you hear that howling voice then you become unable to freely move your body from the fear. I found out that if you have a lot of mana then you don''t take as much influence from it. This was proven the last time older sister and fought the Horned Bears. But, there''s only one other method than mana amount to fight that roar. That is experience." Everyone is paying attention to me. "The experience of fighting a Horned Bear, is not what I''m talking about but gaining experience, growing your body and techniques but including growth the experience of fighting a Horned Bear makes a difference." I look at everyone before continuing my words. "Sister-in-law''s body still hasn''t returned to full condition right? Wouldn''t you please leave things to us this time?" I just lined up nothing but lies but it''s not like I can say the truth and it''s not completely a lie as well. ............. Year 7440, Month 4, Day 1 A month and a half has passed since then. That Horned Bear won''t appear. That time I should have done a total of 70 HP in damage to it. If I think about the explanation of HP that identify gives then it should take more than two months of rest to recover. Even if it wants to come out I''m sure it can''t come out. Right about now I wonder if it''s secluded in it''s nest waiting patiently for it''s recovery? I don''t know if the bears in Orth go into hibernation but if they still have somewhat the same disposition as Earth then they should be able to endure several months without eating or drinking. However, it''s body should be worn-out, I''m sure it''s ability values have decreased considerably as well. Honestly speaking, I want to find it soon, attack it and quickly finish it off while it''s weakened but we can''t so easily find it''s nest I''m sure. Just like this our mountain hunting which took over a month ended up pointless. Ah, that''s right, on this day Myun gave birth to a child. When the child was born thinking it would be of help to it later on I remade the throwing needles Myun gave me and once again gave them to Myun as a present. I wondered if it was really okay to give a weapon as gift for giving birth to a child but I couldn''t think of anything else suitable. Myun''s child is a boy and was named Ailad. Of all things the same as me, Al. He''s the same age as Zett and Becky with only a few months difference. I''m sure they''ll be good childhood friends. .................. Year 7442, Month 1, Day 14 Today of the next month, I''ll turn 14 years old. My level will reach 10 in just a bit more. Most likely if I go hunting once more or spend several days giving it my best training with the sword my level will go up. It''s only about 100 more experience points after all. Since then we haven''t seen the Horned Bear but very rarely we discover the remains of half-eaten white hair deer and trees with new cuts in them so it''s certain that it''s still alive. However, let alone taking any damage the workers gathering rubber and their guards haven''t even caught sight of the Horned Bear. Since that''s the case it''s being thought that it was considerably injured by a human so whenever it smells them it runs away. I wonder if it''s that sort of thing? For Shani''s birthday last year I gave her a sword that is the same as Farne, I gave Hegard a sword for his birthday as well. I gave Sharl a thin sword called a rapier. They were all very delighted. Since sister-in-law encouraged me I made one with a fancy design to sell and left it in the care of Webdos Company and it sold for way more than I imagined. When I identified it, it was ¡¾Value: 9000000¡¿ or so? After it sold the money we received for it was of all things 7,000,000 zeni. Since I''ve identified a variety of things I knew that the amount of zeni is roughly 10 times the value that shows up when identified but I didn''t think that a sword would sell for this much. I wonder exactly how much Webdos Company sold it for? Up until now I''ve used a wooden sword for training and I''ve only used my bayonet when guarding so I didn''t have a real sword ready but the other day I made my own sword. I know it''s weird saying this but it''s pretty well made. My exclusive bayonet is made of ebonite and I finished it so the tip of the sword sticks out about 30 cm from the end of the gun. I made it so the handle of the sword and where it sticks out on the guard can be fixed to the bayonet. I made a gap like a rail on the bayonet which the sword goes inside then you can cover the blade with a scabbard made of ebonite. By putting rails in two spots with latches it''s somewhat clunky but there''s no hurting your hand from the blade of the sword inside and I''ve already confirmed that it''s plenty useful. If you raise the two latches then the guard of the sword comes out from where the barrel of the gun usually is and it can easily be used as a long sword, for me it''s a convenient design. Furthermore, the management of Bakkudo village is going smoothly. The fields of rubber trees have increased, now with just the rubber fields we''re growing 1000 rubber trees, and among those we can gather latex sap from about 300 of them. We''ve increased the rubber exclusive squire family by one and now including the Ryouga family there''s also the Donnerl family producing stuff. The serfs and fields that they were managing we''re fairly distributed between other squire families. The water bed which we''ve entered limited production on is greatly popular and even though we''re only making three per month we''ve got reservations filled until three years later. That''s even with a price of 7,000,000 zeni each which you can buy a horse for the same amount. According to rumors even the royal family of Rombert is using them. It greatly bothers me exactly how much Webdos Company is selling them for but that can''t be helped since it''s the delicious part of selling through an agent. Among the other rubber products the suckling bottle I made for Zett and Becky is also popular. Since glass bottles already existed it didn''t take much rubber since I could use hard rubber and something like the condom failures to make it. Since magic can be used by anyone as long as they have someone who can use fire and water magic on their side they can make ice and use it to store milk for several days, it seems it was done by nobles in the city. We started selling them bit by bit to that layer and since we didn''t set a very high price on them from the start they''re now a topic product that we sell 500 a month. Also, the female cow I selfishly asked them to buy stopped producing milk right away, after thinking about various things for the cause of it I realized that they stop producing milk about a year of giving birth to calves and we purchased a male cow as well. In the middle of the night the cow went into labor because of that one belief in this world or because of the culture no one helped out so I secretly sneaked in to the barn and helped pull out the calf from the mother cow. That calf quickly got bigger and now there''s a second one in it''s stomach. It started producing lots of milk. Happily ever after. Other than the cows I''ve been getting Farne and Shani to teach me to ride a horse. I still can''t do anything but get on and move with it but that should be plenty. It seems there''s a knack to combat while riding that has to do with how you shift your weight and bracing your legs on the stirrup so I still can''t seem to do it. As long as I don''t make it start running I can use magic though. I''m still continuing my running. Recently I''ve gotten a good feel for it and there''s time I use magic by chance. I tried doing it while practicing with the sword but even there I''ve occasionally had it go up until the magic is about to activate so if I keep at it then pretty soon I think I might be able to do it. Next is about my niece and nephew, Becky and Zett have quickly been growing up and just as noisy. I guess it''s proof they''re growing up healthy. Since it''s still too soon for their magic training (probably even if we explained it they wouldn''t understand. They most likely won''t even be able to understand the concept of magic until the same age as Mill did 5 years old, so we haven''t done any training) they''re being left to play but right now is the period that they take the most effort to care for, it''s also probably the time they''re the cutest. It was at that time, when we were all eating dinner during the evening and. We heard the sound of the door opening. It''s weird for someone to have come in without calling out, we thought, and we all exchanged looks but the maid Sonia left the dining room to deal with it. We soon heard Sonia''s voice. "Oh my! Milhaia-sama!" What was that?! Everyone was surprised hearing Sonia''s voice and from there entered Mill. Including father no one could say a thing after seeing Mill with a full-face smile. It can''t be, was she dismissed from the first knight group? And then Mill stands the sword including the scabbard up and puts her hand above the handle while holding the scabbard with her right hand. Her hand is right around where her chest is. And then stands upright firmly and in a clear voice says. "King of Rombert''s First Knight Group, rank 9 of the 5th squad, Knight Milhaia Greed has received investiture as a knight from the Kingdom of Rombert, his majesty the 22nd King Thomas Rombert the Third, and with permission from Kingdom First Knight Group Leader Lord Rodtery Logan has returned on a holiday." I''m amazed she said that without choking. However, didn''t she say she received investiture as a knight just now!? Everyone is dumbfounded by what she suddenly said including me. Only Zett and Becky are getting excited for some reason though. I think we were unable to say anything for about 10 seconds but Sonia appeared right behind Mill and Mill says after realizing. "Is the guest room open? I have two squires accompanying me as guards. I want to prepare rooms for them as well." What was that? Squires as guards? Somehow Farne returned to his senses and replied to that. "Yeah, the guest room is open and there''s two beds... Should I show them in? And what should we do about their meals?" "No, showing them in is fine. I''ll show them around. In regards to food if we can have some then I''d be happy." Is it really Mill? Even if it''s some kind of mistake Mill wouldn''t use this kind of way of talking. While thinking that the Mill-like person turned around and left the dining room. Shani nervously says. "Umm, just now that was Mill right?" Yeah, I was just thinking that. Therefore, "There''s the possibility it''s a different person that looks simil"Knight she said!?"" Hegard cut off my long-awaited joke with a loud voice. It doesn''t particularly matter though I guess. "That''s what she said.." Sharl continues Hegard''s words. Farne who recovered right away says unable to believe it. "It hasn''t even been three years yet, did she become a true knight of the first knight group in less than three years?" Those were words that represented everyone''s opinion I''m sure. The first time we see Mill in three years and while her hair hadn''t grown out she had grown up beautifully and completely become an adult. She should already be close to 18. Her expression had tensed up and had a gallant feel to it. "But, isn''t it rare for someone to receive investiture as a knight in the first knight group in their 10s? Older sister is amazing~" When I said that the door to the dining room opened again. Including Mill two others entered. The dining room is close to full capacity. Mill stands next to them and opens her mouth. "I''ll introduce you. Squire Conrad Amzel and Squire Yuuri Glohortz." The two men that were introduced both looked to be in their early to mid 20s. Since Hegard and Sharl stood up we stand up in a hurry as well and start introducing ourselves. After finishing introductions Mill shows them to the guest room. We all remained standing up Mill returned. After returning to the dining room Mill requests preparation of their meals and realizes she doesn''t have a seat so she looks over here. Why is she looking at me? Cheh...It can''t be helped. "I''m sorry I didn''t realize, Older Sister, here then, please take a seat here." I say while brushing the dust off of my seat and my head was whacked. What is it now, really. "Also, I want to fasten up our horses. It seems like there''s still empty space in the barn but is it okay to put them into an open stall? Al, please take care of it for me. They''re tied up to the fence right now." Yes I hear you, I''ll go get to it. I quickly go to put the horses into the stalls before I take anymore damage than this. Author''s Note: Al''s sword data. ¡¾Long Sword¡¿ ¡¾Special Forged Steel¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:30/12/7438¡¿ ¡¾Value:1081000¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:4810¡¿ ¡¾Ability:134-204¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 51 Year 7442, Month 1, Day 14 Night After suddenly returning Mill explained the reason as "in some meanings a reward for being made a true knight". Just being a member of the first knight group is an honor so going even further and receiving investiture as a true knight is close to the highest honor for your birthplace. Since that''s the case after receiving investiture as a true knight in the first knight group they''re given a holiday of about a month and a half. Since the majority of the members in the Webdos knight group originate from within the territory there wasn''t such a system. That''s why no one in our family knew about such a convenient system. Also, after receiving investiture as knight when a true knight separates from their group the must always have squires with them as guards. Several decades or several hundred years ago I don''t know for sure but it seems an extremely dishonorable incident occurred where knight who was away from the group was attacked by a large number of thieves died and had his equipment with the knight group emblem abandoned, because that happened they started giving them guards but I thought if they were attacked by an even larger group wouldn''t there be no meaning? Though remaining quiet is the adult way. I''m sure they probably just want to put limitations on the mentality of the ones attacking by giving them a guard after all. After hearing the heavy reason she was accompanied by guards on her return and Mill finally touched on the main point. That''s right. Why was Mill able to become a true knight this fast? Obviously no one thinks Mill is showing off and lying but just in case I''ll have Sonia use tea as an excuse to get her attendants to come to the dining room after dinner. Yeah, we can deny the possibility that Mill is misunderstanding something after all. After I returned to the dining room from putting the horses into the stable she talked about these sorts of things. After preparing chairs for the two attendants and myself the dining room really was at its limits. After finishing dinner and offering the squires who arrived in the dining room some tea while thanking them for their long trip and Hegard nervously starts trying to confirm Mill''s story as he listens. The squires had extremely good manners and didn''t just affirm the story but even explained the situation in more detail. By the way, after the squires appeared in the dining room Mill''s manner of speaking returned to when she arrived and it''s a polite and proper way of speaking that you wouldn''t think it''s Mill. The explanation that the squires gave us about Mill were all unbelievable so everyone started to show confused expressions. The only ones who weren''t confused were sister-in-law Shani who only had a shallow relationship with Mill and my nephew and niece. Incidentally, my nephew Zett and my niece Becky are both being held in Mill''s arms right now. Since they''ve already gotten considerably big putting aside temporarily it must be painful to keep holding them like that. It doesn''t really matter though. While the squires continued to talk about Mill''s reputation in the knight group they must have noticed that we were making confused expressions and asked Hegard, "Was there something that you didn''t understand?" and Hegard couldn''t respond with anything other than, "Ah, No" or "Uh, No" so the explanation continued. Even if you put it moderately their impression of Mill was extremely high. Since I could tell that the both of them were clearly older than Mill and had some doubts because one of the squires was Mill''s senior. I wonder why neither one of them shows any sort of envy towards Mill? Even though they''re squires since they''re in the first knight group then they should have originally been knights as well. And considerably skilled ones at that. Obviously, they should have their own pride and confidence. They''ve been exceeded by a young girl from this countryside. While there should be feelings of mortification I don''t think it''s something that should give him a high opinion? The doubts within me increase. Around the time I thought of cutting into the conversation the squires conversation finished. If I were to simply summarize the story: - Her results on the entrance exam weren''t particularly outstanding. However, the speed with which she used magic wasn''t normal furthermore it was confirmed that she could use several types of magic so she passed. Yeah, this is fine. I can agree with it. The other members of the family nodded as well this far. Sister-in-law Shani was a bit surprised because she didn''t know her very well. On the contrary the squires made a disappointed expression that none of us were surprised. - She started from the lowest rank squire (Rank 5 of the 6th Squad it seems), but it didn''t take much time for her to show how she exceeded all of her fellow squires that were ex-knights, in just a single month she made it to Rank 4 of the 6th Squad. Since no one really knew Farne must have represented that and said, "What kind of period does it normally take to raise your ranking?" The squires responded with, "Normally it takes about three months." I wonder why they decided on her promotion that quick? Sharl asked representing everyone''s doubts, "Was there some sort of criteria?" the response was, "Up until Rank 3 of the 6th Squad you can get promoted if you pass an exam that occurs every month for those who wish to take it." The promotion exam for Rank 4 is composed of everything learned in the classes the information required for a knight in other words a paper test it seems. At this point everyone was confused again. Of course, sister-in-law Shani as well. Putting aside practical skill, I thought there''s no way Mill could properly answer on a paper test which tests your knowledge and preparedness. However, one of the squires (since it''s become troublesome I''ll just start using their names. This squire is Glohortz.) said "The exam always starts with academics. Lord Greed was extraordinarily excellent even when it came to studying. Not just the content of the standards but she mastered all of the text content for rank 4 within one month. Of course, in the end you must be able to do it either way but it''s not easy to manage it in one month. Nevertheless, I''m sure it''s still possible. There were several cases in the past as well." to which everyone sighed. I can understand up to here. Remembering the information that a normal knight spends three months to memorize in a month, while it seems difficult but if you''re good at memorization then it''s plenty possible. Putting aside in my past life, there weren''t a lot of people who were great at perfect memorization but it wasn''t all that unusual. It''s just my personal opinion but I feel like the actual amount they were required to memorize wasn''t all that much as well. In this Orth then no matter how you think about it there''s no way they''d be required to learn more than a student in my previous life. Since Mill is young I''m sure she''s better at memorization than the other squires who are older. - Just before the summer after that she passed the Rank 3 Squad 6 exam as well and was promoted further. This was considerably fast just like the rank 4 exam but still not all that unusual it seems. In other words the amount to memorize just increased. Up until here while it''s somewhat fast, it''s not like no one manages it, and if they''re smart then it''s not anything surprising. In Orth I think being good at memorization is included in being smart. However, from there on it shouldn''t go so easily? - After that she passed the exam for Rank 2 of Squad 6. At this point she started to gain the attention of the members of the knight group. Practical skill should start in the rank 2 exam. You can guess that from the explanation up until now. In the first place, Mill shouldn''t have ever ridden a horse. Entering the group in the middle of January, most likely going to Rank 4 by the middle of February, since he said before summer she should have made Rank 3 by June. Then reaching Rank 2 by July or August? Is it something that''s possible within six months from entering? This time the squire Amzel responds. "The exam for Rank 2 is synthesized. In addition to all of the content up until then there''s a combat exam. You do 20 consecutive practice matches against active duty knights. It''s said that the results of each practice match don''t have any influence on your assessment but there''s no record of anyone winning them all up until now. Lord Greed was the first one in the records of the knight group that had a complete victory." Wh...What was that!? No wait, that sounds fake... I don''t think I would lose if I use my bayonet recently but if I were to do 20 matches consecutively I have confidence I''d start to lose around the 5th or 6th match. Probably around the 10th match I''d lose them all. It''s not something to brag about but isn''t it only obvious? I''m sure everyone else was thinking the same thing as me as they had various doubts in their expressions. "No really, it isn''t a lie. Ah, everyone doesn''t know well how skilled Lord Greed is with magic? Lord Greed is an unparalleled user of both magic and sorcery. It''s nothing more than that this was confirmed once again during this exam." It...It can''t be she used attack magic? Against a living knight? That absurd "Fire Ball"? She''ll kill someone. My parents and my face went pale from the horror and my older brother and his wife are nodding because they haven''t really seen Mill use attack magic properly. I guess sister-in-law Shani has understood that Mill''s skill with magic is outstanding and acknowledged it. However, sister-in-law, that isn''t a proper understanding. In any case, the squire Amzel''s words continued. "Lord Greed aimed for the horses of the first few with fire and then when the horses flinched she aimed for their feet with "Flame Arrow Missile" and sent them falling over. When riding a horse during a practice match the moment you fall from the horse you lose. After that no one appeared on a horse. After seeing that no one was riding a horse Lord Greed descended from her horse as well. After that she used "Flame Arrow Missile" for the first hit and then won victory be using a second attack of magic when the opponent flinched." "When it comes to close combat at the point where two attacks have clearly landed or one side forfeits the outcome is decided. Against opponents who didn''t flinch she created distance without hesitation and used "Flame Arrow Missile" again to gain victory. Of course, there are several knights with enough skill to use magic in the knight group as well." "It was even more simple when facing them. When the opponent was using magic Lord Greed just made sure that her magic hits faster after all. There''s most likely no one in the knight group that can activate magic faster than Lord Greed. Therefore, the moment she confirms that the opponent is using magic she just has to make sure that she lands a hit with magic first while they can''t move. At that point the opponents magic is obstructed as well." "After that she used the same tactic of making distance and definitely landing hits with "Flame Arrow Missile" to finish the matches. Just like this she won by injuring more than 10 knights and 4 horses. The last five were unprecedented, each company''s leader, the sub-leader of the knight group, and the leader himself. They can all use magic. Among them there was even a strong person who didn''t hesitate in using wind magic to blow them self away." "However, Lord Greed won by feinting that she was going to use "Flame Arrow Missile" and when the opponent took a defensive stance she used the non-guided "Flame Arrow" while charging and cutting at them immediately. She won by catching the opponent off guard since she had only used "Flame Arrow Missile" which you can''t move while guiding it until then." "Furthermore she used not only "Flame Arrow" but a small "Fire Ball" to wrap them up the explosion range, feign that she''s not going to use magic and then once she got close suddenly use "Flame Thrower" to damage them, or once she makes some distance using "Flame Arrow Missile" to finish them off. Against opponents that can use wind magic she made a dirt hill in front of her right after reading the opponents charging at her and won." "During the practice match with the sub-leader she used something other than fire magic for the first time, she did damage with "Ice Cone" while at the same time scattering ice beads to block his vision then she stopped maintaining the magic and during the short time the ice beads were still there she went around to his blind spot and won. When she finally faced off against the leader everyone realized that Lord Greed hadn''t used all of her power." "The moment it started she used large scale ice magic to freeze the knight group leader. The range was too wide I don''t think there was any way of evading it. Most likely 5 m in every direction was frozen. If we just left it like that then the leader probably would have suffocated to death so in that moment the match was decided. Lord Greed immediately changed the ice to water and saved the leader. And then used healing magic on the wounded knights and horses." I''m sure the squire Amzel himself got excited as he was talking about it. His face was slightly red and there was sweat on his forehead. Certainly if you limit the power on it then the magic "Flame Arrow Missile" only uses about 7 MP. It seems that Mill was fighting while conserving energy and probably only used about 200 MP to take on 20 consecutively. I''m sure she should have had plenty for the healing magic after. But...No, for now it''s fine. Squire Glohortz continues after that. "Obviously she passed the exam in a way that no one could complain about. Since not a single knight even succeeded in landing a hit on Lord Greed after all. In other words, putting aside several at once, there''s no knights that can win against Lord Greed one on one in the first knight group right now. After that there was an uproar. Everyone know that her skill with magic was somewhat excellent but no one realized it was to that extent." "That level of skill was plenty to be called a sorcerer and the knight group leader said that both her skill and amount of mana exceeded that of the Kingdom''s top royal sorcerer Marquis Dasline. Certainly her skill with the sword still has some room for improvement but Lord Greed is still young and the youngest among the active duty knights. She still can do as much training as she wants and while he said she still has room for improvement but she''s properly keeping up with the training of our first knight group. Her skill exceeds that of the average knight." He''s going all out in praising her without restraint. Even if you were to say he was older or her senior there''s no other choice than to accept that he''s her subordinate with how he''s acting. The squire Amzel says "After that, as expected Marquis Dasline came to the knight group and said he wanted to see Lord Greed''s skill with sorcery but I''m sure the leader was being cautious of her being scouted so he completely rejected it. Thanks to that we all can receive the guidance from a rare genius sorcerer. There''s nothing happier than this." And said that ending the explanation. Farne and I exchange glances and look at Mill''s face. Realizing that Mill''s faced down in embarrassment while cuddling Zett and Becky. Eh? What''s this? It seems that in order to take the exam for Rank 1 of Squad 6 you need to gain experience in Rank 2 for at least one year. However, after a year had passed Mill only had to take the practical skill tests for sword and horse riding and she was exempted from practice matches. After that she took an interview and passed. When they''re still squires it seems that the exam for horse riding isn''t all that severe yet. Normally, squires don''t ride horses after all. It seems that even then Mill modestly continued her attitude without becoming arrogant and earned a favorable impression from the members of the knight group. And then the squires of Rank 1 Squad 6 are taken along as attendants during live combat. Obviously even the Rank 5 squires of the first knight group have excellent abilities as a knight but they only start doing the real work for the first knight group starting from Rank 1 as squires it seems. What''s with that elite track? Are they the rumored Narashino first airborne squad that says non-Rangers aren''t people so they aren''t allowed to be in exhibition descents? * Last year, it seems Mill participated in two conflicts. At the start of the year and the end of the year. If you think about the frequency conflicts occur then she participated in two consecutive battles. And she played an active role using magic. Since she was using the rubber protectors she started to be called "Black Witch" or maybe not, no one knows. What''s with that, is she a third-rate villain? Mill laughed with a troubled face. Thanks to her achievements after the conflict ended at the end of the year she received a recommendation from the knight group leader and received investiture as a true knight. And in order to show her achievements to her home town she received a holiday. It was a bit long but it''s good that we got to know about a side of Mill we didn''t know. We thank the two squires for explaining things to us even though they''re tired and decided to rest for today. Since Mill doesn''t have a room she''s going to sleep together with me in my room. It can''t be helped so I surrender the water bed to Mill and place a rubber sheet on the dirt floor then when I was about to lay down Mill asked if I wanted to sleep together with her so I decided to take her up on the offer. It was a bit painful because of how confined it was but Mill showed admiration for the water bed. It seems there''s rumors about the rubber water bed in the capital recently so she knew about its existence but she had never used it. It can''t be helped so, "Since older sister can use water magic there shouldn''t be a problem so you can take this back with you. Since it''s a prototype it''s not quite as comfortable was the ones circulating though." I said that and she was delighted. "More importantly than that, what did you say to hide the fact that you have a lot of mana?" It''s an important matter. I need to make sure to confirm this. "Eh? Ah, I said it was because the level of my magic skills were high. I said while I can''t use wind magic they''re all considerably high level. Of course, I didn''t tell them what my level was. But I suggested that they were around level 50." I reflexively coughed. That''s big even fore a huge lie. Even if only the person them self can see the level of their own special skills level 50 is absurd. In the first place, the maximum level of special skills should be the same as unique abilities at level 9. My void magic level is the highest but since it still hasn''t gotten to level 9 I don''t know for sure if level 9 is really the max though. Aren''t they probably the same? "Eh...isn''t that going too far... did they really believe that?" "I wonder? It seems that the top royal sorcery Marquis Dasline has only just gotten to level 7 the same as me recently. That person is already past 60 years old so even if he gives his best he''ll die soon. I''m sure he knows how much time he has remaining. It probably won''t be exposed." What''s she saying? However, I guess you can say it''s not an incorrect theory? If all of your magic other than wind were level 50 then with just that your MP amount would be about 200 and as long as someone isn''t keeping track of how many times she used what magic on an everyday basis then they shouldn''t easily be able to predict how much mana she has. I guess it''s fine as long as there''s no one that can perceive the concept of MP or how much mana there is? No wait, in the past after seeing our training mother almost accurately guessed Farne and Mill''s mana amount. Even if there''s no concept of the number value there''s a possibility that they''ll count how many times each magic is used. "Hmn, but I don''t think you should relax with that and still hide the amount of mana you have. Since no one knows if they still have enough mana to use magic when their opponent can still use magic, you never know what could happen. Mother is always saying to make sure you always have mana remaining after all." "That''s only obvious, it''s my life line after all. If they were to aim for when I run out of MP then it would be bad. Magicians and sorcerers are scary because you never know how much mana they have remaining. I''ll keep it hidden no matter what." I see, then that''s fine. From here on out, someone might be able to figure out but it''s better the longer the period it takes for them to figure it out. "Ah, and I want you to teach me but what''s the difference between a magician and a sorcerer? The squires were calling magic as sorcery as well right?" "Yeah, they''re the same. We call magic "Flame Arrow Missile" right? They just call that sort of magic with a name that''s a combination of several types of magic as sorcery. And if you''re able to use about three types of that sorcery with a reasonable amount of speed then they don''t call you a magician but a sorcerer. Al, we''re sorcerers." Oh, it''s just a difference in name. How boring. "Hmn, I see. Even if they say that it''s not like there''s anything particular to it right? It doesn''t matter." "Sorcerer is like a title given to people who master sorcery, it seems that just being able to call yourself one is an honor but it seems that in the past few years it''s become a popular word. It seems it was originally a word used in Glanan Empire and the Kingdom of Backlooney in the east. As a mater of fact I don''t care at all either." Hm, a word that came from outside of the country huh. Well it doesn''t matter, it''s about time to sleep. "I see now, then good night, Black Witch-sama" "Gu...Really, stop it with that already." "Blaa~ ck Witchhh~ samaaa~" "The next time you say it I''ll smack you." I need to limit my teasing to about this much. ................ Year 7442, Month 1, Day 15 After being kicked away by Mill''s bad sleeping posture I woke up. After using up all of my MP in the middle of the night I ended up falling asleep on the floor in the end so when I woke up the next morning my entire body was stiff and hurt. Damn it~ In any case I woke up before the sunrise the same as always around 5:00am and it seems Mill was awake as well. And then Mill puts on her clothes and starts equipping her protectors. When I was wondering what she was going to do as I observed her, "Stop spacing out and you quickly get ready as well. I''ll take you on a bit before breakfast." And started saying that. I''ll show you. I quickly start getting ready and after preparing two wooden swords I go to the training area a bit of a distance away. Fufun, watch and be surprised. However, it seems Mill is grinning as well. That''s the expression she makes since the past when she''s thought of some sort of secret weapon. Since she doesn''t think about it enough if you were to ask me the majority of tests didn''t go well. This time she''s most likely making that face thinking she can overwhelm me. "Then, let''s start. I won''t go as far as killing you and if you get injured I''ll heal you." "Ke...That''s my line, I''ll change you into a bloodstained Red Witch." We both stand on guard with our wooden swords at a distance of about 10 m. It feels like her stance has been refined compared to what it used to be. I wonder if that''s the style they use in the first knight group? Starting off with the first match. I''m sure we''ll do it like in the past without using magic. We prohibited the use of magic when training with the sword after all. ...I should have become considerably strong. However, Mill exceeded me. The difference hasn''t been shortened. When I dodge the attack from the wooden sword I end up taking a hit to the elbow and use healing magic to fix my nose bleed. After taking another hit to the elbow I use healing magic on my legs that have been stabbed. This type of training where we both attack the opponent directly is something that only we can do thanks to our excessive amount of mana. I lost the first match huh. "Now, let''s go to the next. This time I''ll win." "Next time using magic is okay. I''ll make you fall to your knees again." Shit, I''ll show you. Since the past we would always hide and train using magic (Or more accurately sorcery. If it comes to using magic then the first to quickly bury the opponent wins so honestly speaking, since I have more mana and the level of my magic is higher I have an absolute advantage). With those rules we start at roughly 2 m from the opponent a distance where just stepping in and swinging can reach. How you manage to dodge the first attack and gain enough distance and time to use magic decides the match. We both stand on guard with our wooden swords while looking at the opponents eyes. Somehow or other it starts. There''s no signal. I resolved to take a hit. I thought only about evading that hit without taking it to my head. I guess I''ll abandon one arm. I''m sure Mill realized that my expression changed. I can see that there''s resolve in Mill''s eyes as well. I jump up and leap at her. I stick my left hand out at her with my right hand still holding the sword I lightly guard my head by twisting the sword. I''m sure that Mill''s lightning-like stab will come right away. After all I stuck my left hand out as if I was going to use magic as I came at her. Mill took on my invitation. Without a moment of delay I let go of the sword in my right hand and stick it out as well. The sorcery "Stone Bolt". At the same time as short stone arrow is fired from my right hand I take a thrust from Mill with my left hand. The "Stone Bolt" stabs into the gap in the protector of Mill''s left shoulder and upper arm. Our faces both distort from the pain. But, I didn''t miss Mill''s "with this you can''t use magic anymore" expression. Normally if you take an injury your concentration is disrupted so it becomes difficult to use magic. However, my dear older sister, I haven''t just been playing around~ I pass by Mill''s right side as my left arm is stabbed. I recover my left arm with healing magic as I get up and by the time Mill turns around I show off how it''s recovered by lifting my left arm and using "Air Cutter". It''s my victory. Mill couldn''t even realize what had happened I''m sure. She had certainly done a thrust to her little brothers left arm and while she did take an attack with magic, that little brother should have dropped his sword, been injured and unable to use magic or attack with no other choice than to get beaten up, is what I''m sure she was thinking. She made a surprised expression as she takes my "Air Cutter" to the leg. "Hahahahaa. The blood has started to flow in a good way as you''re becoming the Red Witch." I say the lines in a monotone making fun of her. "Wait just a second, what was that just now...Di..Did you finally become able to use magic while running?" Hm...It seems she''s grown a bit. "No, I still can''t do it yet. Though I can occasionally use it on a fluke." I use healing magic and boast to Mill as she recovers from her wounds. "Then what in the world was that just now? I definitely stabbed you in the left arm." "Yeah, I was stabbed. But I tumbled past besides you right? If you make use of momentum then you don''t need to think while moving and you can use magic. I used healing magic to recover my left arm while rolling." Mill was surprised hearing that. "Huh? You recovered in that instant? So you''ve become able to do that now.." "Ehe...Even if it wasn''t healing I could have used attack magic at that moment as well. I intentionally let you off easy. You''re acting like you''ve already won after all. Didn''t father always say the ones who don''t make good use of their chances will die? In reality if I had used attack magic while rolling and then using attack magic again to finish you off after standing up then older sister should have become a bright red Witch~" "What was that!... Let''s start the next match." "We''re still going to keep going? It''s older sister''s victory with the sword, isn''t already fine?" Mill responds unsatisfied. "I won''t let my guard down anymore. Let''s do this." It can''t be helped, I pick up my wooden sword that''s fallen and stand on guard again. At the same time I think that this probably won''t end unless I lose and start thinking about how I can skillfully lose. I guess it should be good if I can surprise her a bit. Since I still haven''t succeeded yet I guess I''ll try that out. The only time I use magic during a practice match with the sword is when I''m together with Farne. If I show even the slightest bit of gap when I''m going to use magic Farne mercilessly attacks with thrusts and swings. Until now it''s been nothing but failures but if I think about the possibility that it actually succeeds then I can only try using it against older brother. This time it''s fine if I lose so I don''t mind even if it fails. I''m sure Mill will be surprised just by the fact that "I tried to use magic while in the middle of combat with the sword". I flatly think about that while swinging the sword. Mill received my attack with her sword. It''s become a situation where the swords are locked together. When I look at Mill''s face her beautiful blue eyes are looking here trembling with intense emotion. I notice that my face is reflected in those eyes. That I can do a practice match when I''m this relaxed. I wonder if it''s a problem of level and gender, Mill is four years older than me but my strength is a bit higher. I notice that a bit of impatience runs through Mill''s eyes. No, I don''t know, but I just had that sort of feeling. If she''s getting impatient then now''s the chance. I open the palm of just my left hand while it''s on the handle of the sword. And I activated the magic "Air Hammer". Mill''s face twists in surprise and at the same time her body is blown away by a mass of air. After being blown away she finally stops rolling face down 10 m away. As a matter of fact when "Air Hammer" activated I was surprised as well. I can''t believe I actually succeeded...Huh? Mill isn''t getting up. Did she get in a bad place!? I run up to older sister while calling out to her in a panic. I need to quickly use healing magic... I run over and crouch down to Mill who''s still laying face down and Mill was laughing. "What are you laughing about? I thought you might have been hit in a bad place and worried about you so I was going to use healing magic and this? Don''t joke around." "Fufufu...Ku...fufufufu." Did she go insane? I wave my hand in front of Mill''s face. There''s a reaction. "Hey, if you''re alright then heal your wounds, I''m sure there''s at least some bruising right?" "...Ufu..Eh? Ah, I guess so.. And with this I''m fine." Mill gets up and asks, "Did you worry about me? and smiles while hitting my head. "That''s only obvious. Since you fall down and don''t get up. What are you laughing about?" "This time it''s my win again." "Huh? I didn''t even take one hit. In the first place, even older sister realizes I could have continued attacking after you were blown away right?" "I just hit your head twice. That''s why it''s my victory." What was that this bitch? "Well it''s fine. Rather than that, you''ve even become able to do something like that... If it''s you then I''m sure you would even be able to become a company leader in the first knight group right away. But, I won''t say anything bad so after all you should probably aim to be an adventurer. I''m sure you''re more suited for that." Why''s she saying weird things all of a sudden? I had already intended on that in the first place, even if she doesn''t say that I plan to do so. Volume 1 - CH 52 Year 7442, Month 1, Day 15 After finishing the practice matches we return to the house and continue talking while taking a shower. The time is still before sunrise around 6:00am. It should be about time for breakfast. "By the way, why are you saying again that I''m suited to be an adventurer?" "Eh? What?" I yell out to Mill who''s washing her head with soap in the shower. I guess she couldn''t hear me well. "Like I said, why did you start saying that I''m suited to be an adventurer?" "Ah, it''s simple. Even if you were to enter the first knight group just like that...Hm, even if it wasn''t the first knight group but if you were to enter one you''d experience a lot of troubles. It''s hard for even me after all." "Why?" "Because Knights hate projectile weapons." Ah, I''ve heard about that from Farne. The projectile weapons are cowardly~ Right? "But, wasn''t older sister being praised by those two squires?" "Yeah, that''s right. Even if they hate them what works, works after all.. But, there''s the thinking that you become careless with the sword because of that. Normally you start with the sword, spear, and horse. Then only after you''ve become able to do that and you have leeway do you use the bow or magic. It''s really difficult to use the bow while riding so there''s almost no one using them. They don''t fly very far as well and if they''re fired at close to the maximum range unless they hit a vital spot they almost always get deflected with armor or shield, and even if it hits then they can use healing magic with how much distance there is. It''s not like there''s anyone who can aim at someones face while moving on a horse after all." I guess that''s only obvious. Even if you were to say bow to me I only know the ones that the Doksh family uses in hunting. It''s about 1 m in length and the effective range on it matches the beasts that they''re against of about 20 m. If it''s any further than that then unless they manage to hit the eye it won''t deal much damage. Furthermore there''s no way they could hit a beast that''s running away. I''ve never even heard of a great bow that''s taller than adult like the one Nasuno Yoichi used and I''ve never heard of composite bows like the ones the Mongol cavalry used as well. The only exception is the crossbow which has both range and power but it ends with cavalry just firing off one shot or the exclusive infantry archers firing one arrow per minute or so. The range is only about 100 m horizontally and it''s effective range is only about 50 m. If you shoot it upwards at about 45 degrees then it will fly farther but it''s said that it never hits. Well, if you get to the normal effective range of a bow of 20 m then it can penetrate plate armor and injure the one equipping it so the power of the cross is pretty high. Even if you say it can''t be fired rapidly it''s still a threat to knights. It''s still no comparison to magic though. "I see. But any sort of troubles that older sister can do I''m sure I could do as well." Mill was a bit angry hearing that but quickly grinned and said. "What does Al thing about people who can use the sword at the same level as father?" "I''m sure they''re amazing people right? Older brother said it but even in Webdos Knight Group there''s not many people who can use the sword at father''s level." "That''s right, I think so as well. And by chance that amazing person becomes your senior or superior. And that person holds both pride and confidence in their skill with the sword. What do you think would happen if such a person was suddenly defeated hands down by squire from the middle of nowhere with magic?" "..I''m sure they would feel pretty pathetic." "Right? I''m doing that sort of thing. Can you do it?" If we''re asking I could or couldn''t do it then I could obviously do it. I did do sales in the Japanese business world where they tear out the eyes of living horses* doing business for close to 20 years. There''s no way I wouldn''t be able to do it. But, I''m sure Mill doesn''t know my true character. She only knows me as I''ve lived wearing a mask. And I''m sure the words just now were directed at the mask. How kind. More importantly than that I''m happy to see that Mill is thinking about various things and I can tell she''s grown. "I''m sure Al would be praised extravagantly. Since your talent with magic is beyond me and you probably have about as much skill as the average knight. If you use that weird spear then even I can''t win after all. On the contrary, after seeing Al''s sword I realized but I think if you were to use that spear then you could probably win against the true knights in the first knight group from the start. It seems you''ve gotten stronger and your body has grown bigger as well." After saying that Mill faces behind and spreads out her arms. I wonder if she''s saying to dry her off? Since she used to always do it in the past I quickly realized. I use drying magic and dry off Mill''s hair and body. "But you know, I''m sure you would feel sorry for them over that. Especially if you see the eyes of the people who would have received a greater assessment if you hadn''t been there. And I''m sure that would continue until you make it up to the knight group leader. No, even if you managed to become the leader I''m sure you would eternally think that someone else could have made it if you weren''t around. That''s why you''re not suited to be a knight." It''s a very incorrect guess along with a complete misunderstanding. However, Mill is saying it to my mask. Seriously thinking about me. "That''s why it would be better if you were to be in a place without those sorts of chains to an organization. And then you can make your own knight group. Since you were able to bring everyone together to make rubber products after all. It wouldn''t be like becoming a member of a knight group that''s a lump of pride afterwards so I think you could do it." Do what? Is what I was thinking but I''m sure that''s, "Pushing forward with my life". My own knight group would be... my subordinates or my own organization I guess. Ah, in my case I guess it would match perfectly with my own country. "I feel bad for older brother but if you were the eldest brother it might have been different." Don''t say things like that. I''m already feeling weird being praised. "There''s no way I can compete with older brother... Even in the knight group brother was able to keep his skill with magic hidden. Though it seems like sister-in-law Shani already knows. And older brother has.... been completely straight forward since the past. Without bending or breaking, always looking cool. If older brother were to say it then I''m sure everyone in the village would listen. There''s no way I can match up to older brother." These are my real thoughts. Excluding knowledge and mana just thinking as a single bare human even if I remember in my past life I haven''t seen anyone as amazing as Farne. Farne is always thinking seriously and always straightforward. I express my honest feelings and hearing that Mill opens her eyes in surprise. "Huh? That''s only obvious right? What are you saying? I wasn''t saying something like that. I meant if you were the eldest son then you would have had a personality able to get along in the world better. Don''t misunderstand, idiot. Comparing you to older brother is less than the flies swarming horse shit. It would stranger to compare a lesser-being than a maggot like you to older brother! Should I punch you a few more times and match the color of your face to your hair and eyes? I''ll make you understand by turning your face black from bruises!" ... "What was that! I''ll beat you down one more time! Come to think of it, I thought about making you some new protectors since your old ones probably don''t fit anymore but with that pitiful chest I''m sure you don''t need it. Meet me out front you bitch!" Mill and I were about to start a fist fight while naked but, "You two stop it already! You idiots! Mill! The squires can hear you! Al! Stop speaking in such an impolite manner! Hurry up and put your clothes and come eat!" Father suddenly appears and ends the war between siblings before it starts with an angry yell. I wonder when he started listening? ........... Since we have guests breakfast was a little bit higher-quality than normal. In the center of break, Mill has returned to her stiff and refined way of speaking like when she appeared. Pretending to be so innocent. It seems that Mill plans to stay three more days. Even though she has a month and a half break she can only spend a total of four days at home huh. I''m sure the capital is far away. I wonder if this will really be the last time I see Mill. Mill''s squires are eating food as politely as ever. I doubt they heard all of my conversation just now with Mill but there''s a possibility they heard the final quarrel. However, it seems they''ve courteously decided to ignore it. They are showing any signs of change. Why do I have to worry about older sister? Shit. After breakfast it seems that Mill and the others are going to take a walk and rest. Older brother, Shani, and I leave the children to Sonia and Sharl and go off to do our usual magic training. In a field with tall grass at the edge of the village there''s a magic training area of about 50 m that I burnt clear to make. We make Shani who has low mana use magic then rest. Making sure her MP doesn''t drop below 6, I tell her to use a random magic and gain experience. I help support Farne''s magic training by using "Anti-Magic Field. Farne uses a variety of magics but inside of the "Anti-Magic Field" we don''t know to what extent the magic he used was. By the time Farne''s magic training ends Shani''s mana has recovered a bit so she uses magic once more and that''s the end of training. Eventually I''m sure Shani will receive an explanation about the Greed family''s magic secret. I wonder if Farne will show her everything at that time. Though I don''t think I''ll be around at that time. After finishing magic training we start sword training. We do this together with the squires at the training area near our house. After we start training the squires gather in small groups. Those who start swinging the sword, those who start doing matches, and ones who switch offense and defense while watching the flow of the matches, various forms of practicing. I''m practicing in the corner of the training area using my bayonet against a tree with straw wrapped around it as a target. After my body has warmed up I do practice matches with my older brother and Shani. If I use bayonet style then let alone the two of them I can fight against three at once now. After that I change to a wooden sword and do practice matches against all of the squires in order. Near the end since everyone is exhausted if the abilities are close then it can remain a good match for quite a while. And after a short break Farne and I do practice matches in the corner. I''ll try doing what I was able to do this morning. I try using magic while swinging the sword before the match. Ah, I can do it. I quickly cancel it and face Farne. I don''t know if he saw that just now but Farne was making a surprised expression. Alright, let''s do this. My match with Farne started. I exchange several blows but this sensation, I somehow feel like I can do it. When it came down to locking swords with Farne I used "Air Hammer" like I did this morning and sent Farne flying. Though I still fail sometimes but if I were to keep practicing I''m sure it''s just a matter of time before I''ll be able to succeed every time. Farne asked what the trick to it was but I don''t know the trick to it. Maintain as calm as possible in your mind and don''t be conscious of the movements of your body or so. I also said I would be able to use magic while running pretty soon. I''ve already been doing it everyday for close to four years without getting tired of it. Farne might be able to do it in a shorter period of time. It seems that Farne will start running from today. A short while after training ends it''s lunch. After eating I put on my protectors and go running. Starting today Farne is together with me. Since it''s the first time I said it would be better not to wear the protector and Farne honestly followed through with it. This honesty is Farne''s strong point. He definitely doesn''t overestimate his own abilities and takes things with modesty. Even if he is told by his six years younger little brother not to overdo it he follows that without trying to act cool. Even though the 14 year old me is running with my protectors on the 20 year old Farne accepted my advice without acting cool. It''s not something that can be done easily. And he put''s his best efforts into everything. The type of steps to make in order to efficiently run for a long period of time, the breathing method, he keeps taking in everything he can and making it his strength. Implementing new methods that are more efficient and figuring out new tricks. And eventually he''ll pass the pioneer. There''s no doubt he gave his best just like this in the knight group as well. I''m sure he''ll become a good lord. The squires are continuing their training as they curiously watch us run and try to use magic. My failure rate is about 50%. Hm, I''ve finally gotten a grasp on it. After returning from running it''s time for rubber production. I don''t do pretty much anything anymore. I leave for my own magic training pretty often. It''s just Diane and the rubber exclusive squire families and Farne as the supervisor role. Again I go out to the magic training area and increase the precision of my magic and practice attacking with magic. I make a dirt hill and practice shooting into it while running. It seems like rate of success might have gone up a bit. And it was when I was training. Farne came running. Is there an emergency!? It seems Farne is laughing. What in the world is it? "Hey, Al, take a look at this." The thing that Farne handed to me was... a light brown object. "This is.." It''s almost like a balloon. No, it''s not jelly beans and obviously not just a balloon. I see, finally... He''s finally done it. As expected, older brother. "It''s still a prototype but I''ve tried various combinations. I can''t waste the rubber so I''ve been doing it a bit at a time and it took a while. However, this is amazing. The thickness is half of what it was until now but while it''s not quite double the endurance it''s considerably higher. If the thickness is the same then it should be two to three times more durable." I see, certainly this is amazing. I''m sure this won''t tear easily. It''s quite good." Farne smiles a bit embarrassed while saying. "Ah, I changed things around a bit at a time for each prototype. I''ve perfectly kept records of the mixture ratio as well so it''s not a coincidence. Thanks, Al." Why am I being thanked? "I haven''t done anything worth being thank"No, let me say thanks. The one who thought of it first is you. I just got on that and improved it. If you hadn''t thought of it I probably would have spent my entire life satisfied with the bowels of a pig. And it''s not like we can kill pigs that often. This only uses a bit of rubber and I was able to make something good thanks to you." He''s going to make it my achievement huh. "And, how much are you going to sell this for?" "Eh?" "Ah, No, I mean the price you sell it to the company for." "Eh? I won''t sell it. I made it for myself after all.." Huh? "You won''t sell it.. That''s a waste. Won''t it sell well?" "Eh? Will it sell? It''s not completely just raw rubber but if it''s this thin then by the time we get it from the village to the company I think it will be hard?" Ah, he said he wouldn''t sell it because of that case. "No way, if you roll it up small like this and then put it into a small rubber bag which is properly closed with some lotion inside then I think it will last for a while?" "Oh! That''s right! But, putting them into a rubber bag one at a time takes too much labor. Ah, it would be fine if we made the rubber bag a bit larger and put about 10 in each wouldn''t it?" "That''s a good idea." I think it''s a good idea. If they''re sold in bulk then it can raise the amount of sales while holding the unit price back a bit. Above all if they buy them in groups of 10 then the client will use them 10 times. Since it''s a waste. Then I''m sure they''ll be possessed by this things appeal. "Oh, Alright, let''s go with that. I''m sure we''ll be able to gather rubber from field number 5 pretty soon. That''s right, we need to think of a name for this as well. Since this is a good chance Al, you name it." Even if I were to say condom that word doesn''t exist in Orth, how troublesome. "Hmm..I can''t think of a good name." "I see, I guess so. Ah, that''s right. Since you''re the first one to make them how about using your name "Alan"?" Please forgive me on that. I can''t help but think of it as a hindrance to making my own country. I should cut off future problems right away. "How about just simply "Scabbard"? Likening it to a sword." ""Scabbard", "Scabbard" huh? Alright, let''s go with that." It seems he liked it. "And, what kind of price will you sell it for?" "Let me think about it. Even if there''s 10 in a pack then it still won''t use much rubber. Though it takes a bit of work despite that and lotion is necessary as well. I guess around 10,000 zeni?" I''m sure that''s expensive. If you say 10,000 zeni then it''s about the same price as the suckling bottle. Going off intuition I''d say around 10,000 yen ($100). 1 silver coin. It''s about 1/50th the yearly income of a commoner farming family that doesn''t possess any serfs. Ah, no, wait a minute? "Hmn, how much are the bowels of pigs sold around Keel?" "Eh? Hmm. I think around 1,000 zeni? I think it''s around 10,000 zeni for one whole pig." It''s no wonder sausage isn''t in circulation. "In that case isn''t it a bit expensive? You can make quite a few from the bowels of a single pig right?" "Yeah, it''s expensive. However, if we make them cheap then tons of them will be used by normal slaves and in brothels I''m sure. Even if they don''t use much rubber if they were to be used in mass all at once then it''ll have an affect on production. Particularly because this takes some work in drying it, I don''t think we''ll be bale to control sales well." It''s true there''s that sort of problem. "Hmn, in that case then I don''t know what kind of price we should put on it. How about consulting with father about it?" "Eehh!!? You want me to talk to father about these?... Even if I were to say to actually try it out...Let me think about it for a bit.." It''s not surprising. "Please do so. If I were to bring it up, umm, it''d be a odd.." "Hm, if you were to be the one that talked about it, it''d be helpful to me but.. Since you''re already at a good age, have you already done it yet?" I was already married once so obviously I''ve done it before. Though it''s been quite a while since then. In the first place I''m almost 14 years old, it''s the age where some of the faster people are already getting married. "Do I look like I have any girls that I''m intimate with?" "It doesn''t look like it.. I''m sure you don''t have that kind of time and in the worst case if you were to have a child it would be a problem as well.. No, I didn''t mean to tease you. If you enter the knight group then the seniors will try to take you to those sorts of stores though... I was like that at the start as well." Farne gave it up to a pro huh? It doesn''t particularly matter though. Somehow I thought Shani was the first one. I guess there''s no way that''s the case? When I turned 12 years old I received sexual education. Even though I''m the second son of a countryside viscount since I''m still technically a noble in order to make sure I don''t have kids with some weird person. It''s still fine if it was someone within the village but I was told to be extra careful of the female adventurers who come along as guards with the caravans. If Farne had died before making an heir then either Mill or I would have had to succeed the Greed family and it''s not as if there aren''t women who aim for that sort of thing. That''s why there are a lot of nobles who behave strictly. In order to avoid trouble in the future. As far as I know Shani''s first time was with Farne. I heard her voice in pain shortly after she came to the village after all. She''s the eldest daughter of the direct line of Marquis Webdos. She was able to marry Farne because she had several male siblings though I''m sure her conduct was strict. "I understand. I''ll try giving it my best but it''s also a matter of timing.. If older brother has good timing then please talk to father about it before me." "Yeah, I guess so.." We exchange glances, let out a sigh, and head home. ............... After returning to the house Mill and the others had returned as well. It can''t be helped. "Older sister, do you have time right now? I''ll take your measurements." "..Will you make it properly?" Shut up. You''ll chip away at my motivation. I''ll properly make it for you before you return. Since the protectors are stuck on above the armor I take measurements above the armor. Around the time I was measuring her chest I laughed a bit in ridicule. Since I did it in the dining room while the squires were watching with great interest I wasn''t hit. I was glared at with eyes like she wanted to kill me but I already predicted that far. Tomorrow I should have finished making it and then I just need to make adjustments to the inside and it''s completed. When I was talking about the production schedule for the protectors the squires were surprised that I could do it that fast. Since the molds are already made it only really needs some slight adjustments should I make theirs together as well? Just in case I confirmed with Mill and she started saying how it would reduce the amount of rubber we have for making products and increase the amount of work I have to do. Then your protectors are the same, idiotic older sister. In the first place it''s not something for you to be worrying about. Putting the idiot aside, since they went through the trouble of coming to the village while protecting this thing, I asked Hegard about making theirs as well. The two of there were very grateful. Come to think of it we''ve only sold the protectors to the Doksch family that does the hunting. Excluding Farne and Mill these two will be the first ones outside of the village to use it. Hegard is shrewdly talking about the appeals of the protectors. When the Webdos knight group was sounding out if we would sell them we ended up refusing because we didn''t have enough rubber but I wonder what''s with the sudden change in direction? I thought that and asked later and he said he was waiting for a chance until now. It seems he''s planning to sell directly to the first knight group. And if we become the exclusive merchant for the first knight group then we can quickly add to the power of the brand name. We can raise the price up as we sell it as well. For the time being we still have to take measurements, coming here is a condition but if there''s an actual demand for them then it wouldn''t be too bad to go to the capital and take measurements all at once. Making it into a brand huh? It''s a good idea. Isn''t father more suited to be a merchant? In the first place armor is extremely expensive. Leather armor costs about 50 silver coins. Chain mail made from metal costs around 10 gold coins and if it comes down to splint mail or scale mail which is made from thin metal plates layered together then it gets even higher up to 20 gold coins. A full suit of plate armor will cost you at least 4-50 gold coins. Since you can''t even take the look of a knight without at least having chain mail it only makes sense that it costs a lot of money. Putting aside Farne that''s already retired from the knight group I wonder if Mill properly looks the part without metal armor just using rubber protectors? I''ve suddenly started worrying about it. I nervously tried asking the squires about it and as a matter of fact everyone wants it. It seems that there''s a charm to it that it''s light, easy to take off, and still has close to the amount of defense that metal armor does. However, even if they ask Mill then she just responds, "we aren''t selling it", so they had given up on it. Obviously since armor is seen as something that''s considerably expensive even if we were selling it they wouldn''t be able to buy it but since Mill from the countryside was using it they only saw it as the same price as splint mail it seems. I thought it was only about 3 gold coins at best but armor is insanely expensive. Certainly I''ve never seen the adventurers that come as guards of the caravans wear anything but leather armor. It only makes sense that they''d be that grateful. Since we''re giving you a free sample make sure to give it your best with advertising it. The next day I made the chest portion of Mill''s protectors slightly larger. Shed tears for my kindness. Of course, there''s no way she''d be grateful, she just looked at the protector with a complicated expression. Volume 1 - CH 53 Year 7442, Month 1, Day 18 After eating breakfast Mill and the two squires have to return to the capital with enough time to make it for the end of the break so they start preparing to leave. The two squires put away the armor they were wearing when they arrived into a large saddlebag and equipped the rubber protectors above their armor the same as Mill. I''m sure they can''t get that much speed with a full adult and a bag that big but I''m sure since it''s a large war horse it''ll be fine. Mill tied the rolled up water bed to the rear of her saddle. Three knights with pitch black protectors certainly does give off a fearless impression. Before Mill finally gets on her horse she looks at the faces of all of the family and hugs Zett and Becky. And then quickly gets on the horse and gives a signal to the squires to depart while trotting off. There was a contrast between the squires who were waving with a smile and Mill who was making a stiff expression. Three knights cross through Bakkudo village going south on three war horses. Even though it''s mid-winter the sight of three figured in black armor on horses in the middle of a pastoral scenery of fields reminds me that this is Orth. That dignified appearance in the lead is my older sister, I can''t believe it. ........... Year 7442, Month 1, Day 25 Just a few days ago, my level went up one again and became 10. In another 20 days I''ll turn 14 years old. Accompanying the increase in age I should become even stronger. And more than that the fact that I''ve become able to use magic while running and fighting should have raised my fighting power even more. Now I''m putting more time towards trying to use magic while doing other actions. It was only a training period of around 10 days but once you awaken to it the more you keep practicing the success rate clearly increases. Thinking this might be some kind of special ability I tried identifying myself but there was nothing particularly different. I''m sure it''s not like there''s no people who use the bow while riding a horse and I guess it''s something like being able to juggle while riding a unicycle. Even though that''s the case it took me four years of training to do so it should be a considerably difficult technique. In the first place, you can cut the amount of time required to concentrate for magic, no, sorcery in half just by practicing activating it 10 times or so. As long as you can get a knack for it then the amount of time it takes to improve from there being short makes sense. And I''m sure that completing this "using magic while doing something" technique is something about only I would do. I doubt anyone has enough MP to use even just the simplest magic while running around for several hours a day. If you fail at activating the magic experience you earn is zero so it''s almost as if I''ve wasted 100,000s of MP for the sake of training. I''m sure this technique will be a huge weapon for me. ............ Year 7442, Month 2, Day 14 I turned 14 years old. If you mention 14 years old in Orth then it''s the same kind of treatment right around the time someone graduates from high school in my past life. In a village like Bakkudo before it introduced livestock for use in farming it''s an age where you''d be left a full field. Since we''ve started to switch to livestock farming it''s become a bit more systematic so I haven''t seen a single person taking care of an entire field them self but you can basically say they''re all grown up. In front of my parents when I used magic while running, swinging the sword, and doing practice matches with Farne they both opened their eyes wide in surprise. I tell them I''ve already explained to both Mill and Farne the training method (just keep running while using magic), and putting aside Mill when I told them that Farne had already started they comprehended it. They''re probably remembering how I''ve been running through the village around noon these past few years. It seems they just thought I was running to train my body. It''s not particularly a mistake and in the first place the method to use magic was just additionally so you could say they were correct. During dinner that night Hegard asked me with a strangely formal mood. "Al, what do you plan to do in the future? What do you want to do?" What is it? Suddenly? "Eh? In the...future?.. there''s something I want to do become." Wait, it''s embarrassing having everyone focus on me. "Hm? What is it? Are you going to become a knight? If it''s you then I''m sure you could enter the first knight group through Mill and even if they turn you down on the entrance exam I''m sure we could push you into the Webdos knight group...or do you plan to start a business? Right now we have a bit of savings so we can support you on that I''m sure." And then Sharl added to that. "That''s right, it feels like a bit of a waste for you to become a squire just like that. Even if you become a merchant I''m sure you''d succeed and even as a knight I''m sure you''d get a pretty good place but it''s a bit lonely that all three of our children become knights." I don''t know if it''s because she''s my mother or because she''s lonely Mill left but Sharl doesn''t want me to go far away it seems. "Wait just a minute, father, mother. Isn''t Al saying there''s something he wants to be? It''s not good to keep continuing the conversation without listening to what Al says. Al, honestly speaking, it''s thanks to you that Bakkudo was able to become wealthy. Just like father just said we have a decent amount of savings as well. Since rubber was originally something that you found in the first place." It seems Farne is throwing me some help. Just like that Farne continues. "That''s why normally you''d become a squire of the household but there''s a lot of options. Whether it be a knight or a merchant they require a reasonable amount of funds. I don''t particularly mean it in a way to offend father and mother but if it hadn''t been for rubber Bakkudo would probably still be the same as it was when we were kids now. And when I entered the Webdos knight group putting aside a sword, armor would have been a huge expense and I think that would have been a huge burden for the house. Right, Shani, don''t you think so?" Shani was a bit surprised suddenly having the conversation turned to her but she quickly replied. "I guess so.. Putting aside splint mail when you enter the Webdos knight group it''s normal to have at least scale mail or chain mail." "That''s right. Without rubber we wouldn''t have had the income from rubber and we would have just had expenses like that. Since rubber is durable it was excellent for armor so we didn''t just not need to take on such expenses but we were able to gain a large income through rubber products. It''s easy to forget but it''s directly protecting the squires who dispatch during times of war as well. No matter what anyone says the one who found the rubber that made Bakkudo village what it is now was you. That''s why you don''t need to worry about anything and just do what you want to do. If you want to try cultivating a new village somewhere then I''ll offer as much support for that as you need." After hearing Farne''s words Shani says. "Aren''t you saying your thinking as well? You can''t say anything to father-in-law or mother-in-law right?" "N..No, I just wanted to say that he could choose that sort of path as well.." "It''s already fine. Al, sorry about that. What do you want to do?" Hegard took over a conversation that was about to become barren and asked me. "..I..I want to leave the country and see things. See a variety of places, listen to things, see what kind of countries there are... And.." All attention gathers on me again as I start talking. "And someday..I...No, I...even if it''s small. I want my own country." After slightly opening her eyes Sharl looked at me with a slight smile. Shani looks at me with an unexpected face. Farne makes a serious face after making a slightly lonely expression. Zett is zealously trying to scoop up his oatmeal with a spoon. Becky is reaching over and taking the fried meat from Zett''s place and putting it into her mouth. And Hegard says after properly listening to my words. "I had a feeling it would come to this one day..I thought you would say something similar one day and leave the house. It''s fine if you leave the house, you''re the second son after all. But, are you serious about the words you said just now?" "Yeah, of course I''m serious, father. I, for my own sake, want my own country. Even this Rombert was just made 500 years ago by his majesty George Rombert the first. In that case I''ll aim to become Alan Greed the first. I don''t know when or where it''ll be but I''m going to make my own country." I firmly look at father''s eyes while responding. "I see.. You decided for yourself. Even if it''s a seemingly impossible dream I won''t say anything. And, when do you plan to leave? I''m sure you''ve already thought of a time right?" "Yeah, about that but I was thinking in the spring. The weather is good especially since I want to wander around and see things for the time being. And before I leave I need to make sure that everything is taken care of in regards to rubber production and some other stuff I need to take care of as well." My way of speaking has gotten a bit strange but at first it''s something like this. "I see. Understood. Around the spring huh, that''s fine. Alan, I give you permission to leave the house. Until then make sure you finish up all the things you need to finish. Alright, everyone, that''s the end of this conversation." Hegard didn''t sympathize with my dream but he understood and gave me permission. That''s plenty. ............ Year 7442, Month 2, Day 30 Since the instruction of rubber production doesn''t need me at all already it''s basically the same as nothing. The things that I have to take care of are making some things you could call prototypes for the improvement of infrastructure and one more, this time kill that Horned Bear one versus one. Right now I''ve come to the watering place that beasts and monsters in the northern mountain area use. It''s the fourth day since I started camping here. I setup a camp a bit of distance from the watering place, placed up a hammock, then 1 m or so above the hammock I tie a rubber cloth using rope and fix it in place. By doing this I can make a makeshift tent. My food and belongings are all in the same type of bag made from rubber and hanging from the hammock so they shouldn''t get wet. During the day I distance myself from the tent and observe the water place, then I only return to the tent at night to rest but it''s a considerably exhausting lifestyle. Since I never know when it will appear I''m restraining from using random magic to train so I have mana when needed and it''s only obvious I can''t do sword training or running. In order to erase the smell I rubbed as much mud as possible all over my body and the time I''ve spent observing the watering place considerably painful. Once again today I''m rubbing cold mud all over my body and just as I was thinking, now then, time to start a boring job, the Horned Bear appeared. It''s finally come huh? When I identify it from a distance after all it''s that Horned Bear. It''s sluggishly heading towards the watering place. I''m not the only one always, always being surprise attacked. This time I''ll take the first move. If possible I''d like to finish things with a single hit so I''ll use "Ice Javelin Missile" here, the sorcery that killed your father. I calmly knead mana in and make a spear that''s like a telephone pole, in order to accelerate it I quickly move it behind me. A bit more, just a bit more and it''ll enter range where I can guide it. Just 50 m, 40 m... I glare at the Horned Bear that''s coming from the left on the other side of the watering place while looking for the timing. The moment it enters the range I''ll fire it. If it''s that distance then it should be plenty to kill it in a single hit. If it''s the power of a telephone pole like this then it might pierce through. I lick my lips while smiling feeling like a death god. Ah, I licked some of the mud I put on my lips. Ugh, it''s dirty. After getting to about 10 m from entering my 200 m range it turned around. If I fire it now then I''m sure it can make the remaining 10 m with inertia. It''s a good condition to accelerate when it''s not looking in this direction as well. Alright, here I go. Begin acceleration. I maintain the ice 200 m behind me and start pouring mana into the telephone pole in order to guide it. Simultaneously I start accelerating it. It should probably arrive there in about 3 seconds. Covering the 400 m distance centered on me in 3 seconds. It''s final speed should be about 500-600 Km I think? I make small adjustments to avoid trees that are in the way while accelerating the "Ice Javelin Missile". It has this much weight and the end is sharp. I''ll make sure it pierces through!! I fire off the crystallization of my mana and maximum concentration at the opponent that''s put me in hot water countless times until now. The telephone pole flies out of my guidance range and right as it was about to look away from the water place it skewers it through the tip of its shoulder. While it didn''t completely pierce through the end of the telephone pole is inside of it. Even though it was just a bit more to making it all the way through. Well it''s fine, I stand up to examine my prey and slowly walk towards it. When I identify it the condition has gone past death to Horned Bear''s Corpse. It seems it went past instant death. I hit with a telephone pole with enough momentum to penetrate that large body. No matter how much it''s endurance value is I''m sure the HP went straight to the minus values so it''s only obvious. Hahahahaa. I did it. I finally did it. I take the strap of the bayonet I was carrying on my shoulder off and triumphantly swing it around while walking towards it to the point where I feel like humming. For the time being if I take the guts of it out and cut off a bit of that stomach meat there will be some delicious bear meat tonight. I''m sure Zett and Becky will be delighted. Ah, I also need to collect the magic stone. For the past few days I''ve just been chewing on bacon with lots of salt and pepper so I''m excited about finally being able to eat to my heart''s content of juicy meat. I''m looking forward to it. Ah, that''s right, it''s better to use my knife for disassembling it not my bayonet. No wait, since it''s a bear that big it''ll be difficult to cut without starting with a sword. Ah, if I give up on the rubber bag I left at my hammock I can probably bring back even more meat. It should be fine if I come back for the hammock later. It''s still early morning after all, there''s plenty of time to make a round trip today. I can bring someone else next time as well. Once I got to about 50 m from the Horned Bear''s corpse I noticed something was by its side. I get surprised and stand on guard with my sword. Since it''s the same color of fur I didn''t notice it. Also, it was hidden by the identify window that I had left out. It''s a cub. A cub that''s not even 1 m is cuddling close to the Horned Bear. I guess it''s this guys child. The cub sticks to the mother bear as if I''m not even worth looking at. I can''t even tell if it''s already stopped suckling yet but kyrrr it cries out. Ah, you turned around because this was here huh? Since this one was around you hadn''t appeared in a while? In any case, if there''s a cub then there should be a father bear as well. In the past I killed them in a pair. I eliminate the identify window and lower my posture while scanning the area. After observing for a bit I didn''t see any large animals in particular. Though I find it surprising that the father isn''t nearby but there''s no way I could figure out the reason just by thinking about it. I return my sight and the cub is still by the mother bears corpse. Even though it doesn''t seem to realize it''s mother is dead it''s still crying out kyrru, kyrruu. At first sight it might seem pitiful and at the same time cute but this is a Horned Bear. Even identify is showing it as a Horned Bear. Even if I let it go I feel like it might just die but it doesn''t change the fact that it''s a monster. No, it might just be a beast but a normal beast wouldn''t have a special skill like Roar. I carefully approached within 10 m from it but the cub still isn''t paying any attention here. While facing a small butt about the same size as me it seems to be trying to say something to the mother bear who isn''t reacting. I just killed your mother. It''s pitiful but it can''t be helped. Depending on the circumstances I could have ended up like this several years ago. And I have no intention of letting you go because of pity. I can''t let you who might attack Zett or Becky when you grow up go free. With my sword hanging from my right hand I face my left hand at the cub. And I shoot electricity from my hand as it shines blue. After crying out with a Gyan, the cub collapses. After identifying it again and confirming it''s dead I approach the cub and start disassembling it. And the mother, I disassemble it as well. I take out the guts, cut the stomach meat off and put that into a rubber bag. And I look for the magic stone from around the meat where the telephone pole pierced through. The cub''s magic stone was still black-ish. Without combining the two magic stones I gently put them in my pocket. Volume 1 - CH 54 Year 7442 Month 2 Day 30 I returned to the village once and after gathering together a few people returned to the watering place to recover the corpses of the Horned Bears. Of course, I also retrieved my tools I left in the camp which was my original goal. The meat of the Horned Bear is clearly divided into edible portions that are extremely tasty and portions that aren''t so good, if it has a lot of muscle then it''s not very delicious. Since the meat on the stomach has a lot of fat and not much muscle that seems to be why it''s so delicious. However, it''s not like other parts of it can''t be eaten so I retrieved anything that could be eaten. Especially the cub, even the muscle parts are considerably soft and the majority of its body is fat so it''s particularly delicious. Unlike last time, the fact that there was a cub was the reason people came to retrieve it this time. I was worried that it would be eaten by other animals and monsters but I wonder if it was just a coincidence, it seems that the large carnivorous animals didn''t see it. There''s only a few large carnivorous animals including those that are nocturnal around this area other than the Horned Bear, so I thought Goblins or Kobolds would eat the Horned Bears corpse but it seems they didn''t find it. According to the squires if it was a watering place that a Horned Bear used then unlike other animals Goblins and Kobolds have some intelligence so they would avoid it. When Farne and the squires saw the corpse of the Horned Bear they were horrified over how gruesomely it was destroyed but quietly disassembled it and we all carried it back. The meat of both the mother and child bears were very popular in my family. Above all else my nephew and niece were smiling with their faces covered in meat sauce. Seeing that scene I was finally able to relax my shoulders that I had completed everything I needed to do. ............ Year 7442, Month 3, Day 1 The next day I was repairing the house. In the end I wanted to make the house as easy to live in as possible. Since I lived here for 14 years I''m considerably attached and I figured I would go around fixing the places I used to think were inconvenient. Since I''m leaving here next month, I''ll do everything I can for now, I use earth magic to make stones and reinforce the fence, I add another dirt hill with rocks to the joint baths near the house, on top of that I add a rubber sealed bath as a storage tank and connect it to the house using a rubber hose making a simple water supply. One of the rubber hoses I pull outside and connect it to the shower head I made with rubber, then even if you don''t use magic you can take a shower. Since Farne can''t use fire magic he can only make the water but if it''s an amount the size of the water tank then Sharl can easily heat it up with her level 5 fire magic so I don''t think it will be a problem. It would have been fine if I made a bath as well but there''s always the joint baths for a bath, so I didn''t think there was any necessity to make it in the house. At the same time as I was doing those things I also gave Farne all of the iron, nickel, chrome and metals I had saved up (the majority of it was iron in total more than 4kg but as long as you can use fire magic you could make an alloy with it and I thought it might come in handy for making some kind of armor), the bayonet I used to use in the past I gave to Myun''s son Ailad. Since he''s the same Al as me, when I told Myun that I want him to practice and use it she laughed and said to leave it to her. What am leaving to her? Just like this the final time I spend in this house slowly passes. ............ Year 7442, Month 4, Day 5 I decided to depart along with the delivery of rubber to the Marquis Webdos knight group. The usual caravan lead by Hegard to deliver rubber products is a large group this time. Including the usual Hegard, there''s one person from the rubber exclusive squire family, either Farne or Shani, after that is two squires as guards and two squires to drive the carriage for a total of 7 people but since it seems that both older brother and Shani will come long this time, including me it''s a group of 10. There''s roughly 220 km to Keel, it''s a trip that takes 7 days and 6 nights. I wear the new knit boots I made myself, equip the newest type of rubber protectors, lift up Zett and Becky and rub cheeks with them, put the strap of my bayonet on my shoulder, and start walking besides the carriage. I''m sure the next time I return to this village it will be at least 2 or 3 years later. Of course, that''s in order to remake my rubber protectors to fit my body as it probably won''t fit anymore by then. I''m sure Zett and Becky will have started their magic training by then and there''s a chance there will be more rubber products as well. I wonder if the village will have grown even more? And Farne might have even inherited the rank of Viscount from Hegard by then. Although, I can''t ignore the possibility that he could suddenly die while I''m looking around but it''s not something to think about for now. All the people in the village came to see me off. Just like Mill in the past. Among them was Myun holding Ailad. After seeing them I remembered last night when I stopped by the Tobas family to greet them. Thinking I had to tell Myun after I resolved myself I said to Myun, "When I get to Keel I''ll find this Beguru guy and without fail cut off any future worries. Definitely. Therefore Myun rest east" after saying that Myun gently hugged me and said, "Al-sama, I''m very happy now. Thank you very much." I hit my chest and said just treat it like you''re on a large ship but since there''s no saying like that in Orth she didn''t get it. However, Myun gave me the Sagal bracelet saying "it might come in handy for something". Since no one can use it other than Myun I tried to turn it down but Myun wouldn''t let me. She said "if you sell it I''m sure you can get something for it". However, this is something Myun has held onto since the past and a magic tool that was made for her sake. Since it''s useless even I hold on to it and furthermore I don''t know what she thinks about it but it''s the only thing Myun''s parents left to her. No, I haven''t heard from Myun if she resents her parents though so I don''t know. Even though I''m grateful for the effort but I tell Myun I can''t take it so instead she gave me a magic stone. It was about 3 cm and had become considerably white-ish. I''m sure it''s from all the times she went hunting at night since the past. The value had exceeded 100,000. It has the same amount of worth as a gold coin. Since Myun didn''t seem to hunt any large prey I''m sure it must have taken all the time since she came to Bakkudo to save up this much. It should have taken about 15 years. Then in exchange I say and I gave Myun the magic stone from the Horned Bear I defeated a bit before. This one is about 5 cm and grey so it''s value is about the same as the one Myun gave me. This should be fine right, Myun. Since I''ve already received various things from Myun. My heart can''t endure taking on anymore debts than this. I remember about things yesterday while staring at Myun and she overlapped her hand with Ailad and waved at me. ........... Year 7442, Month 4, Day 12 Just as planned we arrived at the capital of the Marquis territory, Keel. It''s my first time seeing a village or town other than Bakkudo since I reincarnated in this world so I''ve been looking around restlessly since was passed through the towns of Doritt and Balgo. However, while those towns were just like a slightly larger re-made version of Bakkudo, this Keel is larger enough that you could actually call it a town. A lot of the buildings are made of stone and the mortar that they used seems to be considerably high-quality. There''s few parts of the town that seem to have grown unplanned but there are a considerable number of buildings that seem like they''ve been there a long time so you can tell the town has been developed based on a plan since a while back. It seems that the volume of water flowing through the middle of the town is abundant as well which gives off an energetic feel. I look at the town while walking down the street and we went to a station for the knight group that''s on the edge of the central street. It''s a proper building surrounded by stone walls. I don''t know if we''re already able to pass just by looking but we enter the gate without being questioned and various squires and servants that were wandering around gather. Several knights and squires that pass by greet Hegard, Farne, and Shani. And I guess the person who takes care of finances was contacted because they came along and started to inspect the delivery goods. The inspection smoothly continues as he roughly counts the number of items and should end soon. Since it''s already close to the evening today they''ll take tonight until tomorrow around noon to finish inspecting so we should receive the money tomorrow evening. In other words they''ll spend the night in Keel today and tomorrow. We split up from Farne and Shani for a bit here. It seems they''re spending the night at Shani''s father the leader of the knight group Sendhel''s house tonight. It seems that Hegard and the remaining members have a regular inn they always stay at so they''ll stay there tonight as well. After going to an inn called Bins Manor the person who seems to be either the clerk or the master bows his head politely to Hegard. Tonight I''ll eat dinner together with Hegard and the others and stay at this inn. I''ll be separating from everyone from the village today and tomorrow so I was offered alcohol for the first time. We do a toast with lukewarm beer (probably ale), and lick our lips at the slightly high-quality cooking. Though it was lukewarm the first alcohol I''ve had in a while was good. I thought of lowering the temperature to be just right with fire magic but Hegard isn''t very strong with alcohol so I thought it would be bad if he drank too much from it being too delicious and stopped. The next day my parents show me around the main places in Keel starting in the morning and in the evening we returned to the inn. The knight group''s financial manager was waiting at the inn and carries out the payment for the goods delivered this time. I go to the room to put away some of the presents that my parents bought along the way and think about the final moments that pass by indifferently. After spacing out for a bit I return to the lobby of the inn it was where the financial manager had just finished the payment and some idle talk and was being seen off by Hegard and Sharl. There with perfect timing Farne and Shani returned. After confirmed that the entire family had gathered Hegard has us all assemble in the room. Since they''re planning to depart for Bakkudo tomorrow morning I''m sure he wants to have a final conversation. After the family gathers in the room, Hegard starts talking to me. "Al, I have something to give you. Money for the time being." Hegard says that and gives me 20 gold coins. It''s a great amount of money. Now I understand the value well. "Th..This much...Is it really okay?" I feel a bit dizzy over how much money it is. It''s true I''ve earned quite a bit of money I''m sure. I think that the amount would be more than 10x this amount of money. However, 20 gold coins has the same value as roughly 20,000,000 yen. It''s an amount where if I were to go to the countryside of a developing territory like Marquis Webdos territory then I could live alone for more than 10 years as long as I don''t spend too extravagantly. Obviously, after having properly paid taxes. No matter how you look at it''s not an amount of money you should suddenly give to a 14 year old youngster. "Also, because I''m sure it''s inconvenient with just gold coins. I''ll give you some silver coins, silver Shu*, and copper coins as well." In addition he gave me 30 silver coins, 2 silver Shu*, and 30 copper coins. In total it''s an amount that is just below 1 gold coin worth but still a considerable amount. "Listen well, only put all of the copper coins and 2-3 silver coins into your wallet. Hide the rest of the money in a place that definitely won''t be stolen. After that I''ll give you this." After being told about the counter-measures to pick-pocketing or robbery I was handed a wooden tag. It''s a number plate for picking up a horse or carriage at the inn you''re staying. In exchange for this tag you can use the carriage and horse you''ve left with them for a loan of money. Since this Bins Manor is a reasonably high grade inn after all. However, what in the world is this... "I prepared a horse for you as well. The harness and everything is already ready. When you''re ready to depart give that tag to someone in the inn. I''ve paid in advance for this inn for the next 10 days. I''ve already requested for it to be taken care of and given fodder during that time." When I''m wondering what in the world and dumb-founded with my mouth wide open he says he''s prepared this outrageous fortune. Farne says to me as I can''t comprehend what''s going on. "The horse is the one I used when I was a knight in the knight group. It''s disposition is good and it listens to what you say well. I think it''s about 7 years old now, and it''s intelligent so I think it''s perfect for you." Eh? The horse is something older brother bought and gave to me? "U...Um.. Thanks...Thank you very much. I''ll treat it well." I finally was able to say thanks. "Next is me. Al, take this with you. It should work no matter where you go inside of the Kingdom of Rombert. This is proof you have the backing of the Marquis Webdos. If anything troubling happens show it to a knight or official. Even if it''s a small village if you show it to the lord they should understand." After saying that Shani gives me a copper sheet about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. There''s some kind of detailed emblem carved into the copper sheet and on the back there''s a signature carved in with today''s date. Isn''t this something important? "Umm, sister-in-law Shani. Is it okay? Giving me something like this..?" "It''s fine. Take it with you. However, that''s something that proves your social status so don''t show it off to strangers carelessly. It''ll be a problem if you were to lose it by some chance and it were abused." Shani smiles while saying. "Sister-in-law, thank you very much. I definitely won''t carelessly show it to anyone." "Then, Al. Last is me. Take this with you. If it''s a large town which has a store that deals in magic tool then they''ll definitely buy it. If you''re troubled with money sell it." Sharl says that and puts a bag into my hand. Isn''t this the bag that we stored magic stones in! I can tell there''s a considerable number of magic stones in it from the weight. They''re probably not all combined into one in case some small change is needed on a trip or for retail. "Ah...Mother, thank you very much. Mother, father, I definitely won''t waste this." I couldn''t raise my head. I''m too grateful that tears are overflowing. "Al, we don''t think you would do something like wasting it. It''s fine as long as you use as much as needed in a time when you need it. And then, it might be good for you to stay in Keel for a little while. At the very least you should stay for the 10 days that I''ve paid for the inn and it would be good to get used to the atmosphere of a town. It''s fine to leave your belongings in the room of this inn. It can be trusted after all. Now then, let''s have our final meal. Farne, you''ve made reservations at Dakkulton''s restaurant for tonight right? Let''s go and eat until we''re full right away." Hegard says that while standing up. That night we ate a lot, drank a lot, and enjoyed ourselves. It grows later into the night as my older brother and Shani tell me about the common sense of the city and explain customs I haven''t experienced that I''ve heard countless times in the village. The next day, the sun rises, after a short while everyone starts on the road home. I''ve finally started to live my independent life. Volume 1 - CH 55 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 14 Everyone started on the trip home this morning. I''m already alone. For the time being I''ll hang my sword on my waist and try wandering around Keel for today. Since it''s my first time entering the city I''m restlessly looking around showing how far off in the countryside I came from but that can''t be helped right? In any case, he said that the inn was already paid for 10 days worth, I''ll take my take to look around here and there. I aimlessly look around the main street. It seems like there''s quite a few street stalls. I tried doing some window shopping but it seems they''re mainly selling daily necessities so there wasn''t anything particularly interesting. Ah, that''s right. Since I''m in the city I want to try taking a look at a blacksmith. I wonder if weapons and stuff are left laying around? Or is there something like a weapon shop? Also, if there''s something like a magic tool shop I want to try going there. Come to think of it older brother said that if I''m going to do some shopping that the knight group would introduce me to some places. If I use the name Greed and then show them my Status then he said they would introduce me to shops that can be trusted wasn''t it? It''s too troublesome to go to the knight group''s guardroom or station or whatever right now. Yeah, then I''ll take care of stuff like that tomorrow. I want to slowly enjoy the aroma of the city for at least today. Even if you say Keel is the city after window shopping at various stalls down the main street it didn''t even take 30 minutes. I guess that''s only obvious. It''s not like there''s a town like that even in Japan. After taking a different path and returning back to near the inn I think it was still around 7 in the morning. Somehow...I imagined it as being more... lots of people wandering around and stalls lined up along the streets with almost no space in between. I guess there''s no way that would be the case. I have way too much time to waste, guess I''ll show my face in the knight group and have them introduce me to some shops. If there''s any jobs suited for adventurers it might be good to see about having them introduce me to those at the same time. I return to Bins Manor once and replenish my wallet with 2 gold coins before heading to the knight group. After arriving at the knight group''s station this time I was challenged by the soldier that seems to be the guard. I guess the free-pass was because I was with father, I guess it''s only obvious they wouldn''t remember me after only coming once. I politely give my name, tell them that I''m here to confirm if there''s any jobs suitable for a new adventurer and since I don''t know the name I say I want to greet the Sendhel the Webdos knight group leader and just in case they confirmed my identity with Status Open. I''m sure they can''t let anyone who they don''t know the identity of on to the property, so there''s not much choice other than quietly obey. I don''t know if it''s because of the influence of rubber or my older brother but someone came to call me after about 10 minutes. I was lead by the squire that came to call me into the knight group building. It''s the same splendid stone construction as the Bins Mansion that I''ve been staying at for the past few days. I was brought into a reception room near the entrance and told to wait for a bit so I just quietly wait for a bit. The room is about 8 tatami wide and there''s a table and four chairs in the middle. I can''t help but to show off my Salary-man nature so instead of touching the chairs I spend a short while staring at the flag of the Webdos Knight Group on the wall. After a few minutes knight group leader Sendhel appeared in the room accompanied by a few squires. The female squires seem to have brought tea, after placing it on the table they stepped back. "It''s been a while, Lord Webdos, thank you very much for meeting with me today even though it was so sudden." "Yeah, since Shani''s wedding. Well, take a seat. I''ve heard about you since the other day. They say you''re going to become an adventurer? It can''t be helped since you''re the second son. Give it your best." I sit down at the table facing knight group leader Sendhel. "Yes, and, today along with greetings I came to ask a bit of a favor. You might have already heard but I''m a countryside person who hasn''t left Bakkudo village since the time I was born. So, knowing it''s impolite I decided to endure the embarrassment of asking if you could introduce me to a blacksmith that can be trusted?" "Yeah, about introducing you to a shop right, I''ve heard. If you have time for today then I''ll have one of the squires show you around but is it convenient?" "Eh...That certainly would be of great assistance but is it okay?" I''m sure the squires have jobs and training to do. I don''t want to be a hindrance to that. "Yeah, I don''t know mind. Since you''re the brother-in-law of Shani after all. You''re almost like a son to me. And as the leader I''m allowed to mix work and private this much." Is it that sort of thing? I guess it''s true that it wouldn''t make a huge difference for a new squire that''s not used to things yet. After that we had a conversation about current affairs and the leader told me about some current adventurers he knows as the conversation just kept going but it seems that we''re almost time. "Then, I have some matters that I have to take care of so I''ll take my leave here. Ah, the jobs suited for adventurers are posted at the reception desk near the gate so it would be good if you try asking there. They aren''t very often but I think there''s about one monster subjugation job per month. I''ll send a squire to accompany you right away so wait in this room until then. Then, give it your best and stay healthy." Knight group leader says that while shaking my hand as I thank him and leaves the room. There''s a monster subjugation job once a month huh? In Bakkudo village father would make groups to patrol around defeating monsters every 10 days or so, so there was no need to request subjugation jobs but I heard that was just because father and mother were ex-adventurers and used to fighting monsters. If I remember correctly sister-in-law was surprised as well that there was almost not damage from monsters even though Bakkudo is such a remote region. I''ve heard that other villages spend a considerably amount of money on defeating monsters as well. I don''t know how much the compensation is but there''s over 30 villages and towns in Marquis Webdos territory so I''m sure there''s a decent number of villages and towns that can''t defeat monsters on their own or even if they could don''t want to risk taking any damage to the villagers. I wait for a few minutes while thinking about things like that and a young female squire about the same age as me enters the room. Since she''s about the same age as me I''m sure shes a new squire or a position close to that. It was a bit of a disappointment that it was a young female squire but after introducing ourselves and leading the property of the knight group, I decided to have her show me to a food shop that deals in preserved food. It''s a store I''ll definitely be in the care of when I go to leave Keel after all. After that I had her bring me to a blacksmith. The blacksmith wasn''t in the middle of the town but near the edge a bit of a distance away. I guess they''re at the edge away from the center of the town because they''re always using fire. I thought that if it was a blacksmith then they would be "come from any type of metal product" but just as expected from a store introduced by the knight group it felt like there was a wide variety of weapons and armor. There was about 10 swords in stock and there was even armor made of metal. Hohou, so this is the so called split mail. It''s my first time seeing it. I tried talking to the blacksmith a bit but this shop didn''t have the thing I was looking for and I found out that they don''t seem to be able to make it as well so it was a bit disappointing. It''s not like I particularly wanted armor at this point. If anything the things I wanted are more related to daily life. For example thin wire or small springs. Even if I were to try and make something like that in Bakkudo I didn''t have the tools and even if I put some effort into making them it takes a tremendous amount of work so I gave up on mass production. I was able to guess that I''d have to start making the tools from the jig but I thought if there was a jig in this shop then I could use it as an example. However, I found out that these sorts of blacksmiths that produce metal products get small metal parts made by the gold smiths rather than making it themselves. I see, gold smiths huh. Only a bit but I had known there were craftsman that manufacture gold and silver into accessories but since I''ve never left Bakkudo and it seems that because I was focused on mass production I was limiting my outlook. After politely saying thanks to the craftsman I had her show me to the goldsmith this time. The goldsmith''s store is located on the main street and it was a place I had glanced at earlier and passed by thinking, "I have no interest in accessories." After entering the store I thought there would be a lot of accessories but the store itself was more like a workshop and there was only a countable number of sample products in the corner. Since I didn''t come for accessories they don''t matter though I felt like if they had more stuff I''d be able to tell what kind of things they can make, and I''m getting myself disappointed with them already. The owner of the store is a middle-aged male dwarf just like the blacksmith from before and at first he was making a moody expression but after realizing that we''re potential customers he softened his expression and went into business mode. I couldn''t help but make an awkward smile at how quickly he changed his expression but I politely ask if he can make wire or springs. I wonder if he can understand my explanation? For example even if I say spring, there''s also the type of board spring that is used for crossbows so while he might know but if you don''t have the knowledge of coil springs then trying to explain it could be difficult. Just as expected it seems he didn''t know about coil springs so I ended up having to explain compression springs to him where the coils are spread apart at a fixed distance and pulling springs where the coils are completely making contact. However, the response I received was that as long as it''s making it using an iron wire when manufacturing it then it should be possible but trying to make it into a coil would be difficult it seems. The reason is because it''s too difficult to try and bend it while heating it. It''s only obvious but putting aside metals made through magic, normal iron purified from iron ores eats up a lot of MP when heating it. I was thinking that even without magic he would stick a wire into a furnace and after it was heated wrap it around some kind of circular material but it seems that only the blacksmith has a furnace that can produce such high heats. Since their primary products are accessories made from gold and silver it''s fine as long as they can reach temperatures high enough to melt gold and silver and don''t need a furnace that burns that hot. In Keel the blacksmith and goldsmith are separate stores but if you go to the capital then it seems there are blacksmiths where they are integrated into one as well. I guess I should consider it good just that I know that the craftsman could possibly be able to make it. When it comes to coil springs then if you use a large one then it can be used for suspension on a carriage and the smaller they become the applications they can be used increase quite a bit even to things like scales. If I could make something even smaller and more durable then...Yeah, it''s fine for now. I want to try confirming about Osmunda Japonica* as well but since I would have to try explaining starting from the appearance of it I gave up quickly. I politely say thanks to the craftsman and buy a small polished brooch from 5 silver coins. Since it seems this store is fine and I needed to get change from one of my gold coins so I paid with that. It was a slightly expensive purchase but I intend to give this as thanks to the squire for accompanying me later. After that we ate lunch at a restaurant the squire suggested where the meals are cheap and pack a lot of food on to the plate then I had her take me to a store where I can buy underwear and clothes. Since I have several pairs of clothes I''m not troubled for them right now but I wanted some underwear and socks. Particularly, I haven''t really experienced wearing shoes all that often until now so I didn''t have any socks. Though I''m wearing my knit boots, my feet are bare on the soles and I desperately want some socks. The store I was brought to had a decent stock of socks, it seems that there''s a considerable demand for socks for the boots they wear in the knight group as well. It''s probably the merchant that they use. I immediately purchased 6 pairs, one weeks worth of socks, it was a bit embarrassing but I put them on right away. It seems that the squire noticed my boots for the first time then and was curiously looking at them. I''m sure that boots that completely use strings that aren''t just decorations don''t exist. I used plenty of ebonite and hard rubber for the soles and taking into consideration the possibility that the tiptoes could be stepped on I made them ebonite tipped. Since I plastered rubber all over a double-layered pig skin with holes for the strings, they''re strong against water but the ventilation is pretty bad. It would be good if she doesn''t realize my feet smell from how stuffy they are. Ah, I''m using healing magic everyday so there''s no need to worry about athlete''s foot. In order to take into consideration my future growth I made them considerably big and I''ve wrapped my foot in a worn-out cloth to fit so she was surprised by the difference in size of my feet. The next place I had her lead me to was the general goods store where they sell a variety of daily necessities. I thought I would try buying something if there was anything convenient that I didn''t know about. However, I didn''t see anything in particular I wanted and ended up not buying anything in the store. I think it''s probably around 2 pm now. Ah, that''s right. I want a clock magic tool. Along with the light magic tool I''ve heard that the clock magic tool is one of the top two cheapest magic tools. Even if I say cheap since it''s still a magic tool I''m sure it''ll still cost quite a bit but if it''s way too expensive then it''ll be fine if I just give up on buying one. I had her lead me there right away but the cheapest of both the light and clock magic tools we''re 20 silver coins. The clock magic tool we had at our house was pretty simile and when I used identify on it the value was around 12,000 so they''re pretty expensive. It can''t be helped, I guess I''ll give up. Come to think of it, mother said you can sell magic stones at the magic tool shop. I guess I''ll try bringing in several types that have different values tomorrow. I want to know how they measure the value of them as well. After walking the squire back to the knight group station (It seems that call it the headquarters. I asked if that''s the case then are there branches, but there weren''t any. What''s that?) and as thanks for showing me around various places today I gave her the brood. I say thanks once again to the squire who seems a bit troubled but happy and return to Bins Manor. After leaving the luggage I purchased today in my room I intend to ask the clerk where a bar with cheap alcohol is. My objective isn''t alcohol but gathering information. You can''t forget. One of my largest objectives in staying in Keel, getting rid of Begulu. Since the clerk of Bins Manor was out, I tried asking a kid that seemed to be an apprentice what kind of places the ruined adventurers and hoodlums go so I can avoid the dangerous areas, and he told me. There''s two bars that in seriously dangerous slum like areas. After that, there''s one restaurant. Both of them are cheap but there''s really a lot of hoodlums and it seems you can tell just by looking that it''s difficult for a newcomer to enter. Also, in an area that''s a bit of distance from the slum there''s one bar and restaurant. It seems it''s not all that dangerous there and it seems that a lot of the customers are commoners. I guess I''ll try going there first. I return to my room for a bit and take the gold coins out of my wallet and make sure there''s only 3 silver coins, 2 Silver Shu, and some copper coins in it. I''ll be holding roughly 40,000 yen. I''m sure if I have this much then there''s no problem with ordering some food and drink. ............. Just as I was taught there was a restaurant already open along the bank of the central river. It''s a restaurant with an atmosphere like those in Southeast Asia though. The front is wide and there''s tables both inside and outside, it'' has a mixed feel to it but just from looking from a distance the customers don''t seem all that rough. Yeah, the name matches as well, it might be good to hang around in here for a while today. After passing by the sign that had "Binsil''s Food & Alcohol" in patchwork I sit in an open seat. I look around inside the restaurant but there''s no menu written anywhere. I thought these sorts of places would be like the pubs in Japan with a menu stuck to the wall. Even though it''s still only about 4 pm it seems like half of the seats in the restaurant are filled. It doesn''t seem like there''s any customers covered in dirt from farm work so I guess it''s restricted to the townspeople inside of the town. I''m sure the farmers are all doing work in the fields until close to when it gets dark and since it would take time to walk through the city I guess it''s only obvious they wouldn''t eat out at a place like this. After I take a seat a courteous old lady cheerfully came to take my order. After asking what kind of things they have in addition to the usual brewed alcohol of beer, ale, and wine, they also have distilled alcohol like wheat vodka. Since I''m not here to get drunk I order a beer and ask what kind of things they have to eat and she says that they''ll make anything I ask for. She said that the ingredients they''ve got today are two types of fish, pig meat, and several types of vegetables. I tried asking for pork and vegetables and boiled fish. Boiled fish is a big hint as to what kind of taste a restaurant has to offer after all. Even in my past life I liked boiled fish. When I was young I thought it was a boring food but after I passed 40 years old it suddenly started to taste good. Putting aside sugar, I didn''t think I would ever be able to eat it again in Orth where there''s no soy sauce or sake so I''m moved. My beer and meat and vegetable stir-fry came out quickly. It seems that you pay in this restaurant when the food comes out. I pay a few copper coins just as the old lady asked and get right to picking away at the stir-fry and washing it down with beer while listening to the conversations of the surrounding customers. I don''t know if it''s because the time is bad but the only customers are normal people talking about vague topics. I hope my boiled fish comes soon. I throw some food in my mouth with my hand and wash it down with some lukewarm beer while waiting in anticipation and a customer entered the restaurant. It''s a man with black hair and black eyes similar to me. I guess he''s about the same age as me as well but the young man entered the restaurant and after sitting in an open seat told the old lady "the usual". I wonder if he''s a regular? After losing to the temptation to identify him I ended up using it. ¡¾Kroft.Baladik/11/6/7440 Kroft.Baladik/13/4/7429¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428?Human?Kingdom of Rombert Marquis Webdos Territory Registered Free Person¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 14 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 4¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 70(70)¡¡MP£º 12(12)¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 13¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability£º Charm (Lv.3)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º13827(18000)¡¿ His level is just a bit higher than average for his age. However, all of his physical abilities like strength considerably stronger than his level. And above all ¡¾Unique Ability£º Charm (Lv.3)¡¿!? Is this guy a reincarnated person the same as me!? I guess he realized that I was staring in his direction, or a little bit off (the identify window), in surprise, he started looking over here as well. After exchanging stares for a bit we both look away. Even though I came here to gather preliminary information about Begulu but I feel like I''ve caught a completely different bastard. I timidly return to looking at him and he also returned his sights to me. No wait, since he''s entering a restaurant like this while his appearance is pretty worn-out it''s still well within the range of normal and not as unclean as the hoodlums I imagined but this is a restaurant that I heard ruined adventurers come to. In the worst case, I don''t think I would lose if it comes to a fight but it''s possible he could have other troublesome allies. For the time being I''ll try opening the sub-window of the Unique Ability which I''ve never heard of. ¡¾Unique Ability: Charm; Ability to charm the opposite sex of the same race as the user. It is common for the one that has become the target of the Charm to good favor like sexual love towards the user. The duration of the effect is the level of the ability to the power of 2 number of days. It''s possible to use Charm again during the duration of the effect. In that case, the continuing time of the duration is invalidated and it isn''t added to the new duration of the Charm used. Also, it''s possible to use Charm on another target when someone is already under the effect of it. If the target completely enters an area where mana is neutralized or invalidated the remaining duration of Charm will be canceled out. Even after the duration of the Charm completes the target will still retain the memories and feelings of the time during the duration. Furthermore, in order to exercise Charm on the target the user must be within 1 cm of the target, make sure the target''s attention is on the user, and the user must appeal to the target in a language that the target understands. Simultaneously it is necessary to specify the use of the ability in thought. The effect the Charm has on the mental state and it''s depth depends on the content of the appeal used when exercising Charm. The target that is captured in the effect of this ability will not be able to recognize that their mentality is under the effect of some sort of magic influence.¡¿ What in the world is this? It''s an amazing~ Unique Ability but I don''t really get where you would use it. It''s a relief for now that it doesn''t seem like it would have any effect on me though. Ah, it''s probably convenient if you were trying to gather information or just simply trying to hit on someone I guess. It''s an extremely enviable ability as a man but it''s close to harmless. And even though the level of his ability has gone up, it''s not at a very high level, I guess he hasn''t really abused it very often? I can understand that he at least has enough cautiousness to restrain himself when testing it out. After further opening the window which shows the experience points for it, it''s at 74(80), it seems he''s used it over 70 times though. Though we''re both glancing at each other back and forth, nothing decisive happens, and we didn''t even speak to each other. And when the boiled fish was carried out I was even more surprised. "Sorry for the wait." The waitress who said that while bringing out my boiled fish had black hair and black eyes. Again! This waitress wasn''t here until now. Was she in the back of the restaurant? "Y..Yeah.. Thanks. How much is it?" "1400 zeni." I somehow was able to reply and take the plate of boiled fish. The boiled fish is considerably expensive. I pay in silver Shu. And after the waitress started at my face for a bit she went over to the guy with black hair and talked about something while glancing at me. Hey, where''s my change? Since that guy seems to be a regular it makes sense that they''re acquaintances. I forget to identify the waitress and poke at my boiled fish with my finger while drinking beer but I couldn''t calm down. I guess it''s only obvious but the boiled fish wasn''t like the ones in Japan with sake and soy sauce but western style where it was made with salt and some kind of bouillon used as stock for flavor. However, I wonder what this stock is? There''s no way there''s seaweed or katsuobushi in Keel but somehow it reminds me of Japan. Suddenly I realize that the waitress is approaching me. I was too focused on the boiled fish that I didn''t realize the waitress got up from the table with the man. What is it? Ah, change. It would be nice if we could talk a bit though. "Here''s your change." After saying that she puts 11 copper coins next to my food in front of me. And gently takes out some chopsticks. After putting the change away and receiving the chopsticks I poke at the boiled fish. Chopsticks? Chopsticks!? I was about to let it float by for a moment there but after realizing it I looked up at the waitress. I might have been staring with my eyes wide open. "Thanks." I reply with that in Japanese and, "You''re welcome." Just as expected a response comes in Japanese. "I want to talk a bit but do you have time?" I try asking. "Would you switch your seat over to the one over there? I want to open up the table." The table that the waitress designated was the one that man was sitting at. If I remember right it said Baladik. Since she''s telling me to sit with him each though more than half of the seats are available I guess she''s saying OK. "Sure." After saying that I pick up my beer and plate with a bit of stir-fry remaining and the waitress brought the boiled fish and chopsticks for me. I sit across from the man and think about what to talk about while going to drink my beer quickly realized it was almost empty and it suddenly feels awkward. "Is beer okay?" The waitress probably realized my cup is almost empty. "Y..Yeah, I''ll take some more." After lowing my cup right away she took it and left the seat. The guy I''m seating at the table with just keeps looking over here and isn''t saying anything. It can''t be helped, I guess I''ll start talking here. Thinking that I went to open my mouth but the guy started to talk to me. "What''s your name?" "Eh? Ah, Alan Greed." He nods at my words and, "So that one comes first huh, I''m Kojima Masashi, over here it''s Kroft Baladik." Ah, that sort of meaning. "Ah, sorry about that. I''m Kawasaki Takeo." "So you were Japanese after all. It''s better not to carelessly talk in Japanese. There''s no one around here that understands it but since there''s no one smart enough to speak foreign languages you might thought strangely of. If there''s less people then it''s fine though." I see. "Here''s your order. It''s 200 zeni." The waitress brought out my beer. There''s 3 cups. One is mine but after that I guess these two will drink as well. In other words this waitress is a reincarnated as well. I''ll try identifying her later. "Mary, he''s Alan Greed supposedly. We''ve already finished introductions." Kroft Baladik says to the waitress who is sitting next to him. "Oh, is that so? I''m Sutou Yayoi. In Orth my name is Marissa Binsil." "I''m Kawasaki Takeo. Over here I go by Alan Greed. Al is fine." "I see, then it''s fine to call me Kuro." "I''m fine as Mary as well." We introduce ourselves to each other. Now then, since we''ve finished the first meeting ceremony, if possible I''d like to have a conversation where I understand their personalities but I should start with information gathering first. I guess I''ll see how they move. "Then, Al. I''ve never seen you in Keel but did you come to Keel with a caravan or something?" "I was born in a remote village in the Marquis territory. This is my first time leaving the village. Obviously, it''s my first time in Keel." I want to hold back on exposing as much of my information as possible. I don''t want to lie but I still don''t know what kind of people they are. "The same as me. I was born in Bafuku village. I came to Keel two years ago." "I was born and raised here. I''m the daughter of this restaurant after all." I see, after all there''s no reincarnated people in the same area. "Ah, sorry, I forgot to mention but my village is Bakkudo village." "Bakkudo...I feel like I''ve heard of it somewhere..Ah! The one who made rubber was you?" "That''s right. Since there was unexpectedly rubber trees near the village." "I''m using the sandals." "He~ Thanks for the business there." The conversation between Mary and I gets started. "It seems like you''re profiting quite a bit. I can tell from your appearance. Those clothes look pretty expensive after all." Kuro says while looking at me like he''s evaluating me. While they''re worn-out it seems like you''re properly washing your clothes as well right? "I received a bit of money when I left the house after all. I got new ones after arriving in Keel." "Left your house...I doubt it''s running away from home but what do you mean? Did you have some sort of job in Keel?" Kuro asks curiously. "No, I have an older brother and older sister. Since my older brother is married and children were born he''s inheriting the household. That''s why I thought the hindrance of a second son should aim to become an adventurer so I received some money and left the house. My older sister left the house about three years ago too." After I responded like that the two of them exchanged glances and started laughing. I wonder if I said something strange? Is it strange to become an adventurer? No, father and mother were both adventurers after all and even when I said I would become an adventurer for a while they weren''t opposed to it at all. Older brother and sister-in-law weren''t opposed to it either. I wonder what''s so strange? "..Did I say something strange? I don''t really get why you''re laughing." "A? Ah, no sorry. For the most part I''m also technically an adventurer. Right, Mary?" "Yeah, I guess so...But..pu..A, I''m sorry, I guess all men aim to be adventurers? I didn''t have any interest in stuff like that so I''ve never even thought of it though." After all it seems that they were laughing at the "aiming to become an adventurer" part. Even though the knight group leader and squire that accompanied me today didn''t even react when I said I was aiming to be an adventurer, their reaction is way too different. I''ve suddenly started to worry about it. "I just came out of the countryside and I don''t really know, so I can''t say much but my parents were former adventurers. Today, when I met the leader of the Webdos knight group and I said was aiming to be an adventur"Wa??!? You met the knight leader.." Why are they snapping at that bit so much? "..Yeah, that''s right. Until 3-4 years ago my older brother was in the Webdos knight group. He met the daughter of the knight group leader then and after retiring married her." "Ah, I think I''ve heard about that. Since she''s the daughter of the knight leader that means she''s the grand daughter of the Marquis right? And your older brother was in the knight group...are you a noble?" It somehow seems they hate nobles. "If you say nobles, then I guess you can''t say I''m not a noble but my household was a Viscount, which is the lowest rank of noble, and I was the second son so it''s not like I inherited anything, it''s the same as a commoner? My house was pretty old and damaged in various places, since we didn''t have enough rooms I ended up sleeping on a dirt floor in a storage closet." It would be good if it sounds a bit like a story of my hardships. "The dirt floor of a storage closet, that''s even worse than me. Even in my house we had a floor..Ah, I was originally part of the serf standing but it seems Al has gone through quite a bit of hardship as well." No, it wasn''t miserable at all. I was able to properly eat every day and I''ve never been troubled over something to wear. I''m sure my living situation wasn''t as bad as Kuro is thinking. However, there''s no need to resolve the misunderstanding, if they pity me for my living situation then that''s fine. "Well, I don''t think I went through that much trouble myself." "I see, no, you''re serious about aiming to become an adventurer huh.. I ended up hitting a setback with it after all.. It''s not as if I can''t teach you about various things, but it''s not like I''ve ever precisely done a job perfectly myself..." "I''m sorry for laughing. But, Al, as a warning from me I think you should abandon your dream of becoming an adventurer and just work normally. Only a small handful of people succeed at it and they''re all strong.... or rather they all have a power strong enough to defeat monsters. It seems that you have confidence but honestly speaking, I wouldn''t suggest it." It seems that while Kuro is progressively supporting it he''s pretty much in a position of letting me do as I please and Mary says that it''d be better to just take up an occupation. I guess they won''t so easily become my allies. Since reincarnated people''s abilities increase three times that of the average person on level up I think we''re pretty suited to becoming adventurers though. After saying "Don''t reincarnated people get all sorts of bonuses when they level up?" their response was, "That might be true but the only thing we have that levels up is our Unique Abilities and since we can''t use magic it''s no joke facing monsters." Even if it comes to fighting monsters if you select your opponent then I don''t think it''s all that difficult. Ah, that''s right, I''ll try identifying Mary. ¡¾Marissa.Binsil/24/6/7429 ¡¿ ¡¾Female/14/2/7428?Human?Kingdom of Rombert Marquis Webdos Territory Registered Free Person¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 14 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 3¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 65(65)¡¡MP£º 16(16)¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 8¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 13¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 11¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 10¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability£º Resistance(Poison) Lv.8¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º 7082(10000)¡¿ Somehow it seems both of them are pretty salty. No, I guess I''m just the strange one. However, Mary''s Unique Ability sure is high. I wonder how she polished her resistance to poison? After confirming in the sub-window it seems that the experience is already close to MAX. "A, that''s right. It''s a bit difficult to talk about but if you know I''d like you to tell me. In this town...I guess so, I think there''s something like a boss of an illegal organization, but do you know of a guy named Begulu?" "If it''s Begulu then he''s famous around these areas. I guess if you were to put in Japanese terms it would be, "rampaging group or punk, or the head of the Yakuza, well, the leader of a DQN group so to speak". Just, it seems that he''s reasonably intelligent as well.. Al, you, do you want to enter Begulu''s organization? If that''s the case then don''t get involved with us anymore." "That''s right. I''m sorry but could you please leave.." Kuro put emphasis on it with a bit of Japanese. I guess he couldn''t think of a word to compare it to or rather he probably just doesn''t want anyone hear the content of what he was saying, I guess. It seems that neither of them wants to get involved with Begulu. I see now. "No, sorry for letting you misunderstand. Rest easy since I have no intention of that. I just heard a few rumors about him and thought I didn''t want to get near the territory of a guy like that." After that we continued talking about vague things as time passed. Since I realized that they were avoiding topics reincarnated people would wonder about like Unique Abilities I was careful not to touch on there. Probably, unless I become intimate with these two I won''t be able to have an honest conversation with them. I would be troubled over how to explain my Unique Abilities as well, it''s better to have some time to think. I ate and drank an adequate amount as time passed by. It seems that Kuro has a break from his job today but he''ll be leaving Keel for a job tomorrow and the after that. When I asked Mary if I could come again tomorrow she said it was OK so I think I''ll use this restaurant as a base for a while as I gather information. .............. After returning to the Bins Manor the clerk said there was a message for me. It seems to be something they were entrusted with and wanted to hand to me sometime after the evening of today. It''s not like I have any acquaintances in Keel. I wonder what in the world it is and ask who requested it and it was older brother. What is it~ Seriously~ Wouldn''t it have been fine for him to just give it to me in person~ However, while I''m wondering what it is and I receive the goods I felt like I was about to fall over. It was 10 packs of rubber products with 10 in each pack. After that there was a memo list with what appears to be various stores names, there''s a couple of words written on the thing enclosed. Older brother.... Volume 1 - CH 56 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 15 After returning to my room while preciously holding the gift from older brother I touch the light magic tool and turn it on. I quickly organize all of the luggage on the bed that I purchased today, take off my shoes and lay down on the bed. There''s no where on the walls where the plaster is peeling and there''s a board on the roof as well so putting aside the retro feel it''s an extremely comfortable hotel. It''s worth the cost of 50 copper coins per night. Though I say that it''s limited to just what I know about Orth so far. While enjoying the luxury of having a hotel room all to myself I think about the two I just met today. One is male and says he''s a failed adventurer. Judging on the reaction when I mentioned the name Begulu he might have some sort of connection to him. No, I don''t know that for sure. However, it seems they knew a reasonable amount about Begulu. Whether or not Begulu knows about him or not I still can''t decide. The other one is a female and she says she was born and raised in the restaurant and bar of this town and just like that started working there. It seems that she knew about Begulu as well but how much she knows about him or what their relationship is I can''t determine just the same as the guy. However, both of them refused getting involved with anything related to Begulu. And it was a refusal that seemed to be based in fear. Was Begulu someone who is that feared in this area? 7 years and a bit ago or rather 8 years ago is fine, I killed a person for the first time. The spy adventurer that came to receive information from Myun. If I remember correctly he said, "Boss Begulu". A man who''s the same age as my father using the term "Boss" allows me to imagine what Begulu would be like. 1. His age should be at least in his late 20s (I think most likely much older) 2. Gender is male. 3. He''s normally in Keel. 4. He doesn''t normally appear on the surface and only when there''s a job related to spying does he directly appear where the subordinates are and give orders based on the content. Going off of this info I thought he would be a man in his 30-40s, maybe even 50s, that normally has an honest business or front that he wears a mask or using illegal methods he''s integrated into the underworld of Keel. To the point where I was thinking that Begulu could even be a fake name he uses only for jobs. Since he''s acting as the manager of spies I made mental image of him as being a vigilant and prudent person who is very crafting in how he conducts himself. That''s why at first I thought the reaction of those two was a bit unexpected. I couldn''t imagine at all that Begulu is boldly showing himself on a normal basis and is the leader of an organization of hoodlums. That''s why thinking it was impossible on purpose and tried asking about it but both them knew about the existence of the man named Begulu and furthermore say he''s famous among the lower social caste in Keel. It could be possible there''s two Begulus and the manager of the spies is using the name of the famous one in order to avoid attention. Since the famous Begulu seems to be feared by everyone I''m sure he stands out quite a bit and has garnered quite a bit of attention. If he was captured or some kind of investigation was performed I''m sure that information would travel around quickly. There''s a high probability the information that he''s being investigated for being a spy could even start to spread. It''s even possible that could be a safety method for the real Begulu to protect himself. In that case it''s hard to lay a hand on the famous one. In other words after all it''s probably better to follow the connection starting from the contact agent that was temporarily hired by that construction company. Honestly speaking, I was resolved to talk to that contact from the start so I already had returning to Doritt in my calculations. Since it''s about 100 km one-way to Dorrit, putting aside a normal horse, I''m sure the war horse older brother used has a lot more stamina and endurance and has been trained so it should take around 1.5 to 2 days I guess. I''ll stay at the inn for the time it''s been paid for then depart after that. Eh? Even if I depart tomorrow I''ll just end up overtaking father and the others. It''s not like it''s tremendously urgent as well, it should be fine if I don''t hurry that much. .............. The next morning after waking up before sunrise I put on my protectors and leave the inn to go running. It''s also because I want to quickly get used to my protectors and boots that I made a big larger than my size, it''s best to keep my stamina in as top shape as possible as well. As the sun rises I''m satisfied with my training after running for a total of 2 hours. It seems I''m being looked at as strange for running with my protectors on but it can''t be helped worrying about the looks of strangers. It seems that the morning sun has already risen and since I haven''t eaten breakfast at the usual time I''m hungry. Returning to Bins Manor to take my protectors off is a pain so I''ll go to eat breakfast just like this. I head to Binsil''s restaurant while cooling down. Since I''m wearing my protectors today I probably seem imposing but it can''t be helped. I call Mary and along with ordering a breakfast set I bring her to a table outside saying I want to talk for a bit. "What...is with that outfit? How amazing. You''re almost like a knight." "Yeah, it''s protectors I made with rubber. It''s like armor. More importantly, there was something I wanted to confirm so let me talk for a bit." "I don''t really mind though. What is it?" I guess it''s because my protectors is unusual she''s touching the shoulder and forearm guards checking the texture. Please do, with that sort of feeling I take off the forearm and place it in front of her. "What''s your age? I''m 59 years old this year. Honestly speaking, I''m a bit envious of Kuro and your relationship. After talking to you guys yesterday I knew it but you two aren''t bad people... No, I think I was able to confirm that you haven''t been completely taken in by the common sense of the lower caste of Orth or rather of a large city like Keel. I felt like there was still a portion that was Japanese that remained and I almost felt like crying several times." "I''m 53 years old. Right, we were happy we met another Japanese as well. You said you''re envious of us but we both are envious of you as well. Unlike you we haven''t been able to make any sort of influence on Orth. Particularly me, I never thought of trying to make something that everyone would find convenient to use... Though, both Kuro and I feel like we''ve been giving it our somewhat best. But, we didn''t succeed like you. Kuro is acting like he doesn''t care but even like that it seems he put a considerable amount of effort into things in his village way back. Everything failed though it seems. And then when he first came to this city he started to go down the wrong path. Now he''s working his hardest though." She continues talking while tampering with my new forearm guard. "Yeah, we''re both a considerable age. Also, in regards to rubber I think I just had good luck though...''I''m going to talk in Japanese from here on out. I''m going to ask you outright but would you tell me anything you know about Begulu? Honestly speaking, I can''t believe the stuff I heard from Kuro yesterday. Ah, no, I don''t think that Kuro was lying but the impression I got from him about Begulu was far too different from how I imagined.''" "Why do you want to know about Begulu? I think it''s better if you don''t get involved with him. He''s the leader of the gangs around here." After raising her eyes from the forearm guard she stares at me while asking. Since I''m scooping up oatmeal with the spoon if you stare at me that much it''s difficult to eat. "My benefactor is troubled by that Begulu guy. After gathering information from various places I found out that Begulu seems to be giving information to the Kingdom of Devas. In other words, something like a spy. It''s not like I particularly have any great attachment to the Kingdom of Rombert so that doesn''t matter at all. However, all of the circumstances surrounding that and the conjectures I made based on information I had gathered until now was completely unexpected for the type of person Begulu is that I heard from you two. At first when I asked I tried to make a bluff to get more information but since he was far too typical of a villain that it was unexpected. And rather than you two not wanting to get involved it sounded more like you''re afraid of him. But, I can''t overlook the fact that he''s troubling my benefactor." "Can''t overlook, huh? Then what do you want to do about it?" "I want to erase the cause of my benefactors trouble without letting anyone know that I did it." I return the spoon to the oatmeal while saying it. "You don''t mean like you want to chastise or beat him up right?" "If I could erase the trouble with that then that would be fine as well. However, it''s easy to imagine that things won''t go as simple as that." Mary returns to looking at the forearm guard again while saying. "I don''t mind telling you. But, I probably can''t tell you anything more than just rumors that are around the street. It''s not like I''m particularly hiding it I just don''t know anymore than that. If you''re fine with that then I''ll tell you, but honestly speaking, I don''t think you could manage to do anything about Begulu. He has a lot of allies, or rather subordinates, and if you mess with him in a bad way you''ll end up in a bad situation. You might be killed. Even if you say they''re failed adventurers it''s certain that they''re strong. Supposedly he''s defeated several orks all on his own and I think he originally had enough ability to make it on the low end as an adventurer." I can''t say anything since I don''t know how strong orks are. "I see, how strong of a monster are orks? Since they aren''t in the area around Bakkudo I''ve never fought them so I don''t know. About as strong as a Horned Bear?" "Eh? There''s no way they''d be as strong as a Horned Bear. I don''t know because it''s not like I''ve ever fought against monsters either but. If you say Horned Bear it''s the strongest monster around this area it seems. It''s impossible for a normal adventurer to defeat it and usually the knight group all goes or several of the top class adventurers in Keel go to defeat it. What are you saying? I''m amazed you could say you''re going to become an adventurer like that.. Putting aside Horned Bears it seems that Orks are about the same strength as Hobgoblins. Since they move around in groups of families it seems if you don''t have the strength of an adventurer the best you can do is drive them away. It seems they don''t come out around Keel though. If you''re saying things like that then it''s 10 years too early for you to take on Begulu. I won''t say anything bad so forget about him." "What the, just that much huh. Then the subordinates are weaker than that right? As long as I don''t take a surprise attack, no, if I can surprise attack them then it seems like there''s no problem. I''m not trying to brag but I don''t feel like I would lose at all one on one. Or rather, it seems I was deceived by the term failed adventurer. I thought adventurers were way stronger. My parents are ex-adventurers but after all they were considerably strong ones." Mary looks at me like she''s looking at an idiot and opens her mouth. "You, saying lies that will quickly be exposed, are you making fun of me? Even if you can see Status or use magic in Orth it''s reality. Even if you don''t lie to put on airs I won''t make fun of you so talk about things honestly." I wasn''t putting on airs though... there''s no point in trying to insist on it here. In the first place, let alone other people you normally can''t even tell your own level, abilities, and HP after all. You can only confirm the level of your Special Skills of just yourself. "No, sorry, sorry. I thought if I didn''t say that much you wouldn''t tell me about Begulu. Really, I''m sorry. I apologize. Just like this." After saying that I put both of my hands on the table and lower my head. "Wouldn''t it have been fine if you had asked with that attitude from the beginning? It''s not like I''ve said I wouldn''t tell you after all." After saying that she fixed her posture. "It seems that Begulu was an adventurer that drifted along from somewhere in the past. He was doing reasonably well in Keel at first but discord happened with the group he was always working together with. And thanks to that he ended up leaving the group it seems but as expected he couldn''t do any decent jobs by himself so he ended up falling to the end. However, his skill is true and since he''s strong he quickly was able to become the leader of the other failed adventurers wandering around this area. After that he started doing whatever bad stuff he wanted. Putting it simply." "Why are they ignoring someone like that? Does the Marquis and Knight Group not capture Begulu? They''re doing things like the police right?" "The same reason as the Yakuza in Japan. They suck up to the knights that are in charge of these areas and give them bribes. I''ve heard that they occasionally offer up some subordinates at sacrifices as well. It doesn''t seem like anyone has directly seen them committing crimes like robbery or murder and they haven''t left any evidence as well. Putting aside bribes, I think the knight group can''t arrest him because there''s probably no evidence." I see now. It seems he isn''t a complete idiot. Though it''s still strange that a small-time villain like this would be the manager of spies after all. As expected I feel like he''s different from the Begulu that I''m searching for. But, it''s still too soon to decide for sure. Mary continues to say as I''m nodding to myself. "In any case, if you defy him you''ll be unable to properly do business and Kuro used to be together with Begulu but it was difficult for him to leave the group... It was really difficult..That''s about all that I know." I''m sure that Mary knows what kind of treatment he received when he left Begulu''s organization. She''s grasping her fist while looking down. "I see, I won''t ask what kind of things happened. That would be better to ask Kuro about. I still haven''t confirmed it so I can''t say for sure but I''m praying that villain Begulu isn''t the Begulu I''m searching for." "Listen to the rest from Kuro. I think he''ll return tomorrow night and he''ll definitely come to this restaurant when he returns. I think it''ll be past 5 pm in the afternoon." I scoop up the oatmeal that''s cooled down considerably and say thanks for taking up her time, then returned to Bins Manor. I take off my protectors go to the well near the stable behind the inn and pretend to start pouring water on myself while using Shower to refresh myself and return to the room. It''s still the morning after all and it seems that Kuro won''t return until tomorrow night. I wonder what I should do. ................ I''m heading towards the knight group to confirm if there''s any jobs for adventurers. After confirming if there''s any jobs in the shed near the gate and currently there were no jobs. I try asking the servant or official in charge of the reception desk how the job system works. Fundamentally the jobs that the Webdos knight group receives are the leftovers from the government office it seems. In the Marquis territory if you want to request a job of adventurers then you fundamentally request the job at the government office it seems. Among those it seems that the majority of them are subjugation type jobs but the jobs that seem difficult end up being turned over to the knight group. It seems that they post the jobs in the knight group for 2-3 weeks but if there''s no adventurers who take the job then instead the knight group finishes it. I see, in the case of subjugation, if you think that you don''t have enough skill to take care of it then most people won''t accept it. Although, just because of that doesn''t mean they can ignore the problem so after it exceeds the limit the knight group takes care of it huh. Then it seems likely that there''s a variety of jobs if I go to the government office instead. I say thanks for teaching me and head towards the government office. I didn''t know where I could confirm the jobs at the government office so I grabbed someone that seemed to be a staff member and asked them. And it was good that they kindly showed me the way but it seems that they always disclose jobs in the afternoon. It seems that all of the jobs are disclosed on a large board with the job details. Since they''re writing the details on the board in the morning they might only do reception for it in the afternoon. It doesn''t matter though. There''s a number written on the board for each job and if you tell that number to the official standing near the board then you can accept that job. On that occasion your Status is checked and your name is recorded. Simultaneously you''re issued a note and you take that note with you to meet the one who posted the job it seems. The compensation is paid directly from the one who requested the job when the job is completed, and there''s cases where a certain portion of it is paid in advanced, it varies heavily on the situation but you always return here when you complete the job and return the note you received at the start. It seems that only after you''ve done that is the job treated as completely done. It seems that they''re imposing taxes on the one who requests the job based on if the note is returned and the job is completed. If the note never returns then the job is seen as incomplete and the reputation of the adventurer who accepted it gets worse. Also, since the government office is unable to take taxes from the one who requested the job they don''t want to offer jobs to people like that, seems to be the case. If you return the note without completing the job then it''ll definitely be exposed when they request the taxes so the result is the same. Just like this they are weeded out and I''m sure the ones known as failed adventurers occur. I see now. Incidentally, that income tax is applied to the adventurer as well. They become like someone running their own business it seems. That''s double taxation. In the first place the one who requests the job is paying a special tax, I was about to rage over the clear case of double taxation. Nevertheless, it seems that taxes are only taken on commoners. As long as the adventurer that is a noble isn''t the family head them self or own any territory then they aren''t charged any income tax. Since they''re paying a 60% tax on the head of the household. Free People pay a per head tax to the territory that they''re registered in so they don''t pay income tax as adventurers as well. Since slaves can''t maintain their lifestyles all on their own in the first place, slaves can''t take jobs on their own, and since their owner is seen as the one paying the tax just the same as others they don''t pay taxes. It probably ends up coming down to them taking the job along with their owner. Since it seemed like commoners had quite the disadvantage there I tried asking about it but it seems that the moment a commoner leaves their household they''re seen as a household all on their own and thus have an income tax of 10%. It''s not 60% because they don''t own any land and it''s not agriculture, it''s taxed as business it seems. I guess it''s fine about the special privilege of nobles. It''s easy to imagine just from the fact that they''re nobles that there are some special privileges and since I''m the one receiving the benefit from it, I have no complaints at all. Free Peoples are only allowed to act freely within the territory and they''re paying a per head tax so it''s not like they''re paying no tax at all so this is fine as well. And unlike commoners and nobles they aren''t allowed to own land in different territories so it seems they can''t do farm work. The reason why only commoner adventurers have an income tax is because of slaves. The amount of per head tax that commoners and nobles pay per slave is 1-2 silver coins a year so it''s an amount that can be ignored. However, when it comes to Free People this isn''t the case. Free People aren''t prohibited from owning slaves but when a Free Person owns a slave of all things the per head tax is the same as the Free Person, 1 gold coin per year. That''s why regardless of whether they''re an adventurer or not it''s probably fine to think that there''s no Free People who own slaves. Unless there''s some reason why a certain number of people is specified for a job for adventurers it doesn''t matter how many people you accept it with. If you take it alone then you can monopolize the reward and if there''s two people then you can split it evenly or based on skill or how much work was done. However, what about commoners and nobles that own slaves? If there''s a difficult job that definitely can''t be achieved alone then they can accept it using slave power. Obviously they can monopolize the reward. If I were to use one example then let''s say there''s a job to guard a caravan. The condition for accepting it is 6 people and each one gets a reward of 10 silver coins. If it''s a normal Free Person adventurer then they have to gather 6 people and the reward will be 10 silver coins per person. In comparison if the slave adventurer that has 5 people is a commoner then they can take all 60 of those and then pay a 10% tax of 6 leaving them with 54 silver coins. As long as they can buy equipment and food for their slaves enough to maintain their stamina then you could say it''s considerably tasty. Even food as long as you don''t make it luxurious you can get it considerably cheap so as long as you can do something about the initial investment of buying slaves and their equipment then you could say there''s few problems. I didn''t hear all of the details but the adventurer who returned back to Bakkudo, Desdan might have brought back several slaves with him when he returned. Ah, the reason why father gave me a lot of money might have had the meaning of buying slaves huh? But, wait a minute. If I remember correctly I thought my parents were adventurers with just the two of them. I haven''t heard that there were slaves with them. Since I was able to confirm the posting place there''s no other choice than to kill some time until the afternoon. Volume 1 - CH 57 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 15 Having nothing to do puts a surprising amount of mental pressure on you. Up until now I''ve had sword and magic training and the development and production of rubber products so I''ve never even thought of having time to spare. I can''t swing the sword around in the middle of the town and I can''t carelessly use magic either. I can''t do anything about rubber products since I don''t have the raw materials. Since I have a considerably amount of money I guess I could go enjoy myself somewhere but in the first place I don''t even know what to do to start enjoying myself. I feel like going to the store that older brother suggested to me in the middle of the day, rather before noon like this and forming the bond of true brothers is somehow different as well. There''s probably no discounts for early morning and the daytime. It can''t be helped so I enter the first eatery I find and somehow pass the time sipping at bean tea until noon then go to the government office. I go to where I just heard the bulletin board should be but let alone the bulletin there''s no one there. I guess I was a bit early? When I''m standing around there bored I think it''s the receptionist in charge of taking jobs but two of bring out a wooden stand. After placing the stand down the two of them go off somewhere and bring out another stand sort of thing again. I wonder if this is a stand to put the job board on? If it''s a wooden board that can fit on this sort of stand then it should be about 3 m wide. I don''t know how high it will be but I can only hope there''s a considerable number of jobs. After a while the two from just now return carrying a board. So that''s the job bulletin board? While waiting for them to set it up I excitedly approach the bulletin board. There''s several jobs written on the bulletin board. It seems they''re done by directly writing with charcoal or something on the board. 2/10/39 Employment Viscount Dangut Territory Defense Piecework Some Travel 22/2/40 Employment Viscount Betts Territory Defense Piecework Some Travel 25/1/42 Gathering Byorg 100,000 Young Dalgil Fruit 10kg 11/2/42 Escort Viscount Rushmore 1,000,000 /4/3 Send/Return Baarag to Keel by 1/7/42 20/2/42 Gathering Byorg 120,000 Bakklai Leaves 500 count 10/4/42 Escort Mins Company 400,000 /2 Belus Round-trip by 20/4/42 13/4/42 Delivery Zulaid Metal-smith 80,000 3kg sword to Bessh in 15 14/4/42 Escort Mal Company 200,000 /2 Bendol Roundtrip by 24/4/42 14/4/42 Delivery Zulaid Metal-smith 100,000 3kg sword to Doritt in 20 14/4/42 Escort Webdos Company 5,500,000 /10 Rombertia Round-trip by 24/4/42 There seems to be a lot of abbreviations. I don''t want to understand so I should probably confirm what the abbreviations mean with the official. Since I''m the only one here right now it''s not like I''d be a hindrance for their job. There fundamentally wasn''t anything difficult with it. For the sake of my own review I''ll explain them in order. The numbers on the left edge of each job is the day the government office accepted was requested the job. Next is a simple explanation of the job content. After that is the name of who requested it. The next number after that is the compensation paid on job completion and the amount is in (Z) zeni. After that differs depending on the job. The first two jobs are special cases and it seems they''re contracts for a certain period of time. The content of the job is patrolling and defense of the territory. In other words it kind of like the patrol the squires did in Bakkudo village but it''s necessary to confirm the content of the job directly with the requester. After having the official explain it to me it seems that the Some Travel portion is suspicious. I somehow understand that the reward will increase or decrease based on the number of monsters defeated but it seems that the majority of the people who make the requests have a certain threshold and if you don''t defeat a certain amount of monsters a reward of zero is even possible. That''s why the jobs been ignored for several years since it was accepted. In other words the real jobs are starting from the second one. The content of the job is gathering. Byorg is the name of a doctor that lives in Keel so it''s probably gathering the materials for some medicine. Dalgil produce fruit in the fall. Around this period it would be after all of the fruit have fallen and there''s probably still not flowers. Though 10 silver coins (100,000 zeni) for 10kg is a good deal you can''t accept it even if you want to. The fourth one is Escort. The requester is Viscount Rushmore of Baalag Village and since it says Send/Return Baalag you have to go to Baalag village and then escort Viscount Rushmore them self or whoever they designate to Keel. Then return them back to Baalag village again. It seems that the number on the far right edge is the day they want to depart Baalag village. In other words you have to get to Baalag village by this day. I skipped over it a bit but there''s two numbers written after the compensation. The number on the left means that''s the minimum number of people the requester thinks is necessary. The number on the right is the number of people still required. In other words the total compensation of this job is 1 gold coin (1,000,000 zeni) but in order to have enough guards you need four people and there''s already one applied for it, so there''s still three people that can receive it. Skipping over the fifth one to the sixth one. You already know right? It''s a job from Mins Company and you have to escort round-trip to Belus village. The reward is 40 silver coins (400,000 zeni). However, you need more than 2 people in order to accept it. The seventh one is carrying luggage. Zulaid Metal-smith is the blacksmith that makes all of the equipment for the knight group that I went to yesterday. For a reward of 8 silver coins (80,000 zeni) you have to deliver a sword to Bessh village. The weight is 3kg. When you deliver it you have to return with the payment for the sword. Also you have to return within 15 days of accepting the sword to deliver. If it exceeds that then you become a criminal. Delivery fraud huh? There''s no need for explanation for the ones past the eighth right? You already know. Now then, among these a job that I can receive is...and there is one. Right, the ninth one I skipped explaining. It''s a delivery but the destination is Doritt. The reward is 10 silver coins (100,000 zeni). It''s fine as long as I return within 20 days of accepting the job. Since I have a war horse if I hurry I should be able to do it in 4 or 5 days I''m sure. I should have plenty of time to achieve my objective over there as well. Alright, I''ll try accepting this. I go to the official and say that I want to accept the ninth job. And then the official hands me a wooden tag and asks my name. After replying with my name they quickly recorded the information written on my Status Open. It seems that this is all you need to accept a job. A line was immediately put through the ninth job. I guess this is the symbol that a job has already been taken. I was instructed to go and meet the person in charge at Zulaid Metal-smith within one week (six days). When I looked at the tag I noticed a weird symbol was written and it seems that''s the tally. I guess this is proof that the one who accepted the job is an Adventurer (Handyman). I put the tag into my pocket and as I was about to return I heard several voices talking as they approached. It seems a group of adventurers has come to confirm the jobs. I guess I''ll take a look at them for a bit. "Oh, five jobs were added and...one was taken huh?" "Since we just returned can we rest for a bit?" "I''m hungry~ I wanted to come after eating first." "There''s a fixed trip to Rombertia, isn''t this fine?" "Ah, that sounds good~ All thanks to rubber right. 500,000 in two months is delicious right?" "There''s no point in choosing right?" "Hey, the price is going up. And it''s 10 people this time." "It''s good we weren''t beaten to it this time." "Ha~ Five carriages huh? Webdos Company sure is making a profit~" "It was worth coming here in a hurry. Then, I guess the rubber escort is fine right?" It seems to be a group of six. They''re noisily quarreling but it seems they''re going to accept the most expensive escort job to Rombertia. By the way, that rubber, I made it~ When I tried identifying them they were all Free People and over level 10, the leader looking guy in his mid-30s was at level 14. Amazing~ So that''s a real adventurer huh. I''m sure they''ve left their heavy luggage and armor at the inn. They''re all wearing light outfits of pants and shirts and some of them aren''t even armed. A number of them are wearing rubber sandals. Ah, those sandals as well, in fact I made them~ Since I was even able to see real adventurers, my business here has ended. I guess I''ll return to the inn one. Zulaid Metal-smith? I won''t go until the last minute. My inn has already been paid for after all. .............. I stopped by the clothes shop when I was returning to the inn and bought some wrinkled long cuff pants and a worn-out shirt. After wearing the pants long enough to hide my boots and changing shirts I put my sword on my waist. And without taking along my wallet I put two silver Shu and 10 copper coins in my bare pants pocket before preparations to depart are complete. It looks extremely unnatural because I don''t have a scabbard for my sword but I''ve hidden it by wrapping the blade with a leather string. It''s {OK} as long as I look like a poor failed adventurer so this is fine. I head out to the bar in the slums that the apprentice told me about yesterday. I want to collect information about the famous Begulu (he''s fine as Begulu A). Honestly speaking, if this Begulu A is also the same person as my objective Begulu B then it would be convenient for me. Since I can just use magic to take him out when he''s in a place with no people around. Just, since I don''t know the face of Begulu A I''m going to have enter the bar for a while and just keep identifying the names of every one who enters while gathering information on Begulu A. I''m not taking into consideration the possibility that Begulu A is using a fake name. Since he''s a failed adventurer his real name should be exposed through Status Open. Alright, I''ll head out. I''m not dirty but with an appropriately seedy appearance I curl up my back and start walking. Hmhn, with this no matter how you look at it I look like a failed adventurer. In order to make it seem like I came from a different town when no one is watching I should roll around in the dirt on the road a bit I guess. Since this area is still the area of living for the upper layer of people there''s not very many people walking around so I should do it right away. I enter a path that it doesn''t seem like anyone would enter and roll around. And around my thigh I felt a disgusting sensation and a disgusting smell. This smell is...the smell of shit.. it seems I crushed the shit in the middle of the path by rolling around. It stinks~ I guess the surface was dried because I couldn''t smell it until I crushed it or my nose has broken because of the smell of sewage from all over the place, whenever I roll around in the middle of the streets from now on I''ll need to be careful. I might do it again tomorrow after all. I quickly try to wash it off with water magic but it didn''t completely come off. I tried to hide it by drying it after but I wonder if this is okay? Well it''s fine. Really though, don''t take a shit in the middle of the street. Since Keel is clean town where there''s a lot of sewage streams made that flow into the large river that flows through the center. Not to mention this is the area where the reasonably rich people live as well. God said that the culture level was up to the 15th century of Earth but isn''t the toilets around here at the lowest 7th century level? It doesn''t really matter much at this point but still. What''s unpleasant is unpleasant. After preparing myself again I head towards the bar in the slums. This time I really started curving my back while restlessly looking around. After all, I don''t want people to think I stink. I can see a bar close to the corner of a crossroad. I wonder if this is the place? It seems that this place has several tables sticking outside just like Binsil''s restaurant. If I look at the customers all of them look similar and are unclean, it feels a bit dirty as well. There was a small table on the border of the outside so I sit there and shortly an unsociable middle aged man came to take my order. I asked for beer and some cooked beans. It seems he didn''t notice the smell of shit coming from my thighs, or he realized and ignored it. The beer was 70 Z and the cooked beans were 30 Z for a total of 1 copper coin = 100 yen, idiotically cheap. However, the beer doesn''t just have some remaining sourness to it but it''s considerably cheap, and the cooked beans were boiled too long so the majority of them didn''t even retain their shape, and frankly put not good at all. I start drinking with a grim face as I observe the store. I grab some of the strongly salted beans while washing them down with sour beer and start identifying all of the people in the store one at a time. All of their levels are low and let alone a unique ability there''s not even a single person with the special skill magic. At best there''s a couple of non-humans who have their characteristic special skills. I sit back on the crude wooden train just like the other customers while spending my time identifying. I endured drinking this cup of beer while listening to the conversations of the customers for 30 minutes but I didn''t hear anything in particular about Begulu. As I was preparing my resolve to stick around until night I asked for an additional order of beer from the unsocial middle aged man and he said "use at least 300 Z per hour" as returned 3 large Shizu in change. I see, it''s not just cheap it has that sort of system. I added a couple of additional orders and entered into the posture to persevere for a while and then a new group of customers came in. The group this time all had swords and spreads. They weren''t wearing anything like armor but their clothes aren''t any different than the rest of the customers. I wonder if these guys are the so-called failed adventurers? It''s a group of seven so I start identifying them one at a time but there''s no one that seems like Begulu and their levels are only 4 - 6, nothing significant. Since the highest level guy is 25 years old I''m sure their skill is really not much at all. Since they''re all making sour faces I''m sure they don''t have much money as well. However, I''m sure there''s a possibility that if they''re failed adventurers they might have some information about Begulu. I decide to concentrate on just them while listening in. "This beer is disgusting as usual." "Don''t say that, we''re not making anything after all~" "The jobs that come from above are all just stingy transportation jobs after all, I want to make it big here pretty soon~" Above? Someone above them I guess? I wonder if it''s some sort of organization? "It sucks that we can''t take on proper jobs right~?" "Ha...you reap what you sow there" "That''s true though~ The looks of those officials at the government office gradually get openly worse. I don''t feel like going anymore~" "The one who fails jobs countless times is the problem." "It''s not like you can take on jobs anymore because you''ve failed so many as well~ Don''t say it so arrogantly~" "If I hadn''t teamed up with someone like you then even I would have been able to manage one or two escort jobs~" "Stop it, you guys. It''s boring even if you fight." "I sometimes think I''m going to return to my village already." "If you open your legs~ you can earn something right? Ah, with that ugly face I guess it''s impossible huh. Kehheee~" "What was that? You just did me last year after you were infected with crabs didn''t you! It was terrible after that." "That was a~ moment of stupidity. As long as I have money there''s no way I''d touch you." I reflexively tried identifying the two of them but both of their conditions were Good. I guess since parasites are different than diseases they aren''t shown in Identify or because they''re already finished removing them, I wonder which? I have a feeling it''s probably the ladder but I have no way of being sure on it. "Aaahh~ Isn''t there some kind of big chance laying around?" "No way, like there''d be somethin like that." "But you know~ We can''t keep up like this forever right~?" "...Yeah, that''s right. If I had 4 - 5 gold coins...No, 2 - 3 would be fine, I''m sure I could make some kind of business~" "Yeah, really though. But business is impossible for you right? Since you''re an idiot." Since they''re all having such an idiotic conversation I''d say both are bob. Hm, after all it seems like it''d be okay to think of these guys as the base level of failed adventurers. "But ya'' kno~ Wer still several levels better than Azzas and dos guys that cudn''t pay properly pay taxes, got thrown our of Keel and hav ha to camp for several years. It''s them right, that attacked some caravan last month and was chased off by the guards?" "Ah, I''ve heard about that as well. Azzas face looks good but he has no brains, and since he''s weak." "I''m sure if Jild hadn''t grouped up with Azzas he wouldn''t have died~" "Trash groups up with trash~ How many are in their group now? If there''s too many of them a subjugation job will appear, gyahaha." "I think it was 4 or 5 of them? They can''t even attack a small single carriage caravan~ Since there''s at least 2 guards. If one of them gets done in then there''s no next time after all." "Then why did they attack a caravan?" "Well Azzas is an idiot after all. Most likely he tried taking one out with a surprise attack even though if that fails there''s no other choice than run~ That''s the limit of Azzas idiocy right." "Even though it''s better to think that if they''re a proper guard they can use magic, it''s because idiots all think using themselves as the standard~" Ah, I''ll order one more cup of ale. "Come to think of it, what was it, that brat?" "Like we''d know with just that" "That one that did it well, the guy who got hired by Mizbel Company." "Ah, Kuro huh?" What? The chair creaks. "Playboy Kuro huh. We all say that exclusive escorts are just small groups but you know. He did it well right~ In reality, even if the pay for a single time is cheap I''m jealous he always has a job available to him~" "Yeah, everyone says he''s a failure as an adventurer but, that''s just everyone jealous of him~ Really, I''m envious." "I thought he had seduced the old woman of Mizbel Company but I guess it''s different. A while back I saw him getting yelled at." "He~ I could have sworn he had seduced the old lady. Even for him I though his interests were too bad~" "Only his interest in women was good after all. It''s no surprise he would just ignore Jelil." "What was that? I would refuse that myself. The black hair and eyes are creepy." I''m the same, sorry about that, you ugly bitch. "Recently ya know~ He seems to be infatuated with that pretty daughter of Binsil. That''s a good woman right~" "Binsil huh~ So the great exclusive escort-sama can enter a store as expensive as that~" There''s no way Binsil is expensive. "Hmph, that woman is black hair and black eyes right? Don''t they suit each other being creepy." "She ain''t that creepy right? Well she has no luck being targeted by Kruo though. Isn''t she going to have money sucked out of her like all of his women until now?" "I wonder about that? She''s not falling into his lap like they usually do it seems~" "He has enough fixed income to go to Binsil''s restaurant and he''s seducing that beauty, really I''m envious~" It seems that Kuro has going through some trouble. It''s a pun though. But, he, managed to escape from here it seems. "Speaking of Kruo, he left Boss Begulu''s place right?" Oh.. "That''s right. It seems he was burnt quite a bit. According to the story I heard his body is messed up pretty bad~" "What''s that?" "That''s why when he left the Boss'' place, that, what was it again, he was done in by the magician at the Boss place." "Eh? It''s my first time hearing that~ What was done to him?" "It seems he was burnt with {Flamethrower}~" "Eeh...Are you serious?" Eeh..Are you serious. "And? And?" "Obviously it''s a huge burn. Supposedly he has a huge burn mark from his back to his stomach. As a bonus it seems Begulu''s name was carved into his back with a sword. Well, several days after that he crawled into and had healing magic used on it so it seems the sword wound was fixed though. But it seems that the burn marks are amazin~ Remember, when I screwed up and broke my arm, I heard from the healer that time." "The burn didn''t recover?" "It was supposedly too late. Since he quickly was able to use magic on it he was able to recover without a trace but. Supposedly the longer the time passes the more of the wound or burn can''t be fixed." I know that. I had a scar remaining on my leg when I scratched after being bitten by a mosquito until it bled. I never thought of trying to use magic after being bitten by a mosquito after all. I realized after it started to scab and used healing magic, the scab immediately came off but the scar remained. After growing up when I started training with healing magic I went all out and tried gouging out that scar with a knife and after using healing magic it completely disappeared. "He~ then, no woman will go near him because it''s disgusting huh. I guess no matter how much of a playboy Kuro is no woman would have sex with a guy with a body like that." "That''s right. Maybe a cheap prostitute." "Then, I wonder if that Binsil girl doesn''t know about it?" "I''m sure, if she knew there''s no way she would pay attention to him." It seemed like Mary knew. "Come to think of it, if we''re talking about Boss Begulu, it seems like he''s trying do some big job wasn''t it?" "Big job?" "I don''t know that much, but it was going to earn a lot right?" "I guess that''s true. But ya know, if he''s gonna profit I''d like to get on it too, right~?" "Right, but, I''m afraid to go to Janlud''s shop. That place is dangerous. Since I''m a weak girl I might suddenly get attacked." "Not happening~ Are you sayin that knowing your face, retard." "Anisa, you''re saying that but the other night ''Shut the hell up~''" It seems that Janlud''s store is Begulu''s base. It''s the other bar that I heard was dangerous that''s further in the slum''s center than here. What the, I heard good information from the first day. Then, I guess I''ll head home soon. I''ll show my face at Mary''s place. I guess I''ll head out when I finish off my food. "But ya know, I wonder what in the world that big job is?" "No idea. Is he going to attack a caravan or something with all his followers?" "Unless they manage to kill everyone it''ll get exposed and they''ll be on the course to being in the care of the knight group. I wonder if the Boss would do somethin like that?" "If they can kill everyone then there''s no way to tell who did it so it''s possible." "Since there''s close to 20 people~ Last year the one who attacked Gelufn''s caravan was the Boss right? Can''t he manage it if he tries?" "Hey, don''t go running your mouth. If someone from Boss'' place hears ya, yer... this." It seems that after all Begulu A is a pretty bad person. When I stood up from my seat and went to leave the store, I was told by the ugly bitch. "What the, I thought something stinks~ but it was you~ Don''t go leaking shit you, poor ass~" "Ey, Sorya abou'' tha, sis. But, I din'' leak it~ So forgive me~" Damn it, but just as I thought I still stink. "Shut up~ Don''t talk to me virgin brat." Viviivii...I''m not a virgin! Ah, no, I''m a virgin in Orth aren''t I? "Hey now, don''t pick fights over stupid shit. Sorry about that bro." "It''s no prob, then, Iyl be headin out now.." I try to use the tone of a small fry as best as I can imagine while leaving the store but somehow it pisses me off. I can hear them saying, "That guy''s black hair as well, that shit bastard is the same as Kuro with black hair right?" "Hey Jelil, you''re saying black hair, black hair an awful lot but unexpectedly you were after Kuro weren''t you?" "Ah~? When did I try to get Kuro''s attention?" "Haven''t you been talking about him since earlier." Jelil huh? I''ll remember you. Ugly bitch. ............... Since the smell was bothering me I didn''t go to Binsil''s restaurant. I''ll hurry back and wash my pants. When I returned to the Bins Manor the clerk made a disgusted face. I washed my pants near the well in the back while half-crying. Since no one was looking I tried washing them with a hot water shower but the smell got even worse so I ended up throwing away my newly purchased pants. It pissed me off so I burnt them all at once. Trash must be sterilized. I''m already sick of everything, I don''t want to go anywhere else today. Volume 1 - CH 58 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 16 Now then, it''s a different day, I''ll change my feelings and head out. First I need to get some new pants. After that I''ll go to Janlud''s shop that Begulu A is using as base and gather information for breakfast. I''ve heard it''s dangerous and that they''ll pick a fight me or all sorts of troublesome things but for the time being I still haven''t done anything for Begulu A to think of me as an enemy so if I go in the same poor person appearance as yesterday I doubt it''ll be very dangerous. Even if they do pick a fight with me I can use that as a leverage point to bite into him. It''s fine if I discipline anyone not related to Begulu A, and if they are related to him then I might be able to make contact. Since I have magic even if it becomes a slightly bad situation I should be able to cut my way out, I think... I''m a bit too easy-going. According to the conversation I heard yesterday there''s a magician on Begulu A''s side as well. If it were a matter of persistence then it''d be no problem but if I take a surprise attack, it could be bad. Since it''s my first time, I guess it would be safer to stop at just taking a look. It''s probably best not to overestimate my power too much. If I look at the results of Identify then it''s true I''m strong because my level is high. However, this is limited to "for a 14 year old". I''m sure there''s adventurers and failed adventurers the same level as me and I''m about the same or a bit behind them. It''s amazing that a 14 year old brat can match up with a 30 year old adventurer but putting aside sword technique, mana amount, and magic if it just comes down to the power of my body I''m at the same level as a normal adventurer or a bit weaker. I''ve only ever done Judo or those sorts of hand-to-hand combat in the far past when I was in the self-defense force after all, it''s no good to get self-conceited. It''s better to think that I have no advantages. After preparing my resolve once again, I change after buying some more pants and then head towards Janlud''s shop. The normally clean scenery of Keel gradually becomes worn-out and filthy. There''s still uneven portions of the ground remaining along with sludge and mud, trash that you can''t tell what it was is laying around along with an increase in the number of dirty human and non-human vagrants sitting and laying around (to be more accurate there shouldn''t be vagrants around so they''re probably the super lower earners|). If you were to ask then the majority of them are either extremely young or old. I guess people of a good age to work don''t have that much trouble finding it. Since children younger than five and elders over 50 are exempt from taxes it seems to be mostly those ages. I walk while making sure to step on the decent areas in order to prevent my boots from getting dirty and enter Janlud''s shop calmly as if "I''ve come to eat breakfast". While this shop is facing the road there weren''t any tables outside. Although, since the road is cramped there just might not be enough room to put tables outside. It was surprisingly wide inside of the shop and there were 12 tables. The entrance facing the road was open and if you go further in from the left of the entrance it''s the kitchen. I sit down at a seat close to the entrance and immediately start identifying the customers. I guess it''s only obvious but because it''s still early morning there''s not that many failed adventurers or yakuza-like hoodlums yet. I order the breakfast set of black bread and soup for 50Z and slowly started eating. I dip the black bread that''s as hard as a rock into the lightly salty soup with almost no vegetables and slowly eat the soup while sipping it. Yeah, it''s bad. Even if it absorbs the soup the black bread isn''t getting very soft, and the soup itself has almost no stock used so it''s just like lightly salted hot water. I''m aware of the fact that I''m gradually making a bitter expression as I continue a useless fight with the hard bread and soup and somehow manage to finish eating. Hmn, since sunlight is valuable in Orth, fundamentally people wake up with the sunrise and start activity and go to bed with the sunset, and since my habits are pretty much the same I wonder if I misunderstood? Since light magic tool are pretty common in a city the size of Keel, it''s possible there''s a lot of stores open at night. We had a lighting magic tool in my house as well. However, since it uses magic stones, we almost never used it and whenever we absolutely needed light at night we just used the type of lamp that burns tallow. Since magic stones are a source of income after all. In the 14 years since I reincarnated the only times I''ve stayed up late when I''m going to hunt at night and for that I just went to sleep right away then wake up once in the middle of the night, exhaust my mana and then sleep until morning again. That''s why I thought it was good that it was pretty healthy for that portion but it might be good to give up on sleeping more than 10 hours a day as an adventurer. Since that''s all settled I''ll head to the magic tool shop and check the retail and selling prices of magic stones and if necessary ask the way to manufacture them as well. Putting aside a clock it might be a good idea to purchase a lighting magic tool. I leave Janlud''s shop that I went to the trouble of going to and return to Bins Manor. After changing in to high-quality clothes I head to the magic tool shop. ................ I enter the magic tool shop that I was brought to by the squire the other day. It says "Magic Tool 7-9 Shop" on the doorplate. As I identify the value of the magic stones decorated along the counters in the store the prices are roughly nine times the value listed using Identify. Since I brought along several types of magic stones I immediately ask the store clerk to buy them and the middle-aged master of the store brought something out from the back. It seems like a scale. It seems he prepared a lighting magic tool as well. I wonder what in the world he''s going to do with those? When I''m curiously watching he sets the magic stones I brought in into the lightning magic tool and lights it up one after another. What meaning is there in this? I was thinking that so I tried asking and it seems he has to be cautious of fakes being brought in so in order to prove they''re real magic stones he tests them out. It seems this lightning magic tool for the sake of testing is special and the place which is like a battery box in the stand of it is larger than normal so any size of magic stone can fit, also it was adjusted so the sensitivity of it is kind of bad as well it seems. After testing all of the magic stones to see that they lit up this time he places them on the scale. The scale is a balance scale the type where you place a magic stone on one side and a weight on the other side. It seems that the weight is precisely different proportion of the amount of mana packed into the magic stone. Even if they''re the same size if one has a lot of mana in it then the weight will increase and if it''s low then the weight will decrease. Even if the size of magic stones that have completely exhausted their mana are different they all weigh the same it seems. The sizes vary heavily from ones as small as the nail of the little finger on an adults hand and the big ones up to the size of a child''s fist, but if you keep using the mana in them they all end up the same weight in the end. It seems that this is the same even if you fuse several magic stones into one. How mysterious. Also it seems that the maximum amount of mana they can have depends on the size of them, the larger one is the more its maximum mana amount is and the smaller the size the lower the maximum amount of mana. Since you can measure the amount of mana based on the weight, if you subtract the weight of a magic stone that''s exhausted it''s mana from the weight of a magic stone that still has mana then while there''s a bit of measurement error you can almost precisely guess the amount of mana in the magic stone. That becomes the value of the magic stone. So the reason why the sensitivity on the testing lightning magic tool is intentionally made bad is this. He was making sure that the magic stone didn''t have anything stuck to it or was covered in dirt to falsify the weight. However, it''s not like they can make perfectly accurate weights in Orth so I still feel like you quick fake it if you tried. Though I do think they are weights made as accurately as possible. I guess he realized that I was staring at his hands so seriously that he made a bitter smile and said to me. "It''s fine, I won''t fake the weight. Since faking the weight of magic stones is a felony on the level of murder after all." I see, I guess it''s fine to relax a bit. I was able to sell the magic stones at roughly seven times the Identify value. The ones lined up in the shop are roughly nine times. The total profits are about 22% huh. I guess that''s about right. Ah, buy at 70% and sell at 90%. I guess that''s why its the 7-9 shop. ............ I started running again until close to lunch and head to Janlud''s shop again. It feels disgusting but I intentionally didn''t take a shower. I smell like sweat but I figured it would raise the reality. It should dry by the time I get to Janlud''s shop so it''s not like I''m entering soaking wet, it should be fine. I walk down the road of the slum in a seedy outfit. It seems that Janlud''s shop is open for business the same as this morning and I order a beer and some cooked beans as I sit at the same table as this morning. I slouch over while looking around the shop with just my eyes and the customers are different from this morning, the number of hoodlums of both genders has increased. I wonder if these guys are Begulu''s subordinates? I start Identifying them from the seat nearest to me and check their name and abilities one after another. Every single one of them resembles the guys from yesterday and their levels aren''t very high and they don''t have any special skills. And then he was there. In the back of the store sitting the two of them were sitting at a table drinking something while talking to each other. ¡¾Begulu ¡¤ Godbitt /14/7/7423 Begulu ¡¤ Godbitt /25/9/7402¡¿ ¡¾Male/11/3/7401¡¤Human¡¤ Kingdom of Rombert Marquis Webdos Territory Registered Free Person¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 41 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 14¡¿ ¡¾HP: 112(112) MP: 9(9)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 20¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 15¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 22¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 19¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 379214 (450000)¡¿ ¡¾Zakkwaiz ¡¤ Begulu /6/11/7426 Zakkwaiz ¡¤ Begulu /5/5/7403¡¿ ¡¾Male/19/3/7402¡¤Human¡¤ Kingdom of Rombert Marquis Webdos Territory Registered Free Person¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 40 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 11¡¿ ¡¾HP: 93(93) MP: 32(32)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 14¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 14¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 22¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 13¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Water Magic (Lv.4)¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Wind Magic (Lv.4)¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Void Magic (Lv.5)¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 201825 (210000)¡¿ Don''t fuck with me. Aren''t they both Begulu? Going off their levels and age the one who can''t use magic seems to be the boss. I properly engrave both of their faces into my heart. Hmn, I think there''s no mistake that guy is Begulu A, but which is Begulu B? Or is there someone else as well? Hmm, this is troubling. They''re both past 40 years old, and let alone adults they were past 20 years old in the year 7426 when Myun said she came to Bakkudo so it''s not unnatural. I intended to kill Begulu B so that''s fine but it''s not like I have any sort of grudge against Begulu A. At most how he lynched Kuro for leaving the group? It seems he''s doing bad things in various places as well but it''s not like I''m a police officer. It''s true it pisses me off that he''s causing trouble for Japanese the same as me but I feel like it''s misplaced for me to get revenge for just that. Even when I tried opening their names up in a sub-window there was nothing at all related to the Kingdom of Devas or the Sagual family. At most that they were Free People who were born in a different territory of the Kingdom of Rombert. The one that can''t use magic was born in Viscount Penlaid''s territory and the one that can use magic was born in Count Farlelgaz''s territory. It''s close to being a situation where my hands are tied. It seems it would be faster to just go to Doritt and tie up that contact agent. I guess I''ll just be satisfied that I was able to confirm their faces for today. I guess I''ll head out. ............. That night I departed to Binsil''s restaurant. Obviously I changed. I took a shower as well. I wonder if Kuro is already here? Ah, that''s right, tomorrow is Kuro''s day off. If I want to have a complicated conversation then we need a place we can talk without reservation. If it''s after noon then Mary should have some time as well. Three days ago that restaurant I went with father and the others the day before they departed should be good. It had private rooms after all. I enter the restaurant and make a reservation for a private room for tomorrow afternoon. Since the clerk remembered my face I had no problem making the reservation. After arriving at Binsil''s restaurant, Kuro was already there. He''s taken position in the corner quietly eating and drinking again. Since the restaurant is reasonably packed I guess Mary must be busy. I sit across from Kuro and call out to him. "Yo." "Ah, Al huh. What''s up?" Kuro looks at me with a calm face. "I heard you have a day off tomorrow. Do you have time in the afternoon?" "Yeah, I''m open. Is coming here fine?" He said with a curious face. That''s right isn''t it. If I have something to talk about then I should just do it now. Though you know, since I don''t want anyone to hear it, I want to talk in Japanese. "No, I reserved a restaurant. I wanted to talk in {Japanese} after all. If possible it''s better if Mary can come along as well." "Hmn? But I don''t have the money for too expensive of a place." It seems he''s worried about the fact that I reserved a place. "You don''t need to worry about that. Think of it was my treat. Let''s meet at the restaurant tomorrow at 2pm or so. It''s a restaurant with the name "Dakkuluton". Do you know it?" "! How would I not know of it, it''s a super high-class restaurant on the central street! Is it okay?" Eh? Is that so? Since it''s the restaurant I had my final meal with father and the others before separating, it has private rooms, and it was good so I chose it though. I wonder if it was a bad idea? Well, I''m sure I can pay for it, I guess it''s fine. "Yeah, I don''t mind. Since we managed to meet in Orth I''m sure it''s some kind of fate. I want to have a bit of complicated conversation as well, let me treat you the first time at least." "I see, I''ve never been to "Dakkuluton". I wonder if it would be better to skip lunch tomorrow?" This guy is adorable. I knew that Mary was around the same age as me when I talked to her but Kuro might be young. After that I talked about Kuro''s escort job and the delivery job I accepted yesterday, and some random conversation before I returned to Bins Manor. It seems that Mary will come tomorrow as well. She was delighted hearing it was my treat as well but didn''t say anything about skipping lunch before coming. As expected of an adult I guess. Volume 1 - CH 59 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 17 When I''m waiting in front of "Dakkuluton" the two of them quickly appeared. "Yo, Al, thanks for today." "Really, thanks for the meal." "Yeah, It''s fine. Let''s enter?" While talking we enter the door of the restaurant. Just as expected of a high-class restaurant enough for Kuro to be surprised, even though it''s already afternoon they don''t leave the door open. After opening the heavy Oak door and there''s a carpet right away, the restaurant is lit up by lighting magic tools. The brightness isn''t set very high but rather a refined slightly dim light. After telling the clerk at the counter near the entrance that I have a reservation and the young 20 something clerk said courteously. "Customer, the clothing that they are wearing is, um.." Kuro and Mary''s facial expressions change. My expression changes as well. Ah, it''s true that while Mary and Kuro''s appearance isn''t unclean, but they''re clothes are ONLY not dirty. The frayed sleeves stand out, the collar of the shirt is stretched out. Even the cuffs are like the head of a worn-out mop. Mary is using rubber sandals and Kuro isn''t even wearing anything. He''s barefoot. I guess it can''t helped being that it was mentioned. However, there was a dress code? I didn''t know. It''s true there''s character to a restaurant, and clothes that match the place are necessary. But, I''ve reserved a private room today. Since we won''t be seen by other customers, I wonder if he''ll let us go? "Al, umm...we''re fine." Wait just a second. "Ah, umm, I''ve reserved a private room so we shouldn''t attract the attention of other customers, is it no good?" "I''m very sorry, it''s the rules of this establishment, I can''t do anything..." "Don''t say such stiff things, how about it?" I put some silver coins into the clerks hand. If this doesn''t work then I''ll have to use my heirloom treasure sword, the Marquis Webdos plate I received from sister-in-law. Even in the worst case I don''t want her to know I used it for something as insignificant as this though. However, in any world bribes, no, gratuity works. After the clerk confirms the silver coins I handed him and, "It''s special for just today." Said that and let us go. Fu~ Good. "He says it''s fine. Let''s go." I say after looking at the two of them and they followed right after me. We were shown through the store the private room but there wasn''t a single customer at a table in the restaurant. Since it''s not dinner, I guess this is about right for a high-class restaurant. However, the last time I came I was too excited since it was the night before I was on my own, I didn''t pay much attention but it''s really a high-class restaurant. The space between the tables is extremely comfortable and those tables themselves are high-quality goods. Come to think of it both the table and the chairs are made of wooden but the surfaces are properly processed and they''ve been plastered with varnish or something so they shine. There''s no tablecloths that cover the tables but there''s something like a luncheon mat at every table, and unusually there''s knives and forks all present. This is bad~ I should have confirmed the fees. I''m sure it''ll be fine though. After entering a private room in the back and the table in the room was large enough for 8 people to comfortably fit and there was something like a decorative plant in the corner of the room, in the middle of the table there was also some flowers. The walls have a white wallpaper like thing just like the halls of the restaurant. Lighting magic tools are set on the roof of the four corners of the room and are giving off a soft light. I immediately take a seat and Kuro and Mary line up sitting across from me. "It seems that for the menu you can only choose today''s course so let''s order drinks. What would be good?" "Uah~ W..Wi..Is it fine to ask for fine?" "Really, relax a little bit, I want wine as well." "Then, I guess I''ll ask for a bottle of wine to match the course." I get up from my seat and ring the small bell on a stool near the entrance. When I came last time I saw them call the bellboy with this. The boy quickly appeared with a knock so I ordered wine for three that matches the course today. Ah, don''t worry about it, there''s no brands like in modern day Earth. There''s nothing but red, white, and rose. There''s no foaming wine either. "Thanks for coming today. Now then, before the food comes I want to explain a bit of the reason I asked you to come today. Is it fine?" Both of them quietly nod. "No matter what I didn''t want anyone to interfere with the conversation today. That''s why I made it a restaurant with a private room and being cautious just in case I''m going to do the entire conversation in Japanese. You get why right, I want to exchange information about the reincarnation. If there''s some personal circumstances that you don''t want to talk about then I don''t mind." The two of them are still paying attention to me. Their faces are considerably serious. "Then I''ll start things off. Once again my name is Alan Greed. In Japan my name was Kawasaki Takeo. I was 45 years old when I died. I was a Salesperson for a Foodstuff company. I was married but unfortunately I didn''t have any kids. In Orth I was born in Bakkudo village and until the other day I had never left the village. In order to become independent I left the village aiming to be an adventurer, ah, no, I am an adventurer. I think you already know about God, but I met God quite a while ago, when I was still a baby." "Eeh.." "While you were still a baby.." The two of them are surprised. Well, since you can''t meet it unless you manage to level up. Depending on your Unique Ability then it''s possible it could take quite a while, and God said that among the reincarnated people I was the third one so I was probably one of the faster ones I''m sure. "First off, try using Status Open on me." I say that and stretch my right hand across the table. Mary and Kuro quickly touched my right hand and said {Status Open}. "..You''ve already done, magic training." "..Amazing! You can use all types of magic?" Almost simultaneously they both raise their voices. It seems that even reincarnated people can''t see Unique Abilities. Also, level as well. I''m a bit relieved. After all the red character portion can''t be seen by anyone but the person them self. With this I can say the things I''ve been planning to for a while. "You already know right? My Unique Ability is Magic Acquisition." I said a huge lie. However, if we end up working together from here on out the fact that I''m good at magic will quickly be exposed, and anyone with slightly good intuition will quickly realize the fact that I have a lot of mana. Rather it would be more difficult trying to hide my magic. Even if we don''t start working together I''m sure the fact that I''m skilled at magic will eventually be exposed, but if I say it like this then it shouldn''t cause any damage. "During the naming ceremony when I learned Status Open I was amazed. After that I quickly started my own method of training magic. My magic special skill leveled up quickly and I was able to meet God." Kuro gulps down some saliva. Mary is still surprised it seems. "Well, since that''s the case I''m considerably skilled in regards to magic. I think I should be able to use it as well as any magician." At that moment, the door was knocked, and the boy carries in an ice pale with the wine and some water. A different boy brings in the wine glass and a basket with the tableware. The wine glass is thick glass with a green tint, something which is considerably expensive in Orth. I wait for the boys to return and I take out the wine out from the decanter in the ice pale and pour some wine in everyone''s glass, then do a toast. I could have sworn that the wine would come out in a bottle. "Going back to the conversation. Since that was the case I met God when I was still a baby. I''ll talk about the information I was able to confirm at that time. You''re interested right?" The two of them nod. "I think I talked about the level up bonus the other day. That time you guys said the only thing that you have that levels up is your Unique Ability right?" The two of them nod again. "That''s a mistake. According to what I heard there''s at least three types of level up. Depending on your way of thinking you could say two as well." This time the two of them are making a confused face. "First, you know that there''s skills other than Unique Abilities right?" "Yeah, of course. Small magic and magic right?" "After that is the skills that non-humans are born with." It seems that they know, obviously though. "Among those pretty much the only ones with a level are magic. Since magic is a skill just the same as Unique Abilities you could think of them as the same type, so there''s one more type of level. Do you know it?" The two of them think for a bit but quickly shake their heads. "For convenience sake I call it the body level. The two of you, at some day, some moment have you ever felt your body suddenly feel lighter?" "Hmn, I don''t know." "Me too, I don''t know." "I see, but, according to God it exists. It seems that if you gain experience through jobs, training, practice, and combat this body level goes up. I''ve experienced my body getting lighter countless times. Since I had heard something like that existed from God I''ve never skipped out on sword training since I was an infant." "Body level huh, it''s almost like an {RPG}.. Uwa, how many years has it been since I said the words {RPG}..." "What''s an {RPG}?" "It''s an abbreviation for {Role-playing game}. Like Dragon Quest or FF, don''t you know? Those." "Ah, video games huh. I know the name but I''ve never played them. My son got absorbed into it but, Pokemon I think it was." "I''m not familiar with them as well but I don''t think Kuro''s understanding is far off. Since I used to play the Famikon {NES} and those sorts of old ones. And, Kuro, try to remember back to it. There''s level ups in those sorts of games right? What happens when you level up?" When Kuro was talking to Mary he was surprised that I suddenly interrupted but immediately replied. "Your abilities grow and you get stronger. Depending on the title or what game you''re playing you might learn now techniques or incantations but fundamentally you get physically stronger. Strength goes up, speed goes up, and stamina and mana increase..Ah." "It seems you''ve realized. That''s right. It seems that when you level up it''s the same in Orth. However, it seems that it''s a very minuscule thing but supposedly we reincarnated people have a higher degree of growth. Though since there''s no way to confirm the body level I don''t know for sure." "He~ You heard that from God?" Mary curiously asks. "Yeah, that''s right. According to God the growth rate of us reincarnated people is three times that of the people of Orth. It seems that this is the level up bonus we get." While the two of them are quiet I continue talking. "Just as you know, 39 people died in that accident an reincarnated in Orth. And it seems that in the order we met God I was the third one. Before I met God two other people already had. And God said that one of those had already died by the time I met it. Other than that seven people, in total eight people, were supposedly already died by the time I met God." "E..Eight people died while still a baby.." "Since medicine isn''t developed it''s understandable that a lot of babies die soon but...it''s still terrible." The two of the are surprised. "Yeah, it''s a terrible story. I forget the exact causes of death but starvation, disease, and what was it after that...I forget." "That seems possible." "Putting aside starvation, disease is possible." The two of them are making unusually understanding faces while nodding and Kruo says. "I''m sure there''s starvation as well. It doesn''t happen very often in the Marquis territory but when I was still a kid I heard that the development of wheat was bad and a lot of people died from starvation in another territory." He~ I didn''t know about that. "Yeah, that sounds possible. It''s just my thinking, but I think that the Marquis territory is considerably blessed. The climate is good and there''s not much trouble with water. Since the area of flatland is considerably high it should be one of the tremendously blessed places in Orth. I don''t know much about other territories so it''s just my image though." After I say that Kuro agrees with my opinion. "I see..Since I''ve always been in Keel I don''t know much about farming villages.." Mary said. "And then. In other words that would mean that there''s only 31 Japanese left in Orth for the time being. There might be people who died after I met God as well.. I think it''s possible that there''s a lot less." After I said that far, Kuro says. "Wait just a minute. The two of us have already exchanged information. We knew from that but the amount of time we had to ask questions from God was only one minute. Al, you, why do you know so much?" Huh? One minute? "One minute you say? It was close to 20 minutes for me? It was to the point where it said that the time is decided so in order to not waste any time I should ask things quickly." "Eh? You had 20 minutes?" Mary said surprised. Kuro is looking suspiciously at me. Somehow this is bad, is what I thought but I can''t helping something I''ve already said. Just when I was about to open my mouth there was a knock on the door, after replying the boy carried in the food. Until the food was finished being carried in and lined up on the table we quietly waited. I effectively use the short time I earned to think but since I had already planned to talk about things truthfully to some extent I should just continue as planned from here. After the boys leave the room I start talking. "That''s right, I had close to 20 minutes. I don''t know the reason. At first I asked about things related to me or that I can''t return anymore and about my wife that I left behind but since I was afraid of wasting any time I started to gather information. Thanks to that I found out several important pieces of information. Though you might already know." "I''m interested in the important information, but Al, sorry I don''t have any guarantee that you''re just trying to deceive us "Kuro, stop doubting him so much. Why don''t we listen to Al''s story first? It''s not like we''ve just lived without thinking about anything until now right? I think it''s better to decide if what we hear is the truth or a lie ourselves."" "But you know, doesn''t it suck to be tricked? I hate being ticked." After all Kuro is a kid. I guess he only sees the surface. "..What do you want to do? Should I stop?" "No, please continue. I''m interested." "I understand. There''s several things but first off about the culture of this world. I think you already have realized but in Earth it would be about the 7th century to the 15th century, and in terms of AD it would be the era from 600 AD to 1400 AD it seems. Even then the Kingdom of Rombert is considerably high on that ranking in Orth. As far as I know in terms of farm work, fishing, forestry are at best 10-12 century. Manufacturing and production are about the same but these might even be as low as 7-10 century. Though when it comes to just woodwork if you look at this table you''ll know but it might be even further. However, if you look at the stalls in Keel and the service industry might be close to the highest level. The political structure is also pretty high since while it''s feudalistic with noble rankings the bureaucratic mechanisms are done properly. Going off of my feel for it, it might be a bit past the 15th century. Of course, it''s still the 7th century in some weird places. Since I can''t remember much from world history that I learned in the past I can''t say too much. Just think of it as a probably." "I guess so. I agree with that." Kuro is listening to the conversation while eating the thick soup and soft white breast. "But, the military level is considerably poor compared to that, I think it''s probably not past 10th century. Since there''s knights and a knight group, if you just look at that then it seems to be 14-15 century or maybe even greater, but I still think it''s about that. I came to this conclusion based on gathering information from various sources along with what I heard from God." "From other sources...Ah, since you''re a noble, you might know various things we don''t know." "That might be the case. Since my father is a viscount I''ve heard a reasonable amount about the war with the Kingdom of Devas and since my brother retired from the knight group and returned to the house I''ve heard various stories. My sister-in-law is the granddaughter of Marquis Webdos as well so I was able to hear some things about the noble rankings that were good references. Well, if there''s anything strange then ask as I get there. It''s not like I know everything myself." "I''m envious of guys with such leeway. I had to give it my best just to eat so I didn''t have that much free time." This guy...he''s gotten quite rebellious. I wonder if Kuro was born in a rich house in Japan and his friends were like this as well? No, I should stop thinking with prejudices. I''m sure it''s just an inferiority complex because he had an unfortunate upbringing. He said he was born as a serf after all. "Well, don''t say things like that. It can''t be helped. It''s like I''m the one in the wrong. Is it fine if I continue?" "Yeah, of course. Kuro, stop doing that already." "After that is, I guess so. The plants and animals. It seems they fundamentally have the same characteristics as Earth. However, there''s a lot that''s different as well. The distribution is all over the place as well. It''s not a plant or animal but no matter how you look at it there was no volcano near my village but there was sulfur. There''s also a lot of plants and animals that didn''t exist on Earth. It''s probably safer to just use the knowledge from Earth as a reference point. If anything I think that the animals have the biggest difference from the ones on Earth. God said that the foundations of evolution are fundamentally different. A good example of this is monsters. They''re someone that definitely wasn''t on Earth. There''s a lot of monsters that come out in legends and myths, literally all over the place. And non-humans as well." "That''s right, I remember being surprised about that as well. Kuro, what about you?" "I wasn''t actually all that surprised..I knew about it from novels and manga after all. And games as well. All of the characters of the monsters that appear are the same as those as well. Non-humans are as well. They were the same. They are slightly different but it''s roughly the same as a monster with the same name coming out in a different game. I thought of it as a difference at that level." I see, I''m jealous of that. I was troubled over how many unexpected things there were without that sort of knowledge. "Next is the dates and seasons. There''s 24 hours in one day. This is supposedly the same as Earth. But, one week is 6 days. One month is 5 weeks and 30 days. One year is 12 months and 360 days. You already know this right?" "Yeah, though it was mostly just that I thought it was probably 24 hours in 1 day. I know that much." "Me too." Well, I guess that''s only obvious. It would be inconvenient if you didn''t know. "After that is magic. For this it would probably be faster to ask how much you guys know first." I finally start eating my soup. Just as it looks it''s a soup with a deep flavor. There''s a lot of stock and it''s already at the level of one step before becoming stew. It''s good. "It''s a special skill where Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Void all have levels. Due to something related to mana amount you start training with it once you become an adult and those with talent can use it. It''s said to be roughly one in ten. That''s why magicians aren''t uncommon but in order to use it practically you need at least level 2 and in order to get it that far you have to train a bit. It seems that Free People and commoners with a high skill level of magic become adventurers or enter the army." "I see, anything else?" "If you combine magics you can get effects like in games. There''s also names like, {Flame Arrow} and {Wind Cutter}. Also, there''s a healing type where you speak an incantation to recover injuries. However, they''re all not that much different. In the past I''ve seen {Flame Arrow} used but the speed was about as fast as you can throw a stone, and if you miss that''s it, if it''s an adult then unless it hits a bad spot you can''t defeat them so easily." "Yeah, anything else?" "I guess so, other than that is... I''ve heard that you can control the elements that you''ve made. Not the stuff that already existed but only the stuff that you create." "After that is.. there''s various troublesome things if you use magic too much and run out of mana, I guess. I don''t know what happens though. I''ve never seen it after all." "I see. It''s somewhat correct until now. However, there''s several things that are incorrect and several things that aren''t sufficient. Things in relation to magic is knowledge that comes from my experience. That''s why it''s probably not perfectly correct but even then I know a lot more than that. Then I''ll tell you the things I know about magic." I pick up some of the relishes that came out with the soup. What is this? It''s an unusual flavor but it''s good. "First off, you said that you have no experience of running out of mana from overusing magic. Is that the case for both of you?" "Neither of us can use magic. Want to check our Status?" After saying that Mary stretches out her left hand. Kuro stretched his hand out as well. While stopping that I said. "Yeah, Status is fine later. I understand, I''ll have to digress a bit but listen to what I say. You guys said you met God when your Unique Ability leveled up right. I''m the same but at the start when you use your Unique Ability don''t you get tired?" "I did." "That''s right." The two of them respond simultaneously. "When did the two of you meet God?" "When I was 8 years old." Kuro said. "I think it was when I was 5 or 6 years old." Mary said. "I see, after that have you ever gotten tired or noticed a change in your body from overusing your Unique Ability?" "Just at first. Since I would immediately start to feel tired or feel hungry I only used it once a day or so." "I also started to be careful using it after I noticed that I would get tired from overusing it, so it was just in the period after I first started using my Unique Ability." "That''s running out of mana. If you overuse magic you get symptoms similar to that. By the way, as far as I''ve analyzed, when you run out of mana the desire that adapts to the situation you''re in is the one that you become most unable to control. Primarily the three great desires of humans. Hunger, sleep, and sexual desire. According to what you said since it was when you were still kids first off is the desire to sleep. If it''s when you''re a bit hungry then your appetite will completely come out and you''ll find it difficult to endure. When it comes to your age right now then sexual desire might come out as well." Both of them were dumbfounded. "In other words, the usage of your Unique Ability and mana are in a close relationship. Unique Abilities aren''t magic but they use mana. Since I''ve tested this out quite a bit I''m pretty sure it''s true. For a short while after I use my Unique Ability Magic Acquisition it becomes considerably easy to learn magic. I kept record of the number of times I could use magic without using my Unique Ability at all and after I used my Unique Ability so I had quite a bit of trouble analyzing things." After saying that I drink the soup with a indifferent face and eat some of the oeuvres. Kuro seems to be nodding as he opens his mouth. "I see. I get it know. My Unique Ability is.. it''s embarrassing but the so-called Charm. I can Charm the opposite sex, Human women. It''s kind of like a love drug. If I use this Unique Ability then for a short while after that I can make the woman''s feelings directed towards me. It''s no good against different races and men it seems. I don''t know for sure since I''ve never tested it though. Ah, of course I''ve never used it on Mary as well. Let alone that, I haven''t used it at all recently. In order to use Charm there''s some procedures I have to follow but I had God teach me that...aa, I see, God came out that time because my body level had gone up! Since I was too happy I must not have heard it. Sorry, Al. I doubted you." Hmph, so he has enough discretion to recognize his own mistakes and apologize for them. I felt a bit of admiration. I just nodded as if to say not to worry about it. Mary was quietly listening to what Kuro said but since it seemed that Kuro reached the end of talking about his Unique Ability, Mary started to talk. "My Unique Ability is Resistance, there''s Poison in the parentheses. In the past when I was cutting a fish that had poison I stabbed my finger on it''s fin that was the first time I used my Unique Ability. Up until then I didn''t know how to use it. It''s not like I could try drinking poison after all and I couldn''t get my hands on poison. After that I trained it by stabbing my finger with the poison fin. Now it''s level 8 and most poisons don''t work on me." She properly looked at my eyes while talking. There''s no poison in the food here so relax. However, Resistance (Poison) is somehow amazing. Since there''s parentheses there might be something other than poison. "He~ Both of you have amazing abilities. Charm is amazing and resistance to poison is amazing. Well, putting that aside and returning to the conversation on magic and while you can''t confirm it in your Status, mana definitely exists. You''re using that as a fuel to materialize magic. Even if you use up your mana if you eat some food or rest then it''ll recover. Even if you don''t use it all up and a bit is remaining it will slowly recover as well. That''s about it regarding mana." At that time, there was another knock and the boy carried in some food. It seems to be some sea food. There''s a boiled fish that I''ve never seen before. It looks delicious. After the three of us enjoyed the food for a bit, I started talking again. "There''s five types of magic but if you generally classify it then there''s three types. Water and earth quite literally create those elements. The amount you can create is based on the level of the magic of those elements. It''s also possible to reduce them. If you were to try and make even more of the element then if you put more mana into it, it''s possible but it''s inefficient. If you just use these two types of magic on their own then you create water or dirt and that''s the end. Ah, the water tastes bad but it''s safe to drink. I think it''s probably pure water. The dirt you can make is a fixed dirt quality as well. I''ve never tried using it in fields so I don''t know what kind of effect it might have. I don''t there would be any probably?" The two of them are focused on me. "Next is fire and wind. Fire magic level you control the temperature in an area based on the level of your magic. It''s possible to raise the temperature and the opposite of lowering it is also possible. I use it in combination with water magic the most. If you use it on its own without thinking then fire comes out. I think it''s probably burning some flammable gas in the atmosphere but I don''t know for sure. The composition of the air in Orth might be different from the air on Earth." It seems they were a bit surprised at my guess. "Wind is also a bit different. If you use on its own then you create air. And quite a bit I think. Even if you inhale this air it''s not something bad for you. But, you might hurt your lungs or throat if you use it for breathing for too long. Since it doesn''t seem like there would probably be any moisture included in this air. Wind magic is the same as fire magic in that you use it in combination with other magics a lot." I guess they''ve already gotten used to my unexpected story so the two of them are nodding to themselves. "Lastly is void magic but this is the most important. It''s mostly used to apply some sort of power to the elements you''ve created with elemental magic. Firing off, changing shape, or controlling. It''s also possible to use it on its own. Since it''s the magic you use the most even if it''s a magician that can use several types of elemental magic the level of their void magic is almost always the highest." "He~ The magician adventurer that I did jobs with for a bit in the past didn''t teach me that much. By the way, Al, how do you do magic training? There''s a possibility that I could be able to use it as well right?" Kuro''s eyes are sparkling. It seems that Mary is hoping for it the same as Kuro. I guess that''s only obvious. Since you can''t use magic on Earth. I know those feelings. "Yeah, I''ll teach you later. It''s nothing particularly hard. Between the method my mother taught me and the normal method, which would be better? The result is probably the same for both. The method my mother taught me is probably more difficult but you might understand the result right away. I think there''s a bit of time required to get used to the normal method.. I guess about one week or so but it''s probably not difficult." "Either way is fine. I want to try both methods." "Me too." The two of them are leaning towards me. "That''s why I said later. I still have a bit more to talk about in regards to magic. And like I just said, it''s common for magic to be used as a combination of various types of magic. Since the applications are limited with using a single type. For example, using fire and water magic to make ice. I''m sure the ice that''s cooling this wine down was made with ice magic." After I say that the two of them were looking at the ice pale. The rough rock ice has already mostly melted. I take the decanter out of the ice pale and put my left hand above it then made a bit of ice. After the palm of my left hand shines with a bit of blue light some rock ice like ice falls into the ice pale and splashes water in it around. I return the decanter to the ice pale before opening my mouth again. "Just like this you make ice. Just now was an example of using fire and water magic. I didn''t use void magic. If I use the appropriate void magic along with them I can make the ice sharp and shoot it and I can make not just ice but hot water and take a shower as well. Depending on the combinations and your imagination the applicable uses get quite a bit wider." After saying that I eat the boiled fish again. This is delicious. "My story is about that much. After that I want to hear what you guys have to say." The two of them exchange glances but Kuro nods and looks at me. It seems that Kuro is going to talk first. "Just like we said, we only had one minute to ask questions. In my case I was only able to ask how to use my Unique Ability and it ended. It seems to be the same for Mary. Sorry, but I don''t think we have much useful information that we can tell you." I somehow had that sort of feeling but it really was just that much. I guess it can''t be helped. If they had some more important information about Orth then I honestly doubt they would be living here like this after all. If you just are aware of the fact that leveling up exists then you definitely know when it happens after that. And after that you should be able to recognize a lot of things. I guess you could say the fact that the two of them are still low level is a valid point itself. Depending on how they train these two can become much stronger than a normal person. There''s no better person than this for my first comrades. However, since both of them have an occupation and Mary is living with her family. On top of that they both are prejudiced towards adventurers. I wonder how I should go about it. "I see, don''t worry about it the two of you. I''m not worried about it after all. Well, isn''t it good luck that we were able to get to know other Japanese? It''s valuable to all of us with just that I''m sure." There''s another knock and the boy carries in more food. It seems to be a meat dish this time. There''s a mysterious sauce on top of a saute of pork. I''ve stopped using Identify on food so often since I came to Keel. Since the surprise disappears. I''ll use identify after I eat it. Ah, of course if it''s obviously rotting or suspicious then I''m obviously still using identify though. "It helps that you''re willing to say that. We don''t have much of any information about Orth. That''s why about the only things we could tell Al are about the society in Keel or the common sense of a city." "No, just that is helpful. I''m estranged from those sorts of things. That''s why it helps a lot." Even if the appearance of the two of them is worn-out they skillfully use the knife and fork to cut the pork saute and bring it to their mouths. You can feel that they''ve lived in modern society from that area. "Now then, I still have two more things to talk about. First off is regarding adventurers. Do the two of you have any intention of partying up with me as adventurers?" After looking at the faces of the both of them and they were both looking at me with awkward expressions. "Al, since I was aiming to be an adventurer in the past and have tried it for a bit so I know, but only a small handful of amazing guys can properly earn as it. I know that you can use magic but I doubt you can match up with monsters. Ah, don''t take what I said the wrong way. Since I''ve seen monsters in the past as well but those are the lukewarm things like in RPGs. They seriously come at you to kill. You have to always take them on with your full ability. If they come at you in succession then you''ll eventually run out of mana right? I know several guys who were killed by fighting monsters with that much confidence." "That''s right, and Kuro can use the sword a bit but I can''t fight. I haven''t used any blades other than a kitchen knife. I have a family and I can''t leave alone the restaurant. I said it the other day but there''s no way to succeed as an adventurer. It''s better to search for a job and live normally." The two of them say various objections. Yeah, I expected that. "I already get that it''s difficult being an adventurer. I have no intentionally of forcing you, since I don''t have any authority to do so after all. However, I want comrades I can trust. Monsters... Speaking honestly in regards to monsters, I''ve fought and defeated every type of monster in the surroundings of my home town. I''ve killed four Horned Bear up until now. Putting aside Horned Bears, if it''s Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgolbins, Brown Slime, Giant Leech, or Green Crocodiles, then at that level even if they come at me in groups of a bit more than ten then I can annihilate them all myself. I have that much experience fighting." After the two of them made a dumbfounded expression from hearing my story they immediately said, "Don''t lie" just like before. It''s not like it''s necessary for them to believe my achievements just from talking but I decided to keep talking. "Well putting that aside, even though I''ve reincarnated, even if the 14 year old I am in orth says that I know it''s hard to believe. But, that I really want allies, particularly allies that I can trust is true. It seems that it''s common for an adventurer to buy combat slaves and complete jobs with them. That''s fine as well but I don''t have any experience using those sorts of slaves myself so I thought it would be unlikely to get lucky enough to get my hands on a slave I can really trust. In the first place, I have a bit of mental rejection towards buying and selling slaves as well. Ah, obviously, it''s not like I want to use you two as a substitute for slaves. Believe me on that." "I wouldn''t particularly think something like that. If you really have the strength you say then there should be plenty of people who want to be your ally. And if you''re that strong isn''t it fine alone?" "That''s right. We want to go without getting involved with that sort of world as much as possible. I know it''s weird coming from that''s an exclusive escort for a caravan though. The company that I''m working for just does round-trips to safe places. But if you''re really that strong then.." "Wait just a minute, Kuro." Mary talks to Kuro worried about him. "Ah, sorry. But if he''s really that strong then shouldn''t he be able to become top class in Keel right away?" Kuro apologizes as if to parry what Mary said, it seems he has some admiration for it. I guess I''ll leave this topic around here. I bite into the saute while saying. "Then let''s stop with this conversation for now. Finally is about Begulu. Did Kuro hear why I was searching for Begulu?" "Yeah, I heard from Mary yesterday. I also heard that it might not be the Begulu I know about as well." "I see, as a matter of fact yesterday I tried going to a shop called Janlud. I used quite a bit of time but I was able to take a look at Begulu''s face. There''s two of them. Since I don''t know which one is the one I''m searching for I didn''t try talking to them and they didn''t try to make contact with me as well." They two of them flinched after hearing what I said but quickly calmed down. Kuro stands up from his seat and slowly lifts his shirt. There''s a celluloid like large burn scar on his stomach. After Kuro saw that my facial color changed he showed me his back. When I''m eating such delicious food don''t show me such weird things. "This is the literal branding that was done to me when I left Begulu''s group. It''s horrible right? I thought I was going to die when it was done. I had all my money stolen from the healer old man as well. Do you understand why we don''t want to get involved with that guy?" Yeah, I know. Mary is looking worried up at Kruo while holding the knife and fork. "How cruel. So you had something like that done to you.." I said it with pity. "Yeah, I won''t say anything bad. I think it''s better for you to avoid getting involved with him." "I see now. I get it well. However, I won''t stop following Begulu. No matter what if I don''t find and kill him there''s a person that can''t sleep in peace after all. Ah, I''m sorry for saying something like killing. Of course, I think it might not be the two I saw yesterday. Just, even if it was just one of the two of them I intend to do it. And I think I can probably manage it after all." Mary sighs and looks at me as she opens her mouth. "Al, it''s good that you have confidence but you know. Begulu''s group is really unreasonable. Even the knight group has their hands full dealing with them." "I see, come to think of it there was no proof of their crimes right... I don''t know if the one I''m looking for is one of them or maybe someone different but I think it''s only a matter of time before that''ll become obvious. If it''s one of them, then I''ll definitely kill them. It''s best if I can wait for them to be alone before killing but if they never are alone then I''ll kill them both at once. I should know that probably within another three weeks or so." Since I was saying I would definitely kill them with a serious face it seems that Mary got scared. Kuro says to Mary to try and help her relax, "It''s not like Al is saying we have to get involved with it right" and said to me "It would be good if you can do it. I feel bad for you but I''m hoping that the Begulu you''re searching for is that Begulu. There''s a lot of people that would be glad if you could do something about that Begulu. I have no intention of helping but even if it''s just feeling I''ll be rooting for you." Well, he was done something would make him hold a grudge so I guess it''s only obvious. ................ After leaving the restaurant when we were about to split up I decided to ask something I''ve thought for the past few days. "Are you guys dating?" Since they were just looking at each other without confirming or denying it I gave them a pack of older brother''s present as a gift. Neither of them knew what it was at first but Mary quickly realized and violently threw it back at me while saying "We''re still 14 years old!". Ku...she treated the crystallization of us siblings so roughly. Volume 1 - CH 60 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 17 I return to the inn and organize the things I talked about today. ..It was mostly just me giving handouts. Is what I thought for a moment, but since the things I heard about Keel''s common sense were of pretty good reference so the 42,600 Z I paid for "Dakkuluton" wasn''t a complete waste. Ah, I paid an extra 10,000 Z for bribes. I guess that doesn''t matter. And I think I got a bit closer to those too as well, I guess it would be better to be satisfied with that for today. Also, that as well. The dessert at the end. That was delicious. Of course, sweets exist in Orth as well but until now I''ve eaten a difficult to make sweet like Western confectioneries like that until now. Things like frozen fruits made into gelatin or sweet bean jelly, after that at best it was something like failed pancakes. I didn''t think there were sweets as delicious as that in Orth. It was a fruits bavarios that had sour-sweet gelatin like mousse on the surface and there was something like fresh cream used for decorations. Kuro and Mary let out a sigh just looking at it and even I was about to let out a sound. In my past life I didn''t really care for western confectioneries so I rarely ate them and don''t know them well, but I still think that "Dakkuluton"''s dessert falls behind the sweets you can buy at a convenience store. However, it still feels like the first time I''ve eaten a delicious dessert as good as that since my past life so for a moment I still felt like I was going to rise into the sky. Ah, just remembering it makes me start to drool. Oh~ I should stop there in regards to the food. I want to make those into my allies but it''s already seeming impossible. Their aversion towards adventurers is too strong after all. Maybe I should just think about of hiring them with some reasonably high compensation. They say you can earn a ton of money by entering the dungeon near the capital and getting out of it with loot. I''m sure it''s still impossible with how weak I am though. It seems that the top class adventurers of various territories challenge it in large groups, end up being defeated instead, and only a portion of them return. They also say that among the guys that return alive another handful find enough treasures and magic stones to live comfortably their entire life as well. I''m aiming for that as well. I''ll challenge it a number of times and build a fortune, and using that as funds I''ll start a country somewhere outside of the kingdom. According to a story I heard Kolakut Kingdom in the east was founded 100 years or so ago by an adventurer and there''s a lot of countries that have similar stories. And the borders between various countries are pretty vague so I could aim for the gaps and declare the foundation of my country, and have a country that''s not far from mine recognize that as a country, as long as I can glare back at other countries with effective military action most countries will recognize it a bit at a time it seems. It seems that in the end a lot of the small countries around Rombert were founded like that. Since it''s just going off of the information I gathered and guessed from a remote region I doubt it''s that simple but if I remember correctly there was a powerful family in Japan that was made in the same way. In the end you can get the Emperor to say "I''ll leave that territory to you" then it''s your win, and even if he doesn''t say it there were a lot of local clan leaders that made it to feudal lords. If I possess power then it''s not incorrect to say that somewhat little by little it''ll become a country. No matter what I do, I need money to start. The amount of wealth that can be amassed by selling rubber products has its limits. At best it''s enough for a regional Viscount territory to profit reasonably. It would be different if you could increase the area of the rubber trees planted by more than 100 times but that sort thing will take decades. It''s suspicious if I''ll even still be alive by then. That''s why I have to rush with my life. In order to do that I need money. Obviously power as well. If I get too impatient and fall into a careless train of thoughts and end up failing it''s shameful as well so I need to be careful, I''m sure there will be many times where I need to proceed with patience and discretion. Of course I''m sure there will also be times to aim for a large and bold hand to play as well. Yeah, I have a lot to think about. I guess I''ll sleep already for today. .............. Year 7442, Month 4, Day 18 I head to Binsil''s restaurant from the morning. In order to teach Kuro and Mary the way to train with magic. Obviously since there''s a lot of customers in with the sunrise I''m sure it''s busy with preparations of breakfast so I just need to go in between 8 am and 9 am. Until then I''ll do some running and sweat a bit. Ah, Kuro won''t be there today or tomorrow because of his job. Having two days of work and one day off isn''t that the work schedule of a prostitute, it doesn''t really matter though. Eh? Why do I know something like that? Isn''t everyone forgetting that my occupation used to be a salary-man in my previous life? I did some business entertainment I couldn''t tell to the company. There''s no way I wouldn''t know about it. I arrived at Binsil''s restaurant after 8 am. It seems that Mary is here. I sit at the edge seat that Kuro is always sitting at and order a breakfast set. Mary quickly brought out a breakfast set. "Thank you for the meal yesterday. It was very good. It felt like it''s been decades since I had food as good as that." "I see, I''m glad you liked it. And, if you have any time right now I can teach you the magic to train with magic but what do you want to do?" Different from the way home yesterday Mary is smiling as I say it so I immediately got to the point. "Right now is fine but how long will it take? If it takes too long then I have to start preparing for lunch.." "Hn? The first time takes a few minutes up to a bit more than ten minutes I guess. And if I teach you once then after that if you want you can try to do it yourself whenever you want." After hearing what I said Mary leaned forward towards me. "It''s that short!? Then teach me, right now!" "At least let me eat first. Also, just as I said yesterday, there''s two types of methods. Which is better?" Mary thinks about it for a bit before saying. "The method that gets results faster is better." "I see, then, prepare a thin stick that you don''t need. I''ll eat quickly." After hearing past "quickly" Mary left the seat and ran to the kitchen. You can tell from her back how much she''s anticipating it. I bite off some bread and come to think of it how much MP did Mary have again? And I use Identify on her back as she crouching down at the stove in the kitchen. 16 huh, it''s plenty for starting out. Ah, I guess I should look at the explanation for Resistance (Poison) as well? ¡¾Unique Ability: Resistance (Poison); A type of resistance ability. It activates via resistance or feelings of fear felt towards poisons that have entered the body through absorption or other factors. Therefore, if the user isn''t conscious of the poison or is in a mental state where they accept the poison the ability doesn''t active. Also, the poisons that are possible to resist must be poisons before they enter the body of the user. Inside refers to the surface of the body. In other words, there''s no effect against poisons that are produced within the users body. All poisons that this ability has no effect on are processed in the same way the body normally treats poisons. If the ability activates the effect of the poison doesn''t disappear, the effect of the ability manifests by weakening the effect of the poisons. Level 0 the effect of the poison is reduced by 55%, every level after that the effect of poisons are reduced by 5% more. At the maximum level there''s a 100% reduction. Also, regardless of whether the poison is produced inside or outside of the body in the case that it''s a poisonous substance that has a negative effect on the body it will be decomposed and ejected. At Level 0 it takes at most 20 days after the ability is activated to completely decompose and eject the poison, for every level after that the time required will reduce by 1 day. However, it is possible for that to activate the ability through resistance and feelings of fear as well. Furthermore, because the poison listed above is any substance regardless of organic or inorganic that provides a negative influence to the vital activity of the owner of the ability, it doesn''t take consideration the selective toxicity of other living things¡¿ He~ This is certainly amazing. As long as the person them self is conscious of it they can become almost invincible against all types of poisons. I wonder if you can understand the strength of the poison you absorb? For example, this isn''t much at all, or if you take this you''ll normally die. She brought a thin wooden stick that seems to be something like a fire lighter from the kitchen as she heads over here. Then, I guess I''ll start. "Alright..and just as you can see I just lit it up with fire. Hold both of your hands over the sides of this and try to pass mana through the gap of your hands. If you succeed then the flame will sway and you''ll have completed acquiring void magic. Since even if I say that you probably won''t know what to do I''ll help out for just the start." After saying that I place both of my hands on the outside of Mary''s hands that are surrounding the fire and start sending in mana. I guess she felt the flow because Mary raised her voice with a "hya" while still properly looking at the flame swaying in the wind. "If you can cause the sensation from just now on your own then it''s perfect. However, if you try too hard then you''ll end up overusing your mana so be careful. I guess so, I think it would be good for Mary to try practicing 10 times in the morning and 10 times in the afternoon. If your talent with magic is high then you should be able to do it in a few times. However the trick to it is difficult. If your talent is low then it takes quite a bit of time. I''ll come again tomorrow so if you still haven''t done it by then we can try doing the normal method." "..Yeah, I understand." Mary couldn''t make the flame move before the time I finished eating. There''s no helping it just watching Mary get lost in training with magic so I left the restaurant. When I left the restaurant the poor people who were all checking out the food inside faced downwards. If you work you can eat it. It''s not that expensive after all. .............. Well then, it''s not like I have particularly anything to do but there is one thing that I must do. After returning to Bins Manor I took a shower, changed my clothes and cleaned up my appearance then grabbed one of the apprentices and asked where the store called "Ritton" listed on the memo from my older brother is located. I whistle as I head towards "Ritton", check the bond between brothers that''s in my pocket and think about how to conquer it. I think it would be better to get a hold of someone as high up as possible at first. I shortly arrived at my location and was a bit disappointed that it wasn''t a building as extravagant as I thought it would be. The first floor is made of stone and the second floor seems to be wood. It''s not extravagant but the surroundings of the building are clean and tidy and there''s no dirt anywhere. Hm, it seems they''ve put work into training the employees. After confidently opening the door and entering there was a counter in front of me. Both halls that go further in from there are hidden by a black curtain like cloth. There''s a middle-aged man with good posture that you can only call a gentleman standing at the counter in a coat and after he realizes me he lowers his head and calls out "Welcome.". I held out my hand while saying, "It''s my first time here but I heard rumors of this place." The gentleman gently grabs my right hand with his left hand and uses Status Open. Hm, it''s just as I thought from the store''s appearance. That''s great. After confirming my status the gentleman smiles lightly and asks, "Welcome to our store. Greed-sama, who were you referred to us by?" since I wanted to make his impression of me as high as possible I secretly showed him the plate I got from sister-in-law. After getting a glance of the plate the gentleman made a face as if he understood everything, quietly nodded, and guided me through to the back through the curtain on the left side. Further behind the curtains was a hallway just as I thought but a few meters further than that there''s another curtain blocking it. The gentleman slips through past me and opens the door on the left side of the hallway as he lowers his head. I guess he''s saying to enter. I enter the door and sit down on a chair in what seems to be a conversation room. The gentleman disappears after saying, "please wait just a moment". Hm, as expected of the power of the plate. It''s VIP treatment. After waiting for about 10 minutes the door was knocked and opened. After the gentleman from just now politely opens the door the person behind him slowly enters the room. While feeling like my chest is going to burst with expectation I look at the person. ... ..... .......... .................. Oh my, it was too much of a happening that my brain stopped for a moment there. The {OS} in my brain takes as much time to restart as s {VAX} machine in a certain university. The {VAXstation 3100} in my brain is somehow able to activate {VMS}. The person who just gently sat down across the table from me is truly a being not of this world. While clad in garments that seem to be silk, with a shining gentle smile on their face, the pair of blue eyes are shining as they stare prudently over here, making me feel as if they can even see through my body itself. The gentleman closed the door without making a sound and is already no longer here. For the next dozen minutes, no depending on the situation several hour period, I''ll be challenging this opponent to a fight. This is a crusade. I close my eyes for a short period of time and once again look at the person in front of me. Now then, I wonder if the crusade will take place here or we''ll move this battle to another place. At that moment, the opponent opened their mouth. "Welcome to our shop, Greed-sama. I am the owner of this "Ritton", Yoshilmil Haritaid. For what business are you here for today?" It''s a voice almost as if the gates of hell themselves have opened. The person in front of me opens their mouth that''s wide like a toad, and the skin that''s covered in pimples jiggles as they talk. Ah, it''s my first time seeing a human as negligent of their health and unsightly as this. It reminds of that {Jabba.the} something or other. Why did this happen? Damn it. I...I really... I had such expectations. What''s this? Is it a candid camera? Quickly bring out the signboard Akaheru-sa~~n! I''m confused over the truly unexpected situation. Older brother~ Save me?! Older~ brotherrrrr! Older brother? Ah, that''s right. "U...Umm, that is... I....I..I..I..I have a product that I would like to be used here. I''m here today to introduce it to you." I was in a bit of a panic but I somehow managed to smooth it over and talk. I showed the power of a top salesman. "Ho~ Since you visited in possession of the Marquis plate, I thought that as the owner I should greet you first, but.." After saying that Haritaid snaps his fingers. While snapping his fingers his cheeks jiggled again. The door quickly opened and the gentleman says, "Now, show him your faces." and invited several women who were waiting in the hall into the room. However, Haritaid opened his mouth once again. "Ah, it''s fine. Sebastian. Have the women step back. Also prepare two drinks." Are you serious. I made a huge mistake~ What was that about top salesman. Being smeared in shit matches me perfectly. "Now then, what kind of product is it? In order to respond to all sorts of requests I believe that we have a perfect collection of articles though.." I hold back the fact that I want to cry with a will of steel and somehow pretend to remain calm while I take the condom out of my pocket. I put it on the table and start explaining while smiling. "I hear that the, umm, gentlemen who are in search of a social life fall into a passionate relationship with the employees of this store. I''m sure that is because the gentlemen are very charming, I also heard that the employees are caught up in that passion with a high probability." Haritaid was staring at the condom in my hand with a dubious look but after looking at me with an expression as if he read what I was saying he opens his mouth. "H~m. Greed-sama uses very refined expressions. However, that expression is splendid indeed. It''s true, I''m sure that the gentlemen who visit this store are very charming. It does seem that the employees get engrossed with them." Alright, the catch was {OK}. "And, when you want to develop a passionate relation there is a problem that absolutely cannot be ignored I''m sure." "Ho~? A problem that can''t be ignored..What in the world is it?" At that moment along with a polite knock the gentlemen entered the room with a tray with tea on it. After politely placing the tea, he closed the door without noise again and left the room. "It''s the problem of population that the gentlemen and employees don''t wish for and the disease other than love that a portion of imprudent gentlemen bring in." "Hohou, I see now. However, in order to avoid those sorts of problems our store has already prepared the highest quality of goods. The goods prepared at this store are all products that were prepared from only healthy subjects that were slaughtered the day before and of a high quality where there is no need to worry about mold or drying. In order to guarantee the quality we hold back on business the day after the slaughter house is closed." Haritaid said with full confidence. "I see, I''m sure that''s true from the "Ritton" that I''ve heard about. However, I wonder if you can still say such things after you''ve tried using this product that I''ve brought in today?" This is the place to make the push. For older brother''s sake I can''t afford to pull back here. "Mu.. It''s a back and forth way of putting it, can I take that as a challenge towards the quality of goods prepared at our establishment?" How annoying~ Jabba.the something raises one his eyebrows while looking at me. I''m scared. I drink down the cup of tea that was prepared for me and reach out to the pack of condoms. And I cut the seal on the pack. Though it''s just tearing the edge with my nails. A bit of the seaweed lotion that was sealed overflows and fell onto my cup but I guess it''s fine. I emptied my cup for that reason. And along with the lotion in the 10 slits I squeeze down on the opening to one of those slits and take that out. "This is made from a material called rubber. Do you know about rubber?" Jabba who was making a displeased expression says, "Of course I know of it. It''s something that''s started to appear on the market recently. I''ve purchased the shoes and cushions myself." with a slightly proud expression. Since rubber products are expensive I guess just owning them is a bit of a status. Especially the cushions are considerably expensive so I can understand wanting brag about it. "This is a hygiene product created using rubber. Please try holding it in your hand. Ah, that liquid is not something that is harmful to the body. Depending on the case...I guess so. It''s a completely harmless substance which the lubrication is high so that even the employees who can''t get into the mood can easily accept the gentlemen. Since the raw material for it is a food product even if you put it into your mouth or swallow it there''s no negative effects at all." Jabba was staring at the circular rolled up hygiene product that was covered in an unknown liquid as if it was creepy but timidly reached out to it was it was on my hand. I hold back the nauseous of seeing the caterpillar like fingers coming towards me as I continue. "This is rolled up so that the gentlemen can easily put it on. You equip it just like this." I take the hygiene product being pinched by the caterpillars and start spinning it onto the caterpillar in the middle of Jabba''s hand. This is somehow an unpleasant picture, is what I''m thinking while I''m making sure not to forget my smile. Obviously it''s really loose. "Now, have you been able to understand the thickness and durability of this rubber? Try touching it. It''s fine if you try pulling on the rubber as well." After staring unpleasantly at his finger covered in the lotion Jabba touched the cup while it was still covered with the hygiene product. Then he made a surprised expression and started touching the surface of the table and the surface of the cup other than the handle. Also, he tried touching the caterpillar on his other hand while checking the sensation and started pulling it to check the strength. It seems to have greatly grasped his interested. "Hmm...This is..The temperature passes through extremely well..Not to mention this thinness... A proper sensation still remains..Hm..mm..It stretches well...And it doesn''t tear as well, huh.." He touches various things while grumbling and in the end was playing with the cup through the condom while thinking. Just one more push from here. "Haritaid-sama, I''m always thinking. That a first-class establishment needs first-class products available. Of course I already know from local popularity that this establishment is super first-class. Starting with the clerk and the education of the employees, the appearance of the employees themselves as well, this is only obvious but an important point. Obviously the gentlemen that are the customers are thinking they''re going to receive a first-class service as they knock on the door. This product still hasn''t been introduced to any other place. It''s precisely because I thought your establishment was first-class that I had the pleasure of bringing it in to your shop first." Jabba makes a shocked expression as he looks at my face and nods. "Greed-sama, just as Greed-sama has said, this Haritaid has been extremely deeply impressed. A first-class establishment needs to provide first-class products and first-class service, I see that is exactly true. Please definitely let me purchase this product. How much is it?" He fell. Now then, from here on out is the real fight. "Not at all, Haritaid-sama, that sort of impatience decision will hurt the judgement of an owner of a first-class establishment such as yourself. I offer this pack that I''ve brought in today to you as a free promotional sample. I''ve already opened the package but if you put it over ice water without letting the water get inside then it can be used with no problem at all for the next two days. It''s better to have the best customers of your store who come during that try using it and listen to their thoughts on it first. Otherwise, I think it would be best if Haritaid-sama should try testing it out yourself and check the abilities of it. I''ll try coming again in the evening the day after tomorrow. We can decide on the cost on that occasion.." Haritaid opens his eyes after hearing what I said. The fact that I gave a pack of a supposedly expensive rubber product to him for free his eyes opened wide but after hearing me say to ask the customers their thoughts on it he opened them so wide I thought his eyes would fall out. It seems he received a deep impression from super basic marketing. It might be different though. "Oh~ For you to be concerned about things such as that, this Haritaid, will definitely meet up to the expectations of Greed-sama, I''ll carefully select the gentlemen who test it out. Also, if I am able to find the chance I promise that I myself will test it out." He''s completely fallen. I''m the one who gained victory on this crusade. "Please don''t be bothered over it. I just want you to know this is a portion of my feelings that I wish for your establishment to prove that it is a first-class place even more so." After this I just need to leave right away. There''s not much meaning in talking here anymore than this. Haritaid snaps his fingers to call Sebastian and tells him politely lead me out. I feel like tears are going to come from my eyes as Sebastian lowers his head deeply to see me off, but I endure that and returned to Bins Manor. .............. I bury my face into the buy while thinking, "What was that? There was an amazingly~ good women there! What in the world was I doing?" while rolling around until I realized that I was starting to get hungry so I went to Binsil''s restaurant. I enter the store while avoiding the poor people that are watching from a distance as usual and sit down at a seat while ordering some wheat vodka. I guess she saw my expression in a bad mood Mary didn''t come near me. The alcohol today is bittersweet and covered in feelings of regret. I shouldn''t have pretended to be a guest of honor while showing the plate I got from sister-in-law. After all, I''ll never use it for something insignificant again. I swore in my heart as I returned to Bins Manor drunk and fell into bed. Ah, wouldn''t it have been fine if I just went to a different place? But you know, that one girl I got a glimpse of was just my type~ If I went to a different place at that point then I would just end up discontent that there''s no women on that level. Either way I''m going again the night of day after tomorrow. I guess it''s fine at that time. Volume 1 - CH 61 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 19 The next morning when I woke up my head hurt from a terrible hangover. I know that I can recover from it with detoxification magic but a simple resolution is bad for the health, or rather if I get strangely used to it, I just don''t want to get into a habit of heavy drinking. It''s not like there''s an urgent crisis I have to take care of either, if I go running and sweat a bit I''m sure it''ll calm down. I drink plenty of water before going for a slightly long run, after taking a shower just as I thought I felt refreshed so I decided to go and get some breakfast. I thought for a bit about where to go but since I promised to help with magic training I decided to go to Binsil''s restaurant. If you say I have no taste then it''s true but being able to talk in Japanese is valuable and I want to leave Mary and Kuro with as good of an impression of me as I can so I''m not particularly discontent. The food is good as well. I head towards Binsil''s restaurant and break through the encirclement of poor people staring at customers that are eating then sit at the usual seat on the edge and order a breakfast set. Black bread and soup, with some pickled vegetables on the side. Mm, it''s the usual menu. However, you can normally drink the soup and the content of the vegetables always changes so there''s no getting bored of it. I think it''s profit to get this for 250 Z. I always ask for an additional parched egg for 50 Z though. If you add some salt and seasonings then place it on the black bread it goes together quite well. After keeping an eye that I finished eating Mary sat across from me. "I tried doing the magic training for the day yesterday but... I wonder if I have no talent? It was no good." Mary said sadly. "Then it might take some time but do you want to try the normal method?" "Eh? The normal method..Yeah, would you teach me?" Why is she getting red and embarrassed? The fidgeting disease? "Do you have a kindling magic tool?" "We have one. I''ll bring it." I was looking at Mary who went to the kitchen while somehow disappointed and started searching through my pocket. I thought there might be one magic stone or so left but of course that wasn''t the case. "According to what I heard this is the normal training magic. I think there are other methods but I don''t know them. To explain it simply you leave the flame from a kindling magic tool running. And you use the small magic {Cantrip} mana detection and just keep repeating detection. If you do it enough times then it seems you''ll be able to use the void magic mana detection." "Eh? Leave the flame running, won''t that use quite a few magic stones?" "Of course. Since it uses mana from the magic stone while the fire is going after all." Mary bites her lower lip and a crease appears in her eyebrows. "If that''s the case then it''s a bit impossible. I can''t waste magic stones." "I see, then, I''m sure it''s difficult but there''s no choice than to do as I taught you yesterday." Hmhn~ This might be the reason why only the people more wealthy than commoners can use magic in the city. In Bakkudo it was a custom for the lord to give serfs a small magic stone when they become adults in order to practice acquiring magic. Even then only about one in ten was able to acquire magic. If you don''t have a magic stone then there''s no choice other than to buy one but even the cheapest ones from Goblins cost over 1000 Z. Especially when the only way to obtain magic stones is a magic tool shop in a large city like "Magic Tool 7-9 Shop" and it''s rare for a low value magic stone taken from a single goblin to be lined up as well I''m sure. Even if you had a lot of low value ones managing the stock would be annoying after all, if you''re taking stock at fixed periods it would just increase the amount of office work as well. I doubt they count the inventory though. I''m sure it''s only nobles and wealthy shops that purchase magic stones. It''s easy to imagine it''s all corporate* youths. That''s why the magic stones that it''s possible buy are all valued at several 10,000 or 100,000 Z in price. Of course they''re using both lighting and kindling magic tools at Binsil''s restaurant but that''s using it as a business. Since it would take too much effort to often go and buy cheap magic stones and I''m sure changing them out is annoying as well. They probably only go and buy a reasonably expensive one when the mana in the magic stone runs out. Even a magic stone production family like mine where we went out hunting monsters on a daily basis and collected magic stones I was taught to avoid wasting magic stones as much as possible. If they''re a consumer then I''m sure they would be far more stricter than my house with the usage of them. If you were to use a kindling magic tool, which is said to consume a small amount of mana from magic stones, with a magic stone with a value of about 100 (900Z selling price at 7-9 shop), then it can make a flame for about 100 seconds. So it uses up 9Z per seconds. It''s understandable that it would considered a waste. Even in our village the magic stone father gave to serfs when they became adults was one combined from about 7-8 goblins. That means it would be able to make a flame for about 1000 seconds. Hm, I wonder how many times you can use small magic in 1000 seconds. I''m sure you would have to split it into several days but around 200 times I guess. If you do it about that many times then you can for the first time know whether or not you can learn void magic. "Will you show me an example one more time?" "Sure. Let''s try doing it." Mary brings the thin stick used for kindling the furnace. After setting fire to it I put my hands around Mary''s hands around the flame and start passing mana through them. Mary''s making a serious face she tries to feel the sensation of the mana passing through. Honestly speaking, I think there''s only about a 10% chance that Mary will be able to use magic so don''t think it can be helped expecting too much. Well, I think it should be fine if she does it until she''s satisfied. I can really understand the feeling after all. I guess I''ll give her a bit of a hint. "There''s a bit of a trick to passing mana through. This is my method so it''s not definite but try matching an opened hand in your imagination. While you remain aware of the mana circulating through your body. Probably..I guess so, just try to imagine as if the mana has melted into your blood. And then, in your imagination connect your hands and think that the blood vessels in both of your hands are connected together. While making sure that the point where you''ve matched your hands together in your imagination overlaps the flame. After that it''s patience and frequency I''m sure. If you have talent then you should be able to do it by today." "I understand. I''ll try doing it. Thanks." "It''s fine, I have plenty of time to spare for the time being after all. Give it your best. I''ll try coming back again tonight when Kuro should be here." On my way home from Binsil''s restaurant I remember how it''s been over 10 years already since I started training magic for the first time. If I remember correctly older brother, older sister, and I were all able to do it within the first 10 minutes. It''s probably no good for Mary. I feel it''s a bit of waste even though she has 16 MP. ................ Just like that I headed towards the headquarters of the knight group. I had something I wanted to ask about the Begulu A that they have their hands full with. I go to the cabin on the side of the gate and check the jobs for adventurers while asking the 20 year old or so receptionist about it. "It seems there''s no jobs today as well." "Of course. If there were always subjugation jobs it would be terrible." "That is true isn''t it. By the way, does the knight group not exterminate or arrest the outlaws in the town?" "Exterminate... They''re not monsters..Well, I guess they''re similar." Just like this I lead the conversation Begulu as if it''s social chat. And then it comes out and just keeps coming out, one after another crimes that Begulu was supposedly involved with came out. It seems that the knight group really wants to take him out but can''t catch his tail. It seems that Sendehel the leader was called out once to face down Begulu but there was no definite evidence, and he just acted as if he was a good citizen who was properly paying taxes, so blood vessel came out in his head and went into a rage against him. It''s true that the knight group that protects the order and rules in Keel can''t arrest someone without evidence. "But, if he''s just doing that all over the place won''t he buy someones resentment and get killed?" I tried asking that but, "You''d think so right? But you know, he''s extremely careful and almost never alone it seems. Since he''s always acting together with his partner the magician, so supposedly they can''t manage a surprise attack on him." And replied with that. And then, "It seems that the magician with him has quite a bit of skill as well. Since he isn''t working as an adventurer no one seems to know his real name as well. No matter if it''s a criminal or otherwise the temple definitely won''t tell us the status information as well. Since they''re always together it seems he''s called small Begulu though. Well, since that''s the case if you want to surprise attack him it takes the resolve to make some sacrifices. Even though he''s obviously a villain because we have no evidence we can''t go after him with force as well. Since the opponent is a skilled magician we can''t do anything that would make victims on our end as well. I''m sure it''s painful for the leader as well." And added that. I see, though he''s called small Begulu, it''s not known that magicians name is really Begulu. Depending on the circumstances he might really be Begulu B. "It seems the knight group has it tough. By the way, I''ve heard that they''re using the lower parts of Keel as a base but the hoodlums around that area are usually doing various bad things. Since picking fights is an everyday occurrence. Isn''t the Boss Begulu doing things together with them? Wouldn''t there be a lot of evidence?" "Yeah, that seems to be the case. But, he really won''t let us catch his tail. The ones who do the robbery and forcing protection fees out of shops is always the underlings. We''ve done as much as we can to block it but it''s impossible to do perfectly. When it''s a more large-scale trick it seems that Begulu takes command of the underlings himself." The official says with a difficult face. "He~? Large scale trick.." "Ah, that''s right, like attacking a caravan and stealing the goods. In that case, he kills everyone so there''s no witnesses remaining." How do they know it was Begulu if there''s no witnesses? "He kills everyone that could become a witness huh... That''s cruel isn''t it. By the way, how do you know it was Begulu that did it?" "Circumstantial evidence. Though they all hide their location all the time but every time there was an attack the day before they all disappeared from Keel, and after that they start spending money wildly. Also, the goods that were supposedly being carried are being sold by the underlings." "Even though he''s a villain he must be quite cautious and intelligent I guess." After hearing my impression the official sights and says. "Yeah, really. But, it seems that the one who is intelligent is his partner the magician. Well, it doesn''t matter which but it''s true we''ve got our hands full with him. You should be careful as well. They probably won''t attack any caravans from Bakkudo. Since the luggage is too unique they''ll get caught trying to sell it. And the caravan from your place has Lord Greed and the young miss together as guards, so I''m sure they''d be afraid of the damage they''d take as well. It should be fine to rest easy I think?" Oh~ Until I was told it I didn''t think about the possibility that a caravan from Bakkudo could be attacked. But, it''s true that it''s just as this official says. Since there''s someone from the Marquis direct bloodline with them so if they were to take some damage it would be a huge uproar, I doubt leader Sendhel would care about evidence in a raged frenzy as well. "Hmn, I guess so. Well then, I''ll take my leave here. I''ll stop by again sometime." I make a bitter smile while giving salutations. I was able to gain several pieces of important information. Probably no one other than me would realize. It''s still not enough to be completely sure but I was plenty satisfied with feeling the progress of a step forward. .............. Evening, I walk through the messy road along the central river and look at the poor people that I''m used to seeing as I head towards Binsil''s restaurant and Kuro and Mary were doing something. It seems that Mary is teaching Kuro the magic training method I taught her. I order a beer from the older lady, call out to the two of them and sit at the same table. "Al, will you really be able to use magic liek this?" Kuro says discontent probably because he wasn''t able to get any results. "Yeah, you''ll be able to use it. Should I show you an example?" After saying that Kruo said "Then please do" while looking at me. "Here, you hold your hands up like this to the sides of the flame. The distance is fine like that. And then like this." After I put my hands outside of his and send mana through and he said "muo" in reaction to the mana. "It''s {OK} if you can cause the feeling from just now yourself. Did you hear about the method to get a hold of the sensation from Mary?" "Yeah, that thing about imagination palms of a hand and connecting the blood vessels?" "That''s right. Well, try doing it." While holding his hands to the side of the tree branch that Mary is holding with a serious face, Mary and I are watching Kuro. And then, what about it. After just concentrating for a bit over 10 seconds Kuro''s face distorted and his hands shined with blue light for a bit! When I identified Kuro in a hurry his MP had decreased by 1. The movement of the flame was close to a measurement error but the light of magic appeared and his MP decreased. Yeah, I''m sure you can definitely say he was able to use magic. "Congratulations, Kuro. If you put a bit more effort into you''ll probably be able to use void magic." I said that while smiling at Kuro. "..That just now was...Just now was magic huh...Ffu. Fufufuffu. Aha. Alright..Mary, you saw it right. I, did it. Even I was able to use magic." Kruo is grinning while chewing through the joy as he reports happily to Mary. I''m sure she knows since you did it right in front of her. "You hand...shined? Your hand shined just now... Amazing, so you can really learn to use magic with this method." It seems Mary is a bit happy as well but, "this method" and "really" I heard some things that can''t be ignored. So she was doubting it. "Kruo should...I guess so, you should do it another 2-3 more times so you don''t forget the trick to it. Don''t try to do it in a hurry. It''s fine if you take time so slowly, concentrate as you do it. And Mary, you said that almost as if you know a method other than the one I told you that is more believable but for reference tell me the method you know to train with magic." I said it to Kuro with a smile and a grimace to Mary. "Eh? Ah, since the two methods Al taught weren''t the normal method.. A bit, umm, I couldn''t believe it... I''m sorry." Mary raises one hand as if begging while apologizing. Well it''s fine though. But, it sounds like she already knew the normal method to train with magic. I only know the method that Sharl thought up this method and the method that uses a kindling magic tool that I heard from Sharl? So there''s another method... "What kind of method is The normal method that Mary is talking about? Is it different from the method I told you about?" The method that Mary told me about to train magic seems to be the method that the citizens of Keel use. When I tried asking I understood just how inefficient of a method it sounded. Eh? You''re interested in it? Then I''ll say. I think you already know but the method that Sharl created to move the flame is a training method to gain the void magic special skill. Making a small flame sway is something that can done simply physically. It can be done with just a small movement of the air. It will sway from electrical differences and depending on the type of fuel it''s burning on it will sway from magnetic fields. The mass of a flame is extremely small and thing so it is easily influenced. That''s the same if you use mana to shake it. It''ll easily be influenced by a small flow of mana. After organizing up to there and thinking about it again, but Sharl might have really thought it through quite a bit when she created this method. It''s unfortunately while the flame will easily be influenced, since it''s not a flame that you created yourself it requires a considerable amount of concentration to influence it. Though objects (I''ll intentionally use object for the expression here) other than ones you''ve made yourself require consuming more mana than normal in order to influence them, if it''s something as small as a flame on a tree branch it only takes about 1 MP to shake it. It''s a magic training method that only uses 1 MP and you can quickly confirm the results and simultaneously use mana (MP), so I think it''s a truly rational and good method for training. Compared to that, the other method I said. The method I heard from Sharl in the past about feeling the mana in the flame from a kindling magic tool, this is a method of acquiring void magic as well. At first you use the small magic {Cantrip} detect mana and once you''ve gotten used to that you just keep on using it over and over. If you repeat it several times a day for several days then there''s a possibility you could acquire void magic. If I were to explain the trick, this is getting used to the small magic {Cantrip} detect mana and while getting used to touching the flowing mana countless times you wait until you awaken to the special skill of magic, that sort of passive method. I thought that this was the normal method. However, the method that Mary told me about with her face red wasn''t a method to learn void magic but a method to learn elemental magic. What they all have in common is that you go to sleep early the day before and take plenty of sleep, after waking up the next day you carefully clean your body, have sexual intercourse with your partner, eat plenty of breakfast, and then do it in a quiet environment where you''re alone it seems. It seems that sexual intercourse or masturbation is fine but since this is thought be necessary they say it''s a method that you can only start training once you become an adult. Well, up until here there''s things like a secret ceremony involving sex and masturbation but I can feel the consideration over running out of mana so it''s not that I can''t understand. After making such preparations the next thing you do to actually start the training is what I say next. You hold something small and burning (you pour a bit of sperm or juices gathered in the morning on to a paper) in your hand and stare at that while just repeating "burn" in your mind or put your clenched fist above a cup or something and just keep thinking "sperm/love juices come out" and that sort of thing that would make you wonder if they''re developing a love potion or training ESP? Or at least it''s a method that''s close to that. I wanted to ask about earth magic and wind magic as well but I was told "stop with the sexual harassment already" so I gave up. In other words, if you were to ask me, if you can learn to use magic like that aren''t you a genius? was my opinion. For the most part, I think they''re all active methods of acquiring magic like shaking the flame but I don''t think it''s even worth a comparison in how difficult they are. Furthermore, the method of learning void magic that Mary said was to materialize void magic using the small magic {Cantrip} Reservation. I think that''s a pretty high hurdle to do from the start. However, since there''s actually people who can learn the special skill magic using that method it seems it''s normally believed in. Mary was saying that this is a method that was made more efficient and polished over a long period of time it seems. Of course, since the Japanese that reincarnated in this world won''t have used magic so if you were to say that this is the correct way to learn magic and there''s actually been people who learned it using this method, if several people were to say that there''s no option other than to believe it. I''m sure even I would have believed it. Since it''s a content where you have sex and use your own body fluids as a intermediary for the magic, cabaret was it? Since it seems like a secret art I think it''s easier to believe. Most likely, in order protection against mana exhaustion to some extent, in order to make sure they''re older than an adult they probably used sex and masturbation to leave an impression, since there''s not much other amusing things they probably made sure the content was connected with sex. When I tried imagining a young couple of 15-16 years old holding a piece of paper with their fluids stuck to it staring at it with a serious face and saying "Come my!/Burn!" and I felt this somehow inexplicable helpless feeling. At the very least I''ve never heard of this method in Bakkudo, and I''ve never heard anything like that talked about in the indecent conversations between rubber production so it must be a difference between what they''re told in the countryside and city. If it''s a city other than Keel, for example the capital Rombertia I''m sure it was handed down quite a bit different. Well, culture is something that develops with roots in the customs of that area and the majority of people will never move from that land so even if it''s the same it will different based on the area I''m sure. By the way after concentrating for another hour until he was exhausted Kuro used up another 3 MP and was safely able to get void magic to level 0. I think there''s a 90% chance that Mary can''t use magic but it seems she''ll put a bit more effort into it. Well, do as you please. I''ll be rooting for you from the shadows. Volume 1 - CH 62 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 20 The next morning, I run as usual after waking up and after changing into a some worn-out clothes I had some breakfast in a random store before going to Janlud''s store. I doubt I''ll run into Begulu at this time. After keeping an eye out for a while from outside I enter the store after all of the tables are full. Obviously I''ll have to share a table but that was originally my objective so there''s no problem. I sit at a table with an especially rough looking bro and order that disgusting breakfast set. After handing over the 5 large Shizu coins to pay I smile once at the bro in front of me eating this shitty bad food as if it was the best thing ever and bite into the hard black bread. "I somehow feel full." I whisper with a grim face after eating about half of it. The bro that hadn''t paid much attention to me until then hears my whisper and his pointed ears move a bit. An elf huh. I continue to whisper. "I need to earn some around here~" The elf bro stops eating and is paying attention to me as I hold my cup of soup while talking to myself. "Hey, bro, don''t be grumbling while making such a gloomy face. By the way, about that bread but are you not planning to eat it?" I make an expression as if I just noticed the elf bro that started talking to me with a face as if he wanted the bread. "Hn? Ah, you''re saying to me huh. Did I say it out loud, sorry about that. I couldn''t help but let it escape from my mouth." "Yeah, it''s fine, don''t worry about it. And, that bread, are you planning to eat it?" He was eating this places food that deliciously. I''m sure he''s gluttonous after all. It doesn''t particularly matter though. But, it seems he jumped on the conversation well. "Hn? Ah, do you want to eat it?" I intentionally make a vulgar grin while saying it. "Ah, no, if you''re not going to eat it, that is. And, what about it?" I''m sure my expression was the same unpleasant face as the poor people who wander around here. The bro was a bit overawed but still looked at my black bread while saying it. I make sure not to change my unpleasant expression while saying. "I don''t particularly mind giving it you but do you know of any kind of job? If it''s one I can make a lot of money all at once then I''d have nothing to say." "If there was a job like that then I''d be doing it myself. No way there would be one. It''s already fine. I''m leaving." After saying that the elf stood up from the seat and left. Hmn, I guess it won''t go that easily. I guess I should think about it a bit more. Since he seemed pretty rough I thought he might be one of Begulu''s underlings so I tried testing him but it seems to be different. I guess that''s true. According to what I heard Begulu''s group is only about 2-30 people it seems so I won''t be able to meet them that easily. See, you already understand as well right? I''m trying to gather information about the things I heard form the failed adventurers who called me a shitty bastard the other day, "Come to think of it, speaking of Boss Begulu, it seems he''s going to do something big". Ah, just remembering it pisses me off. I haven''t forgotten that ugly bitch Jelil. That ugly bitch doesn''t matter at all but I have interest in the "something big" that Begulu is about to do. Well, it''s something that those failed adventurers who are the losers of life were saying in analogies so I think it''s most likely attacking a caravan somewhere. I want to confirm the date and location of it. If he''s going to do "something big" then Begulu will probably directly take command and if that''s outside of Keel then it''s convenient for me. If I can confirm which Begulu is my target until then I can snipe him outside of the city where no ne can see me right? In another few days I''ll go to Doritt and tie up that contact agent and take his information and determine which Begulu I''m searching for. Even if it''s neither of those two if I follow the line from the point of contact then I should be able to find the real Begulu that is Begulu B. That guy always had his mouth half open with a spaced out face and no matter how you look at it he doesn''t seem like he has any loyalty towards Begulu or an organization (though I don''t think there is one). When he honestly came to say thanks to me I''m sure it was just because he had a favor towards me. It was for an accident I caused myself though. Come to think of it appearance and loyalty aren''t related huh. However, it''s certain that point of contact lives in Doritt and he seems to have been born there so I doubt he has contact with Begulu all the time. I think it would be best to just think he is connected by money. I regretted it when I couldn''t kill him in the first place but I guess it''s good I left him alive. I can''t seem to hate him though. However, if it''s for Myun''s sake even if it''s just for sealing his mouth that''s plenty of reason for me to kill him. He seemed like an idiot but when we faked Myun''s death he properly came back once more to confirm it so I''m sure Myun''s death was told to Begulu B. There was nothing after that as well. Well, it''s better to do it just in case. You shouldn''t stray far from your initial resolution. I''ll return my debt of gratitude to Myun. Just like this I put some more resolve into it and ate some food that wasn''t good and pointlessly treated others while gathering information but in the end I wasn''t able to gather any new information at all. I mostly just got more support that Begulu has some kind of plan to earn big. ................ I changed as it gets closer to evening and started on my way to "Ritton". Hehheee, I''ll definitely take one shot at that good looking girl that''s just my type that I couldn''t get more than a glance of last time. I carefully use my hand to brush my hair before opening to door to "Ritton". I''ll quickly finish the conversation with that Jabba bastard and finally get the real deal of VIP treatment with some ultra first-class service. After opening the door, the gentlemen named Sebastian was standing at the front desk with a good posture so I greeted him. After immediately realizing me Sebastian brought me to the conversation room like, ah, is it a waiting room? invited me in, and asked me to sit and wait as he disappeared. It seems he went to call for Haritaid. After waiting for more than 10 minutes, though it was considerably faster than last time, Haritaid appeared. "Oh~ Greed-Sama, welcome and thank you for coming today. I had been waiting for you." Jabba is saying something with a creepy smile stuck on his face. "No, not at all. And how was the results? Will you start using them?" In order to not lose to him I returned the smile. "Yes, yes, of course please let us start using them! I won''t forget the favor of letting me a product as wonderful as that! I definitely would like to sell them! Our establishments good customers "instinctively made a noise" and that was itself a great delight! I myself couldn''t hold back from testing it out but in comparison to that product I couldn''t help but think that what I''ve used until now was less than trash. I ended up getting excited beyond my age!" Hm, of course that''s the case. Jabba continues on, "That product will without a doubt become greatly popular. I am really grateful to you. Ah, that''s right, about the price but.." Mu, come to think of it I was promoting the condoms, or rather "Scabbard". "How about this much?" After saying that he raised up 8 of his caterpillar fingers on both of his hands. 8000 Z huh. It''s slightly cheaper than what older brother guessed but it''s a lot more expensive than the amount I predicted. However, I couldn''t help but for my blood from my sales days to boil. "Mwu, no matter if it''s a small product, 8000 Z is...That is something that takes a considerable amount of work in the production. Thinking about that I''d like 10,000 Z." After I say that, Jabba says with a respectful expression. "Certainly, certainly everything that Greed-sama says is completely right. I''m very sorry. I''ll purchase it for 10,000Z. However, while I know it''s a wonderful product, I know that the limit of that product is 10,000 Z. While I''m running a humble establishment such as this, in order to manage it proper and honestly, I must pay my employees compensation, I must pay the government taxes as well." "Of course I''ve thought of adding a service fee on top of the cost of that product but not all of the good customers that come to our establishment are nobles or extremely wealthy like Greed-sama. As far as I can imagine, you eventually plan to spread this product to shops other than ours right? In that case, if it''s that expensive I don''t think other shops will be able to purchase it. I really want to hold a monopoly on that product as this store but I doubt you''re aiming for that sort of thing." Mu, as expected of a manager. Going off of Jabba''s appearance and occupation I had decided that he was honest with his desires, greedy, and had a petty personality. However, the statement just now had enough persuasion to overturn all of those. It might just be me seeing things favorably but it seems he''s doing a reasonably serious job of management and it seems he''s thinking about the spread of the condoms. I want to poke at him a bit and confirm things. "Then, what kind of thing do you think we are aiming for?" After hearing my remark Jabba opened his eyes a bit and immediately replied. "You say some unusual things. Things that are already obvious. Your have two large goals. One is known without being said improving the quality by putting it on the high-quality route. Of course this has a variety of meanings included within it. Even if you compare it to the bowels of a pig, the looks and sensation of putting it on, the sensation of touch during the act itself is important as well but above all the feel of luxury that you''re using such a high class good as rubber for such an act is an important point as well." "The other one I was certain of after actually trying it but is to prevent the spread of illnesses among the employees of this establishment and the gentlemen that are our customers, is it not? I believe it''s as expected because the raw material of that product is different, unlike the bowels of a pig, while it''s extremely thin and easily exceeds its ability to relay the sensation and warmth but what isn''t even worth comparison is the durability. I have foolishly guessed that the durability of this product is it''s primary characteristic. Since the bowels of a pig go bad just from being even the slightest bit intense. In addition to that if you were to allow me to express my thoughts the amount of rubber actually used in this product being extremely small is also big." Hmm, I had actually thought that the durability of the pigs bowels might be a bit higher though it seems that''s wrong. Even if I identify the pigs their status just shows up as Pig (Selectively breed for livestock use) so I thought they were the same as the pigs on Earth but I guess they are different things that resemble each other. Or rather I didn''t know about using the bowels of pigs for anything other than sausages. Also hormone cooking. Ah, if I think about that then the bowels of pigs on Earth were probably less than rubber as well. The amount of power put into biting a sausage won''t be able to tear that condom, or rather thin rubber. However, there''s various meanings hinted in Jabba.the.Toad''s statements until now. In the first place my objective, or rather, he''s pretty much perfectly guessed the original characteristic of condoms. With just that you can guess the height of his observations. And the second. It''s only obvious that after using it you would be able to tell they''re better than a pig''s bowels but not just confirming the improvements in comfort from there but the ability to prevent the spread of disease from the increase in endurance shows he has a considerably high ability to think. I''m sure he also heard some opinions from customers but the fact that he can use his own experiences as a base and give an impression that is organized like that is worth high points. I guess it''s only as expected of the one who manages a shop older brother suggested to me. I don''t think older brother is related to this though. And the largest point of them all is that he doesn''t try to take a monopoly on them. Monopoly itself isn''t a bad thing but the degree with its relation to life, in other words it''s demand and use as a necessary product and the supply power for it and depending on the price decided for it the macro economics could end up causing it be only a temporary profit making it into a limited item. Particularly in an industry like this, the most important thing obviously is the product that is the quality of the employees so it''s difficult to make a huge mistake in regards to the synthesized service offered and the price the service is offered at. The condoms are limited to an additional service offered and it''s not the thing the clients are coming for. Even if there was that would probably just be at the start. Since the amount of rubber used isn''t a lot he references the fact that we should be able to create a reasonable amount as well...This guy...he''s good. Honestly speaking I made light of him. I thought it would be fine if I just sold the few I had on hand, write older brother an appropriate letter and have some tea but I feel that we would profit the most in the end if I properly interact with this guy. Even if it''s an occupation I guess you could say as expected of the mouth of a chicken*. I wonder what the owners of other places are like? Do they all think on the same level as this guy? I''ve only heard a bit but it seems that this guy brought "Ritton" to this point in just his generation. In other words this guy must be special. I guess I''ll listen to a bit more of his story. "As expected of Haritaid-sama. You see very well. The fact that you''ve understood that far, this Greed is in great admiration. Just as you said we have no intention of selling them in monopoly to just this "Ritton". And that you were able to see through their original intention, I respect your great insight. This is just my prediction but Haritaid-sama doesn''t intend to continue with just this "Ritton" right?" I tried baiting him. If it''s just as I''m imagining them he''s not just planning to make his store bigger. A second store, or third store, or depending on the situation he might even try to develop it into a chain...can''t be right..I guess it probably wouldn''t go that far. Even if Orth''s culture level is all over the place if he was able to think as far as making a chain store it''d be some abnormal that I''d have to start doubting if he''s a reincarnated person. It''s the same as about Earth''s 16th century on Orth and there''s disciplines and apprentices that work for shops and craftsmen and after the employees become independent they are treated as a completely different store. Obviously it''s normal for them to have some connections to the store of their origins but it doesn''t go as far as the "shareholding businesses" on Earth. I think it was just that Japan was unusual in using the same name for reputation purposes early on something like a voluntary chain. Even that Japan only started establishing voluntary chains on a high level around the 20th century and there was no sign of franchise chains until Old Man Colonel brought in his fried chicken place. Normally when someone goes independent they only have their own to rely on. "Mu..It seems that I can''t keep any secrets from Greed-dsama. Even though I haven''t talked to anyone about it yet I feel as if the inside of my head has been peered into. Just as you were able to discern. Fortunately I''m a commoner so there''s no obstacles with moving around within the kingdom. In the vicinity...I guess so, I want to make another "Ritton" in Viscount Penlaid''s territory and leave it to someone." Mwu, after all. I guess as expected it''s not a full-on voluntary or franchise. However, he had the idea of stores after a second store. But, it seems that after all this guy is abnormal. The toad continues, "I want to make it common sense that if you go to the store "Ritton" you will receive the finest service. That''s if you only sell that product to just this "Ritton" then it''s inconvenient for me as well." And said that. Depending on how things go it could be a long relationship with this guy. He''s a too valuable of a talent to just leave in the sex industry. "I see now, "Ritton Second Store" "Third Store" is it... It''s certainly a splendid idea." Just like modern day Earth, there''s no bank or organization like that in Orth yet. Even on Orth banks were created around the 15th century I think it was. There were syndicates from further back than that but it was limited to just the model, I think it''s core was a city state government. I don''t know if there''s syndicates in Orth or not but even for large companies that do transactions all through the Kingdom of Rombert like Webdos company I''ve never heard of them holding branch stores. The currency is being made by the temple as they watch the circulation and it seems that there''s a common currency for all countries so there''s no such things as money exchange. "!! Second Store..It has a good ring to it. It seems that Greed-sama is clever in the expression of things. No, as expected of someone born in Bakkudo which produces rubber it seems you have an extremely high level of education." Huh? Come to think of it, did I mention where I was born? I guess he read my confused expression, the toad says. "Ah, if you''re mentioning rubber then it''s produced in Bakkudo right? And the lord there is Viscount Greed. Since you''re in possession of a plate with the emblem of Marquis Webdos it was simple to guess." I guess that''s true. Sebastian saw my status when I first came to the store as well so he should already know I''m the second son of Viscount Greed. "Well then, about the cost, I''ll convey to the family to sell it at 10,000Z per unit. The first delivery will be after July, after that a caravan will come to Keel from Bakkudo once every three months. What kind of quantity of the product would you need for each delivery?" "I guess so, if it''s every three months then...Hmn, please wait just a moment." After saying that the pseudo-frogman started doing math with his caterpillar fingers. Like I could wait. "Around how many customers do you get per day?" "Eh? A, Ah, around 30 people per day.." "Then I guess it would be around 6000 units. Then I believe that around 600 packs would be good. If it''s too many then you can just reduce the orders for the next time by a bit but if it''s too few you''ll end up having to be patient without them for a while." Don''t open your big mouth so widely it''s ugly. He was shocked and opened his mouth again. "As expected of Greed-sama, your calculations are fast. But, for what reason is it that amount?" "There''s 30 people in one day for three months, in other worlds you can think of it as 90 days. This means that there''s a total of 2,700 customers per 3 months. However that''s just that the number of customers is 30 and the "strong" ones could end up going several rounds on their own, so taking that into consideration I thought double? or so would be." "Hmm, it''s just as you''ve said. I believe that your predictions and thoughts are correct. Particularly if we use that product then we won''t have to take into consideration the days the slaughterhouse is closed, so we''ll be able to operate everyday." I nod while smiling. I thought as far as that. The toad continues "Then, 10,000Z for 600 packs worth, 60,000,000 Z it is." And said confidently. Huh? Can this guy not do calculations? Ah, I was thinking of it as one pack. If it was 10,000Z per each individual condom then no matter how much you think about it, it''s excessive profits and spreading it is just a dream. Older brother said that the cost of a pigs bowels is 1,000Z or so for one. If I don''t make the price the same as that then it won''t spread. Even if I increase the price at most it''s be 10% or so. "No, the cost is 10,000Z for one pack. So it''s 6,000,000 Z. We are thinking that we want to supply it at the same price as the bowels of a pig." "!! What! So that was the case. I''m very sorry for trying to haggle the price down without confirming this! It seems that this establishment will be able to go without hiking up the price. I''m truly very sorry!!" He started apologizing while rubbing his head to the table. Ah, no, even with this cost it''s still blowing up the price considering the amount of raw materials used to make them. In the first place I thought it would be a huge profit if we sold them for 500 Z each after all. Honestly speaking it doesn''t take much effort at all to produce them and the only work is drying them out. Even with that if it''s just this quantity then if everyone makes them it should only take a few hours. Since we are doing production with about 15 people now. 40 packets per person. All they have to do is roll up 10 condoms and put some lotion with it into a rubber bag and close the opening. For an operation that doesn''t even take a day getting 6 gold coins is an insanely good trade. "No, not at all, please don''t mind it. Please forgive me as well for my rudeness in objecting to it without confirming first." After that I mentioned that I wanted thim to come to the knight group every three months to pick up the deliveries and I was finally about to switch over to the thing I really wanted to talk about. "Now then, Greed-sama, since we''ve safely finished our business, as a sign of our friendship please definitely let me offer you with the greatest service I can offer, do you have the time?" And he said that. Uhhyaaaoo~~ "That is, for an inexperienced person such as me..I''m greatly indebted for your consideration (grin)." "Then..Sebastian! The preparations from before!" Oh~ He said preparations. Does this mean he had already prepared for it in advance! As expected of Haritaid-san, he can see beyond just business. Well done! I follow after Sebastian who quickly appeared. Haritaid-san is following after me with his flabby body as well. Yeah that''s right, the owner himself is going to give out the order for no omissions in the service. It can''t be, for him to go that for for my sake..Sorry about that. H..Huh? Huhuh? That should be the direction of the exit? Sebastian? Huh? We left. Haritaid-san is smiling without showing any sort of strange place. Ah, I''m sure this is, we''ll leave once, and enter again through the back? There''s no way that''d be the case. Right now I''m...eating together with Sebastian and Haritaid in a private room in "Dakkuluton". In other words...It''s serving (food). Volume 1 - CH 63 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 21 Today it''s exactly one week since I accepted the job. I pulled it out to the last moment but it''s already at the limit. I need to go to Zulaid Metal-smith. I take a shower after going running and head towards Zulaid Metal-smith with my full rubber protectors equipped and my bayonet. I was being careful so they think I''m a proper adventurer doing their job properly. I go to Zulaid Metal-smith and show the receptionist that tally thing and even though it was at the time limit I wasn''t particularly scolded or told any sarcasm, they just handed me the sword for the job along with the scabbard. It seems that the receipt address is Viscount Kindou. I see, I guess he bought a knew sword, and as I was thinking that I tried identifying it but it''s nothing particularly special. The price is 1 gold coin, 1,000,000 Z. It''s a standard long sword. After receiving the sword for delivery and I was also given a receipt document at the same time which I put into my pocket and then left Zulaid Metal-smith. After this I just need to deliver this to Viscount Kindou in Doritt and then when I receive the payment I get him to sign the letter of receipt and then if I can return to the government office by May 11th I''ll have completed the job. I immediately return to Bins Manor put down the luggage and take off my armor changing to a casual appearance and head towards Binsil''s restaurant. Since Kuro was on his day off and hanging around in Binsil''ls restaurant for most of the day I figured I would just be intruding so I held back. Just lying. I was kidnapped by Haritaid and imprisoned in "Dakkuluton" until late so I just couldn''t go. After arriving at Binsil''ls restaurant I sit at the usual table in the corner and order a breakfast set. I chatted with Mary for a bit but it seems she still has an attachment towards magic so she''s going to keep training while hearing the trick from Kuro. It''s nothing for me to comment on so I''ll just leaver her to her own. It''s still only the 2nd or 3rd day after all. Since she was actually shown Kuro being able to use magic in front of her I''m sure it''s not so easy to give up on. I taught her the trick to it a bit more and showed her how to do it get but since it was approaching the busy lunch period I left. I''ve already given up on having fun at "Ritton". Somehow it feels like after going that deep into it I can''t enjoy it anymore. I had the feeling like my type would end up being found out by the toad owner as well. And if he knew I still had a bit of stock the "Scabbard" he would probably bite on pretty hard. Last night he almost persistently kept asking me if he would really have to wait another three months, or telling me how he wouldn''t be able to face the good clients. Ah, that''s right, about "Ritton" though, it seems that one play there costs 3 silver coins. It was 30,000 Z. It was a lot more expensive than I thought. Since Kuro''s weekly wages are 40,000 Z after all. If you take into consideration about half from there is used for the per head tax then he would have to live the bare minimum lifestyle for two weeks or so in order to go once. If you go off buying food and other daily necessities then you would be able to take it at the face value of about 30,000 yen but if you follow back from the income of an average farming family then in Japan of my past life it would be a price of over 100,000 yen. It changes a bit in the city but even then it''s an imagine close to 100,000 yen. It was an insanely high class shop. It''s not a store you can go to casually. If he had really hopped on at 8,000 Z or 10,000Z for 1 "Scabbard" then wouldn''t his customers have really started to disappear? After doing the math if he has 30 customers or so a day that''s 900,000 Z in sales, 27,000,000 Z in a month, and 320,000,000 Z in sales in a year. I''m sure the employees the prostitutes are mostly of the slave ranking so the majority of the sales will enter Haritaid''s pockets. From the 320 gold coins if you take out the 10% tax and various expenses even if it reduces to just 2/3rds it''s still 210 gold coins. He''s earning my entire fortune right now on a monthly basis. Suddenly I remember Kuro''s Unique Ability. Charm huh. It''s valuable. I''m amazed he can endure. It''s the same as a beast at 14 years old. Since the mental age and body age are different so when it builds up, umm, it''s difficult, various things. Even if my MP is super human level it doesn''t mean that my desires disappear just from controlling them. There''s a limit to just controlling myself from hastily giving into my desires though. It''s an extreme conversation but if there''s a feast in front of your eyes, it''s difficult to starve to death just looking at that. But, I can probably endure longer than normal people thanks to my MP. Just the same I can probably resist the desire to sleep and keep staying awake as well. But, along with the breakdown of my body my MP will eventually run out and even if someone tries to stop me I''d devour a meal down and go to sleep. There''s a limit to holding things back with just the power of your will. And it''s just enduring it, your desires don''t disappear. It''s like only pretending to endure for the sake of pride. It''s a serious conversation but I know what it feels like to experience the desire to sleep or eat when your MP hits 0, I have experience with it after all. You''re hit with strong desires that are hard to resist even if you''re enduring like your life depends on it. If both of those were satisfied but you were pent up when your MP hit 0 what do you think would happen? It''s frightening just imagining it. That''s why that training method that Mary told me about is logical. I''m thinking about such idiotic things while wandering down a road off of the central street while trying to find a store other than "Ritton". Come to think of it, it''s a bit early but it''s a good time to have lunch. I guess I''ll go after having some random lunch. Thinking that I asked the apprentice boy at Bins Manor about another high class shop than "Ritton" and he told me about "Pink Monsoon" when I went there, a toad was there. Why in the world!? Obviously I ended up being found and in the end I was forced to have the same conversation with the owner of "Pink Monsoon" about the scabbard. Different from Haritaid, the perfectly normal looking owner said "I want you to sell them to us as well." It couldn''t be helped so if it was just a bit I decided to sell them there at the same price as "Ritton". However, I limited it to just 400 packs per three months for this store. Totaling it together with "Ritton" and it''s 1000 packs. Since it only adds up to about the amount of rubber that 30 pairs of sandals would use I doubt there''s any problem. If it''s sandals then 30 pairs would only add up to 1,200,000 Z but scabbards will add up to 10,000,000 Z so I''m sure it''s fine. After talking to him I felt like the owner of "Pink Monsoon" was the type to understand what a person is saying. I thought I could hold some hope for VIP treatment but he said "There''s no way our employees could be a good match for Greed-sama" so I ended up being served (food) at "Dakkuluton" again. It''s fine already. Since my face is already known in the industry in Keel it''s already impossible to go and play. ............ Year 7442, Month 4, Day 25 After departing Keel the day before yesterday I was safely able to deliver the sword to Viscount Kindou. Also, I went to Sagulett Company which has a fixed caravan to Bakkudo every month and gave them a letter to my older brother. Of course, the content is about making deliveries of the Saya. In addition, I asked the whereabouts of that point of contact. Since he had previously come to Bakkudo as an escort for the caravan here. I had expected it since I hadn''t seen him come to Bakkudo as an escort for the caravan since then but it seems that Sagulett Company isn''t hiring him right now. It can''t be helped. When asking if they had any ideas about his location they told me about a bar around here. It seems that it''s the cheapest bar which there''s only three of in this Doritt. I immediately was going to head to that bar but I realized that my horse is an intrusion. This is bad, what should I do? I guess it would be better to look for an inn like Bins Manor in Keel where I can let them look after my horse. It was a bit embarrassing but I went back to Sagulett Company once more and had them introduce me to an inn. It seems that it''s a place where the caravans from Bakkudo often use. Then it should be safe. I enter the inn, take a room and ask them to look after my horse, put all of my money and valuables into a rubber back pack and left it in the care of the front desk before immediately heading to the bar. I made sure to go wearing my rubber protectors so they would know I was related to Bakkudo. It seems that the squires who escort the caravan keep it on other than when they sleep so it should be fine. I quickly was able to find the bar I was told. Doritt isn''t as large as Keel and the roads aren''t so messy for it to be called a city. It''s just like a slightly larger and crowded version of Bakuddo village. Even if you want to get lost you cant. In the first place, the only building that''s more than two floors other than Viscount Kindou''s mansion is Sagulett Company. Obviously most of the buildings are made of wood. After arriving at the bar I was quickly able to find that guy so I was relieved. It''s convenient because you can easily notice his characteristic spaced out idiotic face even from a distance. I''m sure he realized that I entered. The point of contact came over to my table and started talking intimately with me. "This is, the young master from Greed-sama''s place. It''s been a while. I''m Hendel. Do you remember me?" "Yeah, it''s been a while, Hendel. Of course I remember you. How''s your leg been after that? Does it not hurt or anything?" I respond as friendly as possible. "Of course not, thanks you so, look, just like this. It''s completely healed and I''ve been greatly saved by it." "That''s great. It was worth the effort of me fixing it...How about it? Want to drink with me for a bit? I don''t have much money but I have enough to treat you at a place like this." "ehh...Is it okay? Then, I''ll take you up on the offer." After saying I''d treat him the color of his eyes changed. After that we talked about pointless things for a while but it''s started to reach a good point. Since Doritt isn''t a city like Keel I thought they would start closing places up early on but a light was lit in the lighting magic tool. It''s not as far into the remote areas as Bakuddo I guess they keep the bars operating somewhat late. "Come to think of it, Hendel. I remember you being pretty interested in that time when the maid that worked at our house was attacked by a goblin and killed. You, were you possibly interested in that maid?" It''s about time the alcohol has gotten to him. When I pretended to go outside and take a piss I used detoxification magic so I''m not drunk at all. "Ehh... No~ as expected of the young master. You''re watching properly, however, that wasn''t that sort of thing. It was a bit related to a job of mine." "Eh? Job?" I ask curiously. And the point of contact made a bit of face like he screwed but quickly covered it up. "No~ when I did a carpenter job there quite a while before I was taken care of by that maid." "He~" "Well, it wasn''t anything special though, that''s why I was interested.." He''s started to act suspiciously. His eyes are darting all over the place restlessly. "Hey now, what''s wrong? Calm down. Well, drink up." I said that and offered him some wheat vodka. "He~ thanks for that. No~ I guess I can''t keep it secret. As a matter of fact just as the young master said, I was a bit interested in that maid-san..I''ll get a bit embarrassed. It''s unfortunately that she was killed by a goblin." ..Hmn, so that''s how he''s come out. "Was that how it was? That''s completely unfortunate. Any ways, drink some more." "He~.." I guess I''ll change the approach of my attack a bit. If this doesn''t work then I''ll just have to tie him up tonight and finish him off after he says everything. "It''s changing the conversation a bit, but you know I''m unlucky as well, I was chased out of the house and told to become an adventurer because I''m the second son. It was good this time since I was able to find a delivery job though. I wonder if there''s some kind of job I can make a good profit on somewhere?" I continue pouring him tons of alcohol. "No way~ there''s no way there''d be a story as delicious as that around anymore..Ah, you''re being an adventurer? In Keel?" "Yeah, that''s right." "Keel huh... I''ve been in the care of the young master after all..I wonder what...Hmn." "What is it, talk properly, have you not had enough to drink? Here." I push the most expensive pork skewer in this bar in front of Hendel and pour him some more alcohol. "Ah, thanks~ for thaa... Is young master usually in Keel?" "Ah, that''s right. I don''t come over here very often~" I say that and take a big drink. "Hmn...Then I guess you won''t butt heads with me..." "Ah? About what?" I put my elbows on the table as it seems like the alcohol has finally started to disturb his words. "No that is, I''ve been in the care of the boss in Keel as well. It''s looking after the west of Doritt though, and, well that doesn''t matter but since I want to return a bit of the favor to the young master I''ve been in the care of so I thought." "How roundabout~ What is it? Are you going to pass a good job around to me?" I wonder if this is about Begulu? The core of my head cools down. "I guess so. In Keel there''s a, well normal inn, called "Roberikk". If you tell the boss named Begulu who uses that place as a base that you heard from me, he''ll probably give you a job." "He~ Begulu huh. I somehow feel like I''ve heard the name before." "Yeah, there''s a famous boss Begulu as well. The guy who often comes out as controlling the hoodlums in Keel. The Begulu I''m talking about is like the brains behind the boss Begulu who rules over all of the hoodlums. I don''t know his real name and I''ve only met him a number of times I can count. Well, it''s not something I should say since I''ve only met him 2-3 times but I think that he''s calling himself Begulu in order to keep his identity hidden behind that famous Begulu." It seems that the alcohol is doing a good job on him and along with the pork skewer covered in oil his mouth has gotten lighter as well. "I see, Hendel went all the way to Keel to meet that boss?" "No way, I did it here in Doritt. And that was through an introduction, he went out of his way to come over here. Does the young master remember.. in Doritt in the past there used to be a guy named Baluk. That old man Baluk told boss Begulu that I was going to be his successor." !! Baluk is the adventurer I killed in the past. He came to Bakudd as the escort for a caravan and the one who made contact with Myun his name was Baluk. He was the partner of my first time after all. As expected I won''t forget his name. And I was able to confirm his connection to Begulu. Now I just need to pull in this thread. "He~ I see. Is it fine if I go to this "Roberikk" inn and say I want to meet boss Begulu?" "No, the boss is a very careful person so you have to hand him a mark then. Hand the old man who''s a receptionist as "Roberikk" a red cloth and say "It''s From Rombert" then. Then the older will call out to boss Begulu. And then you can talk with him." "I see now, is it fine as long as it''s a red cloth? Isn''t there various things like size or tint?" "Ah, it seems that most things are fine." Got it, then it should be fine. After that I continued treating Hendel until closing time. Just as expected of a cheap shop the bill wasn''t even 6000 Z. Even though we ate and rank a lot it was just this amount of money. I worried about it quite a bit during the conversation but I decided no to kill him. Either way if I kill Begulu this guy won''t have any connection to contact the Sagual family in the Kingdom of Devas remaining and I thought he wouldn''t be able to report it until he makes a connection himself. It''s fine if you say I''m too naive. ............ Year 7442, Month 4, Day 28 After staying Doritt another night I slowly returned to Keel. It''s already close to night. I guess I''ll go to Bins Manor for the time being. 5000Z per night hurts but just as expected from a high-class inn it''s comfortable and I can request them to look after my horse. And above all it''s a luxury not having to worry about my luggage left in the room at all. After I take a room and ask them look after my horse, I take off the protectors and change into my worn-out clothes at the bottom of my back pack, just in case I hang my sword on my waste and immediately head off to "Roberikk". It''s gotten to the point where it''s bad just wrapping a leather string around it. I guess I should at least buy a scabbard? After deciding to buy a scabbard tomorrow if I have the time I head to "Roberikk". I draw along my shadow in the time close to night, after shaking on the horse all today, I''m pulling along my body as well as I walk. By the time I arrived at "Roberikk" the sun had finally started to set. Well, if I can meet Begulu B today then that''s fine. If I can just confirm then after that I can just wait until he''s alone and finish him off with magic and all of my worries and problems will disappear. Even if he''s not in "Roberikk" then I can just come tomorrow or later. I purchased a cheap red handkerchief or some kind of cloth. I open the door to "Roberikk" and tell the receptionist old man "It''s From Rombert" while handing him the cloth. The old man glances at the cloth then just in case checks the surroundings before opening his mouth. "He''s not here today. He''s out on a big job. I don''t know if he''ll return today. If it''s a hurry then take this and go to the restaurant called "Binsil". The boss should be there." What''s he saying? Binsil? He must have noticed I was making a confused face as I received the black coin. The old man continues to say. "The stage of the big job is the restaurant called "Binsil"." !! What''s that mean. I want to hurry and go to the "Binsil Restaurant" but I also want as much information as possible. I forcibly hold back my feelings of impatience and ask. "he~ What kind of big job? Some kind of burglary?" "..Since you have the red cloth and the password, you''re a point of contact for Devas as well right? What corps?" This is bad. Ey, I''ll just go with it. "..The Sagual." "Sagual, huh. It''s been a while since I''ve heard that name. There''s a front for Begulu and that guy''s name is, ah, the name that''s not his family name but it''s called Begulu. And this guy is a violent failed adventurer but since he''s considerably strong and a bit intelligent he''s partying with him as a cover. Since their names are the name he''s a perfect match as the cover right? And, even if I say that front is a bit intelligent, it''s still only at the level of a failed adventurer so if he doesn''t let him kill some stress occasionally then that intelligence melts away." The old man of "Roberikk" said uninterested. "And then, that stress killing is a big job?" "Yeah, the stress-killing isn''t particularly the big job or anything. I don''t know the details but it seems that the objective this time is to kidnap the daughter of that "Binsil" restaurant. She''s the same black hair as you and while she will sell for a good price though. They''re going to make a ruckus in that restaurant and use a debt to make her into a slave. It seems that they''re going to do it a bit after that sun sets. That''s why he might not come back today. If you need to get in contact with him in a hurry then it might be good to go and take a look. "Binsil" is along the riverside along the eastern road near the southern part so if you go I think you''ll notice it." What was that? He''s going to make Mary into a slave and sell her off? It''s not the time to be wasting time. "He~ I see. Then, I''ll head over and take a quick look. Is it fine if I show this coin?" "That''s right, see you later." I left "Roberikk". The sun has more than half set. I take a look around and take of running at full speed. I''m sure I still have a bit of time to spare but I don''t have enough time to return to Bins Manor and put on my protectors or go into the knight group. I don''t have the obligation to save Mary and Kuro...Let alone the favor...Shit!! BTW THE NOTE IN THE TOP OF THIS POST IS A JOKE~ Hoping to get next couple of chapters out today/tonight/early tomorrow morning. Two more until cliffhanger parts over, one is pretty long. Authors Note: He said put a debt on her and make her into a slave but it''s not a perfect way of putting it. In order for someone greater than a Free Person to fall to the slave ranking there''s several conditions and in the end all of them require the naming ceremony at the temple to finish. 1. For some reason the person them self wishes for it and goes through the naming ceremony at the temple 2. They were sold to make up for payments of a loan (doesn''t require the persons consent) 3. They enter an apprenticeship (they''re on the same level as a slave during that time. The naming ceremony at this time will be a bit unique and it''s close to 2) 4. By marrying someone of the slave rank and the person doesn''t become the head of the slave family (same as 1) 5. They commit some crime and fall to slave rank for that crime (close to 2) 6. They''re captured as a prison during war or conflict or kidnapped as a war goods Volume 1 - CH 64 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 28 My head is telling me to organize the situation but there''s not enough time to think and summarize it all up. After leaving "Roberikk" I made sure no one was observing me before running through the night city of Keel at my full speed. While losing myself in running in order to arrive at Binsil''s restaurant as fast as possible I knock anything in my way out of the way just focusing on running faster. I''m sure I''ll barely make it. The sun will set soon. Make it in time! ............ I was able to get a sight of Binsil''s restaurant before the completely finished setting. It''s on the other side of the river but one of the only two bridges in Keel is on the way so there''s no problem. Thank god... It seems it''s still before anything has happened. Including the bridge there''s only about 300 m to the restaurant. In order to prepare for a fight it would be best to catch my breath. I stopped running and started walking. Simultaneously I started to observe the surroundings of the restaurant after it entered my field of vision. For the time being I still don''t see anything particularly suspicious. There''s no group of hoodlums standing around outside and no sign that a ruckus is going on inside as well. It''s the usual scenery. There''s citizens on their way home from their jobs and vagrant kids and elders laying around the sides of the street in the filth. My sight doesn''t reach far into the alleyway so there''s no way I could find the position of anyone in there but while I''m walking if anyone were to start approaching me from out of the alley it should be possible for me to deal with it. After gaining a bit of composure my head cools down and I continue observing the surroundings a bit more closer. Somehow but I feel something is off with the restaurant. If I think about it calmly I don''t see anything different but it''s true it''s somehow different from usual. What is it? What in the world is strange? I continued to observe it as I cross the bridge but I couldn''t shake off the feeling something was off. There''s no suspicious looking people in the surroundings of the restaurant. I don''t see anyone peering into the restaurant nearby as well. The people who are coming out from the alley are just passing by as if nothing is wrong as well. There''s tables outside of the restaurant as well and it seems there''s no customers there but the people who are passing in front aren''t paying any attention to it. In other words there shouldn''t be any abnormalities in the restaurant right now...I think. I was about to start running but I move at a fast pace so as to not stand out from my surroundings and I got close to the restaurant. Just 50 m more or so. I stop once and observe the surroundings of the restaurant again...Yeah, there''s somehow a feeling if discomfort but I don''t feel like there''s any problem. There''s no sign that a disturbance is taking place in the restaurant as well. It seems the sun finally set. It was red until now but the sky is quickly getting darker. I guess it was too impatience of a thought that Begulu would attack the restaurant. That''s only obvious right, attacking a restaurant in operation in the middle of the city would leave tons of evidence I''m sure. In that case, even if they were to attack it then I guess Begulu himself wouldn''t participate? Just let the underlings do it and he himself just made the plan, afterwards collect the underlings and deliciously enjoy the results I guess? Wait a minute, I''m thinking too hastily again. There should be a method to attack it without leaving any evidence. As I thought, it''s impossible for him to just make the plan and leave all of the execution to his subordinates. They''ll become unable to deal with unexpected situations. Otherwise there should be someone who is reasonably intelligent give command on the spot who has prepared somewhat for unexpected situations. I try organizing my thoughts somewhat as I head towards the restaurant with a quick pace but my head isn''t functioning well. However, since there''s no disturbance with the restaurant and no one peeking in it should be before they''ve started the plan. If they were in the middle of carrying out the plan I''m sure yells and the sounds of a struggle would leak out and the people walking by would pay attention. I take a look at the people wandering by...Ah, I see, there''s no poor people looking jealously into the restaurant. Come to think of it they were always there. Why aren''t they there today? I was astonished as the city of Keel starts getting dark. That''s right! The guys that should always be here aren''t around. It''s not like they''ve directly entered the restaurant, since I didn''t think of them as anything other than an obstacle I was late to notice. There''s light coming from the restaurant so there should be people inside but.. depending on the situation it might be best to pass by while looking at the situation inside. I lower the speed I''m walking a bit as I pass in front of the restaurant and pretend I''m just somehow looking into the restaurant as I pass by. Just as I imagined there were people inside the restaurant. I hear voices talking as well. Mary and her parents are in the kitchen and I see Kuro standing in the gap between the counter and the entrance to the kitchen. There''s a bit more than 10 customers in the restaurant and they''re all sitting. Other than the fact that Kuro is standing in a weird place there''s nothing that looks strange from a glance but there''s a worn-out doorplate in front of the door that''s always open with "Reserved for Today" written on it. It seems that Kuro, Mary, and her parents are all making a stiff expression and seem to feel afraid of the customers. Since they''re paying attention to the customers they don''t realize as I pass by. It seems that there''s customers talking to each other as well but fundamentally they''re paying attention to Kuro and the Binsil family. They''re saying various things but "Sis~ Sis~ Bring it out fast~ I can''t wait any longer~" I hear voices like that. Among the customers there was just one looking outside and he looks at my face. I intentionally try not to make eye contact with that customer as I pretend to pay attention to the doorplate and then pass by. I could only grasp that far from just passing in front of the restaurant. It''s best to think that things have already started happening. I know the guy that was paying attention to outside. It''s the magician Begulu. If I remember correctly his name was Zakkwaiz. I haven''t made direct contact so I''m sure he doesn''t know about me from his end. However, that face was something I properly engraved into my mind the other day. I couldn''t afford to stare at his face or body so I couldn''t identify him but there''s no mistake. After passing by the restaurant I calmed down and started thinking at high speed. What sort of situation is this? It didn''t seem like something was going to happen right away so I should have some time to think. The old man of "Roberikk" said "the goal is to kidnap and sell Mary". Is it a kidnapping for money-making purposes? No, even if Binsil had saved up some money it would at most be around a couple million zeni. I wonder if you can make that much money from selling a slave? I''ve heard that serfs are at most 3-5 gold coins and combat slaves are around 5-7 gold coins. It''s true that it''s a lot of money, it''s an amount of money that 20 people can go for several months without trouble eating. If they add that together with the money saved up in the restaurant then they could probably enjoy themselves for six months or so I''m sure. If I think about it like that then it''s true it''s a "big job". Certainly all of the stories I heard about Begulu until now we''re of his group committing all different kinds of crimes. Pulling an idiot into an alley in the middle of the town and stealing from him is on the cute side and they''ve even gone so far as to attack a small-scale caravan outside of the town so I''m sure it''s a piece of cake to kidnap and sell a good looking girl. However, since you can''t falsify status that story won''t completely work. I''m sure they can forcibly kidnap her but even if they go just like that to the temple in Keel if the person them self doesn''t consent to it then they shouldn''t do the naming ceremony. Even if they''re killed the priests in the temple won''t use the naming ceremony for their own profit. It seems that the moment they think of doing something like that the special skill for naming is stolen or sealed by God after all. If there''s no official procedures followed then they can''t forcibly perform the naming ceremony. If that''s the case then how do Begulu and the others intend to change Mary into money? I don''t think it''s impossible for them to forcibly sell her to somewhere but since it''s an illegal slave sale the other party is taking on a considerable risk as well so that limits where they can sell her. I''m sure it''ll leave evidence as well. However, it should be considerably difficult to kidnap Mary in that situation. If Kuro or someone were to make a fuss then it would all come to nothing after all. In that case do they plan to get rid of everyone there other than Mary including Kuro? Without letting them raise a loud voice? Well, it''s not something to think about right now but if I can think of the method then I should be able to think up some method to prevent it, right I need to be careful to think of the {TPO}. In the first place, the reason I rushed here was so I could beat down the magician Begulu and not so I could save Mary and Kuro...should be. If possible I do want to save them as well but that''s limited to a bonus...or should be. I twist my head from a place that can''t be seen from inside the restaurant and think about how to beat down Begulu. There''s no need...to keep Begulu alive even for a short period of time to gather any information. I''ll kill him without giving any time to make up excuses. I won''t give him anytime to beg for his life. It''s common for the advantages and disadvantages to reverse while listening to the tedious talk of the opponent. It''s particularly popular in stories of entertainment like drama and novels. Right now I''m assassin targeting Begulu. The one who requested the job is me though. There''s no need to question him, if he shows any chances I''ll definitely attack there and finish him off. In any case, if I kill that Begulu then I should be able to disturb the control a bit and depending on how it goes it might be the decisive action to save Mary from this dilemma. Alright, let''s do this. If I''m going to do this then I want to settle things with a single attack of magic. And I don''t want these guys remembering my face. Then it would best to use a magic attack from a distance I''m sure. Hardening them in things like ice and earth isn''t a good choice. They''ll cause damage to the restaurant and just because they''ve been hardened in place doesn''t mean they can''t use magic. If they can make eye contact then they can use magic. However using attack magic that is fired from the hand is impossible. In any case, the risk of hardening him in something is too high so I need to kill Zakkwaiz.Begulu in a single attack. Well, if I can just hit him with a serious attack then he shouldn''t be able to use magic so that''s fine as well. If I think about the damage to the restaurant then something too flashy like {Fire Ball} is no good as well. If I cause an uproar by breaking the restaurant in a flashy way then I could be made into a criminal for breaking the restaurant. The poison gas {Kill Cloud} might end up getting everyone inside involved and killing them all...Ah, Mary might be fine. However, Kuro and Mary''s parents wouldn''t make it I''m sure. Putting them all asleep with {Sleep Cloud} would work as well but since I haven''t practiced this one much it would probably take at least a minute for the sleeping gas to completely appear. Depending on how things it might take longer. If they just ignore me when I have my hand up facing them during that time then it''s good but I''m sure that''s impossible. Then how about sniping with {Stone Arrow Missile} or {Ice Javelin Missile}? If I hit a human with that it might penetrate through and injure someone other than Zakkwaiz. Even if the rest of Begulu''s group other than Zakkwaiz are criminals and there''s grudges against them strong enough to kill, it''s not like I took any sort of damage. It''s probably best not to do it from a distance. If I use {Flame Thrower} then he might end up rolling around and setting a fire as well. I wonder what I should do. Ah, I guess it''s fine if I just make him go into convulsions with "Lighting Bolt". I can probably kill him with just that after all. Let''s go with this. There''s a chance they''ll see my face but it can''t be helped. Well it''s fine. It''s good to hurry. I start walking towards the front of Binsil''s restaurant again, just as I passed in front of the restaurant, I made eye contact with Zakkwaiz.Begulu. And simultaneously raised my left hand towards him. He went into a panic and tried to yell something with his mouth open and aim both of his hands at me but it''s already too slow. In an instant a high voltage electric current stretched from my left hand wrapped around Zakkwaiz''s body. It was only a short period fo about 3 seconds that I released it but Zakkwaiz is probably dead. Putting aside the high voltage it was probably a DC current that reached several dozen amperes. If it''s a monster like a Horned Bear, no it''s different if it''s a monster but it would be stranger if a human didn''t die from that. Ah, it might be possible that he''s still alive. If he still is then at that time I''ll hit him with one more or slowly cook him with a different magic. It''s reliable if I stab him to death with a sword as well. I did it, Myun. As long as I kill this guy the rest doesn''t even matter much. Just in case I use Identify but his condition has become death. This is good. From the sound of the electricity Kuro and the others look at me and the surprise of them from Begulu B falling over the customers in the restaurant, rather, the Begulu group turns around. I take the sword off my belt and slowly unwrap the leather string while saying "Now then, your bag of wisdom has died." And act cool as I continue, "Jump up high!" And after saying that in Japanese I use magic again against the guys that have started to run towards me. This time it''s a combination of water and fire magic, I just made adjustments to the amount. Immediately the floor was covered in ice 30 cm high and everyone''s feet were frozen inside. The guys who were in the middle of standing up and the ones who had already stood up and were heading towards me are all fixed in the ice. Ah, what''s that, Kuro landed on his ass on the ice and he''s slipping on the smooth ice, it seems Mary failed on landing as well and can''t stand up. Such an uncool ending. They''re all yelling something or other. Shut up~ I wanted to speak for a bit so I stop using continuation on the temperature of the ice for a bit. "Hey, Kuro, Mary. These guys are loud~ Can I kill them?" I lightheartedly try saying that. In an instant things quieted down. Everyone is dumbfounded by the sudden happening. "Hey, how about it?" I say as if it''s troublesome while pointing my sword towards a guy nearby. Really~ reply already. I''ll end up with no choice other than to kill them~ "Eh? A, Al. Wait just a minute. Hey, Mary." Kuro finally manages to stand on the slipper ice with thanks to the counter and calls out to Mary. "Eh..Kill..that can''t be." It seems Mary can''t grasp the situation. She was saying while Kuro gives her a hand in standing up. I kick the corpse of Begulu B, Zakkwaiz.Begulu who died from electricity and fell to the ground having half of his body frozen in ice while glaring at the rest of the Begulu group, "Hmph, then, let''s ignore these guys for a bit. Ah, that''s right. Until I say it''s okay, none of you say anything. If you talk I''ll kill you. Also, if you don''t want to end up like this guy then don''t move. You get it right?..Kuro, Mary what happened?" I asked. And then continued, "Ah, before that we should let out Mary''s father and mother. Wait just a minute." After saying that I get on top of the ice and go into the kitchen then use the left hand that doesn''t hold a sword and expand a small {Anti-Magic Field} that I use to erase the ice on Mary''s mother and father''s feet, and said to leave the restaurant together with Kuro and Mary. Ah, come to think of it, only Kuro isn''t wearing any sandals. "Kuro, hurry up and leave the restaurant otherwise you''ll end up with frostbite on your feet." After saying that I push Kuro into leaving the restaurant. I give a glare so everyone can safely leave the restaurant. After confirming that Kuro went outside I was going to continue as well. But, wait a second. "Kuro, come to think of it you, were done in good on your stomach and back right. Who did it?" After I said that everyone who has their feet frozen flinched. However, no one is opening their mouth. I point my sword towards Begulu A who is looking at me with just his neck while he''s still sitting at a seat in the back (in other words the closest to me) closest to the exit, and say "Is it this guy? It''s fine to burn him with the same {Flame Thrower} as well?" And said that. Begulu A shakes his head while saying. "I..I.."I didn''t say it was okay for you talk."" I stuck the sword a bit into the hole of his nose and made a 1 cm or so cut. The blood spurts out in a showy way but it''s far from a fatal wound, the bleeding that looks flashy isn''t anything that will risk his life. Begulu A says "Bugya" and holds on to his nose quietly. There''s blood leaking from the gaps in his fingers holding his nose. I start maintaining the ice again before slowly walking outside of the restaurant. It still hasn''t become an uproar but I guess they noticed the incident onlookers are starting to gather. I say to Kuro "What happened?" and asked. "When I was in the restaurant these guys gradually started to gather. I wasn''t paying much attention to it at first but when Begulu came in last I realized it. These guys we''re waiting for Mary to resist them touching her. It''s a hand these guys use often. If Mary dislikes it and uses violence then that establishes the "crime of assault". After that they reconcile it by making them prepare a tremendous amount of money and have them write a loan bond." Kruo said the "crime of assault" part in Japanese. I guess he probably couldn''t find the right word for it. I don''t know the correct legal terminology for the kingdom either. However, hmph. I see now. Touch Mary like a molester and forcibly get her to resist. If they can get injured skillfully then they profit. Then they threaten with assault and injury. Since there''s no proof of molestation, as long as these guys match their stories then I guess it''s fine? However, isn''t it still poorly-prepared? Well it''s fine. "And, did Mary resist?" I ask Mary. "When I was about to resist I was stopped by Kuro.. It was dangerous. I was about to hit them with a frying pan." Hmn, so Kuro was able to calmly deal with it? However, I guess that means Begulu B who has fallen over and is frozen must have been being cautious not to let any excess customers in then? Isn''t that the job of an underling...Ah, I see, if it''s an underling they might focus on trying to touch Mary. You can''t leave the job of being cautious of the outside to an idiot after all. I say to Mary "Go and call the knight group. If you use my name they should come. Just, do it slowly." said that, and made an expression that I wouldn''t accept objections. Mary seemed to have some regrets but quickly nodded and started to head towards the knight group. "There''s no need to worry about the restaurant. I''ll erase all of the ice later. Please forgive me that it''s a bit dirty." I try to calm down Mary''s parents and I faced Begulu and his group that are still frozen in the restaurant. Now then, what should I start asking? Or else.. Volume 1 - CH 65 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 28 I point my sword at the guy closest to the outside of the restaurant while saying. "It''s okay for only you to talk, respond to my questions. What did you come to this restaurant to do? If you say it honestly then I might think about letting only you. However, don''t lie. If I think it''s a lie I''ll immediately kill you. Start talking." The guy I pointed my sword at was a gnome that 2 years older than me at 16 years old. Come to think of it the group in Binsil''s restaurant this time are all men. One..two..three..Including the Begulu B that I beat down there''s 14 people. There''s 13 people and 1 persons corpse in the restaurant now. I had heard that Begulu had close to 20 subordinates so it obviously wouldn''t be strange for women to be there but I thought the ratio would have been 9:1 for men:women. It seems that the ratio for women is a bit higher. "Pl..Please don''t kill me. I''ll talk!" After the guy said that there was a voice from further in the restaurant. "Hey, Jones! You..buge" The one who raised their voice from further in the restaurant was Begulu A. I used {Air Cutter} without a moment of delay to lightly cut the arm that was holding his nose. I glare at Begulu A and, "You, this is my second time telling you not to talk. If you talk again I''ll kill you. You should be glad, I''m busy right now." said that, and faced the Gnome guy again. And with a smiling face, "Sorry about that, there was an hindrance. I won''t let anyone intrude again so rest easy and start talking." said that. The Gnome guy held back his trembling voice as he started talking. "I, I just did as bro Begulu said to do! It''s true! Believe me!" "Yeah, I believe you. You just did as bro Begulu told you to do right? Tell me what the details of what you were told and the goals of it was." I continue to say with a smiling expression. "Since I hadn''t had any ways to earn money for the past two months or so, he had me mark this restaurant. I was told to observe the customers who enter this place. He said it was finally about time and decided to do it today. It was a job to kidnap the daughter of this restaurant and sell her as a slave. The method is...Um.." "The method is? It''s okay, you don''t need to worry, just tell me about it." "We harass the daughter and if she resists we do it well so one of us gets injured. Then we use that as basis to blackmail her. "If you don''t want to be reported to the authorities give us money"." He~ It''s just as Kuro said. I was able to gain backing to Kuro''s statement. "Give us money? About how much?" "1...10,000,000 Z." That''s certainly unreasonable. It''s not an amount that can''t be paid but being forced to pay that much for an injury caused with a females power is abnormal. And is it time for the entrance of the bond of debt? "Hmn. 10,000,000 Z. You, what do you think about that amount?" "Eh? Ah, no...I.. think it''s expensive.." "Right. Well it''s fine. And do you think they''d really pay 10,000,000 Z for that sort of reason?" "I don''t think so.." "Yeah, that''s right, what are you doing demanding it if you don''t think they can pay?" I continue to ask with a delighted expression. "Ah, since this restaurant doesn''t seem like it can pay we were going to make it into a debt... According to what bro said we would get her to sign a bond of debt with a deadline of tomorrow morning... And since there''s no way they could pay we would stop it at making their daughter into a slave.." Hmn, he can''t get to the point. Since he''s a part of a group of idiot thugs like this I wonder if he''s an idiot? I guess I picked the wrong guy. Well I guess it''s fine. I got the gist of it. I continue to say with a smiling expression. "Then, if they were to say, we can''t pay so go ahead and report us to the authorities, what did you plan to do?" "A, Ah. We intended to keep coming back any number of days until the restaurant goes out of business. If we''re always in the restaurant then other customers won''t come after all.. Bro said that eventually they would give in." Uwa, how nasty. Molestation doesn''t leave any evidence after all. In the first place it''s suspicious if it''s even a crime. "I see, by the way, when your Bro said you were going to do that sort of thing at this restaurant, was no one against it?" "Za...Zakk bro was against it at first." "Ho~ Which of them is Zakk?" It can''t be right. "Th..The person you killed at first. He''s dead over there." The Gnome pointed at Begulu B. He~ Well, I doubt he was against it for moral reasons. It''s probably something he considered after weighing out the risk and return. Even if he was against it for moral reasons it wouldn''t matter either way though. And he''s already dead, so even if he was a little bit of a good person, I''ve already killed him after all. "Ah, this guys huh. And, when this guy was against it, no one agreed with that? What about you? Say the truth about out." "Eh, a, ah. I didn''t do it. I''ve done something similar before as well...And bro Begulu said that it would be fine as well.." "I see, I get it. Then the next question. What kind of harassment did you do the daughter of the restaurant? Don''t speak any lies. Since there''s people who saw the entire thing behind me?" It''s gotten to the point where about 10 onlookers have gathered. "Ah, umm...We touched her ass, grabbed on to her, groped her breasts from behind.." I thought it was something like that. "I see, who did it?" "Eh? No..everyone.." Well, I''m sure that''s the case. "Everyone huh? Hey~ You, what do you think? Gathering together to do harassment like that to a daughter properly doing her job in a restaurant. Did it feel good?" I let my expression collapse as I continue saying it. ".." "Well it''s fine. Alright, you''ve spoken well. It''s already fine, stop talking for a while. Then, next is, anyone who feels like talking, raise your hand." They all raised their hands. Everyone other than Begulu A. What low loyalty... I turn around and try asking Kuro. "Who seems good?" Kuro was confused being asked so suddenly and stutters a bit while saying. "Ah, eh, th, then..Angado." The one called Angado was a 25 year old blonde human with a good build. He was in the middle of the restaurant and sitting in a chair about to turn around when he was frozen in an incomplete posture. "So you''re Angado huh? Then, since you''ve been named. What are you going to tell me about? Don''t lie to me." I''m sure Angado thought I was going to be asking him questions, he panicked a bit but opened his mouth. "Ah, I, I was actually against it. I didn''t want to do something like this! Believe me." Aaa~ "That''s a lie right. I hate people who lie to me..How unfortunate." After saying that I slowly raised my left hand towards Angado. It''s just a threat though. Everyone swallowed. "Ah, pl, please stop it! I''ll tell you the truth! I won''t say anything but the truth!" "I see, the guy in back didn''t listen to what I said so he suffered an unnecessary injury. Be careful." I returned to the charming smile again. Angado nodded several times before starting to talk. "At first I thought we were just going to sell her as a slave. We occasionally do it. In reality, the daughter of this place is a beautiful girl. It''s the same for you but since black hair and black eyes are uncommon we thought she would sell for a lot. In the past we just thought of her as an unusual brat but in the past couple of years since she''s suddenly gotten feminine a number of guys have been aiming for her. You get it right? I get that it''s not something to brag about but I thought it would be fine to enjoy myself with her for a bit before selling her. Since there''s still a young son for this restaurant bro said they probably wouldn''t oppose it as much even if we kidnap the girl..." He~ So Mary had a little brother. I didn''t know. And I wonder where he is right now? I asked Mary''s parents if they should bring the child out with them. Her father said he would go around the back entrance and bring as he went. "I see. I get it. It''s fine already. Next, then you." I pointed my sword at the guy next to Angado. A 22 year old dwarf. "I, I was invited by bro Begulu since there''s going to be money as well.. It''s true that girls face is good looking and while it''s a bit thin her facial futures are good. The long slits eyes and small nose are good as well but.. since I''m a dwarf, she''s not my type, but umm, I thought if I would make some money then it would be fine.. Now I think that I was doing something wrong, it''s true." Who said to praise Mary? That sort of stuff doesn''t matter at all. "Ah, I see. It''s fine already. Then, hey, the purple hair elf over there, what about you? Is there something you want to say?" A somewhat good-looking 23 year old elf, though he''s thin. I bet he could become a popular idol in Japan. Even coming from another guy I''m envious of that face. I''m sure he''s popular. Come to think of it all of the elves I know are good looking. I wonder why? "A, ah. Of course. I didn''t really think about it much at first since bro said we would get paid. I''m reflecting on it now. That girl but I like her lips. I can''t stop looking at those glossy pink lips." This guy as well? It''s true I think that Kuro and Mary have decent looks. They look like halves. Even on Earth it seems that a lot of Westerns see Asians as having an exotic charm as well but I wonder if it''s enough to say that far? I haven''t seen a clean mirror so I''ve never seen it but I''m sure I look like a half as well. Putting aside individual interests, going off of my aesthetic sense I don''t think Mary or Kuro are any match for elves, and there''s some considerable beauties outside of elves even among humans and non-humans. Of course there''s also the opposite of beauties as well. Previously, I''ve talked to Mary and Kuro about it but we came to the agreement that we weren''t particularly good looking. It''s true we have deeper features than a pure Japanese and it''s a half looking face with western influence mixed into it, and if we were to go to Japan just like this then we would be considered good looking is what was quarreled about but putting aside becoming intimate, we definitely'' aren''t beautiful is the conclusion we arrived at. At the very least by looking at each other we could tell "they''re Japanese". "Ah, it''s fine already. I get it. Then next, you." I put my sword at the Wolf-people guy in front of me and said. "M..Me? I tho'' tha'' girl was gud too. Her har was always preti and looked wet." You as well.. "That''s right, her proportions are childish, and honestly she didn''t seem like a woman.." "It''s fine already. Is there anyone that will talk about the story I want to hear? I think it would be best for you to talk here. Things regarding the girl are already fine. What about you?" I point with my sword again. This time it''s a 27 year old Rabbit-people guy who seems cautious. "M...Me? I guess so, first, won''t you do something about this ice? My feet are cold and it feels like the sensation is about to disappear." "Hn? I see. I''ll do something, wait a moment." Ah, I forgot about the ice. I put my hand on the ice and lower the temperature. It''s probably about -20 degrees C right now after all. After putting some effort into it for about a minute I lowered it to around 6 degrees C. "Alright, this should be good. Now start talking." "Eh? Weren''t you going to let me o"There''s no way I''d do that right"" The guy got depressed but I guess he gave up and started to open his mouth. "Last year, after bro Begulu called out to everyone here and..4 women who aren''t here we all attacked Geluf''s caravan. It should have been a considerable profit but we only received 1 gold coin each. After paying taxes it''s gone. That was a small caravan but there should have been 50,000,000 Z in goods. Begulu and Zakk bros should have split up more than half of it." Oh~ I wanted to hear those sorts of things. "He~ I see, then, that means you held a grudge against your bros right?" Mary''s father returns with a 5 year old boy. So his name is Yoshif.Binsil huh. Her little brother seems tired. I asked again with a smile. "Ah? Yeah, honestly it wasn''t amusing. Even though we did all of the attack..Even though they were just sitting the back giving out orders they took more than half of the profits." Hoho~ that is still "He~ Then, you don''t have any kind of favors to your bro right? Can you say that story again? If you properly talk, I''ll consider about you, but how about it?" Time passes while saying these things. Without mistake I''m gradually reducing the temperature of the ice. Of course I can normally maintain the ice while talking as well but it''s a pain. Ah, it doesn''t shine for just the portion I''m maintaining it so no one can realize I''m using magic but concentrating on both isn''t easy. I can do it, I just don''t want to do it. In additional I''ll also say it but it''s not easy for me to normally use magic as well. It''s only a really short period of time but obviously I have to concentrate quite a bit. If possible then I don''t want to use it because it''s troublesome. Well, just like this as I made them spit out all of their crimes, I think a bit over 10 minutes passed? The knight group came running brought by Mary. I reveal my social standing and have them confirm it with Status Open while exposing all of the crimes these guys just revealed. There''s no evidence but there''s testimony. Also, I don''t know what is against the law and what isn''t but I said it all. In addition, I said I obtained some special information, and when I was about to peer into this restaurant I often come to Begulu B suddenly tried to use magic on me so in order to protect myself I reflexively used attack magic and killed him. However, it seems like the situation in the restaurant was strange so I used ice to restrain everyone, and anxiously ask if I committed any kind of crime. After listening to my story the commander of the knight group said, "Greed-sama, please rest easy. The moment that frozen man tried to raise a hand against a noble such as yourself in the town it would have been the death penalty. Much less, just like you said he suddenly used it without reason right? A sudden counter-attack, as expected of Lord Greed''s little brother. I believe it was your older sister...Oh pardon me, your older sister Lord Greed received investiture as a knight in the first knight group...No, of all things, we the Knight group of Webdos can''t sleep at night with our feet facing Bakkudo. Also, about the testimony I just heard I''ll immediately confirm it from those here." "Is that so? That''s great. Thank you very much for your good job of keeping the peace in Keel. Now then, I''ll start separating them from the ice one at a time." "That''s plenty well, also what was the special information?" "I''ll definitely talk about that after this. First you should start with investigation I''m sure." After saying that I erased all of the ice except for the bit at each of their feet. It can''t be helped so the guys sitting in seats I kept the seat frozen as well. After that I went to the side of the commander and talked to him. "With this you can carry them out. Also, about the testimony, him, him, these three, and those two over there should give you testimony. Also, if you ask any of the people here you should be able to gain testimony from a third person, and I think it would be good if you quickly took testimony from the victims here this time the Binsil family and Baladik-san." "That''s certainly true. Hey, everyone from the third platoon immediately start taking testimony from the people around here. The first platoon carry out the suspects from inside the restaurant. The third platoon should keep guard of the surroundings. Get to it." After hearing the commanders words 1 platoon of 6 people, for a total of 18 knights started at their own jobs. After about 10 minutes the entire Begulu group was lined up along the street still frozen in ice and the testimony was taken from onlookers and the Binsil family. Even if I say testimony it was just confirming there was no difference in all of the crimes I told them. After that, they were able to confirm the story from all the guys in the Begulu group that I just told them about. They seemed nervous but after I nodded at them they all agreed it was true. The ones who gave testimony and the ones who didn''t were all made to bite a gag and had their hands tied behind their backs. Eventually, one of the knights that was checking their belongings took two magic stones and piece of paper out of Begulu''s pocket and started reporting it to the commander. What is it? When I tried asking Kuro and "You didn''t even know about something like that?" with an attitude like that told me. In order to prevent counterfeiting of important documents and bonds, a magic stone is made into a powder, which is mixed with the blood of the parties that sign it it seems. With this it becomes an official document. No, I was from the countryside so I didn''t know. But, it''s true it''s embarrassing that I didn''t even know how to make official documents even though I''m on the edge of the nobility. It seems that them having the two magic stones and a piece of paper prepared works as evidence. Incidentally, unless you have an insane amount of power you can''t destroy magic stones. And even in that case they just split and aren''t turned into a powder. In order to make them into a powder you have to have two magic stones of similar value and rub them together. Normally you gather together ones with close values (= weight), and then use a random magic tool to use mana up a bit at a time until they have the exact same value before using them. Therefore, if these two magic stones that came out of Begulu''s pocket have the same value then it''s plenty of evidence to prove that this was a planned crime. Ah, it seems that you can quickly tell if they have the same value by rubbing them together and seeing if they become powder. Even though there''s no special business just carrying around two magic stones with the exact same value is rare so it seems this can be used as a good piece of evidence. I wonder if the magic stone simply became powder. Begulu tried to give testimony that "I was holding on to it so I could do a deal with a restaurant" but he tried saying that different place was "Roberikk". Fu...This idiot. It''s good timing. I started whispering to the commander. "Ah, about that special information from just now but the manager of "Roberikk", I''m not sure if it''s correct or not but the master there is a spy of the Kingdom of Devas. If you use this coin and a red cloth and use the password "It''s From Rombert" and he''ll show his tail, so I suggest you capture him. This is information I got my hands on during an investigation of a man named Hendel in Doritt. After returning from Doritt to Keel today I immediately went to confirm it. The reason I was late on reporting it was because I was confirming the information I heard at that time, when I stopped by this restaurant it was this uproar...and what I heard was that a man named Begulu was a spy for Devas." Hendel, I sold you out. Well, don''t think badly of me. It doesn''t particularly matter if you do though. You''re happy as well being of use to me, your benefactor right? Die for my sake. In any case it seems that spies are executed without asking questions after all. "Is..Is that true! Hey, Shulaf! Come with me!" The commander whispered something to one of the platoon leaders. And finally, "Immediately go and confirm with your entire platoon. Listen well, first pretend to be a spy of Devas and get him to show his tail. The moment he shows his tail immediately capture him and bring him here!" And said that with a severe expression. The commander continues saying to everyone. "We''ll bring another witness. The verdict will wait until then." Wow, I had expected it but they don''t just have the right to police but they also have the right to administrate justice. As expected of a feudalistic society. Ah, no, maybe spies just exceed the normal right to administrate justice and are the territory of military law? I don''t know if there''s something like that or not though. Since it was going to take some time I ended up getting bored and felt like picking my nose but I stopped at just rubbing my nose. The onlookers are noisily talking. Kuro is telling Mary about the details of when she wasn''t here and Mary and her parents are relieved that the knight group has arrived and there wasn''t a lot of damage to their restaurant. The knights watching over the Begulu group are poking them as they fidget and move. I''m sure the temperature of the ice has finally started to go up. It seems they can move a bit but I''m sure they won''t be able to move for a while longer. After about 20 minutes the knights that went to "Roberikk" returned. Being pushed by the knights the old man of "Roberikk" was brought along. The old man was biting a gag and had his hands tied behind his back. "It''s certain that the master of "Roberikk" was a spy. Since he showed his tail on my signal we all went in and captured him!" "Mu, I see. And, did this guy let out the name Devas?" "Yes, he certainly said the name Devas. And during the process of investigation I tried asking him about Begulu as well. It''s also true that Begulu is a spy! Also, it seems that group was helping out with Begulu''s jobs all the time!" "Alright, I''ll confirm it. Remove his gag." After the commander said that one of the knights took the gag off of the old man from "Roberikk". And the old man said with a voice filled with misery. "I..I...I just did as Begulu said and acted as point of contact! That they were spies...that can''t be..Ah, you! I just met you right. I handed you the coin and told you Begulu''s location right? That''s right! Knight-sama! This guy is a spy!" The old man glared at me while saying it. The commander said, "Hmph, I''ll tell you something good. Greed-sama over here just left Bakuddo the other day and came to this Keel right now he''s an adventurer. Between that job he heard information about you from a man named Hendel. And after that as he proceeded with a secret investigation he managed to get this evidence that you were a spy and told me about it." "Wh...Hendel..Sagual...I see. Damn it, so you''re the one who killed off the Sagual spy!" Oh~ Nice misunderstanding! Since the Sagual spy that was Myun was supposed to have been reported as dying two years prior, he must have guessed that she was killed. This guy must not have known the cause of death. Then it''s not a misunderstanding for this guy though. Most likely Hendel didn''t report anything other than "She died"? He''s an idiot after all. I, "Hmhn, it''s the duty of my family of nobles that is given care of a territory to get rid of spies!" And covered it up. "Shit!! You pretended to be a spy and deceived me!" The old man is saying but I won''t pay any attention to him anymore. I say to the commander. "It seems that all of the evidence is present. What is the judgement?" "Umu, it''s already fine so make him bite down on a gag!" After the commander gave out that order a knight behind him put a gag on him. "Hey, bring Begulu." After the commander said that he drew his sword. Carried by knights on both sides with a different knight behind pointing a sword at him as he''s sitting on the chair, Begulu was dragged over. The commander glares at Begulu that''s become pale and, "I, Webdos Knight Group, First Company Commander, convict you in the name of Viscount Goful. I give you death under the charge of spying." And the moment he said that without listening to any excuses he cut his head off. Eeh!!? That just now was the trial? Cheers of joy were raised from the onlookers. I heard a small "Kya~" voice from Mary and her mother. And the old man from "Roberikk" had his head cut off in the same way. Though even if I say it like that it''s not like their heads literally flew. They just had their throats slit. There''s no way a caste sword could cut through the bone in someones neck right? However, the old man from "Roberikk" is fine but Begulu A wasn''t a spy. It''s completely close to false accusations. Close but he was used a bit for helping out with Begulu B''s spying jobs so.. Well, wouldn''t his fate of being executed be the same? Putting aside the spying he seems to have done quite a few bad things after all. "The primary spies were disposed of! The remaining judgement will take place tomorrow afternoon in front of the government office! Everyone breakup!" After the commander yelled that and "Capture everyone and throw them in a cell!" he''s saying that. It can''t be helped. "Um, Lord Goful, when I just interrogated them a moment ago. In exchange for their testimony I promised them. I''ll think about is what I said." After saying that there was a bit of relief on the faces of the guys who gave testimony. "Mu, that is.." "Yeah, and then, I thought about it a bit but since they far too villainous, so I think it would be good to ask the knight group to make judgement here." I heard Kuro say "Cruel~" in a small voice behind me. I can hear you properly, this guy. Despair appeared on the faces of Begulu''s group. It can''t be helped right. I never said I would save you or make your crimes lighter after all. In the first place, there''s no way I''d have that sort of authority. I thought about it just as I promised but I thought it would be best to leave it to the knight group. After the knight group pulled out the onlookers left in small groups as well. The commander said it was payment for the chair and gave Mary''s father a couple of silver coins. I use water magic to wash away the large amount of blood from Begulu and the others being executed then hand Mary 2 silver coins and asked for a beer. There''s no one inside of the restaurant and since several chairs have disappeared it feels empty. The fact that I asked for a beer must have been the start. We all entered the restaurant and gather at an open table to sit down. Mary brought me a beer so I thanked her and took a drink. My throat was dry. Mary, her family, and Kuro started to thank me. It''s fine something like thanks. In some meanings it was a coincidence after all. After listening to their story it seems that Kuro gave it his best protecting Mary as well. Mary said, "I saw from behind but Kuro''s legs were trembling so I realized I wasn''t the only one and was a bit relieved. But it was still scary." Her father and mother were both too scared and couldn''t do anything in particular but it seems she was happy that Kruo protected her even if he himself was scared. It seems that since Mary was going to get touched Kuro started carrying the food out himself. He was kicked, tripped, spit on, and seems to have had some pretty cruel things done to him. After the conversation continues it came to my skill with magic and the sword that I used to cut just Begulu''s nostrils. Our way of training is different. I''ve been ringed out considerably by father, older brother, and sister-in-law. Kuro is even saying "The cost of Al''s work is 1000 pounds of gold. After all he even exposed a spy right?" and flattering me. Her father aligned with that and said "Really thank you very much. I heard the details of what they were just saying but if they demanded 10,000,000 Z there''s no way we could have paid it. You''re the benefactor of our family.". Mary added in as well with "I thought it was over already and started to resign myself, really thanks. No matter what I do I can''t say thanks enough to you." Hahahaha, say some more~ "Thank you very much for saving us. If it''s something we can do then we want to do somehow repay you for this." "No, we we''re seriously saved. I know I''m no match for Begulu but in the end I thought there was no choice other than to fight.""Al, I think it''s really great that I didn''t end up having to become a slave, it''s all thanks to you." Eventually while that was happening the alcohol started to kick in. Every time I ask for some alcohol the old man says he''ll treat me but I properly paid for it. Right, I still haven''t properly received any expression of gratitude. Rather~ like I would let it disappear into vagueness just from being treated. Now then, I guess it''s about a good time. "I''ve understood you''re feelings about thanking me. In that case since it''s this occasion I''ll say it without reservation. Just as I was introduced by the commander just now, I''m an adventurer. After doing a couple of jobs in Keel I''m thinking of going to Rombertia and challenging the dungeon. But since I''m still a newcomer and I still don''t have any allies. If, you absolutely feel you want to thank me, please give me Marry. Ah, obviously as an ally for being an adventurer. Don''t misunderstand it in a weird way. Kuro as well. Since you''re not Mary''s family you''re a different lot. Adventure together with me. I''ll properly paid you two your share." The old man opened his mouth dumbfounded, The mother was also dumbfounded holding her hand to her opened mouth with her eyes opened wide, Mary''s facial color turned white, Kuro''s making a face like he can''t believe it and staring at me, Yoshif is napping peacefully on a chair at the edge of the restaurant. "Just now, you appraised my work today as "10,000,000 Z of work" right. I''m not particularly in need of money right now so I don''t need any at all. Since it''s so sudden I''m sure you need to organize things. It''s fine if you think about it well for tonight. Well then, tomorrow at noon, I''ll be going in front of the government office to watch those guys punishment so receiving a reply at that chance would be good." And said that, leaving the four remaining in a daze as I quickly stood up from my seat. ............ On my way back to Bins Manor, I was smiling while thinking, it fell in a good way for me. I wasn''t originally thinking about this but since they were so enthusiastically offering to thank me I just thought of it. It''s not that I don''t think it''s a bit crooked but it''s true that I want to pull reincarnated people over as my allies. Well, Mary has no experience with combat at all so it would be difficult to think of her as war potential right away. It seems that Kuro can use the sword a bit but as far as I''ve seen he still has a long way. It''s probably best to think he''s just a bit better than Mary. That''s why in the worst case, if they refuse with enough force to dogeza I think it can''t be helped. At that time I''ll completely give up on those two as it wasn''t meant to be. Volume 1 - CH 66 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 29 It was a refreshing and good waking. The alcohol from last night is already no longer remaining. I suddenly realize that the sun has risen and it''s probably 8 or 9 am in the morning right now. If I sleep in this much then I guess it''s only obvious it would be a good awakening. I''m hungry but training is first. There''s an event in front of the government office before noon today as well. It should be fine if I go a bit early and eat something at a restaurant near the government office I''m sure. I head out to do my running with my rubber protectors on. There should have already been several hours since people started getting active in the town of Keel but the number of people is less than at night. Even though it''s a town where the population exceeds 10,000 I wonder why there''s such few people out. I think about that while running through the side streets in order to not get in the way of anyone. I ran until I got outside of the town turned around and ran down another path. I continued running while using the towel on my neck to prevent sweat from getting in my eyes. It''s been about an hour soon. Just halfway more. Starting from here is the true part of running. Give it your best, me. I encourage myself as I bully my body. I haven''t run in the week since I went to Doritt the other day so I thought my body would be stiff but that wasn''t the case it seems. Hmm, the body of a 14 year old is amazing. It''s super energetic every morning after all. It''s the angle of a thumb after all. Doesn''t it hit the belly button? When I was about to give it one more and running towards the outskirts of Keel, I noticed that a group of horses was approaching from the front. What is it? is what I thought but that can''t be anything but Webdos knight group. Most likely they''re going to do some training outside of the town I guess. In order to not get in their way I move to the edge of the road and watched the march of an official knight group. There were close to 20 knights on horseback, there''s also another group of dozens following along with the knights, probably squires. Amazing~ How cool~ They''re all wearing armor and equipped with swords and spears. It''s my first time since I was born seeing this many knights and squires marching so I got excited watching it. I''m sure my eyes must have been sparkling. The one standing at the front is Leader Sendhel I guess? He''s wearing a helmet with a visor so I can''t see his face well. Hmn, it has a different type of intensity to a parade of the Self-Defense Force. Their armor is all different and it''s not like their equipment is standardized but this is cool. I wonder if the march of the horse warriors from the Sengoku era was like this? As I was spaced out and watching the gallant march get closer when they passed in front of me the knight at the front raised his left hand. And then the knight right behind him send out the order "Everyone, stop!". What is it, what is it? The knight at the front raises his visor and calls out to me. "Ya~ Alan-kun. You got right to making some grand achievements. I heard the report about last nights incident. As expected of Farne''s little brother. You did a good job." As expected it was Leader Sendhel. "No, I didn''t do anything significant, rather the matter last night was resolved quickly thanks to the decisive judgements of commander Lord Goful and his subordinate knights and squires rapid actions. I didn''t do anything more than offering him a bit of materials for him to make judgements." I kneel just as I was taught my older brother and meekly responded. "Fu..Alan-kun, if modesty goes too far it sounds like sarcasm. I heard the report and we''ve been packing them all into the knight group headquarters since last night for interrogation. The report on the offenses went to my father''s side early this morning. On that occasion it was also reported about you. After all, I was the one doing the reporting. After returning to the headquarters, I was planning to send a messenger out to the inn you''re staying at but this is good timing. The punishment of Begulu''s group will be given today at noon in front of the government office. Come to that place. Okay?" Leader Sendhel grinned as he said that. "Yes, just as has been requested of me I will appear before the government office today at noon." "Yeah, putting that aside, what are you doing? It seemed like you were running with your armor on but.." Ah, I still had my towel wrapped around my neck. I take my towel off in a panic as I turn red from embarrassment, I couldn''t help but talking as I put it in my pocket. "U..Umm, I was running to train my body. I would run everyday in the village with my older brother and..that is...um.." "Ho~ you can train your body by running?" Really, why does he get so into it. Just ignore it. "Ha, if you''re in combat for a long period of time then it makes it less difficult for your breathing to get rough so it trains it a bit..it doesn''t cost any money aft all.." "Hahhahaha..Certainly it doesn''t cost any money. Ku, fufufu. However, it''s a good way of thinking. And I like the fact that you''re continuing the training you did with your older brother even after leaving the village!" After saying that Leader Sendhel raises the visor again with his left hand and grabs the reins of the horse. "Everyone, forward!" along with that order the gallant march started again. I just continued watching in a daze as the knight group passed by. ............ After I finished my remaining running and returned to Bins Manor it had passed 11 am. I take a quick shower at the well in the back and since I didn''t have a scabbard for my sword I put the bayonet together and put the scabbard on just the tip before throwing that over my shoulder and heading to the government office. Since I didn''t have any time I was going to grab some skewers on the way but all of the stalls were closed. It wasn''t just that but a considerable number of restaurants were closed up. Could it be that they''re going to watch? Just as I thought, when I arrived in front of the government office it was already jammed with people. Is it a festival or something? Is what I was thinking but I remember that whether it was Japan or Europe enforcing the sentences of criminals was a good show. I see, it was a festival as well. This is the reason why there was almost no one in the back roads. It seems that there''s stalls as well. Thank god. I was in trouble with how hungry I am. I bought a number of yakitori and greedily ate it. Delish~ It''s only a simple flavoring with salt but no matter what you eat when your stomach is empty it''s good. Ah, if I had some soy sauce I could eat sauce fry. I''m in the faction that uses sauce on their yakitori. I don''t hate salt but sauces are different for every store and I liked searching for stores with sauce I like. Come to think of it, Shiina said that she liked sauce on yakitori as well. I suddenly remembered my past life but it''s more important to devour the yakitori in front of me right now. I eat the hot meat with the skin still on it while wondering why the yakitori in Orth isn''t split up into different menus based on the pieces. The menu for skewers for pigs is roast, stomach, fillet, and there''s different menus for each part but for chickens there''s only yakitori and no menu. They''re all cut straight into bite-sized bits that are stabbed on to a skewer and cooked just "yakitori". This can''t be forgiven. I like bonchiri. I stroll around while thinking about pointless things heading towards the front. The plaza in front of the government office is like a 400 m track in width so even if I say it''s crowded with people it''s not as tight as the Yamate track during the commute to work. Since it''s like the Shinjuku station at noon, anyone can go wherever they want without any problem of bumping into someone. I think there''s about 10,000 people? Just like that by the time I finished my yakitori I arrived at the front row and sat on the ground. Since there''s a simple border made of rope I''m sure it means don''t go any further than that. There''s a 3 m high stage in front of me. It''s not very big but if the Marquis Webdos is going to give a speech then it''s plenty high enough. On my way here I looked around the surroundings but I don''t see Kuro or Mary. Well it can''t be helped. .......... When I was using one of my remaining skewers from my yakitori as a toothpick and spacing out waiting, it seems that the underlings of the knight group are looking around at the people''s faces from behind the rope border. I wonder if they''re searching for someone. And quickly one of the underlings came over to me. "Umm? Are you Alan Greed-sama? The one from Bakuddo?" Eh? They were searching for me? I nod and they said to follow them. It seems that leader Sendhel is calling for me. However, I''m surprised they knew my face, is what I was thinking but it seems that they had an idea that I was from Bakuddo because of the protectors I''m wearing. I see. Lead by the underling I went the main hall of the government office and the knight group leader and Marquis were there. It seems that the two of them are talking about something but after noticing that I''m being lead in they waved with their hand to invite me over. I leave my bayonet and knife with the underling that lead me this far and go to their side and the Marquis says "I met you during Shani''s wedding I think it was? It''s delightful that Shani doesn''t just have a good husband but a capable brother-in-law as well. It seems that you''re an adventurer right now. If it''s like this then in the future you might conquer Baldukk. Hahahaha" Said that and laughed. Baldukk is the underground dungeon in the area near the capital Rombertia. Putting aside conquering it, it''s my current goal to challenge it. It''s not that I''m particularly hiding it so he must have heard from someone. "Father, more importantly than that but what should we do about the reward? I''m thinking of the case this time as something that you can''t return with just money but.. in any case since we weren''t just given spies but we were able to capture the entire Begulu group that''s been the source of headaches for recent years." Oh~ I was wondering what it was about but it seems they''re consulting over giving me something. Alright~ I use my iron will to keep my face from naturally turning to a broad smile and maintain a quiet expression. "Oh~ That''s right. However, isn''t it fine as money? If he has anything he needs then he can buy it after all." Yeah, that''s right, no matter how much money you have it''s not something that''s a problem. Even if I just receive 1 gold coin it would be a tremendous profit. If it''s 2 pieces then I have nothing more to say. In order to earn 1 gold coin I would have to make deliveries to Doritt 10 times. Of course the necessary expenses are out of my own pocket as well. "Hmn, since he is a noble I thought of giving him a horse but Farne already said he was giving him a horse after all~" Uah...A..A horse! 6 gold coins! If I have one more horse I could even use a carriage. I guess it would be fine if I did some business as well. If I''m given the same amount of money then it might be good to buy a horse with that as well.. In my head some over-optimistic calculations have started but of course I don''t show it in my expression. After seeing me the Marquis opened his mouth. "Do you have any wishes? It''s fine to say anything, ask for it without restraint." "That''s right, Alan-kun. Since it''s this occasion try saying whatever you like. We''ll be able to grant most things." Muhho...Wh..Wh..Whatever I want is fine? Obviously I''m sure 100 gold coins would be rejected though, I guess something realistic would be good huh...A small carriage that one horse can pull seems convenient. Hn? Here I should.. "Then Marquis-sama. Relying on your kind words please allow me to speak my wish. The thing that I want is.." .......... I returned to the plaza again. Since my throat is dry I guess I''ll buy a beer from the stalls. Or else, it seems like things are about to start so I''ll endure it for now and watch first.. Oh~ I see the Mary-family over there and the bonus Kuro as well. What the, that guy Kuro, already completely acting like one of the family? Just joking. There''s no way that would be the case. They probably just discussed things together with Kuro since then I''m sure. Since they''re both related persons and since he was a frequent customer in the first place I''m sure he was reasonably intimate with the Binsil family. Well, they still haven''t noticed me yet so I''ll go to a different area. I don''t want to talk to them now after all. After a short while not just the underlings of the knight group but the knights themselves came along to the plaza on the other side of the rope. This time the knights stand at the stakes holding up the rope and the underlings enter the crowd of people and start calling out to organize them. It seems they''re telling the people in the front row to sit down. He~ watching like this it seems that they''ve done training for suppression of a group. I sit down at a place about 30 m away from the Binsil family and look at the stage. I wonder if it''s about time for the Marquis to appear? The double-doors of the government office opened. The voices of the crowd that were noisy until now completely stop. The only thing you can hear is the crying voice that seems to be from infants or babies. I''m sure it''s impossible to control that far so it''s plenty to call it quiet. From the door leader Sendhel and after him Marquis Webdos appeared, after that several men that seem to be officials slowly appeared and walked towards the stage. There''s several chairs prepared on the side of the stage and they all sat down there. And then another man appeared from the doors alone. He''s a mature 50 year old Dog-race man. I felt the urge to use Identify but unless it develops into combat or is a situation where it could end in harm to me I''m trying to stop using Identify as much as possible. Since I think it''s worse to use Identify on someone just out of curiosity than it is to suddenly use Status Open on someone you''re meeting for the first time. The fact that they don''t realize the Identify is another reason as well. Putting aside when I was a child or didn''t know the common sense of the world, but I don''t want to use Identify without any sort of goal. It''s different if I have a goal though. The man steps on to the stage and starts talking in a loud voice. It seems that the man is the head of the officials of Keel. Managing the practical work of the government office, if you were to put it in terms of Japan, he would be in the position of assistant official of a city or town. He''s saying that from here on they''re going to hand out sentencing based on the law. I guess he''s not normally used to raising such a loud voice, his voice died down by the end of it. Next the leader got onto the stage and the criminals were all dragged out. They''re all the members from yesterday. There''s also some other people that I don''t know and there''s several women as well. A total of 24 people. There were 13 carried away yesterday. Other than that there''s 5 women and 6 men. They''re all made to kneel on the front of the stage. Furthermore, the 13 carried along yesterday all have either an official or an underling from the knight group carrying them from both sides. I wonder if their feet had become frostbitten. Marquis Webdos stands up and rises up on to the stage changing places with the assistant official. He stands on the left side of the leader on the stage and raises a loud voice. It''s a volume that is several levels higher than the assistant official just now. I''m sure there''s various chances you have to speak to crowds if you''re a Marquis. He''s saying something or other about enforcing the punishments of the criminals from here on out. After the Marquis finishes talking the leader next to him opens his mouth. Starting with the first one. A man I don''t know. It seems it was theft. The leader asked the man if he admits to his crimes. The man continues to hang his head while consenting. And then he was handed the punishment of 5 lashes with a whip. It seems that the punishment is enforced right away. He was dragged in front of the criminals and then whipped by an underling of the knight group. The whip tears into the back of the man who''s upper body was tripped as he groans. It seems that by the 5th time the man had passed out he was completely limp. Just like this the enforcement of the punishments proceeds. The stingy theft is 5 lashes. Rape is 5 lashes as well. Fraud is 1 time and a fine. Robbery is 15 times. Murder is having one leg cut off. The man who had one of his legs cut off with a giant axe was screaming. I thought he would die if they just left him like that but it seems they immediately used magic to do the bare minimum treatment for the bleeding. Since it was just the bleeding I''m sure the pain still remains. Since he just kept screaming he was brought off somewhere. Furthermore, if you denied the charges when asked again the witness is called in a loud voice by the leader. And after letting the witness provide testimony the Marquis listens to the points of both the witness and the criminal and gives verdict on it. There wasn''t a single one that was overturned but there was one who under circumstances was given a lighter punishment. It''s an immediate trial without lawyers. Ah, I guess the defendant them self is acting as the lawyer as well. The prosecutor and judge are separate as well. Thinking that then I guess it''s better than Bakuddo? In Bakuddo father held the post of everything but the defendant. If he wanted to do something arbitrarily then he could have done it. There were no crimes like murder or rape and at most there was theft. And 6 men and 1 woman for a total of 7 were judged. It seems that the remaining 4 women were members of Begulu''s group. The first crime the knight leader said was the one from last night. Obviously the four women denied it but the men all consented. The leader called for the Binsil family and Kuro. Also, me as well. I wonder if the Binsil family knew they would be called as witness, their clothes are neat. Even Kuro is a bit better than usual it feels like. When they meet faces with me they didn''t say anything and just faces down. It can''t be helped, I guess after all they don''t want to suddenly become adventurers. Just as the leader said we gave testimony. Obviously the women weren''t involved in the incident last night so it was just the men. The crimes were blackmail and fraud. It''s 2 lashes with the whip and a fine. After the testimony ended, for the time being we were told by the official or knight or squire or something to standby so we moved to the edge to wait so we weren''t in the way. The punishment still hasn''t been enforced and it seems that the charges will continue. The knight leader says the charges but several crimes came out. Murder is included in them as well. The case of them attacking the caravan of Geluf company was included as well. They''re all details that I had them confess to at Binsil''s restaurant last night. The leader says these aren''t crimes that someone brought forth but all ones that were confessed and the criminals all faced down, there was some that were crying as well. In the end the punishment turned into something absurd with a fine of 2 gold coins and 25 silver coins along with 87 lashes of the whip, 3 legs being cut off, and 2 arms being cut off. Only the women got 85 lashes with the whip. Hmn, if it was all done wouldn''t they become Daruma? Ah, the women don''t have 3 legs. If it was me I''d be begging them to just kill me in one go. It''s only obvious they''ll die if all that is done to them. In the plaza that fell silent there was only the sobbing sounds of the babies and the criminals remaining. The Binsil family and Kuro were looking at the silent leader. After the leader looks at the criminals he declared in a loud voice that the punishment will be enforced. However, since there''s far too many punishments so it''ll be the death penalty. There''s no way they can pay the fine as well. It seems to be death by hanging. The punishment will take place an hour later so until then they''re on show for the crowd. Well then, since we''ve reached a pause I face the Binsil family and Kuro. I say to the old man who flinched. "What about it, were you able to organize your feelings?" And then it wasn''t the old man who responded but Kuro. "Al, you... Even if you want allies isn''t this too overbearing? Taking advantage of weakness and saying things.." "Well, isn''t it fine, I was just requesting it. If you guys refuse then I think that it can''t be helped. In the first place, were you properly listening to what I said yesterday? I said to give me a reply today. I never said a single word about forcing you to come along with me. I said I don''t need any money as well." They''re all looking at me with surprised faces. "Eh? Ah, it.. it''s okay to refuse it?" Kuro said it as if he was playing dumb. Mary''s parents were also looking at my face with a surprised expression. "I..I mean, you said as thanks for saving us to become your ally..Ah." Mary said it in the same way. I nod to Mary as I say. "I didn''t say a single words about you guys not being able to refuse it. I mean, you guys should already know I don''t have the right to order you. In the first place, if I wasn''t willing to accept rejection then why did I tell you thing about it for a night? If you don''t want to then that''s fine. It seems like Mary thinks it''s better to have an occupation where you settle down after all. I don''t know about Kuro but since you were an adventurer as well I thought you had less mental obstacles towards it than Mary. More important than that, did you properly think about it last night?" I cut my words once there and continued with an coercive expression. "I don''t think it''s possible but I really don''t think so, but you guys weren''t just quarreling and complaining about me all night right? Thinking about it at this poi...Che." They were all hanging their heads down together. Shit. Am I the villain here? Even though I saved them I didn''t demand money, being treated, and I just asked them to become my allies, what kind of mean things were they saying? I endured unintentionally letting my displeasure comes out of my mouth. "You know..Well, it''s fine. And, did you come to a conclusion? Let me hear it." They''re all exchanging glances with their heads down and fidgeting. Is this a flock of Fidgety-kuns? "What about it? I won''t know if you keep remaining quiet." They''re all still red and facing downwards as usual. Since they''re all embarrassed over it, in other words they didn''t think about it, this is. "It''s fine already, wait a moment." After saying that I walked by the group members who were carrying the stands out for the hanging and went to call for the leader Sendhel. After I talked to the knight leader about something, they saw me returning together with the knight leader and all of their eyes went wide at once. Pieces of shit. "I''m sure you obviously already know but this is the eldest son of Marquis Webdos and the leader of the Knight group, Lord Sendhel.Webdos. Lord Webdos, I''m sure their introduction isn''t necessary right?" "Yeah, since I just called them up as witnesses myself after all. There''s no need for introductions." The leader said it gently. "Now then, let me hear your reply. The knight group leader is the witness. He''s the perfect person for the job right?" "Hey now, Alan-kun. You''re a bad person. Did you properly talk to them about it?" It seems that the Binsil family and Kuro were a bit afraid. It can''t be helped I guess. "It''s a bit late at this point but I''ll increase your options. You can come together with me, refuse it and continue with your lifestyles just as you have...or one more, enter the Webdos knight group and have them train you, choose. In the case that you enter the knight group by the time you become official knights I''ll come once more and listen to your intentions. At that time you can choose if you want to come with me, retire from the knight group and return to your old lifestyle, or continue with the knight group. During the time you''re in the knight group obviously you''ll receive wages. During the time you''re a squire it''s supposedly 43,000 Z per week." After saying all that in one breath I looked at all of them. They''re all dumbfounded. Well it''s not surprising. The silence continued for about 10 seconds. It seems that leader Sendhel couldn''t endure the silence and started laughing as he said it. "The two of your were 14 years old right? 14 years old is a bit fast but it''s the age the sons of nobles can enter the knight group. This Alan-kun''s older brother entered the Webdos knight group at 14 years old and in 2 years received investiture as a knight. Although, I''m sure it''ll be starting from the basics with you two so it will take a while longer but I don''t think it''s impossible. After that, I''m sure that you already know this but just in case I''ll say it. Normally only those that are commoners or greater is a condition for entering the knight group. And normally they must be 15 years old or greater to enter. Also, obviously there''s an entry exam as well. It''s nothing too special but if we let in somehow is lacking too much in ability enter then it will just take time and money to train them. In order to exceed these conditions, Alan-kun handed over all of his reward for exposing the spy and capturing the criminal group this time. It''s unusual saying this but normally I''m sure the two of you wouldn''t have been able to enter the knight group. Consider this a special chance that is limited to just this time." After the leader said that he took a step back. I''m sure he means that it''s up to me from here on. I beckon Kuro and Mary over and put my arms around their shoulders while whispering in their ears. "Listen well, I said it before but the growth rate of reincarnated people is different from those of Orth. You guys saw me yesterday right? There will never be a chance like this again in your lives. Either spend the rest of your life in a corner of Keel afraid of everything or enter the knight group and have them train you, decide right now. Even if you refuse it I won''t resent you. It''s your guys life after all." I whispered that at a fast pace in Japanese. A light appeared in the eyes of the two of them. Volume 1 - CH 67 Year 7442, Month 4, Day 30 It was the night of April 12th that I came to Keel with my parents. I went to Doritt for several days in-between but after a short 3 weeks I''m finally leaving Keel. After watching the enforcement of the punishments yesterday I went to the job bulletin for adventurers in the government office, handed over the payment for the sword and the tally then received the reward of 100,000 Z before returning to Bins Manor. On the occasion I was there I also checked if there were any good jobs on the bulletin board but there wasn''t any in particular, after resting for one night I''m currently preparing to leave. After organizing my luggage I store that away in the saddle bag of my horse. In the end I didn''t have a scabbard made for my sword. I''m sure it''ll be fine if I have it made where I end up after this. Either way I''ll just have it in bayonet form while I''m traveling so there''s no problem even without a scabbard for the sword mode. Rather if I had one it would just be in the way. In the end Mary and Kuro decided to enter the knight group. Kuro had his own sword and while it was cheap some leather armor but Mary didn''t have any of that combat use equipment. Putting aside armor she''ll definitely need a sword. I was a bit worried about if she could afford to buy one but it seems that her parents will pay for it out of savings so there was no problem. Eh? Since you have money then you pay for it? Why? There''s no way I would go that far in taking care of them. In the first place being able to enter the knight group is the same as not having to worry about their employment at all from now on, it''s the same as becoming an elite. There''s no reason why Mary''s parents would oppose it. If she were to receive investiture as a knight then she can become a commoner as well, there''s no mistake it''s all good things. They provide a place to live and food for no cost and even give you an education. In addition they even receive wages. That sort of splendid environment, I went to the point of giving up on my reward to prepare for them. There''s nothing more than that I can do for them. I''m sure they understand that, the two of them came early in the morning to see me off. It''s not like I have enough belongings to need help with packing though so they really just came to see me off. It seems that they''re entering the Webdos knight group as squires tomorrow along with the changing month. After putting my luggage together and sitting on the rubber cushion on my horse Kuro is looking up at me. "Al..umm..I''m really grateful for everything. I''ll...give it my best. Since it''s a chance I''ve finally received. I''ll definitely make it my own. I won''t forget this debt. I''ll definitely repay it.. it doesn''t seem like I''ll quickly be able to be of use to you but I''ll definitely pay this debt. "Thank you very much!"" After saying that Kuro lowered his head deeply. Kuro quit the company he was working at yesterday and is moving out of his inn today it seems. Mary is looking up at me besides Kuro. "Al, I feel the same way as Kuro. I don''t know how to use the sword, let alone that I''ve never even fought before but on this Orth I already know it''s something necessary in order to live. I just didn''t want to accept that until now.. I''ve really been helped a lot by you... I''ll show you I can make the best use of this chance as well! I''ll definitely return the debt. Thanks, no "Thank you very much."" After saying that Mary lowered her head deeply along with Kuro. I look down on those two from atop my horse and, "Well, don''t worry so much about it. I can only do this much for you. It depends on how much effort you two put into it from here on out. It''s not as much studying as you''d do in Japan but it seems that training with the sword and horse is considerably difficult so try not to lose heart on the way. Well, remain patient.. Then, I''m heading off." After saying that I was about to pull on the reins but I remember one thing I had to add to that. "I forgot to say one thing. In around 3-4 years I intend to come back once and check up on things. If I don''t show up in over 5 years then...think that I''ve died and you guys can do whatever you want after that. Also..I guess so, I''ll give this to Mary. Since you get driven out of the knight group if you''re pregnant, be careful." After throwing the rubber bag I pulled on the reins and tapped the horse''s sides. A well-trained war horse will go into a trot and the horse continues along the road going Northeast. I didn''t face behind me. After all, I can imagine what kind of face they''re making. ............ I passed through the streets of Keel, the number of houses has gotten sparse. I continue along the road as it turns into a pastoral scenery covered in fields. The fields that surround the river and road on both sides are tilled well and the ridge is properly stretching out parallel. As expected it seems that they''re using horses and cows for agriculture and the farm-work is being done efficiently and {systematically}. I can see horses and cattle pulling plows here and there. The two villages of Rudo and Horug are at the end of this road and beyond that is the town of Kilug. After passing Kilug you leave Marquis Webdos territory and enter Viscount Penlaids territory. There''s roughly 65 km until the town of Kilug. If I put some effort into it I could arrive by night but I''m not in that much of a hurry. If there''s an inn open at Horug village I''ll stay there, if there isn''t one open I''ll ask the lord if I can camp in an empty lot. However, it''s that right. If you get used to these horses they''re really interesting. Just bey delicately controlling the reins they go the direction you want almost as if they''re reading your mind. Right now it''s walking through the middle of the road but if I want to go to the left or right side just by pulling the reins slightly it immediately moves just the amount I want it to. Since the road follows along the riverbank there''s no problem with letting the horse drink water during short breaks on the way. Although in my case I can use magic to make water as well so there wasn''t much to worry about in the first place. I leisurely let the horse walk as I listen to the stream of the river. I can probably pass through Rudo by noon. Passing through the fields, I continue through the thick bushes. A bird is flying in the distance. There''s no need to be careful of monsters in this area when I''m still this close to Keel. I had Kuro teach me about it but it seems that animals that existed on Earth are beasts and anything other than that on Orth is classified as a monster. Anything that would come at you to attack it''s fine to think of as being a monster. In Africa, India, and China in the mountains there were things like lions, leopards, and tigers, dangerous beasts that would attack you but it seems that he hadn''t heard of any dangerous carnivorous beasts in this area. If there was anything dangerous it would be monsters. And those monsters are for the most part not seen in the surroundings of Keel, and it seems that there''s rarely only a bit of damage from them but I can probably take a nap until I get to around Rudo. Thinking that as I doze away and I reached Rudo by noon. After passing Rudo, not quite as much as Bakuddo but it seems there''s more damage from monsters so you need to remain cautious. I''ll have a meal in this village. I''ve prepared preserved food but I want to eat proper meals when I have the chance. There was a restaurant in the middle of the village so I entered there and had a meal. Since Webdos Company periodically has caravans running between Keel and the Capital of Rombertia, they also end up doing trade with Viscount Penlaid''s territory so there''s a demand for restaurants, and along the roads between Keel and other territories any place there''s houses I won''t be troubled finding a meal. After eating a lunch of a porridge with wheat, eggs, and some vegetables and a black bread sandwich with pork-ham or something like psociutto on it I pick the vegetables stuck in my teeth out, get on my horse again, and leave Rudo village. I''m heading for Horug today. There''s roughly 20 km from here to Horug. I should think of these 20 km as similar to the km from Bakuddo to the neighboring village of Badett and proceed cautiously. I confirm the bayonet tied up to the back of my saddle and continue moving forward carefully. For the time being it should be fine not to pay attention to the river flowing by on the right side. I focus my attention on the left side and continue at a leisurely pace as usual along the road. Without being attacked by monsters I arrived at Horug village before night. I took an inn without problem, ate a pork steak and oatmeal for dinner, and went to bed early. ............ Year 7442, Month 5, Day 11 Just like this I passed through the suburbs of the town areas and tensed myself up as I entered the outskirts as 2 weeks (12 days) passed by. Right now I''ve already passed through Viscount Penlaid territory and I''ve traveled several hundred km down the road after entering the King''s territory. I''m heading for the town in the vicinity of the capital, Baldukk, I think it will still take around 10 days probably. And, if you''re wondering why I''m saying things like this as I space out, it''s because roughly 500 m ahead of me there''s two people, I found them walking in the same direction as I am. Since they''re still too far I can''t tell what gender they are but they somehow look like children. One of them seems to be a man form his figure. It seems like he might have a firm build so while he looks like a child but it might just be a dwarf. The other one looks thin compared to their companion. Either a child or a woman. If I continue walking like this I''ll probably get to within 10 m of them in about 20 minutes. Up until now I''ve been attacked by groups of hobgoblins and goblins on the way but I didn''t meet any thieves. In any case, the time is still before noon and I have no other choice than to pass by them. I guess it would be best to just be cautious and quickly pass them. Just as I was getting my horse into a trot to pass by them I thought it would suck if they misunderstood it as an attack so I decided to just keep going like this. I hang my bayonet on my shoulder again and have the horse continue walking. If you continue along the road from here it was bushes on both sides of the road but it seems that it becomes a forest filled with broad-leaf trees. If possible I wanted to pass them before entering the forest. They walk surprisingly fast. It seems they''re quite used to walking. In the end I continued for another 25 minutes and entered the forest. If they spent the night in the same village as me last night then they must have either left quite early or come from a different path. There were several roads that merged into this one after all. The two who were in front of me once turned around looking back here. It seems to be a man and woman. Just as expected the man is a dwarf and while he has a solid build his height is short. He looks to be about the same size as the woman. It feels like they''re around 150 cm. From her statue it seems that the woman isn''t a dwarf but either a human or an elf. She has hair down to the middle of her back and it''s not tied up so I can''t see any ears. The woman''s hair is black. However, while it''s uncommon it''s not as if there aren''t people with black hair. Ah, that''s right, I already found out that there''s almost no people who dye their hair. It was really true that there were people with unbelievable hair colors like pink, green, and blue. By the way, the hair of the dwarf man is a light pink color. The two of them are carrying something like a large backpack. They might be peddlers. It seems they don''t have swords at their waist but axes. It might be a large hatchet but that shape is an axe I''m sure. It''s probably a one-hand axe that can be used with one hand. Then I guess they also use that axe for cutting through bushes as well? For a while now the road has had some sudden curves but it''s gotten straight ahead again. They once disappeared from my field of vision but I saw their backs carrying their luggage again. There''s only about 100 m left until I catch up to them. They''re still walking at the same pace. Hmn. If their walking speed is this fast then we both might end up at the same village that I was planning to arrive at by tonight. Just as I was thinking that it happened. Several wooden spears {Javelin}''s came flying from the forest. Ah, not at me, towards the two person group ahead of me. It seems that luckily the throwing spears didn''t hit either of them. Wait just a minute, it''s not the time to be casually giving explanations. It''s an attack by someone! I don''t want to get caught up in it but unfortunately this road only goes in one direction. I wonder if the attackers have recognized me? If they have recognized me then there''s the option of turning back as well but in that case I probably won''t make it to the next village before night. If they''ve recognized me then even if I turn back at this point there''s not much meaning to it. If I run on the horse them I don''t they would catch up but in any case I have to follow this road to get to the next village. If I leave and return then in the end if I get ambushed like this then it''s the same. I guess it would be best to help them here or run past on my horse huh...I''ll decide if I help them out or not after getting a bit closer and checking the ones doing the attack. I made the decision in an instant and lower the bayonet on my shoulder, I raised the horses speed a bit so it would be fine no matter which direction things go. "Zenom, on the right!" "Ah, Ralpha, you watch my back!" I hear the yells of the two of them. Volume 1 - CH 68 Year 7442, Month 5, Day 11 The attacker was a humanoid the size of an adult 180 cm or so. No, not a human. After using Identify it seems that they''re Pig-people {Orks}. It''s my first time seeing one. So that''s an ork huh? They have arms and legs of a solid build and plump bodies but while it''s crude they''re wearing some kind of leather armor. It certainly feels like they''re face is if you wear to make a pigs look human. It seems that they''re using swords and spears as weapons. Level is 4-6 or so. They''re quite strong. It seems that all of their physical abilities are a bit higher than a human of the same level. There''s 10 or so of those Orks. I''m sure it will be difficult for just the two of them with one a woman. I guess it would be best to help them out here. I raise the speed of my horse and let go of the reins with one hand thinking I should use magic I aim it towards the Orks. Ah, this is bad. It''s too unnatural to use magic here. I guess I''ll stop. Since the bayonet is too short compared to a spear it''s at a disadvantage against an opponent with a spear while on horseback. I guess it would be best to get off. If I get off then there''s no problem with using magic as well. The combat started between the attacker and the ones being attacked. It seems that the two of them are going to defend with just the axes they had. In the time before the attackers reach them they quickly lowered their bag and went on guard with their axes. It seems that both of them are considerably used to fighting and they aren''t letting their guards down but it also seems that there''s no fear in their expressions as well. I thought they were peddlers but they might be adventurers. "Murrruo.....!!" The dwarf let out a battle cry while stepping in at a tremendous speed and slamming his axe into the spear of the ork at the front. The woman is in the back left side of the dwarf and positioning herself to protect the dwarf''s blind spots when he swings the axe. Their movements are coordinates and skillful. However, between a spear and an axe, the axe is at a disadvantage. I get off of my horse at a distance of about 30 m and start concentrating in order to use magic. Just like I used against the Horned Bear once upon a time I make 5 ice spears and immediately fired them off. Since I didn''t make some distance between the acceleration wasn''t enough but it should be plenty enough power to injure them through leather armor. The spears fly at the group of orks. The spears are moving in a group that''s almost like a 50 cm pentagon with the distance between them. Obviously I can''t guide them individually so I adjust the angle while trying to hit at least 2 of them. After all it seems that the power of them wasn''t enough to kill them but I was able to injure two of the Orks. Also I used the same magic once more and injured another 2 Orks. They won''t die but it should have been a considerably deep wound. The dwarf is using the strategy of breaking the spears that are coming at him with his axe. The two of them are covering each other as they smash the axes into the spears aiming for them. Yeah, if it''s that much then they should be fine for a short while. I couldn''t tell when they were carrying the backpack but it seems that they''re wearing a leather armor below their leather overcoat as well. I guess it''s only obvious but after 40% of their fighting potential was rendered powerless the intensity of the orks disappeared. However, they probably think that they still have double the number advantage even including me, I noticed they''re rebuild their formation in order to protect their injured allies. By the way, I was concentrating in order to use my next magic. In just a bit longer I should be able to shoot the magic. I hold my bayonet with my right hand and have my left hand still aimed at the Orks. The blue light gathers in my left hand. Now! I shoot a 20 cm in diameter smoldering rock from my left hand. The magic {Fire Ball}. No, spell. The ball of fire flies at the group of orks at an extreme speed aimed at the one in the center. At the same time as firing it I, "{Fire Ball}!" yelled that in a loud voice. Obviously I was just acting cool yelling out my certain kill technique. It''s a lie though. I was yelling in order to warn the dwarf and woman, don''t misunderstand. Hearing my yell the two of them started to move back to take some distance from the Orks, but I''m sure they couldn''t move more than 1 m or so. The Ork that the {Fire Ball} directly impacted on caused it to rupture sending burning stones tearing apart the surroundings. There wasn''t a single ork that was able to escape that attack unharmed. I''m sure the only one that died instantly was the one it landed on but the rest of them are all rolling on the ground with burns screaming pugipugi. It seems that the dwarf and woman protected themselves from the burning stones using their coats. As expected they''re quite used to it. However, I guess they didn''t expect the power to be this high, they''re watching the pigs roll on the ground crying with a surprised expression. I cautiously held my bayonet at the ready while pulling the reins of my horse and approached them. After getting to within 5 m of them I let go of the reins and stabbed the orks that are rolling around and the first orks that I injured in the throat with my bayonet putting them out of their misery. After confirming that all of the orks had stopped moving I face the two of them and open my mouth. "Sorry about that. I''m still not used to using {Fire Ball}. Since it takes some time to use it..Do the two of you have any injuries?" After I say that the dwarf responds. I only noticed it after coming close but this dwarf seems like a 40 year old middle-age man. The woman seems to be young. I wonder what kind of combination this is? "So you were helping us? Thanks. Since we didn''t defeat even a single one of the Orks, these guys magic stones are all yours. Don''t hold back." And said that. It seems he''s admirable. I face the woman and was going to confirm if that was okay. But, after seeing the woman''s face I stiffened up for a moment. The woman has black eyes and it''s true she has the features of a human of Orth mixed in but it was a Japanese face. I..Is she another reincarnated person!? It was only for a moment though after seeing my face at a loss for words, I knew she was at a loss for words as well. "Is that okay for you as well?" I somehow managed to say that but the woman just remained speechless nodding and trembling. Seeing that I guess the dwarf was suspicious, he called out. "Ralpha, at least say thanks. Sorry about that, she''s usually someone that talks more but.." The dwarf first called out to her and then in addition to me. "A, Ah, it''s fine, I''m not bothered over it. Rather than that, I only killed these guys, it''s not like I put my body on the line and fought them. Just as you said I''ll take the magic stones but you guys can have the spears and swords." After I said the dwarf and the woman both opened their eyes in surprise but quickly said. "Is it fine? There''s two spearheads and even one iron sword. No matter how you think about it these are worth more." It''s true that does seem to be the case. But, there''s rust on the sword and spears, in order to be able to sell them you''d have to do quite a bit of maintenance work on them. Even if it''s just like they are now you could sell them to a blacksmith that deals in equipment but the spearheads would be at best 5 silver coins and you''d profit if you make 10 silver coins from the iron sword. I''m sure my Identify would show the value as being higher but this is the value when they''re lined up in a store sold to users. In comparison the strength of an ork is the same as a hobgoblin. Since the magic stone of hobgoblins are about 4-5 silver coins, it''s probably fine to see the ork''s magic stone as about the same. Since there''s 10 of them I can guess it''ll come out to about 40 silver coins. In Keel''s 7-9 shop it would be about 30 pieces. And, the experience points from 10 orks is huge enough I can''t ignore it. If they had the same kind of action patterns as hobgoblins then it''s difficult to quickly annihilate them, if I had been fighting them alone like in this case then after I kill or injure one of them they could have all retreated leaving me almost no experience points. It seems that Orks aren''t as intelligent as hobgoblins. It''s considerably tasty that just killing a single Ork I get several hundred experience points thanks to {Gift of Natural Talent}. And there''s 10 of those. If I was alone I''d feel like jumping up and singing a song about now. I recover my composure and smile while responding. "Yeah, it''s fine. However, would you at least help me out with taking the magic stones?" "Of course, it''s no problem. Hey, Ralpha, you gather the heads of the spears and the sword." I guess the dwarf liked my response, he gave instructions to the woman and got close to one of the orks nearby and stabbed it in the chest with a knife. I start cutting open the chests of the orks with a knife as well. In less than an hour there were 10 orks worth of magic stones in my hands. After identifying them it seems that as expected the values of all of them are vaguely different but for the most part they have a value of about 4,500 each. In other words 45,000 Z x 10 = 45 silver coins worth of magic stones. The woman ignored the spears made carved from trees and just went to cut off the ends of the metal spears and is holding on to the one sword. It seems there were three metal spearheads. The leather armor stinks and it was pretty crude in the first place so they''re just ignoring it. It''s bulky so I''m sure it would just add to their baggage after all. The time is just past noon. I wanted to try talking to the woman. I wash my dirty hands with water magic while, "Hey~ you two, want to eat? It''s just the right time and you helped me with taking out the magic stones so if it''s soup made with preserved meat then it''s my treat." I tried saying that. According to what I heard at the village I departed this morning it''s a distance of 40 Km to the next village. Taking into consideration the time and the speed of my horse there should be about 15 Km remaining I''m sure. Their walking pace is fast but it should be enough distance that it takes them another couple of hours. After I said that to them the two of them exchanged glances with a slightly surprised face. "Ah, sorry about that. If you''re in a hurry then don''t worry about it." After saying that I take my flask and some dried meat and bread out of my saddle bag. If they end up going ahead then I feel bad for the two of them but I''ll just secretly use identify, eat right away, and follow after them." "No, it''s fine as long as we make it to Foshil by night, there''s no problem. Since it''s this occasion, we''ll take you up on your offer. However, at least let us provide the bread." The dwarf says that while opening their bag that they threw on the ground and took out a container. It''s probably the bread. The woman opened her mouth for the first time here. "Hey~ can we go a bit further from here? The smell of blood from the orks is bad here." That''s true. After hearing it said it''s indeed strange to start eating lunch surrounded by the corpses of orks. However, isn''t there timing to invite someone to eat lunch? It''s not like I specifically wanted to eat next to the corpses of orks, don''t misunderstand that. "Yeah, that''s true. Then..How about we move over to there?" I said that while returning my food to the saddle bag and started pulling the reins. I can see several rocks lined up 200 m away. I''m sure they''ll be just right as chairs. Since I started moving they picked up their bags and started walking with me. "My name is Alan Greed. I was born in Bakuddo on the Jindal Peninsula. Feel free to call me Al." Come to think of it we hadn''t introduced ourselves yet. The woman was called Ralpha and I feel like I heard the dwarf''s name said at the start but I forget it. "I''m Zenom, Zenom Firefreed. This is my daughter Ralpha." Huh? Daughter? No matter how you look at it this woman isn''t a dwarf? And she doesn''t seem to be an elf either. No matter how much they look like a Japanese if there''s elf mixed into their blood they should be, umm, a bit more beautiful. No, I don''t particularly intend to say this woman is ugly. In Japan she would be considered plenty good looking. Since she looks like a half as well. I''m sure it''s enough that she''d be treated like an idol at school or work. However, on Orth she''s not particularly beautiful. The people of Orth prefer more European looks. Come to think of it, I wonder if from a biological standpoint the humans on Earth are the same as the humans here? Suddenly that sort of thought floated in my mind. I guess he noticed that I was surprised she was introduced as his daughter. Zenom continued speaking. "Of course, she''s not my real daughter. I picked this child up when she was a baby." Oh, so that was the case. I was surprised. "Ralpha.Firefreed. Ralpha or Ral is fine. Call me how you like." She replied bluntly. She must be shy. Or I guess not. However, I would prefer if she didn''t mention Ral since it reminds me of the wind, sensation of touch, and things*. Even if it''s just being stubborn I won''t call her by her pet name. I sit down on just the right size of rock where they were lined up and change the water in my flask to hot water. I immediately put an appropriate amount of dried meat inside and then closed it with a rubber cork, then after 2-3 minutes I told Zenom that it was ready to be eaten and handed it to Zenom before opening a different bag. I put ham inside this bag. I use a knife to cut the ham and handed it to Ralpha this time. Ralpha takes that, puts it in between some bread, and hands it back to me. "Thanks." I said that and took it but with this I can''t cut the next piece of ham. For the time being I put the bread down on the side and cut off several pieces of ham as I hand them to Ralpha. And then she was spreading something on the next piece of bread. What''s that? It looks too soft to be butter. Is it Mayonnaise? I wonder if it''s on the bread she handed to me? Since I was making the soup I didn''t notice it. In any case, I hand over the ham and bite into the bread beside me. After taking a bite and tasting that in my mouth I immediately realized. What''s this, it''s insanely good. This sharp smell that goes through your nose and sourness that has depth...It''s mustard Mayonnaise!! "Ma..mu, mustard mayonnaise.." I was so amazed that I couldn''t help but speak Japanese. "..I thought that was the case. There''s mayonnaise in this world but none that was mixed with mustard so I made it. Bakuddo." Huh? Ba..kuddo? Why is she bringing that up right now? "What are you saying?" Zenom asked curiously. It''s only obvious, he doesn''t know Japanese after all. "It''s a dialect of Bakuddo. That guy we did the job with before, what was his it again... I had that person teach me. That person said he was from Bakuddo as well." So that''s what she meant. This woman, she''s a pretty fast thinker. And, she''s definitely a reincarnated person. In that case there''s no need for restraint. I''ll try Identifying her. ¡¾Ralpha ¡¤ Firefreed /25/12/7429¡¿ ¡¾Female/14/2/7428¡¤Human¡¤ Firefreed Family Eldest Daughter¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 14 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 6¡¿ ¡¾HP: 83(83) MP: 3(3)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 11¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 16¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 14¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 13¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability£º Spatial Understanding¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 42615 (43000)¡¿ ¡¾Spacial Understanding¡¿ What in the world is that? ¡¾Unique Ability: Spacial Understanding; As long as the user remains within a certain range(Radius of 5m centered on the user. It increases by 5 m per level.) of the coordinate that they use this ability they won''t lose track of the sensation of their orientation. This sensation is not affected by visual information and they absolutely will not lose track of their orientation. Also, the user will be able to perfectly grasp the direction. Furthermore, this ability can only be used when not in contact with something the user recognizes as a solid-body. In other words, the ability can only be activated when jumping, falling, flying, or underwater. The duration of the effect is 10 minutes per level. Furthermore, for as long as the user remains within the range it becomes possible to comprehend the size, shape, direction, and speed of non-living objects that enter the valid range from outside. However, the equipment of other living beings is not included in the non-living objects that can detected. Consequently, it is impossible to detect trespassers with this ability. It is only possible to detect or otherwise perceive objects launched from some sort of device. Obviously this effect includes some types of magic that trespass from outside of the range and the element that occurs in relation to that magic. Nevertheless, if it is launched or otherwise a non-living object thrown from inside of the effective range then detection is impossible. Also, as long as the user remains within the effective range via the advancement of the user''s Spacial Understanding ability, in outer space, air, underwater, or any situation where the user can''t plant themselves to a surface all of their physical abilities and other abilities related to combat will raise 20% in proportion to their level.¡¿ Since there''s no level display it seems she hasn''t used it. However, I still remember that I couldn''t open the sub-window of my Gift of Natural Talent until the level display appeared. Is it possible to Identify in the case of other people''s Unique Abilities? Or is it that there''s different types of things that can be seen and can''t be seen? I''m curious about it but there''s no way I could know the answer just by thinking about it. More importantly than that, this Spacial Understanding, depending on how you think about it... And if you aimlessly raise the level too much as well..No, if it''s at the maximum level of 9 then the maximum range is 50 m radius huh? Hmn... Also, not only is there no traces that she''s used her Unique Ability but she has no magic special skill either. Her MP is at the standard for her age as well at 3. Her level is considerably high for her age. It''s normal to be around 5 for an adult when they become a squire and it''s the same level as sister-in-law Shani when she married into the family at 16 years old. Going off of her movements from the fight just now it seems she''s considerably used to fighting, I wonder if these two are adventurers with a lot of experience? In that case... I chew on the sandwich while troubling my head with thinking about how I can earn the trust of these two. Volume 1 - CH 69 Year 7442, Month 5, Day 11 "By the way, you two are pretty amazing. Are you you considerably skilled adventurers? The way you counterattacked against that ambush just now was splendid." Of course, it''s flattery. It''s true it''s amazing how they were able to construct a stance for counterattack in that short period of time but as expected it would have been pretty difficult for them just like that. I''m sure they wouldn''t be killed by the orks but it can''t be denied that they could have been injured depending on the situation. They were just hitting the spears with their axes after all. Though it''s certainly true that there was a possibility things could have gone well with just destroying the spears. Depending on the situation they could have injured or killed several of them and I can''t deny the possibility it could have been enough to lure them into retreating. However, in order to get to that point it would have taken them several minutes to several dozen minutes in time and during that time they would have had to remain focused in order to evade the enemies weapons while destroying them. It can be said to have been quite difficult. "No, though it''s true we''re eating by being adventurers we''re not that great of a thing. Rather than something like us, Al, you''re pretty amazing. Being able to use that magic in succession is quite something. I''ve been an adventurer for close to 20 years but it''s my first time seeing a magician this skilled. It''s quite significant being able to use a spell of that level while remaining composed. I''m sure you probably used quite a bit of mana right? I''m really grateful." After saying that Zenom lowered his head to me. Ralpha lowered her head along with Zenom this time. "It''s fine. Since it''s fine as long as long as I can make it Foshil today, it can''t be helped being reluctant to use my mana." After I said that the two of them exchanged glances before lowering their heads to me again. "Thanks, honestly speaking we were really saved that you used magic there. I had resolved for that to eat up quite a bit of time. And not just the first magic but you even used {Fire Ball}..since I had heard it was common sense for magicians to leave some mana remaining so I was surprised you were still willing to use magic. You even left the orks equipment to us." Ralpha said that. Hmm, they admit that it would have taken some time and been a difficult battle but they had no intention of losing huh. It sounds like in the past they may have experiences a much more difficult fight. For a short while after that the three of us used our mouths for eating. After we finished eating Zenom opened his mouth again. "Not only did you save us and leave the equipment to us but you even treated us to a meal. Just now, you said you were going to Foshil right. Since you were using magic during the fight with the orks and the soup, no, hot water, you heated it up with magic as well right? No matter how I think about it you shouldn''t have any leeway left with mana. Since you''re riding a horse I''m sure it''s fast but even if it''s a horse then it should still take at least 3 hours for you to get to Foshil from here. If you''re not in a hurry then would you at least let us accompany you to Foshil? If you run into a group of monsters like the one just now I''m sure it''ll be tough alone." No, it''s not particularly tough at all though this proposal is just what I wanted. He probably intends to be an escort as thanks. "I see, if you''re willing to say then I''m grateful as well. If I have the horse run then even if I encounter monsters I''m sure I can manage it but as expected it''s difficult. If I can get there by slowly walking then that''s all the better. Rather it''s almost to the point I want to ask for the favor." I said that while lowering my head. Even if it''s only for a short period then it''s necessary to understand their abilities. I''ll try identifying Zenom as well. ¡¾Zenom ¡¤ Firefreed /5/4/7416¡¿ ¡¾Male/19/1/7402 ¡¤ Dwarf ¡¤ Firefreed Family Head ¡¾Condition: Good¡¿ ¡¾Age: 40 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 16¡¿ ¡¾HP: 126(126) MP: 8(8)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 25¡¿ ¡¾Agility: 10¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 25¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 22¡¿ ¡¾Special Skill: Infrared Eyesight¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 574234(680000)¡¿ Uho...He''s level 16. It''s my first time seeing it. Even though his physical abilities should already have started decreasing because of his age, his strength is amazing~ His dexterity is higher than a humans as well. However, his speed is considerably low. The characteristics of a dwarf are strong in him. I see now, with this that method of fighting makes sense. I''m sure he can''t carelessly charge in. Zenom just firmly stands on guard and Ralpha moves around covering his blind spots. For the time being, I can accompany them until the next village. Since he''s a reliable dwarf adventurer, I want to try listening to various stories as an adventurer. Ralpha is a reincarnated person as well and these two say they''re in a relationship of adoptive father and child. I definitely want to keep acting together with them from here on out. ............. Close to evening of that day the three of us arrived at the village of Foshil. Without encountering anymore monsters along the way it was a peaceful path. Thanks to that I was able to hear various stories of being an adventurer from Zenom and Ralpha. Just as would expected from the village of Foshil being a part of the King''s direct territory, the houses are decently well-organized and you can feel that all of the buildings are somewhat new. According to Zenom and Ralpha it seems that the village only has a history of about 10 years itself. Until then it seems that this entire area was a wasteland. This village Foshil is something that a man who was granted the nobility of Viscount by the King cleared up and it''s still a new village. It''s population is still only about 200 or so, as a village it''s still like a baby with how small it is. Obviously there''s nothing as convenient as an inn and there isn''t even a shop. At the edge of the village there''s some vacant land that''s been smoothed out, it seems that caravans use that to rest. Since there''s no caravans staying here for tonight it seems that we have it reserved for just the three of us. We went to the lord''s house and after asking if we can borrow the land for the night to setup camp we started making preparations for camping out. Zenom entered the village saying he was going to get some firewood. He probably went to negotiate with a villager to sell him some firewood. Yeah, now''s the chance. I started talking to Ralpha. "Hey, Ralpha. You''re Japanese as well right? I''m Kawasaki Takeo. I was a salary man. I was riding on the train when the accident occurred. If possible I want to have a conversation and exchange information." "..Ono Misa. I was on the bus on my way to return to school. I wanted to talk as well. Do you have any alcohol?" Ralpha replied in Japanese. These past few years my thoughts have started to focus on the words used over here but I guess it''s because I talked with Mary and Kuro last month, I''ve started to think a lot in Japanese again. I feel nostalgic whenever I talk in Japanese. "Eh? Alcohol? Sorry. I don''t have any alcohol. Why? Do you want to drink it?" "Not me. I want to let Zenom drink. He''s normally careful not to drink too much but just on nights like these where there''s no need for someone to keep watch he starts drinking and after falling asleep doesn''t wake up very easily." Without getting angry at my impolite misunderstand Ralpha correct me. Well, it''s not anything to get angry over. However, I see now. Since she says she was "returning to school" she must have either been a student or a teacher. If I remember correctly I think the accident occurred just after noon so if she was a student then I guess she was a college student. I''m sure that as a woman she would be happier being thought of as younger. "Ah, I see. I misunderstood... So you were a student? Which college did you go to? Ah, no, just because it''s nostalgic." "Hatsudai academy high school... Since I wasn''t very smart.. It''s been over a decade since I said the name of my school...It''s true it''s nostalgic." After saying that Ralpha closed her eyes in the setting sun. I guess she''s remembering the days far in the past. The red light from the sun reflected off of her hair and was beautiful. ..So she was a high school student. Even though I''m sure it was a happy period for her, suddenly dying in an accident and finding herself reincarnated a world that''s not the Earth. Just for reference I''ll say it but I''ve never heard of Hatsudai academy high school. Just as she said herself it was probably a low standard school. However, that doesn''t really have much relation here on Orth. It''s probably much more important that the both of us were Japanese. Rather than something like how low or high the standards of your school were the fact that you''ve survived 14 years on this Orth is more important, or at least that''s what I think. "But, if we don''t have any alcohol Zenom might wake up. It would probably be best to talk a bit of distance away from here. Kawasaki-san, can you wake up in the middle of the night?" "Haha, there''s no need to force yourself to speak politely. I said Al was fine right? And we''re the same age here. It''s fine if you talk normally without restraint." After hearing I was a salary man though it was slowly she started to talk politely so I stopped her. If possible I want to build some familiarity after all. "And then, I have no problems with waking up in the middle of the night. Would it be better for me to wake you up? However, I don''t have the confidence I can wake you up with Zenom noticing. He''s your father right? If it seems like I''m trying to wake you up in the middle of the night I''m sure he''d get angry." I tried joking with her a bit. She must have felt that the atmosphere got a bit lighter with that, Ralpha said "Yeah, then, I''ll keep watch of the fire first. And under the pretext of changing with you in the middle of the night I''ll wake you up. Then we can put in a bit of extra firewood and move a bit away..let''s talk around that area." She pointed to the edge of the vacant land while saying that. It''s about 20 m away from here. Since we setup the campfire on the side of the vacat land closer to the village if we move to the opposite side there''s a decent amount of distance. Certainly if we''re that far away and whispering then I doubt anyone would notice it. "I understand. That''s fine. Let''s do that. Then, let''s quickly finish preparations. After Zenom returns I need to go and see about getting them to share some fodder with me." "Yeah, got it." After saying that while looking at my horse that''s licking some rock salt and eating some grass in the surroundings of the vacant land and Ralpha consents before we go off to make preparations for camping. .......... I went to sleep after eating a simple dinner and around the middle of the night I was woken up. Since I still haven''t lost my habit of waking up once in the middle of the night even if she didn''t wake me up I would have gotten up all on my own but since it would have been a pain explaining I just kept quiet and let her wake me up. After opening my eyes and confirming the one who woke me up and it''s only obvious but it was Ralpha. I, "So it''s time to switch, it''s fine, I''ve woken up." And unnaturally said that while raising my body up. "I''ll go for a short walk." Said that and went to sit on a rock near where Ralpha pointed in the evening. After adding more firewood to the campfire Ralpha quietly walked over and sat next to me. In order to prevent even a bit of our voices reaching Zenom we sat with our backs facing the campfire. "Zenom is sleeping well. If it''s a voice this loud then I don''t think he''ll wake up." Ralpha says that when I''m nervous of Zenom opening his eyes. "I see. Then, let''s talk for a bit." After I said that and was about to continue talking Ralpha interrupted me saying. "First off, let me confirm something. What''s your Unique Ability?" Ho~ so for the time being she cut straight into one of the most important parts huh? "It''s called Magic Acquisition. Just as you saw during the day, learning magic is my specialty." Since the small flame from the campfire is barely reaching our backs even if I look at Ralpha''s expression I can''t tell what it is. "I see..I thought it was something like that. My Unique Ability is called Spacial Understanding. But I don''t know how to use it. In the past, I tried asking Zenom what Unique Abilities were but Zenom replied that he didn''t know and he had never heard of them. I intended to ask when I met God but when I was confirming other stuff my time ran out..in the end I couldn''t ask. If it''s fine with you could you teach me how to use Unique Abilities?" "Before that let me confirm several things. Around how much time did you have when you met God? And when did you meet it? Incidentally I met God when I was still a baby." "It was a lot later for me. I think it was when I was 4 or 5 years old. Since it was the first day I was injured by a goblin. I was underestimating goblins at that time. Until then I had killed a number of goblins together with Zenom. Since I had never had a hard fight..After that, Zenom carried me to the healer of a village nearby. I think that was the first time I saw magic." Hey there, you''re straying off topic. It seems that Ralpha intends to continue talking. "And then, after going to sleep that I met God. I was only given 5 minutes to ask questions. I remember confirming countless times that I couldn''t return anymore and despairing over that. After that I ran out of time while asking the types of currency and things about Zenom or about the people who reincarnated. I''m sure you already know about the currency and time but since I had heard about other reincarnated people at that time I thought I wouldn''t be able to meet anyone else, so I was pretty surprised when I saw Al today. I''ve wandered around here and there for over 10 years as an adventurer but I''ve never met another person who reincarnated." 5 minutes huh? It''s still better than Kuro and Mary but it''s true that with just that amount of time the amount of information you could gain is limited. I''m sure that the way to use your Unique Ability is important but I think there''s a lot of stuff that''s more important in order to go on living that you should confirm as well. It''s not unreasonable. And she''s been adventurer for over 10 years already. Isn''t she a super veteran? Looking for my point of view with a history as an adventurer of one month she''s a great senior. "Hey, did you know? It seems that the people who reincarnated are all born a considerable distance apart. God said that we were all born more than 100 Km apart. Since it was chosen from people who just happened to be pregnant at the same time with a minimum distance of that then it''s possible that there''s people that are a distance of several hundred Km apart as well. Have you met any other reincarnated people besides me?" He~ I didn''t know that. I feel like I asked the location of other reincarnated people as well but they didn''t tell me right..I wonder if my way of asking was bad? Well, it''s too late to regret it at this point. However, that information for just now will be a big reference. There''s 39 reincarnated people. All of whom were born at least 100 Km apart. If I remember correctly it said I was on the edge. "I have. I''ve already met two reincarnated people..that''s how I''m calling the Japanese who were reborn on Orth. Yeah, I''ve met with two reincarnated people. They''re in the capital of Marquis Webdos Territory Keel. I helped them out a bit and the two of them are now in the Marquis knight group. Of the two of them one is a woman." After I said that much and Ralpha says, "I want to meet them. I want to try talking to them." that. I understand those feelings. "I said it right, right now they''re on the lowest standing of the knight group. I''m sure you''ll be able to meet them in several years." After hearing that Ralpha said a bit disappointed. "I see..but, what kind of people were they? It''s nice reliably knowing their whereabouts. God wouldn''t tell me the center point. It seems that I was born a bit south of the center. According to Zenom he picked me up in a cave near the village of Ralpha in Count Hentil''s territory. That''s why he gave me the name Ralpha." Since I was just quietly listening Ralpha continued talking to me. "I...If I wasn''t picked up by Zenom I think probably would have died just like that in the cave. I didn''t know what the situation around me was at that time since I couldn''t do anything and I was just confused...I was a baby after all. Zenom carried me and went to look for my parents in Ralpha village it seems but he said he couldn''t find them. I think I was probably abandoned." It''s a heavy story. "I see, but, Ralpha had good luck it seems. Since you were picked up by Zenom and he properly raised you right?" I said that. What else could I say? "Yeah, I really think so. That''s why Zenom is my dad even though he''s a dwarf." "Yeah, I guess so. Then I''ll tell my story next." I said the same kind of story I told to Kuro and Mary. ........... "..That just now is the method to train with magic. At the very least using that I was able to use magic. That''s why I don''t think whether or not you''ve become an adult and whatever is related. I know other people as well that were able to use magic before becoming adults using this method as well." "So that was the case, then I might become able to use magic as well. Also, about Unique Abilities but, how do you use them?" "That is..I don''t know. Going off the name wouldn''t it be fine to try using as you jump into the air or something? The way to use them should just be to think of the name of the Unique Ability in your mind. However, when you use it, it uses mana. You should be careful not to overuse it." I pretend to say it randomly while teaching her the method to use her Unique Ability. Since I don''t feel like Ralpha would become my enemy for the meantime after I talked to her for a bit. And if I say this much then putting aside right now, she should be able to confirm the authenticity of my words by tomorrow morning. And then her faith in me should go up as well. Well, if she were to think of doing it right now I''m sure she should though. Since there''s a chance Zenom would wake up. "..I see. Also, I want to ask one thing but where is Al planning to go tomorrow? You''re an adventurer right? Are you in the middle of a job?" "No, I haven''t accepted any jobs right now. I thought of switching my base from Keel to Baldukk. I intend to go to the dungeon there." Come to think of it I hadn''t said it. Ey~ as a bonus. I guess I''ll try asking if she wants to come along... No, is it still too soon? But depending on the case she might suddenly say we''re separating ways tomorrow... "Baldukk dungeon huh..Yeah, I see.." Ralpha repeats the words I said while digesting them. Hmn, I wonder if I got ahead of myself. If we can go together partway then I somehow want to make a recovery during that time. "Yo~to" Huh? What''s she doing... I turn around look at the area where Zenom is sleeping. After hearing my words Ralpha suddenly stood up and starting jumping. I hurried and tried identifying her and her MP decreased by 1, the remaining amount is 2. She used it! I turn around again and look at Zenom. And I look up at Ralpha who''s in a daze. I turn around and look at Zenom. Am I pendulum? "Hey, you.." "Hmn, so this is Spacial Understanding.." She''s not listening to what I''m saying. "Zenom! Wake up!" Why did things become like this? Volume 1 - CH 70 Year 7442, Month 5, Day 12 I saw Zenom jump awake at the edge of my sight after hearing Ralpha''s words. What in the world is she thinking? I feel like I want hold my head but while ignoring me Ralpha runs over to Zenom after waking him up. Ah, damn it. I don''t think they''ll suddenly turn into enemies but...there''s a worst case. I stand up while glaring at Zenom as he gets halfway up and Ralpha as she runs to him. Along the way, it seems that Ralpha flinched for a moment but she quickly ran up to him and called out to Zenom again. "Zenom! I was able to use Spacial Understanding! I finally was able to use my Unique Ability!" Huh.....?!? What''s that? What is she doing telling him about it!? I opened my mouth so wide I thought my jaw would dislocate. While I''m dumbfounded hearing Ralpha''s words I watch as she runs up to Zenom while calling happily out to him. "Ah? Unique Ability? Eh? What? Oh~ I see!" It seems that Zenom woke up right away and was confused for a moment but immediately replied delighted as well. Moreover he doesn''t even question it. Ah, come to think of it. ............ "I see.. as expected I thought it was something like that. My Unique Ability is called Spatial Understanding. But I don''t know how to use it. In the past, I tried asking Zenom what a Unique Ability is but Zenom just said he didn''t know and had never heard of it. I intended to ask God but I started asking from other stuff and ran out of time.. in the end I couldn''t ask. If it''s okay with you, would you teach me the way to use Unique Abilities?" ......... I just ignored it a moment ago but hasn''t she already consulted with Zenom about it! In other words... It can''t be, has she said everything about being reincarnated as well? If she has said something how much has she said I wonder? And, I wonder how much of that Zenom believes? Ah..I feel dizzy. It seems that Zenom and Ralpha are happily talking about it. Depending on how things go, it''s not my intention but I might end up having to seal their mouths...Huh? Why? If I think about it a bit more it''s not like reincarnating is something bad. It''s nothing I''d be charged with a crime over. If I end up serving under someone then there''s a possibility I could be used for the sake of my knowledge that doesn''t exist on Orth but that shouldn''t particularly be a bad thing as well. While looking at Ralpha happily talk to Zenom, I decided that it wasn''t something I need to deal with urgently while getting lost in my thoughts. If the fact that "knowledge from reincarnated people is effective" is made public, I''m sure I would be forced to cooperate in ways I didn''t intend to but what does it matter? If I have "effective knowledge" then I shouldn''t be treated badly, it only makes sense that I would receive considerably good treatment. Since if they were to try and forcibly get the information out, without the cooperation of the person them self it''s completely impossible, at the very least the side planning to make use of me should offer favorable terms first. Why did I hide the fact that I reincarnated from my parents and siblings again? Ah, it was because I didn''t want them to think of me as strange as much as possible. Since I didn''t want them to think of me as the child of a demon or the descent of a God or something...that''s why I made it that my great-grandfather appeared in my dreams. Since it was way~ in the past I completely forgot about it. Since it seemed like Kuro and Mary were hiding the fact that they reincarnated from being Japanese so I had completely gotten into the mood. Ralpha was being careful saying things like Bakuddo dialect when referring to Japanese at first after all, furthermore she waited until Zenom was asleep to talk, that''s why it came to this situation. Why did I think that was unusual? It''s simple. It''s because conveniently thought everyone had the same values as me. Since I wanted to make my own country, since I wanted to become the king of the hill, it''s because I wanted to avoid letting anyone conveniently use the knowledge I have. Since it was coming from a small child it''s hard to have any faith in it and rather because of the difference in power something that isn''t pleasant could be done. Depending on the case you could be ostracized or killed for being too abnormal and that''s how I analyzed the situation when I was still a baby. I wanted to hide it at the very least until I had grown up a bit because I wanted to be treated the same as other children. As a result it seems I was considered abnormally good of a child compared to other kids though that''s thanks to keeping an eye on the situation as I gradually thought I could go a bit further at a time. Eh? It''s fine, since I think that way. If you look at it in reverse you could take it that I doubted Hegard and Sharl''s love as my parents when I was still an infant. Ah, I don''t doubt it now. I have no doubts about whether I was raised with my parent''s love. My parents on Orth loved me just as much as my parents in my past life after all. If I said anything wrong and hurt anyone then Hegard would have gone as far as hitting me to make me revise it and Sharl would have slapped me as well. And I''m sure they would have lowered their heads to the one I who''s feelings I hurt. However, that''s in the case that they think I need discipline. The border between discipline and things outside of that is clear. If there was someone who I truly hated and can''t give up on hating at all, no matter how good of a person that is I''m sure they would have cooperated with me and killed them together or killed them in my place. I don''t know what would happen if my opinion was at odds with Farne or Mill but if that''s not the case then I''m sure father and mother would have definitely been my ally unconditionally. I''m sure if it was a case of a conflict between us siblings then I feel that a judgement would befall us within the limits of discipline. If I remember correctly I started talking around the time I was one year old. I think it was around that time I said some occult stuff about my great-grandfather visiting me in my dreams or something. After that, I asked about the farm work in the village and the mechanisms of nobility but the first I actually started suggesting things and started messing with rubber and stuff was...4-5, no, after I was 6 years old. Ah, no, if I remember correctly we started saving up money in order to introduce large livestock for making farm work more efficient. Around that time my MP had increased considerably so even in the worst case if I were to be ostracized I had enough confidence that I could somehow survive on my own, though it isn''t the completely the reason. Of course it was around that time that I started to think that sort of thing wouldn''t happen even in the worst case and I started to think about how I could be useful to my family, and what I could do. I was considerably luck as well. After all I was able to be born from those parents. If that wasn''t the case then what would have happened? For example what would have happened if I was born a serf like Kuro, there''s no doubt I would have gone through quite a bit of trouble just like him. Since Marquis Webdos territory is a considerably good land even in the Kingdom of Rombert, if it was as a serf in a different place then there''s probably a high possibility I could have easily died from an illness in my infancy. In some ways, it''s the same for the time when I was in Bakuddo but it''s definitely not a bad thing being used by others and the opposite of that is the same. Rather the me at that time was progressively trying to be used by others. It''s only obvious to employ the work of someone based on their abilities and be employed yourself. I think there''s a lot of people would agree with my opinion. After all, if that wasn''t the case then everyone who works in a business or management on earth would be villains. Politicians and officials would be villains as well and below that the citizens who pay taxes in order to be guaranteed safety and social securities are all villains in other words the Earth would be a plant of evil. Everyone knows that''s not the case. Even the people of Orth know it. Obviously the reincarnated Japanese know as well. Don''t misunderstand. I don''t want friends. Of course, if there''s someone who I''m able to create a friend-based relationship with then I wouldn''t be against it. Just, the things that I''m trying to do have no relation to making friends. It''s plenty as long as I can create a relationship where I use and I''m used by others. Ah, of course I''m on the side of the relationship doing the using. I guess I''ll just correct it, rather than just saying only a relationship of using and being used. I want to become the King of the country I create, it means I want retainers and subordinates. In other words the place that I''m aiming for I don''t need the people who support me to be my friends. If you''re making a company then a president and the subordinates who become their arms and legs are necessary and it''s better to have subordinates and more subordinates under them right? It''s fine if I declare that I''m going independent and claim a territory as my own all by myself but in that case no one will come along with me and no country will recognize it as a country. It''s only obvious that no matter how strong I become as an individual, I can''t win against an army of 100 all on my own. In addition I''ll say it but I don''t want to make a democratic country. I want to make an autocratic state that''s on the border of being a dictatorship with me at the top. What I''m aiming for is a Sengoku feudal lord who raises up in the world. I''m not aiming for a socialistic or communism doctrine that tries to release the oppressed people from the noble and royal ranks. Society is perfectly fine just as it is now. I''m also not intending to unify the continent. If I could do it then I would but those sorts of things I''ll worry about after I make my own country. Shining example of a man*, I''m sure it''s better to have big dreams but I understand that in order to make them reality you have to take various steps. If there''s someone who wants to serve me and they are useful then I''ll give them a warm welcome. If you come with me I''ll make sure you''re this well taken care of, how about it? in other words that sort of thing. See, there''s no particularly need to become friends with anyone right? It''s fine as long as they''re capable and loyal subordinates. And, in that case then I guess there''s no particular need to hide the fact that we''re reincarnated right? Whether they believe it or not depends on the other side after all. Well, I''m sure normally they wouldn''t believe it. If they don''t believe it then they could just ignore as a drunk story, in terms of harm there''s none other than being thought of as a liar. I''m sure other people who have reincarnated would definitely believe it though. The problem is the demerits of having the fact that you''re a reincarnated person exposed to someone who intends to use you. However, if they''re trying to use us then in other words that means they''ve recognized the value of reincarnated people. In other words what I can think of for the time being is that other than the fact that we''re a reincarnated person, what other ways we can be useful is difficult to expose. However, there''s my case as well. In the case that someone who reincarnated in this world is born in a social standing that is far above mine... Putting aside the individual doctrines and personality of reincarnated people it''s certain that we''re above the people of Orth in terms of knowledge and abilities. We even have Unique Abilities. Kuro has Charm, Mary has Resistance (Poison), Ralpha has Spacial Understanding. Since Unique Abilities are powerful and my Identify and Gift of Natural Talent don''t fall behind theirs and can be considered cheating with how excellent of abilities they are. Depending on how you think about it, if I were to take on Kuro, Mary, or Ralpha as opponents it''s even possible for me to fall to my knees. It''s best if I make as many reincarnated people into my allies or at least keep them neutral. I just need to avoid becoming enemies with them. By the way, it''s almost been about 30 seconds since Ralpha started noisily talking with Zenom. I''m sure it''s fine by now. "Ralpha, I get that you''re happy but what is it all of a sudden?" I pause organizing my thoughts and call out to her as I approach. I understand that she was able to use her Unique Ability Spacial Understanding but I need to pretend that I don''t know that was her using it but I can also understand that she was able to do it by listening to their conversation so there''s no point. I''ll change tracks. "Zenom, Al taught me how to do it. The method to train with magic as well!" Without paying any attention to me Ralpha continues talking to Zenom. I wonder if she couldn''t hear me? "And then, he says he''s going to the dungeon ins Baldukk! After all it''s just as I said. The people who have reincarnated that want to get stronger will aim for there!" What? "Yeah..That seems to be the case. Ralpha, what are you going to do?" "Isn''t that only obvious! We''ll go together! I mean since he can use magic that well then I''m sure we can even make it to at least the 2nd floor right!?" Huh? Eh? What are the two of you talking about on your own? It seems that Zenom noticed me after I approached within 5 m. I''m sure he saw my idiotic face... "Ralpha, I get what you want to say. But, did you tell the person them self before telling me...I''m sure you didn''t ask right? Being impertinent is a bad habit of yours." Zenom says that chiding Ralpha. Ralpha turns around. Hey, it''s been a while. "Hey, we''re you listening!?" She said that with a sparkling expression. "..Yeah, for the most part." I responded a bit disappointed. "Then"Wait just a minute."" Since it seemed like she was going to continue the conversation all on her I interrupted her. It''s true it''s going just liked I predicted where it feels like they''ll come along with me. Ralpha looks over here as if she wants to become allies. "Let me confirm several things. It''s important. Zenom, how much do you know?" I looked at Zenom who was sitting halfway up while saying that. "..How much do I know? About what?" I guess as expected he wouldn''t know with just this... "About Ralpha''s Unique Ability." I wanted to ask about reincarnation and things like but there''s the possibility that Ralpha hasn''t revealed that much. "Ah, I''ve heard from Ralpha. She was able to use it because you taught her. Thanks. With this that shikoki or whatever"Eh?"" Just now, what did he say? "No, won''t she be able to use the shikoki now?" "Huh? Eh? Shikoki?" I reflexively looked in Ralpha''s direction. "It''s Airplane. Airplane. The one that flies through the sky." "How far have you talked to Zenom about reincarnating?" "..I''ve talked about everything that I know? Why?" I guess that was the case after all. "Then, why did you refer to Japanese as the dialect of Bakuddo and try to hide it?" "After all, Zenom can''t talk in Japanese~" Since I said it in Japanese, Ralpha replied in Japanese as well. "Next, in that case then why do you go to all the trouble of waiting for Zenom to sleep before talking? At first you were trying to get Zenom drunk right?" "I didn''t want to give Zenom false-expectations..Huh? Was something bad about it?" It seems she finally realized it. If it''s the father that raised her for 14 years without expecting anything from her then it''s not particular bad though. The problem is anyone else. "No, it''s already fine. Zenom, you know that Ralpha was reborn from another world right?" "Yeah, I''ve heard from Ralpha. Since Ralpha talked to me about a variety of things. You are as well right?" It seems that Zenom noticed what I was trying to say from the start of the conversation. His expression changed. "It can''t be helped denying it at this point. That''s right. I was born and raised in the same country as Ralpha and a person that was reborn in this world." I continue saying. "And, just to confirm but the ones that believe that Ralpha was reincarnated, no is there anyone else than you who knows that she''s saying that?" ... There was a moment of silence. Is he trying to remember? "There''s none. I told Ralpha not to carelessly talk about it. In the past, there was one person that Ralpha talked about it with when she was still little but after that before they met anyone I killed them.." It seems I made him say something he didn''t want to say. After hearing the conversation just now Ralpha is holding her mouth. "I see, sorry about that. I''m sure you didn''t want to say that in front of Ralpha..that was my bad." "It''s fine. And while I said that she''s not supposed to talk about but as an exception she can progressively talk about it with other people in the same position as her. Since I''ve been dragging this child all over the place since she was young she has no friends. She was always afraid, according to what Ralpha says that it''s something that everyone who reincarnated would feel and they shouldn''t have all that different of a way of thinking about it..and that there shouldn''t be any problem with talking about it with people from the same country and.. so that''s what you meant, I guess I was a bit too easy on my own daughter." It seems that Zenom comprehended it. "Yeah, that''s right. I think that the most dangerous ones are those who reincarnated like us." I face Ralpha and say it once again. "Ralpha, it would have been dangerous if I had been trying to use the knowledge you possess. Well, I can''t say much myself as well. Since I lightly told you the method to use your Unique Ability after all. However, since I''ve talked about it this far..you two should prepare yourselves." I looked at the two of them with a serious expression. While the two of them were overawed by me, they started to be more cautious. I guess that aspect is the veteran adventurer part behind Ralpha''s carefree behavior. "I don''t intend on fighting. I''ll promise you that. At the very least I don''t intend on fighting right here and now. It''s repeating things but I''ll promise you on that. First, I want you to listen what I''m about to talk about. I saw where Ralpha and Zenom were fighting against the orks during the day. It should be difficult for you to take me on without a weapon right? That''s why even if you listen to what I''m about to say it won''t change your situation. I can use magic but your weapons are over there. I don''t mind it if you take it as me threatening you. In any case, I want you to calm down first and listen to my story." Every time I say something Zenom who''s still only sitting halfway up and Ralpha on his side flinch in reaction. I watch that while saying. "..For the time being I don''t intend to become enemies with you two. If I had those sort of intentions I wouldn''t have given Ralpha advice on how to use her Unique Ability. And I wouldn''t have taught her the method to train with magic as well. Though it''s not definite that you''ll learn magic with that method of training. At the very least I''ve given Ralpha knowledge. Think about that." ... "It seems that Zenom has already realized but since it doesn''t seem like Ralpha has completely notice yet I''ll explain it. Ralpha, think about it for a bit. Would your knowledge be useful in this world?" "..I think it''s useful." She still hasn''t completely grasped the situation, shes just gotten tense over reacting to my words "prepare yourself" and different from Zenom her attitude has softened quite a bit. "I guess so. That mustard mayonnaise that you let me eat for lunch and dinner was delicious. I''m not familiar with seasonings and I didn''t think of making it myself so I didn''t do anything but I think that taste is plenty to make into a business. However, it''s not a conversation of that level. Ralpha, think properly. Is the knowledge that you that could be useful in this world only limited to that?" "..Eh? After all I''m an idiot, I went to "Hatsu school" after all.." "Hey now, it''s not related to what "school" you went to... For example what about farming? No matter how you put if you''ve made it to "high school" then even if it''s not precise you should have a reasonable amount of knowledge right? It''s not a question of if you have that sort of knowledge or not. Do you get that the problem is whether or not other people think you have it?" I asked her seriously. Since the words "school", "high school", and "Hatsudai school" aren''t in this world I used Japanese for just those parts though. "Think carefully about it. You should know various things that aren''t know on Orth. How did you get your hands on mustard? You found a mustard plant right? I never even thought of something like that so I didn''t even try searching for a mustard plant. If it''s just at the left of mustard then it''s fine. But, depending on the case you understand that it can be dangerous right?" "..Ah..I see..I guess." Did she understand? I continue again. "That conversation about the airplane just before is a good example. You get it right?" "Yeah, I understand." "Alright listen, Zenom listen closely as well. The two of you were in an extremely dangerous situation. First understand that. Up until now was fine. You had good luck. No one has put their eyes on you yet after all. Up until now you''ve done quite a few jobs as adventurers right? Just think you had good luck not running into anyone like me while wandering around all over the place." According to the information I just heard it seems that you can''t so easily run into other reincarnated people so I feel it''s far beyond the level of just good luck but, well it''s fine. "Zenom, it seems that you''ve somewhat realized so I think you know but the knowledge that Ralpha and I possess is considerably ahead of Orth. Putting it frankly there''s a lot of extremely dangerous things as well. Just now you said that we were reborn right. Did you hear the reason?" "Yeah, I heard that a lot people died in an accident and the ones who died were al reborn.." "That''s right, and then?" "..The accident was caused by something like large carriages colliding. You guys got dragged into the conflict between Gods..and all the people who were reborn start over as babies. Retaining their memories. Each person has a different Unique Ability and they can get stronger more easily than people normally born in this world..I think was it? I didn''t really want to say it but it''s true that Ralpha talks about things that I don''t know about or things that I can''t even imagine, even the time when she started talking was considerably early. For her age I think she''s excellent in a variety of ways. From my standpoint I can''t help but believe it, were my feelings." "..I see." "According to what Ralpha said in the country she lived in the past there were no monsters and magic but a lot of people lives happily and she said it was unrelated to conflict. I couldn''t believe it but since Ralpha knew far too much about various things. There''s an expression of lying as if you saw it yourself but I quickly realized it wasn''t something like that. If I talked about the same sort of things and she would reply with the exact same thing precisely. She was even able to do calculations from the time she was born. She said she was born in that sort of world. And she also said people in that world fundamentally don''t fight and should dislike it. That everyone should be people like Ralpha..that''s why, I couldn''t help but get a bit too soft as well." "Sorry, please understand that I''m not criticizing you. I just wanted to confirm." I apologized to Zenom from my true feelings. I really don''t have any intention of criticizing him at all. Rather, it''s strange but I actually feel grateful to him for raising Ralpha, since we''re from the same country, this well even though he''s not her parent or anything. "Let''s organize things a bit. I call the people like us that were reborn On Orth reincarnated people. And reincarnated people possess a variety of knowledge that the people of Orth still don''t know. Also, our growth is fast. This doesn''t mean we become adults sooner. It means that our stamina and strength grow faster, would be a better way of putting it. In other words it''s easier for us to get stronger as individuals. Also, we have a magic like power called a Unique Ability. Ralpha''s Spacial Understanding and my Magic Ability. Up until here you could say we''ve already surpassed the average person." "Eh? Wasn''t it Magic Acquisition..." Ralpha retorted me on it. Ah, that was close~ "Yeah, rather than Acquisition I thought that it would be easier for Zenom to understand if I said Ability." A cold sweat is dripping in my heart. In any case it''s critical to casually let it pass. "Hn, I guess that''s true." Ha....Thank god. "And then. Next is the demerits of reincarnating. For starters the first one. Since your memories are remaining you can''t help but feel differently than the people of Orth. There''s a system of social rankings on Orth. They''re split up between noble, commoner, and slave rankings and each of them have different things that they''re allowed and not allowed. In the place that we reincarnated people were originally born it was like that in the past but that sort of stuff has long since been abolished and we''ve all become commoners. Since I''m sure Zenom has heard about stuff like that already but, well just think of it as a review. That''s why I think there''s a trend for reincarnated people to be displeased by the social ranking system itself." The two of them are listening attentively. It seems that their tension has softened quite a bit. "Frankly this is dangerous. Just because you expressed your displeasure it''s not like you would suddenly be punished for it but if that reincarnated person was of the slave ranking then their owner would find it very amusing I''m sure. If they had already been heard saying clever things until then and even more so if they had said things that were helpful. If someone like that were to try saying "It''s strange that I''m a slave." There''s no way it would be amusing. I doubt it''s something would suddenly be killed right away for but depending on the situation they could have various things added and go to the point where they feel death would be better than their situation." Did I surprise them a bit too much? But, I need to say at least this much. "Next is in relation to killing. Since you''ve probably heard various things from Ralpha already I don''t think there''s a problem but reincarnated people have no experience of catching their own food from the start all on their own. The reason for this is the place and period we reincarnated from I''m sure. It''s true that the reincarnated people''s country..Japan, even in Japan there were hunters and agriculture was done as well. But, I doubt there''s any reincarnated people with those sort of experiences. Even if there was it would be at most 1 or 2 people and that''s just because they were born of a farming family. In the past, they probably just helped out with their father''s occupation a bit I''m sure. In regards to hunters I can assert it. There''s no way. Of course, as a possibility I''m sure it''s not zero but I think it''s at a level we can ignore. Ralpha, what do you think about this? Let me hear your opinion." "I guess so..I think so as well. In the first place there shouldn''t have been any people that lived as hunters right?" "I''m sure it''s not as if there weren''t any at all but going off that time and that place then it''s difficult to imagine there were any. That''s why it''s difficult to think that there were any people who had experience killing something. Of course, it might not be so strange for something small like bugs, or a dog or cat. If it''s at the level of a chicken then it''s also possible. But it''s just at that level. I doubt there''s anyone that''s killed a larger animal than a pig. Obviously it''s the same for a human or a living create with limbs like a human as well. It wouldn''t be strange for someone with experience in committing murder but considering the population of that town then I think it''s at a level that you can ignore it as well. In Japan the killing of large animals is almost always done by humans who specialize in that in certain facilities. And murder is harshly judged. In other words, reincarnated people aren''t used to using their bodies to fight things and fundamentally have feelings of aversion to killing anything." The two of them are quietly listening. "That''s why even if they possess the qualities to become stronger they aren''t making use of that or it can be thought that they''re preventing themselves from making use of it. Ah, I don''t intended to say Ralpha is different. Rather, I think you''re pretty amazing. Probably, if all of the reincarnated gathered here and fought, I think you would come out pretty high in the rankings? I think it''s okay for you to be proud that you''ve trained yourself that much. Since even in Japan there are techniques that have been passed down for using your body to fight so I think there''s plenty of people who can damage their opponent but I wonder about people who can go as far as taking life? I don''t think even half would be able to let alone finishing off a weakened opponent who''s begging for their life I don''t think there''s very many. It''s weird putting it this way but if you''ve been an adventurer for that long then you must have taken on people as opponents as well right?" The atmosphere of the two suddenly changed. "Of course I have. I''ve even killed." Ralpha said that. "Yeah, I''m sure that''s the case. I''ve killed people as well. But, could you accept it as something that couldn''t be helped? Or do you still regret it?" "I guess so. I don''t regret it. It couldn''t be helped." "Yeah. However, what about the first time you did it? I got a bit sad after I killed someone. Even if I understand the logic but it was more like my feelings weren''t able to accept it..I can''t go back any longer or that sort of weird feeling. I''ve already accepted it so I''m fine now though." "It was the same for me as well. I think it was close. I thought that the first time I killed a goblin. I couldn''t see it as anything other than a person." Ah, that''s right. I thought goblins were people at first as well. I thought they were like barbarians or primeval people. That''s why I unconditionally thought Farne was cool when he protected me from a goblin for the first time. He protected Mill and I with risking his body and even going to the point of sinning is what I thought. It''s not like goblins are people though, oh, though that feeling hasn''t changed at all even after understanding that they aren''t thought to be people. I know that goblins are people as well. They come up using Identify as Small Ogre People race after all. They probably show up like that under Status Open as well. It''s the same as Elf, dwarf, and human race. Since I looked up to that Farne I was able to kill the man spy in order to protect Myun as well. I think that Farne''s appearance at that time was probably the origin for my life on Orth. I got lost in my thoughts a bit there. "Yeah. That''s right. That''s why I think reincarnated people will largely be split into two groups. The first is people who continue to maintain their values to some extent from their life before reincarnating. They''ll probably try to live separating themselves from conflict. It might be fine to think that this group won''t fundamentally cause any major problem. The other group is people who accept it like Ralpha and I. If they become adventurers like us then it''s fine. I''m sure they''ll have become reasonably strong. However, depending on their situation after reincarnated they may not be able to become adventurers, I don''t know how people like that would be able to find chances to fight. Depending on the situation they might have even been born as high rank nobles close to lords. The problem is people like that. They should probably realize that their knowledge is far above the people of Orth shortly after being born. And by thinking that they themselves have no need to fight depending on the case it''s possible things could become bad. They''re born with a lot of subordinates and even have authority after all. And they know that reincarnated people are useful as well. If they were to inherit the family and become able to do whatever they want, the first thing they would do is.." Their eyes suddenly widened. "Hunting reincarnated people, huh?" Zenom sighs while saying it. "Yeah, that''s right. For example think about if they were born as the son or daughter of the King of Rombert. Since they don''t know the words at first and they don''t know the situation I''m sure they would be patient. But, assuming they were originally a baby then they should have been a reasonable age already. In addition to that they''ll learn the words quickly thanks to the soft brain of a child. Up until here you understand just from Ralpha right? And, just imagine if that person realized they were born in an extremely high class family. Simultaneously they also realize that their knowledge is far beyond that of Orth. They''ll gradually come to understand things about Orth. There''s wars almost every year and even monsters. There''s magic as well. There''s a system of social rankings being maintained and they hold immense authority over that close to the top. They''ll gradually understand things like that. And, at some point, just like us they''ll meet God. They''ll be taught that there are other reincarnated people like them and they all have a Unique Ability. Ralpha. Up until here what would you do if you were born as a princess of Rombert?" It seems that Ralpha is still shocked by Zenom''s words from just now but opened her mouth. "If it was me then..Yeah, I think I might start with reforming the kingdom. Use a lot of people and remake the town, depending on the circumstances prohibit slaves.." "Do you really think so?" I stare at Ralpha''s eyes while saying it. "Eh? Yeah. I think I would probably do something like that. I think I would try to make it into a country which can live without war. Wouldn''t try to do things helpful for that sake?" "..Well it''s fine. What about after that?" "Eh? After that? But I think there would be a lot of things to do so...wouldn''t I need to keep doing that forever?" Since it seems she was a high school student in her past life. After that she''s been an adventurer since childhood so I guess she''s never thought about things like this. "Alright, I''ll digress a bit but it''s fine. You understand that there''s no way they would listen your words as a baby right? That''s why it should take an age of at least 5 or 6 years old I''m sure. Once they reach that age they might have an attendant as well. Ralpha would make a plan until around that age. And, one day, you start saying organizing town blocks or water supply. Let''s saying you successfully manage to convince them. You''re a princess after all. As long as you don''t say anything too unreasonable I''m sure they would do it for you. I''m sure you would start making requests starting from small things as well. And that goes well. The next one went reasonably well too. Starting from the King your assessment is high for everyone. Since you''ve done it several times you think it''s about a good time so you try saying we should prohibit slavery. What would the people around you think?" "Wouldn''t they agree with me? I would have gotten results up until then after all." "I wonder about that? Slaves are an asset. Do you think nobles would obey the demand to release them with no compensation? Well, it''s fine if you were to stat from just the royalty as well. Since even the royalty possess a lot of slaves. Let''s assume the royalty releases their slaves. There''s a lot of servant slaves and combat slaves in the army. You''ve suddenly made them into Free People. You say you''ll give them wages and tell them to pay taxes. Up until now it was fine if you just looked after their daily necessities. What would happen?" Ralpha opened here eyes wide. "Ah, I think it would cost money." "That''s right, would that money naturally appear from nowhere? There''s no way that''s the case right? In that case then while it would be a bit of an inconvenience you would reduce the number of people you employ I''m sure. Then what would happen to the ex-slaves that fell through? Would you use them as construction laborers? What if it was women that fell through? If it was the elderly? No one might hire them. In that case I''m sure the ex-slaves would think of selling themselves as slaves since they can''t make a living." "..Yeah." Ralpha faced down. "See, if you think about it a bit you can quickly understand. There''s no easy way to do something about a system of social rankings. Just now was too extreme though. But it shouldn''t be all that mistaken for a large current. And next. Just like through your various reforms the Kingdom of Rombert has become wealthy. It''s gotten to the point where it doesn''t even need it so it can just give something like the Dirt Plains to Devas. The need for war has disappeared. Happily ever after. Do you think that will be the case? Would the Kingdom of Devas be satisfied with just the Dirt Plains?" "I don''t think, it would." "Yeah, I''m sure that''s the case. After making some base villages in the Dirt Plains I''m sure they would start making passes on the Kingdom of Rombert that''s gotten so wealthy. Even Devas wants to become wealthy." Ralpha raises her head. "I understand. I would probably do some amount of reforms but in order to prevent being invaded some amount of protection is necessary. It''s necessary to make the army bigger as well. Otherwise making some sort of weapon that can you can use to protect even with a small number of people." "Well I''m sure that''d be about it. But can you do all of that yourself?" "It''s impossible. I would need people I can trust..I might gather reincarnated people together. Since I know they have knowledge and their Unique Abilities might be useful as well. Yeah, I understand what Al was trying to say. If it comes to that then I''m sure they''ll probably try to offer employment with good conditions at first but they might quickly start gathering right and left without a care. And they might even try to force them to work." Well I guess I''ll say it''s the correct answer. Though she''s skipped over a considerable amount but it seems she''s understood the flow it. Since I lead her into arriving at this sort of conclusion after all. "That''s the case. Were you able to understand what I was worrying about?" The two of them nod in agreement. "Alright, then let''s return to the discussion. Since we''ve concluded the concerns let''s move on to the next topic. About how much do the two of you earn in one year?" "Huh? Eh? Why?" Ralpha says that. Zenom is confused as well. "It''s fine, you two might not be the average for adventurers but I''m interested. Would you tell me?" "Nn..About 4,000,000 Z between the two of us I think. We pay the 10% tax from there so it''s probably a bit less though." Zenom responded to me. It''s quite a bit more than I imagined. I say while smiling. "I see, I understand now. Then, I''ll pay 400,000 Z per month. In one year it''s 4,800,000 Z. Just like Ralpha just said I''ll start off by offering good conditions. I''ll throw in bonuses in addition depending on work done in special cases. Ah, for starters we''ll try going to the dungeon Baldukk." The two of them exchanged glances. Volume 1 - CH 71 Year 7442, Month 5, Day 13 Last night I succeeded in employing Zenom and Ralpha after explaining things. I was a bit surprised when Ralpha suddenly said "if it''s a contract let''s go over the fine details" partway through but after all it was just at a high-school level. I figured she had never seen a proper contract before and that was the case. Roughly putting it 1. I give them the two of them an advance payment of a total of 400,000 Z in wages per month. 2. The duration of employment is at least one year. 3. Every year we''ll renew the contract and discuss and take into consideration the wages for the near year. 4. Other than commands that could put their lives at risk the two of them will obey. 5. We take consideration the health and well-being of the other party. 6. I teach Ralpha how to use magic. 7. The preceding point continues until Ralpha can use healing magic. 8. Limited to this month as a service there''s no compensation (However, any income made is split up equally). 9. Any money(including rewards) or goods earned through the process of adventuring during the duration of employment belong to me. 10. When camping outside, we fairly divide the time spent as lookouts. Is the details that it ended up. It''s too easy. There''s no good faith clause, it''s an extreme example but if I were to say, "Ralpha, go sell your body for a bit and earn some money", "Ralpha, let me test out this new hygiene product", "Ralpha, sell your belongings and earn some money" she can''t refuse it. Since the right to refuse only concerns commands that could put her life in dangerous. Well, I have no intention of doing that though, you never know what I''ll say if driven into a corner.. I obtained Ropross and Poseidon. I wonder if there''s any candidates for Rodem? I guess it''s different because they''re compensated. In any case, on the way to Baldukk, we stopped by a town or village that can make contracts and had one made and settled on both of us holding one. At the very least I don''t have any intention of saying any unreasonable until then. Although, in the case that I say something unreasonable, we may be able to get over it at that time but after that the contract won''t expire for at most a year so I should limit saying things like that to only when I''m driven into a corner. Well, even if I say it in the end there''s not much meaning to it though. There''s almost no penalty for defaulting on a contract made between individuals in this world after all. While thinking about that, I ran beside my war horse with Zenom and Ralpha riding it. Every day I''m trying not to miss my two hours of running as much as possible. We can also make some distance as well. But, as expected it''s difficult to run on the outside roads. Since I''m running while making sure not to hurt my feet I can''t really go that fast so it''s just a bit faster than the speed I usually let my horse walk I guess. After running for my first two hours of the day I take a one hour break. Since the horse gets exhausted from running for two hours with no breaks as well. After that we take about a 10 minute break for every hour spent running excluding lunch. I''m getting on the horse or getting off and walking so it was big that we were able to allocate the fatigue among everyone. Huh? I feel like I''m the only one losing somehow... Well, I guess it''s fine. It''s not good just swaying on a horse all the time while you''re young. Along the way we would rest for almost two days at decently sized towns while heading towards Baludukk, though it took close to three weeks near the end of may we were finally able to arrive at Baldukk on May 30th. Ah, we made the contract. Even though I said I would write it as long as we had a pen and some paper she said "you have to do contracts properly" and since I couldn''t explain the "the reason it''s not proper" we ended up having a scribe like place create it for us. I don''t know why but it cost 100,000 Z. Shit. .............. Year 7442, Month 5, Day 30 We arrived at the town of Baldukk in the early afternoon. It''s a basin town that''s at the base of the mortar shape of large gently-sloping hills with a diameter of about 6-7 km in a circle. I had heard about it but it seems that the only fields are a bit on the slopes around the town. The base of the basin is a flatland that''s about 3-4 km and it seems the famous dungeon Baldukk is at the center of that. Centering around that entrance there''s eight distorted roads stretching out connecting to the peaks of the hills to the surrounding roads. Each of the eight roads is connected by a thin path and it might be more appropriate to say it''s like a spider''s web. Since we were heading towards Baldukk from the south after climbing a hill covered in 5 m trees or so we ended up running into a crossroad at the top. Obviously if we go straight ahead it goes to the town of Baldukk and if we were to take the left or right paths it would lead to the other roads that go around the basin. Hmm, wouldn''t this circle shaped road be good for a running course? I''m thinking about such pointless things while looking at the crowded town in the basin below. I don''t know from where but I hear the knocking sound of an axe hitting a tree. Since it seems that it''s the first time for Zenom and Ralpha to come to Baldukk as well they''re looking at the town from the top of the hill along with me. Ralpha is saying "I wonder if this is the crater of a volcano...it''s like crater." but it really is, I thought so as well. Although the crater of a volcano wouldn''t have such gentle slopes like this so it might be different. But, if it was exposed to wind and rain over a long period and collapsed then it might become this smooth. Judging from experience I''d say the height of the hill is 150 m. Even the highest point would probably only be about 170-180 m. There seems to be about a 10 degree slope on the descent of the hills below of the circular hills. The places other than the sloped roads inside of the basin are different from the outside and have grass and bushes spread out so it''s a good view. Since it''s only this level of a incline I thought that the hills wouldn''t be oblique to the slope but putting aside the outside of the basin, the hills inside of the basin are a bit oblique. Ah, I guess it''s that way in order to carry water to the bit of fields on the slopes. I see something like a pond, or lake, or pool of water on the eastern side of the town in the center of the basin. It''s hard to call it a lake. It has about three times the area of Shinobazu pond in Ueno I guess. The river is flowing to the west from there. The river runs to the west cutting through the hills and going several Km into the ocean. They probably collapsed the western hills just for that sake. I can tell that there''s something like a steep cliff on both sides of the river. Since there''s no bridge connecting the cliffs if I run I''ll have to start going while following the river up hills that surround the basin and descend the hills on the other side of the river. Seeing as how that river flows into the ocean it seems that pond is a spring and there''s a reasonable volume of water gushing forth so I guess the base of the basin is a bit higher than the ground around it. Just from looking it seems that the town is a mix of new buildings and reasonably old ones. The new buildings have walls that are plastered in mortar like the sight in Keel so it seems the foundations of the first floor at stone. I can''t tell but there might be something like a stone quarry around one of the hills. Let alone three story buildings while there''s only a handful there are even four story buildings. Since the land is limited I guess they''re trying to rise upwards to make the most efficient use of the land there is. The older buildings are wooden and stop at two floors at best. They aren''t all that different from the average building in Orth. Putting aside the fact that the roofs aren''t made from tiles or thatched grass it feels like the houses look a bit like the Japanese houses in the Edo era. Of course it''s not as if there aren''t extravagant buildings with roof tiles as well. In order to have lunch we entered the first restaurant we found. There we started discussing what we were going to do from here on out. First in order to settle down we need to decide on the inn. I thought we should take an appropriate inn since we''re going to be staying here for a while but my opinion was split with theirs here. They''re saying that a cheap inn with a price of 2000 Z - 3000 Z per person per night is plenty but I was thinking about an inn like Bins Manor in Keel for 5000 Z per night. Come to think of it the only inns that were open which we stayed at for a few days on our way here were about 5000 Z so there was no complaints. However, it could said that being able place my belongings in the room without without worrying and looking after my horse are required conditions. It''s only obvious that the fees would rise to match that. Not just that but there''s a variety of services on the menu and it''s important that they''re tidy is how I explained it but in the end they still chose to stay at a cheap inn. It''s a bit worrying that we can''t get in contact right away if something were to happen but I have no intention of taking back those conditions so it couldn''t be helped that we split up the inns, or at least that''s how I convinced myself on it. It''s not like there isn''t the option of forcing them to agree using the contract but it''s not a hand that I can use that lightly. And there''s no much meaning to obligating them over something like this. I''m sure it''s hard for someone with almost nothing that could be considered an asset to understand. It''s not wrong to be in a state of poverty but the mentality of being okay with or satisfied with it is harmful. There''s a word in the world called honorable poverty as well but I''ve thought it was a self-deceptive word since way back. I have no intention of endorsing a life of luxury but even if you cut down on necessary expenses that''s already just being stingy. Your mentality will become poor. It can''t be helped if you have no money but if you don''t have any then it''s fine if you just earn some. Well, these sorts of things are dependent on every individuals values so it can''t be helped being too persistent with it. I have no intention of pushing my way of thinking on them after all. Getting in contact will be a bit inconvenient but as long as I can approve of that then it''s no problem if we both find inns that we can settle comfortably in to. I relaxed on a reasonably high-quality bed while thinking that. After I rest for a bit longer I''ll head to the restaurant we had decided on before-hand and discuss what we''re going to do next. Ah, that''s right, after this maybe I''ll buy a big bucket. Though a bath is impossible I want to at least be able to take a slow shower without worrying about being seen. Thinking that I fell into a light sleep. Close to the evening after being awoken by the alarm clock small magic {Cantrip}, I put on my boots wearing plain clothes and head to the restaurant that we promised to meet at. Since they still haven''t come I chose a table that can be easily found from the entrance and ordered a beer. Since it''s still close to evening the tables are only sparsely filled. After observing the few customers of the other tables and I didn''t see any bodybuilding types that seemed to be adventurers. They''re probably just the citizens of this town coming to take an early dinner. Since I had heard there was a dungeon in the town of Balduk and adventurers aiming to get rich quick go there in swarms so it was a bit of a disappointment. However, I realized that in order to aim for getting rich quick while challenging the dungeon you need to stay in the dungeon for long periods of time so they might still be working (?) at this time. Since it''s a dangerous dungeon where lots of adventurers end up losing their lives I thought of doing some information gathering but it seems that it would be best to do that on another occasion. I sip away at my beer while eating some cooked beans. These cooked beans seem to be everywhere. They were at Doritt and Keel but I even ate them at home. I''ve eaten them all along the way here. I had been thinking they were like the soul food of the Kingdom of Rombert something like Japan''s pickled vegetables or nattou, but since I don''t have anything to deny that I''m sure that''s the case. I don''t hate them and since I''ve been eating them for over 10 years I''m already used to them. After Zenom and Ralpha arrived they ordered the same thing. They sip the lukewarm beer while eating some beans. Around the time we finished eating and exchanged info on the inns we were staying at and preparing to make plans for tomorrow several men entered the store. They look somehow dirty and are acting a bit crudely with the light sweaty smell of body odor coming from them. I don''t know what dialect they''re speaking but the details are somewhat vulgar. They''re adventurers. I guess these types of guys are exploring the dungeon. I wonder what level of skill they have. After casually using Identify on them they''re all level 7. There''s a number of guys among them that can use magic but the level of the abilities are all low at 2 or 3. Or rather I guess this is normal. It seems they ran into a group of Gnolls on the first floor of the dungeon. Gnolls are monsters that are roughly stronger than Kobolds but weaker than Orks it seems. As expected they appear in groups and come to attack on sight. They''re a monster that is like a hyena in humanoid form and they use weapons and armor as well. Zenom was telling me about how if you injure some of them they''ll start to retreat while protecting their allies. As expected of Zenom, he knows everything. In any case, the weak adventurers who were driven away by Gnolls don''t matter at all. In other words this means that the first floor of the dungeon of Baldukk can be returned from alive with only this level of ability. I was thinking that while listening to Zenom''s lecture on dungeons which I''ve heard countless times already. It''s a bit long but let''s review. Well listen up. -You never know what will happen in the dungeon. Never let your guard down. -There''s a 10,000 Z tax required per person to enter the dungeon. -The government office in Baldukk will explain a certain amount of information to you. -Up until now 8 floors have been cleared. And that was something that happened several hundred years ago. The one who cleared them was Rombert the First. He made the foundations of Rombert Kingdom from the treasures he obtained at that time. -A group of up to 10 people can enter the dungeon simultaneously. Any more than that and it''s necessary to split the group. The reason is when you pass through the entrance of the dungeon there''s an underground room and there''s a crystal rod there. Everyone grabs on to that and while holding that it''s necessary for someone to speak the incantation that lets you teleport into the dungeon. The incantation floats to the surface of the crystal before you grab on to it. However it changes every time you use it to teleport so there''s no need to remember it. Due to the limitations on the length of the rod 10 people is the limit. -The location it teleports you to is always somewhere on the first floor of the dungeon. -There''s a similar crystal at the location you teleport to and if you use the incantation on it just the same then it will teleport you to a room on the side of the one at the entrance with the crystal rod. However, the crystal that''s in that location can only be seen and touched by the ones who teleported to that area. -There''s a similar crystal in the location that''s believed to be the center of the first floor. If you hold on to it while using the incantation just the same you can either go to the next floor or the room at the side of the entrance. The incantation when you return is fixed and "return us". -It''s possible to run into other groups of adventurers inside of the dungeon. However, since it''s far too wide and you don''t know where you''re going to teleport it''s close to impossible to intentionally meet up with someone. They say that it''s not impossible if both sides are considerably skilled and decide on a place to meet before-hand but...for the most part it''s impossible. -The width of each floor is tremendously vast. Just going off of the details that I was told it easily has the same amount of area as this town. It seems that they sell maps but they can''t be called perfect. -Each individual floor differs and each floor has their own characteristics. The first floor is a cave. The floor and walls are dirt or stone. There''s no particularly strong monsters. The traps aren''t a big deal as well. For the time being I guess that''s about it. While I do have some information about the floors after the 2nd floor but since it can''t be helped mentioning them right now, I''ll talk about them later when necessary. These details are ones that Zenom just heard from someone else in the past so he himself says it''s suspicious how much of it is true. It''s probably best to think of everything other than the first three points as fake. After making plans to meet at this restaurant again tomorrow in order to gather information at the government office we split up for the night. Volume 1 - CH 72 Some small updates/fixes later when I wake up along with the finishing of chapter 70. Now if you''ll please excuse me while I pass out on my keyboard. Year 7442, Month 6, Day 1 After waking up before sunrise I immediately head out to go running. Ah, wasn''t this place a basin. It''s questionable if it''s really before sunrise. In any case I ran and tried following the road up the hills surrounding the basin. After looking to the east through the gaps in the trees it was just as the sun started to appear. Since I tried climbing from the eastern side I guess I''ll run a semicircle and then loop back. When I returned to the inn I wanted to take a shower but there was no back yard like Bins Manor had so I gave up. However, after seeing me covered in sweat the guy of the inn told me about the shower room. It seems that they have water storied above the roof with water magic. What''s with that it''s fine even if I don''t buy a bucket. I take a shower in the shower room and in addition made it into a warm water shower. Mm. There''s no need to worry about being seen in this shower room so it''s nice. I dried myself off before exiting the shower room and put on the change of clothes I had prepared in advance. After closing the door I flipped the "in use" tag over to "empty". Furthermore, the fee of using the shower room is 100 Z per use. Even though it''s just a cold water shower it''s expensive~ If I think about the effort it takes to drain it the price is set so it vaguely weighs out buying a bucket and taking one in my room. Now then, I guess I''ll go and eat some breakfast. After that I''ll take a walk around the town until lunch and try to start getting the structure of the town into my head. ............. After eating breakfast I started wandering around the town of Baldukk. Starting with the main road that stretches from the center to the outer circumference along the river to the west the roads are numbered one to eight going clockwise. It doesn''t seem like a structure that it''s easy to get lost so I should be able to get used to it quickly. On stores there''s of course the usual weapon shops and blacksmiths but there''s even a prop store of things that would be useful in the dungeon. Stores dealing in magic stones, stores that deal in preserved and dried foods, various things. It seems that the farmers live close to the outer edge. It makes me realize once again that this town centers around the dungeon to the extreme. Ah, that''s right. Since I have the opportunity I''ll go and take a look at the entrance of the dungeon. Thinking that I walk towards the central area of the town. If you follow one of the main roads that has a number with your back to the hills then you should definitely arrive there. Before long I arrived at the entrance. But of course it''s not like there''s just a big hole opened up in the ground. On the contrary it was a splendid two story building. I guess the entrance is inside of the building. I can see two guards with spears standing at the entrance of the building. Centering on the building there''s vacant land of about 40 m and there''s various stalls lined up in the surroundings of the vacant land. However, rather than something like that what caught my attention was.. the filthy adventurer looking people who were sitting all over the place in the surroundings of the entrance to the building. There''s enough of them that it would be annoying trying to count them. How many dozen are there? It could even be more than 100. What''s up with this guys? Without approaching them I enjoyed myself at the stalls while observing for a short while and I was quickly able to comprehend it. It''s not all of the people crowding around in this area but fundamentally they''re all trying to get groups of adventurers to let them in as members for challenging the dungeon. If there''s a group of less than 10 people that tries to pass through the entrance of the dungeon then "I''ve gone to the 2nd floor." "I can get to the exit no matter where we end up on the 1st floor." "Do you need a spear user?" "I can guide up to the 3rd floor." And just like that start trying to appeal themselves. Other than that and there''s "We''re a three person group that can use fire magic." "Hey, you guys, do you have any interest in including two more?" "We''ve come from Viscount Yoraiz''s knight group. Do you want to go together with us?" And there''s a couple of groups made up of several people as well. Rather~ what do you mean by "we''ve come from XX". Is this high-pressure sales of a fire extinguisher? I bet they don''t have much skill at all. In the first place there''s no way a real knight would be wearing ring-mail that worn out~ For the most part it seems to still be using metal parts so it''s defense should at least still be better than leather armor though. Is what''s drawn on that crude shield that Viscount Yoraiz or whoever emblem? I''m sure if the person them self saw it they''d be pissed. It''s way too crude. It seems that these stray adventurers are largely split up into two groups. One is they simply feel uneasy about the number of allies that they have so they''re trying to pick up more members to explore with. This is fine. The other one is, and I don''t think I''m mistaken but they seem to be parasites that can''t pay the tax to enter the dungeon so they try to appeal themselves to groups and get added to the group of 10 so they''ll pay the tax for them. While I used the expression parasite, since they''re still technically adventurers when added to the group it''s not just limited to guys that are useless. I''m sure it wouldn''t be unusual for guys to be selling their abilities like mercenaries as well. I''m sure there''s also a reasonable amount of business in being a skilled guide as well. Though I''m sure the compensation isn''t just paying the tax for them. Hmm, it seems that gathering information for stuff like this is also necessary. There''s no need to get impatient and charge into the dungeon while lacking both information and preparations. After watching for a while longer and I was able to figure out even more. The guides (?) who are skilled don''t sit near the entrance but a reasonable distance away and they don''t particularly call out to anyone but just sit quietly or stand with their arms crossed. At the very least it doesn''t seem like they''re progressively calling out to anyone from their side. If anything it seems more like when groups of several adventurers enter the plaza they start looking around and when they find a guide they''re familiar with they call out to them. Though it might just be meeting up with group members. About 30 minutes had passed since I figured things out this far and the guys who were around the entrance had entered the dungeon and those who haven''t end up scattering in small groups after giving up so it''s started to get quiet. I chew on a skewer with some kind of unknown sinewy meat that I bought at a stall while looking around the area. If possible I want to talk to someone knowledgeable about things. However, the adventurer looking guys who were both nimble and properly equipped have already disappeared and this time even the regular people have started to move around so I wasn''t able to find anyone I could have a conversation with about it. Hmm. I guess it''s fine. Thinking I should try calling out to the guards protecting the building that''s the entrance to the dungeon I approach them. Ah, since the skewer wasn''t particularly good I''ve long since threw it away so I don''t think my appearance is too bad. I approached the guard that seemed to be middle-age and call out to him. "Hello, thank you for you work. I want to talk with you for a little bit but is it alright?" After the guard looked at my appearance from head to toes he opened his mouth. "What is it?" He said it without a smile but I feel like his tone has softened up a bit. "I''m sorry when you''re so busy. My name is Greed and I''m someone that is related to Marquis Webdos. I''m sorry since I''m from the countryside and don''t have any common sense, could you please tell me about this place?" I said that while showing him the plate and the attitude of the guard got a bit more formal but it seems he was somewhat used to these sorts of questions, "Ah, if it''s about the dungeon then it would be better if you go to the government office. If it''s you then they should tell you about it in detail." and replied like that. I see now, it seems that gathering information at the government office is the usual method. "Is that so, thank you for teaching me so kindly. Would it be alright if I inquire as to your name?" After making an unexpected expression the guard, "I''m Johnston.Church. But why do you want my name?" asked that. I lightly smile while saying. "No, there''s no way I can go without hearing the name of someone who has been so kind to me. When I offer my thanks at the government office then I will be troubled after all." After saying that I lowered my head and turned around to the right as I left. This should be plenty as a start. ......... I killed some time by walking around different places until lunch and then went to the restaurant from yesterday. Zenom and Ralpha had already arrived and it seems they had secured a table and were waiting for me to come. I apologize for making them wait, order some food, and after eating lunch and paying them their wages of 1 gold Shu and 15 silver coins for this month, we started on our way to the government office. The government office is a large three story building that''s slightly off from the center of the town to the northwest. After entering the slightly small lobby and something like a bulletin board entered my sight. There was guiding information written on the bulletin board for residents pointing to the tax window and such. There wasn''t any guide information for adventurers written anywhere. I wonder if there''s no bulletin board intended for adventurers in this town? We continue further in while questioning it but when we approached a random window and asked about it they quickly told us. It seems that the notice board intended for adventurers is in the back. In other words we just took the wrong entrance. Since we didn''t know it can''t be helped but write down something like that. After going around to the back we safely found the notice board. Just like in Keel''s government office there''s an official receptionist as well. I just glanced at the notice board but the details written don''t seem all that different from Keel''s government office. However, it seems that there''s a lot delivery of luggage ones. There''s quite a few delivery jobs intended to various places in the country. It seems that the artisans of this town are skilled. I was thinking about that while calling out to the receptionist official. Obviously it''s about the dungeon. Since it''s pointless to have a meaningless conversation here I immediately took out the plate from Marquis Webdos and requested that he introduce me to someone knowledgeable about the dungeon and I was introduced to the knight group. Naturally there''s a knight group here as well? though I quickly understood why. It''s only obvious. Though it''s the King''s direct territory since it''s probably being ruled by a governor or relative of the king, there''s no way they wouldn''t have some military force stationed for maintaining the peace. Saying knight group is a bad way of putting it. They''re the same as the police or a force that protects the peace and in the interval between their jobs they also go on foreign campaigns or expeditions for defense as well, would be a more appropriate way of putting it. In Japan I guess it would be like the JSDF''s military police using their policing authority against civilians. Whenever I hear of knight group I think of a someone on a horse wearing armor, equipped with a sword and spear gallantly charging into war even after living on Orth for 14 years I can''t seem to shake the image. If you were to say it''s strange for knight group to have several types to them then it''s certainly strange but even in Japan in the past there were samurai-like soldiers that held the right to police. The constables and secret policeman were only made during the Edo period. And even with that putting aside the secret policeman, the constables were one type of official position the soldiers that were the samurai held. Even if you look at it from a standpoint this is a correct flow and other than special senior officials there were many cases of soldiers who also acted as officials, it was mainstream that the army also held the right to policing. In other words, I still haven''t completely become a person lives on Orth I guess. I remain aware of the light and stiff self-derisive smile stuck on my face while asking the location of the knight group and started heading towards the quarters of the knight group together with Zenom and Ralpha. The quarters of the knight group was located on the eastern edge of the town. After slowly walking there I start to feel the sweat gush out from the rays of the sun of early summer. Just as expected of a basin it seems that one factor is there aren''t very strong winds that blow. While talking about how it might get considerably hot during the coming seasons we finally arrived at the quarters, after showing the squire gatekeeper the Marquis''s plate I explain to them that I received an introduction from the government office. The squire said to wait just a moment after that and went to confirm the whereabouts of the knight that we received the introduction for it seems. We kill time asking the remaining gatekeeper how hot it gets during the summer and talking about pointless things like that as we wipe away the sweat with hand-towels. After waiting like that for about 10 minutes the squire returned. It seems that the knight we intended to meet gave permission for a meeting. After being lead by the squire into the building we were able to sit down in the reception room. Just the fact that it blocked the sun felt like it was cooler so I was grateful for that. After waiting a few minutes and a knight entered the room along with the squire from just now. It seems that the squire just tagged along to make tea. After distributing the tea they immediately left the room. It seems that the knight we received the introduction for was one of the leaders a commanding officer. I politely thank him for taking the time to meet us and immediately got straight to the point. Though I''m a regional noble I''m sure it''s part of the influence of Marquis Webdos for having such a large and fertile territory, the knight answered my questions considerably thoroughly. -In the true sense, Baldukk is lined up with Rombertia as the King''s direct territory and they''re both passed along with the generations. (Among the King''s direct territories there''s various towns but normally they have relatives or governors ruling them.) -The reason is said to be because it''s the land that was the cornerstone of how Rombert the First was able to found the kingdom but considering the fact that the capital is right next to it and the fact that the artisans are as skilled as those in the capital along with the large number of commoners and Free People acting as adventurers in reality the reason would be the high tax yields. Simply put it''s a huge source of revenue. I''m sure the fact that adventurers cash in their magic stones in this town is a large contributing factor to the income. -It''s true that it''s possible to get rich quick in the dungeon. If you defeat monsters you obtain magic stones and since most monsters have no interest in the money adventurers hold so if you can you retrieve that then it''s a considerable amount of income. Also, it''s extremely rare but there''s occasionally humanoid monsters with magic equipment that can''t be reproduced no matter what and if you defeat them you obviously obtain them. If you sell them then they usually exceed the level of platinum coins in value. -One force can enter the dungeon (it seems that they often call this a party) and the limit is about 10 people but because of the size of the passages it seems it''s common for them to enter with less than that. Also, there''s people making a living as guides that are like mercenaries. If you go to the entrance early in the morning you can meet them. -Just as far as has been confirmed there''s said to be 8 floors in the dungeon but over the past few decades it seems that no one has gone past the 5th floor. The only ones who made it to the 8th floor are the founder Rombert the First and the subordinates who accompanied him. -The only way to get between floors in the dungeon is to use the teleport crystal. The small rooms with these crystals are all over the place in the dungeon. However, the only one you can move with is the teleport crystal you previously touched. Only the teleport crystal that is said to be in the center of the dungeon is special and can go to both the exit room (the room next to the first one with the crystal) and to somewhere on the next floor down. -It''s not guaranteed that the path you end up being teleported to will definitely have a path that leads to the small room in the center where the crystal is. In that case there''s no other option than to return and start over again. (It seems that some of the parasite adventurers from this morning were lying.) -The 1st floor of the dungeon is a cave-like den. A number of small rooms are connected through caves. -It seems there''s a pond where fairies live on the 2nd floor but since this is only known from the stories of the founder, Rombert the First and hasn''t been confirmed. Also, it seems there''s something like a fountain which spits out snakes as well. -The 3rd floor is a stone dungeon and there''s a variety of strange apparatus all around the rooms almost like a torture chamber. -The 4th floor seems to be a nest for a type of monster called the Undead. -On the 5th floor there''s moving statues and something like an altar that has burning black fire that''s been confirmed. -From the 6th floor it seems that this is only known from Rombert the First as well but it''s supposedly a maze-like place where teleport keeps repeating without crystals and there''s boar like monsters rampaging all around it. -The 7th floor is a dungeon protected by strong Ogres. -The 8th floor seems to be a collective group of large caves and according to Rombert the first "I can''t help but think there''s various places overlapping each other". Rombert the First obtained his great treasure here and finished his adventure. -At the very least up to the 5th floor the walls give off a strange light so there''s almost no need to worry about light. Almost means that there are places where it still is needed. -Up to the 3rd floor while they''re incomplete there are reasonably detailed maps that are sold. They''re sold in prop stores aimed towards adventurers all over the place but since there are no checks on the content of them it''s best to think that the details of each of them can differ slightly. Also, information and maps on places which haven''t been cleared yet can be bought for a high price. -After the 4th floor only a handful of truly skilled people can get that far so for the time being there shouldn''t be any maps sold for there yet. However, it seems that they''re producing their own maps. These are the new things that we found out. Finally I tried asking if the knight group doesn''t enter the dungeon. After all, I was thinking they could challenge it for testing their strength or as a part of training. And I was told, "The knight group doesn''t concern itself with what occurs in the dungeon. Even if it''s a trained knight they can lose their life so in that case we could pointlessly lose the lives of skilled knights and squires. It would be completely different monsters came out of the dungeon in succession but since there''s no way of testing if monsters can come out of the dungeon it''s not seen as a problem". I guess that''s true. Even if they fight against monsters it''s not as if they get stronger as an army after all. It''s fine as long as the knight group properly protects the peace in the town of Baldukk and participates in defensive wars and foreign campaigns when needed. It''s not like it''s known that you can accumulate experience points and level up in order to get stronger a bit at a time. And even if your level is high it''s not like your combat ability springs up either. If your strength and speed increase then your HP increases as well, so you can say as a whole it''s not like you haven''t gotten stronger but in order to control that you need to accumulate experience training on a daily basis, slowly but surely cultivating your techniques and combat experience in the true meaning. Even level ups if the person didn''t already known about it before-hand and furthermore predict it then they probably wouldn''t even realize it. Even if your strength goes up by 1 point it''s not like you can suddenly easily lift things that were heavy until then. I feel like until each physical ability gets to 10 or maybe a bit higher they''re all somewhat proportional but after that they''re probably not proportional. The actual strength of a 30 year old male who has double the strength value as that of a healthy 15 year old male probably isn''t actually double. I think that the value of abilities and your actual physical abilities are on a curve when they go up so the actual difference in value of 1 point just keeps getting lower as it gets higher. If I were to make it into a graph then starting from a straight line it would suddenly and then gradually after that get farther off along something like a reverse parabola. If that wasn''t the case then there would be way too many inconveniences. If you put some effort into it I''m sure you could make it to level 10 or 20 with just smashing giant leeches but I wonder if someone like that could really so easily win against a squire that''s properly trained until they could handle themselves reasonably even if they''re only a couple levels. As expected if they were beyond level 100 then their speed or endurance would be abnormal so I''m sure they couldn''t win but you know I''m not trying to say something like that right. Putting it in reverse if two people both have equal levels of skill then the difference between level, age, and the values of each of their abilities will show more clearly. If the difference in ability is only slight then I''m sure you can cover for that difference with the values of each of your abilities. If you were at a level where each of your abilities was t 100 or 200 then I''m sure it would be different though. If you think about it normally I don''t think anyone could ever make it there though. In any case, it''s joyous that I was able to obtain some new information. Oh~ I was about to forget. After using the name of the guard I met this afternoon Johnston.Church and how he treated me kindly I thanked him and left the knight group. Together with Zenom and Ralpha we went to the entrance of the dungeon again but Johnston.Church wasn''t there. I guess he changed shifts. I explained to the two of them that there was a guard who was knowledgeable about the skilled guides and we made a promise to meet again tomorrow at noon for lunch before parting ways. I guess the time right now is about 4pm in the afternoon. I started exploring trying to get the geography of the town into my head by evening and after eating dinner at a random place I got in bed. After entering I suddenly realized. I hear that there are a lot of adventurers gathered in this town. Then shouldn''t it only be obvious that it should exist here? But it''s already night and I had alcohol and I took a shower so I guess tomorrow is fine. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. Volume 1 - CH 73 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 2 The next day, after waking up before I went to do my daily running I decided to go to the entrance of the dungeon. Just like when I visited yesterday there were already a lot of people there. I eat some simple dishes I bought from stalls as breakfast as I observe things. Among the jumble of noisy voices I can hear "Is there one more person who can use magic out there!?" "I''m selling maps~ I have up to the 3rd floor! 500,000 Z per floor!" "I have a map with the locations of traps written down. Interested in buying it? It''s only for the 1st floor but how about 800,000 Z?" "Dried meat, roasted nuts, bread! Does anyone want to bring the delicious preserved food of Dori''s shop along as their ally in the dungeon!" "Recruiting a shield user! We need one more! Regardless of what we find I''ll pay 30,000 for just today!" and I hear those sorts of voices, different from yesterday it seems there''s more voices trying to do business. It seems that there''s more people seriously trying to challenge the dungeon at this time. I guess they''re meeting up with party members as well but there''s a lot of properly equipped adventurer looking people as well. They''re holding swords, spears, and shields, equipped with light leather armor, and holding a bag which probably has preserved food and small tools in it so they stand out. In the next moment there were shouts from the entrance. It doesn''t seem like loud yelling but rather, wonder and scorn, admiration and booing, voices that have a lot of different emotions mixed in them. What is it? thinking that I started to move through the crowd towards the entrance of the building. There I saw a tall elf male with a smile filled with pride and behind him there were three large human males, one female human, a female dwarf, a female elf, and one tiger-man male. In comparison to the proud looking elf who has a smile the seven behind him all seem tired and are hanging their heads down. After listening in on the voices around me and I quickly understood why. "That bastard Rozwela he wasted slaves again. This time it was two of them huh?" "Really, he''s the only one making that disgusting face. How many has he wasted up until now?" "Like I know! In the first place it''s unbelievable that he''s still making a profit like that." "But you know, those guys sure have survived long. The only newcomer that''s still alive is that guy." "Don''t say that. If you have the money then you can even do stuff like that. Stop acting like women you poor people." "Shit..It''s true though...I''m envious." "If I had the money even I could earn like him~" "When did he enter the dungeon?" "I think it was three days ago..they might have gone to the 3rd or 4th floor." Hohou~ So that middle-aged elf guy''s name is Rozwela. It seems he''s quite hated but I guess he''s buying a lot of slaves and using them to charge in. Well, no matter how good of earnings it might make it''s not a hobby of mine to waste slaves like that but it''s not a hobby I can criticize him over. Ah, I''m sure it''s not all that profitable as well so it''s not that it''s just not a hobby of mine. I''m sure that not just me, but if anyone had enough money they''d do something like using slaves as living shields. However, slaves you can use in combat should be considerably expensive. Does it mean he earns even more than that? The cost of a combat slave is at least 6-7 or gold coins or more per head. Particularly if they were at a level where they could enter the dungeon wouldn''t they cost even more? It''s far too much of a waste so I don''t think I could just use them as shields. Since I still have the money I received from father if I want to I can buy two or so of them but the composure in my feelings will disappear. If I end up losing my composure and get too greedy on earning I could end up making a critical mistake in decision. For now it''s a method of clearing the dungeon which is unrelated to me. I can''t even use it as a reference. However, I wonder how much he can earn from just entering the dungeon to explore once? I want to know things like that. I tried listening in on people for a bit but no one talked about things like that. Well, it''s fine. Since it had returned to the jumble of noises again I was about to turn around and head off to do my running when there were more shouts for a second time. This time they''re actually cheers. I hear whistling as well. Since it interested me I turned around again and looked at the people coming out of the entrance building. It seems that the party that came out this time is several times more popular than Rozwela. They are a group of 8 as well and they''re all equipped with banded-mail and splint-mail wielding swords and spears that you can tell are pretty high grade just from a glance. Since I can''t see anything but the scabbard I don''t know for sure if they''re actually high quality or not though. They look quite well-made though. Their group is composed of one male and female human, two elf males, one male and female dwarf, a bunny-man male, and one female who appears to be a Wolf-person race. After listening to the words of praise being directed to them it seems that they''re called "Green Party {Verdure Brotherhood}". Come to think of it they all have something green somewhere on their equipment. Among them there''s even a guy with something like a blue-green cloth wrapped around his arm. I thought they were starting to rust. It seems that they''re a group composed of commoners and Free People. There''s voices of admiration for them. They''ve been in the dungeon for a week straight and they arrived at the 5th floor. Isn''t that top-class? Since I was interested I decided to try using Identify and wow, starting from the guy at the front who''s level 19, the lowest level among them was 16. It seems they''re super veterans and excluding one of them they''re all around 30 years old. The remaining one is an elf that''s closer to 40. He might be the leader. His level is 19 after all. His experience points have exceeded 900,000 and are close to 1,000,000. Hya~ There''s some amazing people in the world. I definitely want to try listening to their stories but I''m sure they wouldn''t take a brat like me that''s never even entered the dungeon once seriously. It''s not as if I have any proof that they''re the top but I don''t think it''s mistaken that they''re one of the top parties. Since it seems they''ve gone to the 5th floor after all. Since I spontaneously wanted to share in their good luck I was about to clap my hands together in prayer but I realized a moment before and stopped myself. I should do some running and form training and cultivate my abilities first. ............. Just before noon I returned to the entrance plaza (it''s just the name I''ve given it though) and started looking for the guard Johnston.Church. I thought he would be standing at the entrance the same as yesterday but it seems he''s patrolling around the plaza. It seems that two people stand guard at the entrance and two people patrol the plaza. Although the two of them aren''t guarding the entrance but rather protecting the tax collector who collects the entrance tax for the dungeon. It''s only been two days but according to what I''ve seen there''s about 400-500 people who challenge the dungeon a day so they should be collecting 4-5 gold coins per day in taxes. I called out to Johnston.Church. "Hello, Church-san. Thank you for your kindness yesterday." "Hey, so it was you? It seems that you used my name at the knight group yesterday so, umm, thank you very much." Yeah, since it''s free just to say it, and I wanted to make your impression better. Don''t worry about it. And since it''s you I''m sure you just said something like "I just interacted with him naturally though.." right? Then I''m sure you were praised even more for normally acting so courteously right? It''s a good thing. "Yeah, and then. When do your work hours until? I would definitely like to discuss some things with you, if it''s alright with you, how about a light one later?" I say that while gesturing as if I''m drinking alcohol. It''s only obvious but I''m guessing that his work hours are prior to noon. Since I couldn''t find him yesterday when I came here after eating lunch. "Yeah, it''s fine until just noon. After that I have to return to the knight group and report and then train...It isn''t a problem having lunch with your for about an hour though." Just as I imagined. They''re probably in three or four shifts for the bodyguard jobs. If they''re working in rotation then I''m sure they also have regulated time off as well. "Is that so, then I''ll take a look around this area while waiting until it''s time." After saying that I walk off without waiting for his response. Now he has no option to refuse me. Zenom and Ralpha might be surprised when I suddenly show up at the restaurant with a guard but he''s most likely a useful source of information. I''m sure they wouldn''t treat him badly as well. After randomly wandering around looking at the stalls time passed quickly to noon and Johnston.Church came to my side. "Then, let''s go shall we?" After saying that I brought him to the restaurant we were meeting up at. Though Zenom and Ralpha were certainly a bit surprised but after I introduced him they were more relieved that some sort of crime hadn''t occurred in the store or I hadn''t been arrested. So you guys we''re worried about that direction. Along the way here I told Church-san about how I''m an adventurer and I came here aiming for the dungeon and the fact that I have two allies so he didn''t worry about things too much and we had a peaceful meal. Obviously during that time the three of us were asking him quests but the new information we were able to gain from him was just as follows: -The number of people in each party that challenges the dungeon is about 4-8. When they start aiming for the floors below the 3rd then it''s not uncommon for them to do a full party of 10 people. -Of course, there''s also some people who enter the dungeon alone as well. The majority of them either come out soon after or never come back though. -Since we only have three people if we have the flexibility with money then we should expand our combat potential by buying some slaves. There''s three slave dealers in this town and it seems that all of them deal in combat slaves. It seems that it''s fine to buy them at any place but when I buy them I should always make sure to show the plate. -Obviously it would be good to have a guide as well but the compensation for a skilled guide is expensive. Putting aside if it was only for a few days or a few weeks but the guide counts as an extra head in your party when you split up the treasures you obtain in the dungeon so in the end you profit more by having slaves instead if you plan to remain for a long time. (He told me about several trustworthy guides) -If you think it''s dangerous then you should immediately return back to the starting teleport crystal. Since you can quickly get back to the surface it''s a bad idea to push yourself too far. -While there are exceptions, there''s no decent people among the parasites who call out to you in the surroundings of the entrance of the dungeon. The worst of them aim to kill their employers in the dungeon and loot their corpses for money and equipment they can sell. -Obviously, there are cases where conflicts occur between parties that encounter each other in the dungeon as well. It wouldn''t be strange if there was a group who specializes in it but even if they end up being wiped out no one know will know. -Even if you only intend to enter the 1st floor and return you should bring along at least three days worth of food. -It would be best to buy a map of the 1st floor but even if you don''t buy one it probably wouldn''t change much. Starting from the 2nd floor the danger of the traps jumps up so it seems it''s best to buy one. (If you were in a hurry then it would be different but there''s no need to buy a map with information on the traps since you''re just going to take your time in moving forward either way) -The top parties right now are these five "Green Party {Verdure Brotherhood}", "Shining Blade {Bright Blade}", "Flames of Purgatory {Gehenna Flare}", "Black Topaz {Black Topaz}", and "Sun Light {Sun.Ray}". They''re all veteran parties that are composed of first-rate members. -Rozwela is famous but his reputation is mostly built around envy. The person himself isn''t particularly bullying slaves. Still it is unusual that everyone other he is a slave but it''s not like there''s no other parties like that and if you have the money then in some ways you could say it''s ideal. If you were to find a piece of magic equipment it''s normal for conflicts to occur over who it belongs to and even how they split up the shares of money earned from selling it can be a factor to worry about. Since there''s no absolutely no need to worry about that it could be said it leaves that much more room for them to become a party with good team work. -The average income of just exploring the 1st floor and returning once is around 150,000-200,000Z. If you get lucky, find someones corpse, and take the equipment they used then it can easily exceed 1,000,000 Z as well. However, this number is when you''re being careful so as to avoid fighting monsters as much as possible. If you make loud noises and try to lure monsters you can earn more but the number of parties that did that and lured a ton of monsters then were wiped out is as many as there are stars. -The treasure you can obtain in the dungeon is, 1. Magic stones obtained from defeating monsters. 2. The equipment the monsters you defeated were using. 3. The money and equipment adventurers that were killed had on them. 4. Getting lucky and finding some raw gems or crystals. 5. Anything other than that. It seems that they''re separated into those five types. It seems roughly as they get closer to the end the value gets higher. Supposedly the most valuable thing anyone has found since Church started as a guard was a short wand that made it so anyone can use the magic {Fire Ball}. It was over 20 years ago but according to rumors it was judged to be worth several 100,000,000,000 Z, but the one who found it didn''t sell and instead presented it to the royal family and they were made into a Viscount and given the position of governor of some town somewhere. He heard that the wand was placed in the treasury of the Rombert royal family. (When I heard this I thought, idiot, you should sell it and take the money, but since everyone''s eyes were sparkling like the stars I remained silent. When I think carefully about it, the fact that it can make it so anyone can use {Fire Ball} then it''s a considerably outrageous thing) -Other than that it seems that there''s a few magic items that come out every year. There''s also cases where they''ve been found on the 1st floor as well. Of course, the values vary a lot but they''re usually at least several 100,000,000 Z. Also, if you decide to hold on to it then after that information has passed through several countries there''s the option of putting up for auction at some place and then leaking that information to sell it for a high price. It seems that the auction usually takes place in some countries capital. We ran out of time around here. After we saw off Church as he returned to the quarters of the knight group we returned to our table in the restaurant and started sipping some bean tea while discussing what our plans are from here on out. The first one to open their mouth was of course, me. "Well then, we''ve obtained quite a bit of information. About the plan I can think of here but for starters there''s two options. The first is to try and enter the dungeon with just us three and see how things go. The other option is to either buy a slave or hire a guide in order to expand our combat potential. Which do you think would be better?" And then, unexpectedly Ralpha gave an immediate reply. "If you have the money then a slave. I think the same way as Church-san as well but in the end having the slave is more efficient I''m sure. Well, since it''s difficult to tell what the level of ability of a slave is if you were sold a weird one then it''s also possible to suffer a heavy loss but, that plate? was it? if you show them that then it should be fine right? Then, if you have the money I''d buy a slave." This, ex-high school girl has suddenly come out with buying a slave. It''s surprising because in reverse I thought she would be the one most against it. "A slave huh...It seems like it will cost some money but I think I can manage to buy one though...Other than just the cost of the slave I would also have to prepare it''s equipment as well so another 1,000,000 Z or so will probably be blown away. With that." I was grumbling that but suddenly I wanted to hear Zenom''s opinion. The one who has the most experience as an adventurer among us is him. "What do you think Zenom?" "Since our compensation has already been decided, it won''t change anything worrying about Al''s wallet at this point. That''s why it''s limited to supposing, if I was Al then" "Yeah." "After all if it was me then I would buy a slave. If it''s a merchant that can be trusted and furthermore you can gain their trust then you should be able to buy a good slave. I''m sure there''s skilled people among guides as well but the compensation is expensive. In the end I think you''ll still just lose out. It might be fine for the first time but thinking about Al''s magic I can''t imagine we''d fall into any danger so easily. In the first place, we can immediately retreat, so even if we don''t do anything and run away then the damage is only 10,000 Z per person. It''s true that 10,000 Z hurts for us but if we can gain the first experience then it''s still cheap. I think it wouldn''t be too late to think about a guide after that." I was able to understand that they''re not against employing the use of slaves. In that meaning they''re both veteran adventurers who have over 10 years in their career. Zenom says he''s been at it for 20 years even. I''m sure he''s accompanied adventurers who use slaves before and he might even have experience using slaves himself. In comparison I was a young master raised leisurely in a remote village. There were a lot of serfs but just because they were slaves there was never anything that bothered me over social standing with them. Or rather, I don''t know if I can even use slaves in the same way that people normally employ them. I can''t grasp the sense of distance. Even this sort of place stimulates my complex that I haven''t been able to become a person of Orth. But, I''m sure it''s true that it''s more efficient to use slaves. If they''re the market price then I can buy two and equipment for them but with that my wallet would get too light. I said it before but it might make get too impatient. However, if it''s just one then I should still have some flexibility so I think it might be fine. Alright, I''ll buy a slave. "I understand. I''ve decided to buy one slave. After this conversation finishes I''ll go and buy one so come along with me. Then, next is" I take a sip of the tea and continue my words after wetting my mouth. "Since even if we include the slave we still only have four people we won''t overdo things at the start. It''s fine if we go as far as we can think we can go but once we start to struggle we''ll turn back. Since it''s the first time let''s also decide on a time limit. I think we should depart tomorrow morning but no matter how good of a pace we have going we should come back by noon. That''s why, I''m sure it''ll add to the luggage a bit but we should take along a clock magic tool." After confirming that the two of them nodded I continue even more. "Also if there''s anything you think we might need tell me now. I need to buy some stuff after all." After I said that and Zenom says. "Some string. One that''s as long as possible. It seems you use it coiled around a spool. Supposedly you tie it to a rock or something in the area of where you first teleport then release the string as you move forward. If you return while winding that back up then you can return to your original location without getting lost. Since it seems that they sell them by the bobbin I''ll prepare one after this. It''s fine if you pay me for it later." I see, that''s a good idea. If it''s cotton then I''m sure it''s not that expensive, depending on the length of the string there''s also the option of returning once you run out of string as well. "Alright, let''s go with that. Then for starters let''s go and buy a slave." After saying that I drank the last of my tea and stood up from my seat. The two of them came along with me. Volume 1 - CH 74 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 2 Accompanied by Zenom and Ralpha I tried heading towards the slave trader. The first one is "Tani''s Slave Company". This store deals only in combat slaves for exploring the dungeon and that''s the part where it differs from the other places. I think that something like a combat slave exclusive store would probably only be able to survive in this town? However, since it''s a specialty store I think we can hold our hopes up for the quality of the goods. The appearance of the store "Tani Company" was a lot more compact than I imagined. Though it''s compact that''s just compared to the large inns like the one I''m staying at or the huge stores opened up near the center of one of the eight roads. The owner of the store is an old gnome man who''s name is just like the store Tani. When I showed the Marquis Webdos plate while telling him "I came to find one combat slave" he got close while rubbing his hands together. It seems he has a stock of 12 combat slaves right now. I can choose whatever I please. I was humming to myself about a mysterious bird, water god, and black panther running the land while sitting on the sofa waiting for the slaves to be prepared and the other two were looking at me with a weird face. I''m sure a high-school girl wouldn''t get it. After a short while I guess the preparations were done since Tani returned. We followed after Tani and were allowed into a different room. It was a wide room the size of about 20 tatami and the slaves were lined up against the wall inside. I guess he means to choose from the 12 slaves lined up here. Hmm, you can''t really say the clothes they''re wearing is very good but they all have good builds. For the time being I need to Identify the men and check what their level and abilities are. If I don''t accurately understand the abilities of my own possessions then I''ll end up troubled when the time comes that I need to use them. But I''m sure the combat abilities of the women are low so I''ll skip them. The first one. A human woman. Her face is decent but I''m sure she''s weak since she''s a woman so I don''t need her. It''s not as if I think it''s a waste of MP. If there''s no one among the men that seems useful then I''ll put her into the potential options though. The second one is a human male. His level is 9. His age is 32 years old. Hmph. The third one is a human male. Level is 8. Age is 27 years old. Considering the growth of their age I think this one should be better than the last? For now he''s candidate one. The four one was a male dwarf. Level is 10. Age is 34 years old. Hmn. The fifth one is the same a male dwarf. Level is 9. Age is 31 years old. Mwu. The sixth is a female dwarf this time. Pass. The seventh is a female gnome. Pass. The eight is a wolf-person male. Level is 8. Age is 27 years old. Wolf-people have the racial Special Skill as the dog-people race that is "Super Sense of Smell". For the time being I''ll change this guy to the temporary first candidate. The ninth one is a Bunny-man male, his level is 7. Age is 29 years old. Though "Super Hearing" might be useful. I''m sure it''s no good. The tenth one is a female elf. She''s beautiful but pass. The eleventh one is the same female elf. This one is beautiful as well but pass. The twelfth one is a Tiger-man male. His level is 10. Age is 28 years old. Both of his racial skills {Night Vision} and {Strength} might be useful. Going off of his level and age he might be the best choice. Hmn, if there was a Panther-race person with black fur then it would be good to name him Rodem but I don''t know if that sort of race exists when my limited info. It''s my fabrication. I go in front of the tiger-man and observe him once again. His condition is Good. Obviously he''s not missing any limbs or fingers. I wonder what I should do~ Incidentally, none of them could use magic. The women? Even if they could use magic I''m sure it''s nothing great so I''d prefer someone who can fight. I''m passing on the women until I''m rich. Ah, I didn''t ask the price. "How much is this guy?" And as I asked Tani is still rubbing his palms together. Zenom is just standing there watching with his arms crossed. I don''t get what Ralpha is doing but she''s saying "open your mouth and show me your teeth" in an arrogant voice. What is she saying? "As expected you have a good eye, just as you can see he''s a non-human but he''s powerful and can move quickly. Since he''s also trained with the sword he can immediately be included as combat potential." and he said that. Since they''re combat slaves if they weren''t capable of fighting right away then wouldn''t it be fraud? I think that this guy would be good but I somehow feel like this guy doesn''t touch my heartstrings. "About the price but how about 9,700,000 Z?" Expeeensive! If I buy his equipment as well then it exceeds 11,000,000 Z. If I buy this guy then it would be a pain until I make the profits back. But, there''s still two more slave traders. It''s fine if I don''t rush. It''s not too late to go and confirm if there''s a slave that interests me more at the other two places I''m sure. "Hmn. Can I reserve him for today?" I tried asking. "Reserve..huh? I guess that''s fine. I''ll keep him reserved for today. However, if I don''t get any contact today then he might be sold by tomorrow." Tani said that with a sullen face. That can''t be helped. It can''t be helped showing a good face to a slave trader. "Zenom, Ralpha, we''re going to go to the other places...Hey, Ralpha, let''s go." After saying that we left "Tani Company". Next up we''ll try going to "Riggus Company" I guess. By the way when I tried asking Ralpha "Why were you looking at their teeth?" she said "In the past, I saw something somewhere. When you buy a slave you check their teeth to make sure they''re healthy." Do you really get it? I''m not a dentist so even if I look I wouldn''t know. I''ve never heard of anyone getting cavities as well. .............. They don''t just deal in combat slaves at "Riggus Company" but also in slaves of all normal uses. It''s meaningless looking at the extras so I said to just show me the combat slaves and they were lined up again. There were five of them but among them four were women and the remaining one was a 40-ish old man. I don''t need one who''s abilities have started to decline from age. This store is no good. Finally we tried going to "The Slave Store, Ronslail". This store deals in general purpose slaves as well. But, there''s an expression that there''s a fortune in the leftovers. I''m sure I can''t hope for too much but, it''s fine, I''ll take a look. We entered "Ronslail" and called out to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was a female elf. She seems to be in her early 40s. Just as expected from and elf her appearance is still that of a shining beauty and it gives her an appropriate presence for her to be called madam. After the madam closely looked at my plate, "I just received a good combat slave." And after saying that she went into the back but quickly came back out and said to follow her. I guess she''s going to line them up and show us again. After going into another room just as expected the slaves were lined up and waiting again. There''s eight of them but they''re all women. How useless. But, I guess as expected it''s easy for female combat slaves to be leftover. Just when I was starting to think it''s already fine if it''s a woman another one was added. It''s a man. When I got right to identifying him and, ¡¾Dadino.Zulu/28/5/7442 Dadino.Zulu/20/7/7422 ¡¿ ¡¾Male/24/5/7421 ? Lion-People Race ? Ronslail Family Owned Slave¡¿ ¡¾Status£ºNormal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 21 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 6¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 100(100)¡¡MP£º 5(5)¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 16¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 17¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 11¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 15¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£º Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£º Instant Speed¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£º Night Vision¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º 37082(43000)¡¿ Hmm, a Lion-People race {Lios} huh? His level is reasonable but it''s good that he''s young. His build is good as well. What the, his name isn''t leon? or lion? or something. I thought he was the disciple of Kashin Koji*. "Instant Speed" is a skill that increases your strength and speed for the same amount of points as your level for an instant. There''s no level for the skill itself but the duration is the same number of seconds as your body level and has a recast time of the same amount as your body level in hours. You can''t use it in succession and while it gets more powerful as you level the amount of time you can''t use it increases as well. However, it could be considered an advantageous skill when it''s needed in close combat. It wasn''t written on the identify window whether or not HP is also increased during the time the abilities are increased. Well, even if it did increase it would be for only a few seconds so I''m sure it''s meaningless. I intentionally squinted while scrutinizing and looking at him, "Can he speak in the {Common Language}?" And tried asking the madam. "Yes, but of course. This man is a prisoner that was captured in the conflict with Devas Kingdom the other day. Since it seems he was a soldier for Devas Kingdom he should be able to use a weapon as well." Madam.Ronslail said that while smiling. I see, so this guy became a slave after becoming captured as a war prisoner. I guess they didn''t pay for his ransom. Judging off of the date on his last naming ceremony it''s only been a few days since he became a slave. I guess this area is where I should negotiate. "Is it fine if I test him out a bit? Ah, in the case that I injure him I''ll heal him." After saying that I looked at Madam.Ronslail. "Please do, test him out as much as you please." Madam.Ronslail said that consenting to it. I guess that means I don''t need to hold back. I look at Madam.Ronslail while using the spell {Ice Gravel} sending some small rocks of ice flying at the Lios slave. The ice rock hit the slaves left arm. I was aiming for the pit of his stomach on his body so I guess that means he was able to react. Hmm, this is plenty. The slave made a face that he was surprised I suddenly used magic to aim at him but immediately made a face that he was displeased. Alright this is good. "Since it seems I injured him I''ll heal him." After saying that I approached the slave and used healing magic to immediately fix his injured left arm. This time I didn''t try to surprise them but took my time pretending to slowly use magic on him. Even after being healed the slave continued to make a displeased expression. Hmhmm. I turn around and look at Madam.Ronslail and, "Come to think of it, I haven''t asked what the price was yet." after saying that, this time I pretended to show interest in the female slaves this time. "His price is 8,000,000 Z. Since he was a soldier and can use a weapon after all." A bit of impatience appeared in the madam''s tone of voice. "What''s going on with his discipline? It seems that he''s displeased?" and said that. Even then the madam said, "Of course, he''s been disciplined as a slave" without panicking but her tone has gotten a little faster. "I see, then, what''s the price of her over there?" I say that while pointing at the 30 year old or so woman who seems like she has the most power among the ones lined up. "She''s 6,500,000 Z. Of course she''s been properly disciplined as well." It''s only a bit but I can see the madam is starting to hurry. Around here should be good. "Hmn, I guess so. Since I want to maintain a good relationship with your store from now on.." After I said that I knew that the madam swallowed some saliva. "I guess I''ll buy at the asking price here. I''ll go with him the Lios." The madam''s face suddenly got more cheerful. And then, "Thank you very much. We''ll take care of the small formalities in this room over here. Furthermore, if you intend to do the naming ceremony after tomorrow then we can make the request from this store, is there a time you want to set it for?" And asked me that. "I understand, I''ll try asking. Hey, Ralpha, try asking him as much as you can think to ask." After saying that I followed after the madam into a different room and we produced the contract. After finishing the procedures and making payment, we returned to the original room and Ralpha and the Lios man were talking about something. Hmm, it seems she''s properly obeying what I said. How admirable. It seems that Zenom is talking about the latest news with the female dwarf. Well, I''m sure they have plenty to talk about among the same race. I call out to them and tell them we''re leaving this store then turned around. We need to go and prepare the equipment for the Lios after all. After we left the store I asked Ralpha. "And, what was his weapon?" "Eh? I don''t know." She said it completely carelessly. "Huh? Eh? What were you talking about?" "Umm you know, that Lios said he likes sweet things!" She says while laughing out loud. Something like that doesn''t matter at all! "Also, it seems he was a commoner in the Kingdom of Devas. He was captured in the conflict the other day. His father died and it seems his older brother was returned with ransom though. He has bad luck as well right." I think my luck is pretty bad having to accompany you as well... Just as expected of a mysterious bird, you''re bird-brained. "Al, I asked him about things like that. It seems he uses a two-hand sword. Since I''m sure we can''t prepare armor for a while either way he''s fine without it for now, is what I guess it will be." Oh~ as expected of Posei, Zenom. Guys that are actually reliable are different. "I see, got it. Then let''s head to the blacksmith." After saying that I started walking towards the blacksmith. I was safely able to buy a two-hand sword for 1,200,000 Z and while we were at it we also went and bought some cotton string as well. The string was cheap at 540 Z per 100 M roll or so. It was a pain so I bought 10 reels. I ate dinner together with the two of them and we started plotting out our actions and positions in the dungeon when we go after tomorrow, probably the day after tomorrow. We made the decision of going to the edge of the town after we go to the temple early in the morning and finish his naming ceremony, then we''ll check out his combat abilities and do a bit of training in terms of cooperating with each other. After that I decided to return to my inn right away and sleep for today. As I lay down in bed I suddenly realized. What should I do about the inn for that Lios bro? Well, I guess the same inn as Ralpha and Zenom would be fine. Thinking that way it''s convenient that they''re staying at a cheap inn. ............. Year 7442, Month 6, Day 3 In the early morning I went to "Slave Store, Ronslail" and along with the Lios slave and a servant of the store we went to the temple. I thought there was something special to the naming ceremony of slaves but it wasn''t any different from the normal naming ceremony. ¡¾Dadino.Zulu/3/6/7442 Dadino.Zulu/28/5/7442¡¿ ¡¾Male/24/5/7421 ? Lion-People Race ? Viscount Greed Family Owned Slave¡¿ After confirming that his status was safely changed I handed him the sword. When I asked him if this would be good and after playing around with it in his hand and checking the balance he replied "This seems to be durable so it''s plenty." He''s not making the displeased expression he was yesterday. Then I talked with Zulu as we started on our way towards the leather craftsman store in order to make adjustments for some armor for him. Rather than his name it''s easier to call him by his family name, since it''s like the phonetic code. "I''m sure you already know about me but I''ll introduce myself once again. My name is Alan Greed. I''ll be working together with you from now on." And then he was a bit surprised but immediately replied to me. "My name is Dadino Zulu. I''ll be in your care from now on. Master." Oh, so he comes out with the master. Yeah, it''s not half bad. "Yeah, same here. By the way, is it fine to call you Zulu? Somehow your family name has a better sound than your name. Ah, if you don''t like it then feel free to say it." "Ah, yes. There''s no problem. I''m happy since I am proud of my family name." I see, that''s great. After ordering some leather armor at the leather craftsman''s shop, he picked out some that was close to his size and then started measuring Zulu''s body to check his sizes. He''s pretty tall and his height is close to 190 cm. Lining up with the Tiger-man, Lios is a race with large builds. Though that means he''ll use lots of leather to cover that area so I wonder if it''ll be more expensive? I was a bit worried about it but even if the price changed a bit at most it''s probably a few ten thousand Z. I realized it would be idiotic to get stingy at this point over this amount as I watched the artisan take Zulu''s measurements. After that we headed towards the grassland at the edge of the town where I promised to meet Zenom and Ralpha yesterday. In order to check Zulu''s abilities and confirm our ability to cooperate. Zulu''s abilities matched up just right to his level. I guess it''s because he trained for quite a while as soldier, he seemed one step behind Ralpha who was used to live combat but if we follow-up with him then I''m sure he''ll be fine. By the way, about Ralpha but before I realized it she''s learned Void Magic. Since there was no experience in the Special Skill I don''t know if she''s realized it herself or not. It seems the chances are high that she learned it between last night and this morning. Since she was injured while I noticed it when it was necessary to use identify on her. I indirectly told her to try using magic and she was able to make a small fire without problem. But, since there''s the problem of exhausting her MP so I told her to limit it to once per day for now. I told her that once her Void Magic level goes up and she''s learned a new elemental magic skill she should be fine using it a few more times per day. Author''s note: Since it''s Xmas Eve I gave Al a slave as a present. (Though he had to buy it so it''s not a present.) The reason the Identify of the females wasn''t done is a secret for now. Also, here''s the stats of the sword for Zulu: ¡¾Bastard Sword¡¿ ¡¾Iron¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:19/10/7441¡¿ ¡¾Value:119000¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:820¡¿ ¡¾Ability:140-230¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ Volume 1 - CH 75 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 4 The next morning, after waking up before dawn as usual, I once again check my preparations for adventuring into the dungeon that I did last night before I fell asleep and made sure I didn''t miss anything. In terms of food I''ve prepared three days worth for up to two people of dried meat and beans and split them into two separate bags. Eh? Wouldn''t it be fine if I just let Zulu carry it? Hey now, did you forget the important warning. You never know what will happen inside of the dungeon. If Zulu is turned to ash from the mysterious beam of a monster then what would I do? That''s a joke but don''t they say you can teleport around inside the dungeon. In the case that we end up being split up having just one person hold all of the important stuff is epitome of stupidity. If it was an emergency situation where I''m injured and can''t carry anything no matter what then it would be different but it''s the theory of a infantry unit to decentralize things as much as possible as you go. Putting aside individual arms, food and flask (I can make water with magic so this is for just in case) and those sorts of important items, and while we don''t have any yet I''m sure we''ll need first aid medicine and kits for everyone else well later. I bought new bags in order to hold those sorts of plain but important items. Obviously I had one up until now but since I kept the majority of my luggage in the saddlebag of my horse it was a small bag, just by putting three days of food and some underwear in it and it''s already overflowing, furthermore so it doesn''t swinging around on horseback it has a belt attached as well so I can''t quickly take it off during combat. And taking into consideration things from here on out I listened to Zenom and Ralpha''s opinion yesterday and bought two appropriate ones. The typical adventurer bags that they use are a reasonable size and most important of all there''s metal clips on the shoulder strings so it''s got a mechanism where if an urgent situation comes up you can simply twist those clips and throw the bag aside. When you re-attach it you have to slide the clip to the side so it''s a bit of a pain but it''s still convenient. The material is made of something thick and durable like canvas as well so I''m sure this was a good purchase. If possible it''s the point where I want to make one with rubber cloth. Ah, that''s right, I ordered both a scabbard and belt for my sword. It seems it''ll be ready in less than a week. I put on my protectors, carry one of the bags on my shoulder, the other bag I hold, and with my bayonet strap on my shoulder I head off to the restaurant we''re meeting at. Since it''s before dawn and I''m carrying this much full equipment and have something long on my back (well only 1.3 m or so) so it somehow makes me remember preparing to go fishing in my past life and feels nostalgic. I guess it would be better to say the feelings of excitement like I a child when you''re carrying a bag with accessories, cooler boxes on both shoulders, a fishing rod and heading from your car to the wharf where the boat is before dawn. I arrived at the restaurant and the three of them were already there. I give Zulu his bag and have him carry it. He uses a two-handed sword but even when that sword has a blade of about 1 m and the handle is 30 cm because of his large build it seems he isn''t uncomfortable wearing it on his waist. The length itself is about the same as my bayonet. We all eat breakfast and have the restaurant put water into our flasks. Even though Zulu is a slave he was grateful that he was allowed to eat the same food as us from the menu. It''s fine, since your body is capital. After asking a bit, putting aside the amount it seems that normally it''s only obvious to give combat slaves used by adventurers and in the army lower quality food. Hmph, is that so? However, the menu that''s lower quality than the breakfast we''re eating at this restaurant is only 100 Z (1 copper coin) different per meal. Our breakfast is 300 Z and the one inferior to that is 200 Z. Is there any meaning in being stingy over 100 Z here... If you were in possession of a lot of slaves then it would be different but I still only have one after all. "Zulu, it''s fine since you''re the candidate for my head slave." I said that. Since he was too focused on eating he didn''t respond. It''s fine though. .............. When we arrived at the entrance plaza there was still a considerably crowd. While we were waiting in line I tried to give Zulu the silver coin to pay the entrance tax for the dungeon but I was stopped by the three of them. Paying the taxes is proof that you''re the owner so it''s fine if I pay for Zulu''s portion as well. So it''s that sort of thing. It seems that Church-san is acting as the guard for the tax collector again today. After he saw my face he smiled at me so I smiled back. After safely paying the tax for the four of us we moved ahead and there was a stone stairway going underground. It seems that that teleport crystal rod or whatever is down here. After going down the long stairway the corridor stretches out ahead. There''s torches along the walls so there''s no problem with light. I don''t know if it''s because it''s a wide stone hallway but it feels desolate. Several tens of meters ahead there''s a room with no door. It was just as the party of people that entered before us we''re going into the room. We follow after them towards the room. In the space until the room at the end of the hall there''s several rooms with no doors along both sides of the hallway as well. I guess these are where you appear when you return from the dungeon. There was no party that came out when we were walking through. In the center of the room at the end of the hall there was a square pedestal made of stone with no accessories that was about 70 cm high, above that there''s a thin crystal rod with a diameter of about 2-3 cm sticking out. The room itself is a small room of about 4 m per wall. The crystal rod sticking up from the pedestal seems to be about 80 cm. It''s true that about 10 people would be the limit for this length. On the surface of the crystal rod there was light purple sexy letters flickering. I guess this is the incantation to teleport into the dungeon. There''s various letters flickering. If it''s too long will I be able to remember it? When I approached and took a look at it I dumbfounded by what happened. As far as I can tell there''s three types of letters. The first one is obviously this worlds letters {Common}. However, the remaining two were bizarre. They were the English alphabet and Japanese hiragana. I spontaneously exchanged looks with Ralpha. I guess the two of them noticed our strange mood, Zenom and Zulu were looking at us suspiciously. Zenom said, "What''s wrong? It seems that only this one makes sense. Ba.ru.su huh? I guess this is the incantation? I''m sure you don''t see crystals like this often so it''s surprising but isn''t it just as we had heard? It''s not too long to remember after all. Come on, let''s go." After saying that Zulu and Zenom quickly grabbed the crystal rod. Ralpha and I exchanged looks once more and after preparing ourselves grabbed hold of the crystal rod. They''re all waiting for me to open my mouth. I guess I''m the one using this incantation. This incantation which seems like it would bring everything crumbling down. "Barusu!" Without anything crumbling to the ground, I wonder if in that instant the teleportation was completed? Just the pedestals and crystal that we were holding hasn''t changed at all but the state of the room has changed completely. I knew since I had heard the stories but when you actually experience it, it''s quite surprising. I slow let go of the crystal while restlessly looking around the surroundings. And the moment everyone''s hands let go the crystal gave off a yellow like for an instant and there''s characters floating on the surface again just like before. Let''s see what it says? This time it says da.ri.o.fu huh? I guess it''s not particularly words that have any sort of meaning. I was a bit relieved for some reason. The location we teleported to was like the dead end of a cave. Just as I had heard all of the walls of the cave are giving off light. If you were to say you don''t need light then it''s true but with this much it might be good to have one. It might be a good idea to buy a lighting magic tool that''s been modified into a lantern. Zenom got right to tying the string to a adequate rock. He''s holding the bobbin with a stick in his left hand and has his axe hanging down in his right hand. I take my bayonet off my shoulder, take the scabbard off of the tip and hang it from the D ring on the waist of my protector so I''m ready for combat anytime as well. After Ralpha and Zulu held their weapons our preparations were complete. "Alright, then let''s go. Just as I said yesterday I would lead at the front. Behind me is Ralpha and next is Zenom. Zulu be careful of Zenom''s string." After confirming that everyone had nodded I start advancing but in several tens of meters we changed the order. The width of the cave gradually got wider and now it''s about 8 meters wide. I wondered if it was really a good idea to move in a column in this cave. Now Zulu and I the two of us are standing at the lead and behind us we have Ralpha and Zenom watching our backs. Also, while the ground of this cave is a bit rough and uneven it''s not as if there''s rocks all over the place and it''s the texture of dirt. It feels more like the walls are dirt and there''s stones scattered around in various places. We add to the string of the bobbin and when we were about to add to it for the second time we could hear footsteps and voices like "buwan" and "gyau" from ahead of us. It''s been a while since our eyes already adapted to the dull light. We have about 30-40 m in our field of vision. It''s true we can do without a lantern I guess. Though supposedly there''s places with no light at all as well so it would be better to at least have one on hand I''m sure. Since we don''t intend to go to a place like that today it''s unrelated but if we were to carelessly have a light on us then I''m sure they would notice us from a distance as well. We all lower our bags and stand on guard with our weapons so if the opponent poses us any danger we can react right away. We left our bags near the edge of the cave. All of us moved to the walls on both sides and cautiously on guard. It seems that the cave continues straight ahead for a short while. Alright, Identify time. In order to depend on Identify for vision I tried using my Unique Ability. I can see the silhouette of a small humanoid 70-80 m ahead. It''s a gnoll. It seems that they''re all equipped with spears. The number is..11 of them huh? I used Identify on the gnoll in the center and it''s level was 3. If it''s this then we can do it. It would be more efficiently to wait for them to approach a bit closer. I held my breath while waiting for the group of gnolls to get closer. It seems that they''re slowly approaching us. And after they moved about 10 m ahead their movements suddenly stopped. This is bad, did they notice us? Well, even if they noticed us it wouldn''t make much of a difference. The gnolls immediately started advancing. However, they''re all screaming something as they charge over here. Just as one would expect of a hyena I wonder if their noses are good? I don''t think they had the special skill Super Sense of Smelling though. I wonder if it''s an ability that isn''t to the level of becoming a Special Skill? Another 50 m. Still a ways to go. Another 40 m. As expected the order of the gnolls has started to collapse. It''s about time. Another 30 m. Now''s my chance! I jump out into the center of the hall and aim my left hand at the gnolls and discharged my spell. It''s the spell {Ice Cone}. A cone-shaped spiral of frost spreads out from my left hand and simultaneously countless small blades of ice like cutters are fired off. I can''t be bothered to aim every one of them so instead I just focused on pouring MP into increasing the number of blades. I''m sure they won''t die from a cold wave of -30 degrees or so but it''s plenty to maintain the small razor like blades made of ice. In the 15 degree or so cone-shaped area in front of my left hand the dense number of ice blades quickly turned the pitiful four gnolls at the head of the group into bloody corpses. While I''m at it let''s go with one more. Next is the spell {Chain Lightning}. It''s quite literally an improved version of {Lightning Bolt}, the amount of MP it uses increases but after the electricity from this hits it splits even further and starts hitting other targets nearby one after another. The number of times it splits goes up to four times but the weakness is that it only goes up to targets in an area of about 90 degrees behind the target up to 5 m away before the divisions stop. However, if it even splits up once then it spreads out quite a bit from there. In the end the power of it falls to about half that of {Lightning Bolt} but for a low level opponent like gnolls then it should be plenty. I don''t think that this will wipe them all out. I had to maintain my concentration for the 1 second or so to maintain the magic until the divisions of the {Chain Lightning} had completed, I succeeded in killing another five of them with this spell. There''s 2 gnolls remaining. They''re 30 m ahead and I guess their morale dropped losing the majority of their allies, while they were spacing out I finished them off with consecutive uses of {Stone Arrow} without making them into missiles. I succeeded in taking out 11 gnolls in a period of 10 seconds or so. It would be fine if the average level of the enemies on the 1st floor is this amount though... "It was an easy victory. Let''s gather the magic stones." After I said that and picked up my bag the other three followed after me in a daze. It seems that even Zenom is dumbfounded. Did I overdo it a bit? I thought so but it was our first battle. Isn''t it something you put some fighting spirit into? Including the {Stone Arrow} at the end I used close to 80 MP but it''s an amount that doesn''t even add up to 1% of my total MP. And if it''s that amount then it should recover in 7-8 hours. I hand Zulu a knife and while waiting for the other three to take out the magic stones I stand on guard in case monsters from from a bit ahead. I can clearly hear the conversations of the three while they''re working. "So master was a powerful magician, since master only used healing magic yesterday I didn''t realize it." "Yeah, he used magic when he met us as well but for it to have been to that extent.." Uhaha, it''s fine if you say even more. Since I''m the type that grows from being praised. "Since I''ve become able to use magic, it''s no good if I don''t quickly become able to use it like that." I think that''s impossible, young lady. In a bit over 10 minutes they finished gathering all of the magic stones. When I tried Identifying them the value was about 2,000. If we sell them at about 70% then it''s about 150,000 Z huh? Furthermore, the weapons of the gnolls were just sharpened wooden spears so I thought we wouldn''t gather them but we might be able to use them for something. The length is about 1 m after all. For the time being I had Zulu carry about 3 of them. By the way, I wonder where in the world they got their hands on lumber? We continued carefully advancing ahead. Let alone crossroads there''s not even any curves. Isn''t the string useless? "Hey Zenom, wouldn''t it be better to not use the string until the path splits up?" I tried saying that but it seems that Zenom had the same idea. He immediately said "I guess so, wait just a minute" and ran off to the starting point. Since we''ve still only moved about 400 m, so I guess he went back to the teleport crystal in order to untie the string from the rock. There''s nothing in particular to do until Zenom returns. It''s a short break of about 10 minutes. Even if I say that it''s only been about 15 minutes since we teleported in and started exploring. The amount of time we spent gathering the magic stones was the longest. The combat itself was only about 10 seconds after all. We continue to remain cautious of ahead while waiting for Zenom to come back. Before long Zenom returned and started rolling up the string. Ah, I see. If we don''t roll it back up then we can''t use it again. I thought, wouldn''t have been fine if he rolled it up as he came back, but it''s certainly more efficient to have one person hold the string as another spins the bobbin. We ended up spending a total of 30 minutes of inactivity but after pumping ourselves up again we slowly start to move forward while on guard. We proceeded another 300 m. The same as usual the cave just keeps going straight ahead. I don''t see any traps anywhere. However, it''s quite exhausting to be careful of traps that you don''t know where they might be. I thought we would be able to advance more comfortably but I guess I was underestimating it. Along the way we changed places so Zenom and Ralpha were at the lead and Zulu and I were in the back. And soon after we changed positions we could hear small sounds form ahead of us. It seems like the sounds of combat but it''s seems like it''s quite far away as well. Zenom turns around to look at me. I nod to him and only say we should slowly and cautiously keep moving ahead. In addition I also say, "if the enemy has equal numbers to us then we''ll fight using swords this time". It''s fine if we keep moving forward using magic like this but with that it will end up being only me that earns any experience. We can still hear the sounds of what seems to be combat. I can''t tell for sure but it seems to have gotten louder. Ralpha turns around and whispers. "It seems like someone is fighting. Is it fine to not go and save them?" "Eh? Why?" "I mean, they''ve been fighting for quite a while and they might be having a difficult time right?" It''s true that it''s been about a minute already since we heard the first shout and sounds. I think they''re most likely having a difficult fight. However, why is it necessary to go and save them? When I''m stumped for words Zenom came to my aid. "Ralpha, it''s their own responsibility to adventure in the dungeon. If they''re having a difficult battle then it might be a strong enemy. It would be better to proceed carefully." That''s right, that''s right. "And, we might end up buying unnecessary resentment like, don''t steal our game. Even if we went to their side like this it would probably be better not to suddenly interfere. We should limit it to just remaining spectators until the adventurers ask us to save them." That''s right, that''s right. "..I understand. I guess that''s right, let''s slowly move ahead." It seems that Ralpha has understood as well. I, "That''s right, and it''s not decided that it''s a different adventurer yet as well. Monsters might be fighting among themselves." added that to the conversation. Oh, I guess Zenom''s explanation was plenty. Since Ralpha has been an adventurer for quite a while I''m sure she can divide these things and if you properly explain it to her she''ll understand as well. Somehow I feel like I''m being criticized when I hear an ex-high school girl with the appearance of a 14 year old girl say "Won''t you go and save them?" to me. We start proceeding ahead again cautiously. After going about 50 m the cave bends to the right for the first time. Since it''s not a forked path there''s still no need for the string. After turning right on the corner and the sounds suddenly got louder. I guess the sounds were being dampened somewhat by the corner until now. I can hear some shouts but it''s not proper words. Just the sounds of monsters yelling and several combat sounds. If it''s an adventurer fighting them they might have been reduced down to just one left. If we run I wonder if we''ll make it in time? My basis for it is weak but if it''s me I could probably save them. If I use my excess mana and fire off magic consecutively wouldn''t I be able to save them? Though it''s their own responsibility, it would give me bad dreams to just let them die I guess. In the next moment, Zenom raised his right hand and crouched down as he was moving ahead. What is it? is what I was thinking but after hearing Zenom''s words my questions were answered. "It''s a trap. I think it''s a pitfall... It seems like the edge of the cave would be alright. Be careful of it." It''s true it''s just as Zenom says, ahead of him in the center of the cave there''s an unnatural area of bulge that''s about 5 m in diameter. That was dangerous~ If I had gotten impatient and ran to try and help there''s no way I would have seen it. If I was careless then we all could have fallen into the pitfall there. "Zulu, stand one of the spears on the side of it. It''ll be a landmark for the trap." If there''s a powerful monster up here then we might need to retreat. I can''t laugh at all at the possibility of overlooking the location of the trap when we''re retreating and falling in the pitfall. It''s a good thing we collected the spears. Though in reality I had actually had him collect them so Zulu could use them as throwing spears. It seems that Zulu quickly realized my intention and after avoiding the pitfall he stabbed the spear into the center of the cave as a sign. There''s a pitfall at the end of this spear. Another 50 m ahead in the cave and this time it bent to the left. We remain cautiously while slowly proceeding ahead. The sounds of combat and screams of a monster are still ringing out. It''s already been close to 10 minutes since we first noticed it. As we approached the corner the sounds got even louder. It should already be a bit over 10 meters away. I wonder if we''ll be able to see after we turn this corner? Thinking that I stopped everyone and stuck my body against the left wall while carefully sticking just my head out and peeked itno the next hallway. I''ve already activated my Unique Ability Identify. Incidentally, I wasn''t able to see through the pitfall trap with Identify. I think there''s probably a thin cloth or dirt covering the pitfall. That''s why my glance can''t see through the structure of the trap and thus I wasn''t able to find it with identify. In a place about 30 m ahead of the corner there''s a group of about 20 goblins fighting. I see several of them on the ground as well. I don''t see any figures of adventurers. It seems to be a fight between monsters. I tried using Identify on several of them but the levels were 2-4 and not that strong. I quietly returned to where everyone was and said. "There''s a group of goblins fighting about 30 m ahead of here. The number totals about 20 of them. From what I can tell if we were to ambush them then we can win I''m sure. I can end things in one hit with magic but what should we do?" And then Zulu said surprised in a low voice. "You can still use magic! But..I''ll show you I can be useful. If it''s just goblins I''ll show you I can cut them to pieces!" Zenom says, "20 of them huh...It''s quite a few but if it''s just goblins I''m sure we can win. Shall we go!?" that. It''s good to see he''s energetic. "20 of them indeed. Then, we''ll charge into them so Al should prepare to use magic in order to not let any of them escape." It seems Ralpha is good to go as well. Alright. "Then, Zulu, you take the lead. Charge in. Zenom go from behind Zulu on the right. Ralpha you cover Zenom''s blind spots. I''ll try throwing the gnolls spears but don''t count on this. I can''t do anything more than the initial intimidation. First, I''ll throw one spear from the corner. At the same time as I jump out from the corner everyone charge in. If anyone gets injured, I''m sure the goblins we be able to run away but put priority on being healed. Alright?" I simply decide the order of assault and gave instructions on it. If it''s just at the level of goblins then I''m sure there shouldn''t be any problems with just brute-forcing through them. And as long as no one dies instantly then I can heal them so, well there shouldn''t be any problem. After checking the timing I jump out from the corner and with Zulu at the lead, the three rangers, otherwise known as my allies let out a roar while charging in. While looking at their backs I use all of the muscles in my body like pulling back a bow and throw the wooden spear overhead of them. Obviously my aim sucks. In the first place, I''ve never thrown a spear before. It''s fine even if it doesn''t hit. I made excuses to myself while praying for the spear to hit but I saw it stab into the ground in front of the group of goblins. How pathetic~ Next time maybe I''ll try making the spear throwing device {Atlatl}. I quickly saw Zulu and the others attack the group of goblins. It seems that the goblins who were fighting had no idea what was going on. Starting from the unlucky one that was stabbed through the back by Zulu''s two-handed sword, and the ones who''s heads were split open by one hit of Zenom and Ralpha''s {Tomahawks} and the confusion of the goblins got even worse it seems. It seems that the group that the first three that were killed was a part of it thought Zulu and them were helpers for the other side and the other side misunderstood that their allies increased. I watch that while preparing myself with the last remaining spear and after approaching a bit closer I threw it at the one on the end. However, the spear missed this time as well and stabbed into the corpse of a goblin that had already died on the side. I had intended to aim carefully but since it''s literally just a sharpened wooden stick, I''m sure it''s not something you can hit with so easily just by aiming as you throw it. Zulu is swinging the two-handed sword like a fierce god, without letting any goblins get near him any goblins that existed inside of his reach just turned into dead goblins. Every time that iron storm-like gale moves forward another one and another of the moving goblins decrease in numbers. Zenom and Ralpha seem to be taking them down one at a time making sure to finish them off in one hit each. In a few minutes the goblins had been reduced to less than half and the remaining goblins are just recklessly swinging their cudgels while screaming which doesn''t seem like anything more than they''ve fallen into panic. I use the spell {Stone Arrow Missile} to shoot through the backs of any of them that try to run from a distance, it''s already gotten to the point where I can just concentrate on the operation itself. In the end, without even taking 10 minutes the three of them were able to wipe out a group of 20 goblins unharmed. After that we gathered magic stones again and continued exploring even further into the dungeon. I wonder if it''s still about 8 am in the morning? It''s a good start for the first day. Volume 1 - CH 76 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 4 I think we''ve already proceeded about 1Km from where teleported. Up until here it''s been a straight path with nowhere to get lost. I wonder what part of this is a "dungeon"? When I''m thinking things like that we finally arrived at a split path. One of them is a wide cave that continues ahead. The other one is a narrow cave with a width of about 2-3m that bends to the right. "From here on out, thinking about the possibility of shifting positions in the chance that we run into a power enemy, I think we should just keep going on the wide path for today but how about?" I tried asking Zenom and, "I guess so. Either way we''ve put a time limit on it for today so there''s no need to overdo things. I agree with Al. Let''s continue ahead like this." and replied with that. If I can get Zenom to agree with me then it should be fine. Continuing after Zenom, "What should we do about the string? Judging from how things look here I don''t think it''s necessary but.." Yeah. It''s true it doesn''t like we need it here? Thinking that I was about to reply and, "Just in case, I think it would be a good idea to prepare the string. There might be another forked road right away beyond here." Ralpha said that. What the, she''s acting strangely cautious. However, there''s no problem with being too careful. "I guess that''s right. Since it''s still our first time, let''s proceed carefully here. If we don''t need it then it''s fine if we just return to collect it again." After I reply like that and Zenom quickly started looking for an appropriate rock to tie the string to at the split paths. While Zenom was tying the string to a rock I tried using Identify to look down the narrow path but I didn''t see anything particularly suspicious, I only saw that there was a curve a bit over 10 meters on the left. After the preparations were done with the string we continued advancing ahead cautiously again with Zulu and I at the front. ........... During the period we added to the string five times there were three split paths. We continued moving forward while picking the widest paths of the cave. In terms of traps there was one pitfall but it was fine since we skillfully noticed where it was. It''s a bit difficult that you can''t tell it''s there unless you notice the small differences on the ground. Unable to imagine what kind of traps you might run into while slowly moving forward wears away at your nerves. Incidentally, we collected the gnoll spears again and stuck it into the ground near the pitfall like before so it should be relatively easy getting back. We continue ahead more. There''s yet another split path. This time it''s split up in three directions like a crossroad. Other than the front wide cave the other two paths are somewhat narrow caves. However, other than just the crossroad we found another thing different from the forks until now. On the side of where the paths split there was 30 cm diameter or so normal rock but that rock had a string tied around it. The string is the same type of cotton string we''re using but it doesn''t seem to be a new one. "What do you think?" I asked no one in particular. "If you think about it normally then a party of adventurers other than us would be ahead of this." Zenom replied. "But, this string is considerably dirty. It''s questionable whether that party of adventurers is still alive." Zulu replied while crouching down and observing the string. "Then it''s decided. Let''s try following this string. If they''re wiped out then we might be able to get our hands on their equipment." Ralpha makes a suggestion that you wouldn''t think she''s an ex-high school girl. Well, I was thinking the same thing but if they were wiped out then I think we would run into the corpses of humans or non-humans, I wonder if she''s fine with that? Also, it''ll be like grave robbing but I wonder if that''s fine. Though it is one of the objectives in the dungeon. "Alright, then let''s follow along this string. If it goes well then just like Ralpha said we could get our hands on some equipment." After I said that and everyone started proceeding down the cave that breaks to the right following the old string. The string continues without breaks. Since there''s a string I think it''s okay to believe there wouldn''t be any pitfalls below it. When I tried saying that Zenom said, "No, I don''t think we can let our guards down. It''s also possible to think that this string itself is some kind of trap. I think we should proceed carefully just as we have until now." and replied with that. It''s true that''s the case. We brace ourselves more than ever and sharpen our senses as we move ahead. We continue past several corners and follow the string along split paths. It''s long. An hour has already passed. I think we''ve proceeded for about 1 Km? During this time other than our footsteps and voices from talking occasionally there''s almost no sound. Occasionally we can hear something like a small scream echo through. Come to think of it, it seems that there''s a large scale tunnel like this underground but I don''t see anything like air holes or ventilation. I wonder where the air is coming from? Suddenly that thought crossed my mind. I think about such things that don''t matter for now (no, it does matter though) as we continued moving ahead and I can tell there''s a somewhat large room at the end of the cave. At the break of the cave about 30 m ahead it seems that other than the floor the walls and roof have disappeared. The string continues into that room. I somehow have a bad feeling. I think I should stand at the head here. I gently increase my pace and stand at the front. With a simple gesture I give out instructions to follow after me. I use Identify and look at everything that I can within my field of vision (even if I say that it''s just a big larger than the cave). I can tell there''s things that appear to be rocks and a wall further in. The roof is also a bit higher than the cave but not too far to be seen. I sweep over my limited field of vision carefully with my eyes. And, I''ve found something artificial in the right corner blocking my vision of the cave wall. I reflexively Identified it. It seems to be a sword. ¡¾Broad Sword¡¿ ¡¾Iron¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:9/6/7440¡¿ ¡¾Value:97500¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:480¡¿ ¡¾Ability:100-150¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ It''s something made about two years ago and you could say it''s reasonably new. Is there anything else? I look around even more carefully. I see something long and thin. ¡¾Spear¡¿ ¡¾Oak Wood.Iron¡¿ ¡¾State:Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date:30/3/7441¡¿ ¡¾Value:45800¡¿ ¡¾Endurance:324¡¿ ¡¾Ability:50-160¡¿ ¡¾Effect:None¡¿ I couldn''t see anything else from where I''m standing. In order to open up my field of vision I need to move even further in. However, if I move ahead I might run into the opponent that made the owner of these weapons so they can never hold them again. If possible I''d like to Identify that opponent. If it''s a monster then it might be a powerful opponent. Hmn. However, even after holding our breath and slowly moving forward nothing seemed like it was going to come and attack us. I wonder if there''s already no living creatures in this room? I want to consult with Zenom but it would be bad to make a noise. It''s possible that it just still hasn''t noticed us yet. I quietly turn around and after looking at Zenom, Ralpha, and Zulu I nod. After facing ahead again we start moving ahead slowly again. I wonder how many minutes it took for us to move a few meters. Sweat is gathering on my forehead from how tense I am. Every time my field of sight opens up I use Identify more. After all it seems to be the remains of what used to be adventurers. And the presence of a creature clearly different from that. I can hear a small sound almost like a heavy bag is being dragged along. The one making the sound still hasn''t entered my sight. I get angry at myself wondering if I should use Identify when I see it at a time like this or just use a spell to attack it right away. If the corpse is remaining then if it''s immediately after death I can identify it just as it was when it was living so I should probably attack first here. I quietly take my left hand off of the fore-grip of my bayonet and relax so I can use a spell at any time. I move my feet as I slowly move forward. There''s already only about 10 m until the room that''s in front of my eyes. Though the range I can see has stretched out quite a bit from the 2 m or so width of the cave I still can''t see the walls of the room in front of me. It''s probably about 50 m in depth. Since I don''t know the distance to the walls on both sides I can''t just blindly freeze everything either. If my sight doesn''t pass through once then I can''t use dirt or ice. I don''t know if it''s my imagination but the sound seems like it''s getting louder. I don''t know if it''s getting louder because we''re approaching it or it''s approaching us or both though. I wonder if this is the type of sound a monster makes when it moves? If that''s the case then it''s movements might be dull. No wait, it would probably be better to think it''s normally dull but gets faster when in combat. And going off of the sound it''s probably pretty large. It''s definitely not a small monster that walks on two feet like goblins and gnolls. Another 5 m to the exit of the cave. I can still hear the sound but it also sounds like it''s getting farther as well. It''s hard to tell. My field of sight has gotten a lot wider. Other than the first two there''s other weapons and shields laying around. But, I don''t see anything like corpses or bones anywhere. I wonder what this means? Were they eaten? While gradually moving forward I noticed it. There''s a bit of a rotten smell. I guess it''s the smell of the owners of the equipment laying around. In the edge of my increased sight I can see the walls on the sides finally. It''s a room that''s around 50 m in every direction I guess. It''s considerably large. As a bonus what was making the sounds entered my sight as well. On the right side of the large room there''s a large 3 m long or so caterpillar like monster and it''s trying to move further into the large room. Since it has that large build, I think it can probably endure one or two hits of a spell just like the Horned Bear did. I hesitated for a moment but I quickly activated the spell. It''s the spell {Audible Clamor}. Since it''s a caterpillar I though it''s movements would be dull. I made the noise in a place a bit away in order to keep its attention as far away from over here. Along with the activation of the spell there was a loud rupturing noise almost like when the tire of a car goes flat further in the large room. Simultaneously I noticed the movements of the monster get faster. It''s surprisingly fast. If we were to run we would be faster but it''s faster than I imagined. Since I made a loud noise I guess the three behind me were surprised, they all held their breath but it seems they immediately noticed the caterpillar running further into the room and each of them prepared their weapons but aren''t moving yet. I think it took about 6-7 seconds for the caterpillar to move further into the large room where I triggered the sound. If I have that much time then it''s plenty to open the Identify window and check its HP while preparing the next spell. It has about 150 HP. Next I used {Lightning Bolt}. The electricity released penetrated the caterpillar. I promptly fired off {Flame Arrow}. A bundle of five arrows of fire fly off towards the caterpillar, otherwise known as Scavenger Crawler. The arrows of fire pierce through it''s skin that looks like it''s made of green rubber and it seems to have burnt the surrounding areas. It seems I fired them off into it''s ass but it properly did damage. In the Identify window it''s HP has gone to -23. It''s still not dead but it''s a serious injury on the verge of death. The Scavenger Crawler is just convulsing. Before it dies I guess I''ll read out the Identify window. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Male/4/9/7423 ¡¤ Scavenger Crawler¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Shock Wound, Burn¡¿ ¡¾Age: 19 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 13¡¿ ¡¾HP: -23(151) MP: 26(26)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 10¡¿ ¡¾Speed: 8¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 25¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 55¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: Paralysis¡¿ While I''m at it I''ll open the Special Skill Paralysis as well. ¡¾Special skill: Paralysis(Scavenger Crawler); There''s a sharp thorn on the end of the eight feelers of the outer structure of the Scavenger Crawler and the end of those feelers are always wet from mucus secreted from the thorn. Any living creature up to 200 Kg without resistance to paralysis will immediately be violated by the paralysis and have all other voluntary motions than swallowing and breathing obstructed. The effects of the paralysis last the same amount of days as the level of Scavenger Crawler but it''s possible to offset through the level of victim. However, it will still last for at least one day. Nevertheless, if the level of the victim exceeds the level of the Scavenger Crawler by more than 10 levels then they will not be effected by the paralysis. Also, if their weight exceeds 200 Kg, it requires an additional 10 seconds per 10 Kg of weight for the paralysis to take effect. In order for the victim to recover from the effect of the paralysis prior to the duration of the effect they must either use a potion to remove paralysis (limited to magic potions) or use detoxification magic. Furthermore, since the paralysis special skill of the Scavenger Crawler is not a poison but rather closer to a magic effect, in order to resist it either an ability that provides resistance to paralysis or resistance to magic is necessary.¡¿ From just a glance it seems to be a pretty dangerous opponent. I think it would be best for our sake to finish it off right away but after looking around the large room there doesn''t seem to be any other monsters than this one. Since I have some room here I should try experimenting. I sent a {Stone Arrow} flying. Along with a popping noise the arrow of stone stabbed into the Scavenger Crawler''s body. It''s HP went down to -34. Hmm. This time I try using {Ice Arrow}. It''s HP is -43. So this one does more damage huh. I wonder if {Air Cutter} can cut through it. HP became -49. This one''s no good. With how thick it''s skin seems to be I doubt any gravel-type magic that fires off stones would do much damage. It''s probably no good if it isn''t at least an arrow-type. The Scavenger Crawler should completely die in another 6 points of damage. Among the arrow-types {Flame Arrow} did the most damage. It was about 15 damage per arrow. I wonder if the damage is greater because it''s Fire-type? Well whatever. I''ll quickly finish it off. I dealt the final blow with the spell {Flame Arrow}. After confirming that it''s condition has changed to Death in the Identify window, I take a breath. Before I tell Zulu to go and gather the magic stone, I told everyone to carefully move ahead. During that time I tried opening the sub-window of Identify. ¡¾Scavenger Crawler; A species of the Crawler race. Length 3m all around. Lifespan is roughly 50 years. Produced from eggs. It''s always giving off a rotten smell and moves on multiple legs. After paralyzing their prey with the eight feelers, they wrap their prey up in a cocoon and preserve them. They use the large pair of jaws on both sides of their mouth to chew their prey. There''s countless saw-like teeth on both sides in their mouth and they grind down their prey before eating them. They can detect sound through the ear holes on both sides of their body and can detect visible light through the two slug or feeler-like eyes on their head. They have no sense of smell. They go into heat once in a coupe of years and after breeding with the opposite sex lay up to 10 eggs. During the six month period until the eggs hatch the parent stays near the eggs in order to protect them. It prefers tainted meat but in order to secure food for the future it will actively attack other living creatures. After paralyzing the prey it ferments them in the cocoon made of string from it''s tail then feeds on them.¡¿ I got a feeling of unease when I was reading the Identify window for the Scavenger Crawler''s race. Ah, not in the details of the window itself. In any case, there''s no choice other than to put off the feeling of unease for now. Let''s quickly gather the articles of the deceased, take the magic stone and say goodbye to this place. I''m innocently missing the sun. It''s a bit early but I think we should already turn back for today. After I instructed Zulu to gather the magic stone we started gathering the equipment scattered around the large room. There''s four iron swords and three spears. Two round shields made of wood and iron that are around 40 cm in diameter. Also, seven of what appears to be knives. It seems that all other organic materials than the metal and wood portions were melted in that things stomach. There''s not even a single leather glove left. The weapons aren''t particularly rusted so you could probably put them up for sale just as they are. Since this large room is pretty dry. However, it''s not a good idea to directly fight against a Scavenger Crawler. If it weren''t for magic then let alone a hard fight we could have easily taken the paralysis and been done in. Well, the experience was huge though. It was a bit over 7,000. I got about 3,800 from the group of gnolls this morning and about 180 for the two goblins I killed. It''s huge that I was able to earn close to 11,000 experience. It''s enough to start laughing. If we keep up like this and earn the same amount of experience once again then I''ll level up. Zulu finished gathering the magic stone. It''s one with a diameter of 3 cm. The color is slightly grey and it has a value of about 5,000. It''s not much at all. Even though the Horned Bears had a value of close to 100,000. Putting aside the Scavenger Crawler since we obtained a bunch of equipment I declared that this was plenty for today. On the way back without any particular problems we were able to return to the teleport crystal. Just in case I checked it but the incantation still hadn''t changed from "da.ri.o.fu". Suddenly, I was interested in what would happen if you left someone behind but I realized that at most the incantation would change and nothing else so after confirming everyone had grabbed on to the crystal rod we teleported. ........... The time was still just past noon. In order to sell the equipment we found for money we went to the blacksmith. We were able to sell the swords for around 500,000 Z each. The spears were about 200,000 - 250,000 Z. The shields were 300,000 Z. In total it came out to sales of 3,260,000 Z. We made a killing. I gave Zenom and Ralpha a bonus of 100,000 Z each and in addition give Zulu the money for his inn and we split up until dinner for today. After we split up from Zenom and Ralpha, I went to eat lunch with Zulu. Since we did so well I splurged a bit and added the pork skewer option to our lunch set. Zulu was extremely grateful but I interrupted his words and said. "You know, Zulu. It''s fine. It''s true I bought you as a combat slave. That''s why there''s no mistake I''m your master. However, that''s because, I bought you because I definitely knew I needed you. That''s why, just eat your meals boldly. If I had no intention of properly looking after a slaves meals then I wouldn''t have bought one in the first place." Somehow I can''t explain it properly. "Thank you very much, master. But I am the second son of a commoner and it''s not like I was officially made into a squire. It''s true that I haven''t missed out on training with the sword since I was a child. However, when I was captured in the battle a while back, my older brother was able to return when his ransom was paid but I had given up right from the start. That was quite literally, I felt I was happy just to be alive. Ah, it''s not as if I resent my older brother. I just gave up thinking that this was my fate. I thought for sure that I would end up having to fight Devas or even the people from my own village as a war slave." What is it? A story of his origins? "But, after being sold to a slave trader on the battlefield I was passed around and came to this Baldukk. If I was brought into the battlefield then I thought of rampaging as much as I could. I thought I would make a it a brilliant end at least. However, it won''t go that way in Baldukk. There''s a dungeon in the Kingdom of Devas as well. It''s called the Dungeon of Benkelish. Do you know of it?" "No, sorry. I don''t know it." "I see, well it is a dungeon in a foreign country after all, it''s not unreasonable that you wouldn''t know of it. However, the dungeon of Benkelish is famous for the mortality rate of combat slaves that challenge it together with adventurers. I heard that they are often used as shields against monsters or depending on the case as lures. That''s why I thought that would be the same in Baldukk. I thought I would definitely end up being left to be eaten by a monster in the place of the one who buys me in the underground of Baldukk." ".." "But, I was lucky being purchased by master. You prepared a high-quality sword for me and even have prepared armor. Not just that but when I thought I would always be at the front in the most dangerous place, I was properly allowed to change positions. Just before that caterpillar monster I was surprised that master stayed at the front. Even though you don''t know what is waiting, even though it seemed like a frightening large room, master took on the most dangerous position himself. It was so surprising that I couldn''t close my mouth." I didn''t bother turning around every time so I didn''t know. "And by using that powerful magic in succession you defeated the monster in no time at all. Master, please tell me. Why was I purchased? I think that with master''s ability then you could enter the dungeon all on your own. That seems to be the strangest to me." "..Just like Zulu worried about several times, it''s not like my mana is infinite. There''s a limit to the things I can do myself." "However, I feel that master could take on dozens of knights all on his own..." "Yeah, if the situation allows then I''m sure I could do that sort of thing as well. If they come at me several at a time or if it''s an area like in the dungeon where there''s not a lot of space for movement. However, it''s impossible in an area outside or a large room like the one today. And just like I said eventually I''ll run out of mana, it''s not like I can swing a sword forever as well. I need to eat as well and if I don''t sleep I won''t last a whole day I''m sure." My ability to go through consecutive battles is just as I said but if it was just at a level of 100 or so people outside then I could bury them in dirt or other things probably. "..It''s true, that is just as master says. I just said taking on several dozen knights, though it went in a slightly different direction than what I suggested but...No, I feel that the thing that I was saying while small was understood from the response just now." Most likely, what Zulu wanted to say was as long as I make proper preparations and remain careful then at the very least couldn''t I take on any monster on the 1st floor. I wonder what I was going for hopping on Zulu''s figurative example and then intentionally responding to it in a different direction? But, you know, it''s hard to say to your own slave that the reason you bought them was because you wanted a human shield. No, it might be fine even if I say it though. Somehow I don''t want to. However, to the first serious question and expression Zulu has shown me I want to respond as honestly as possible. "Zulu. Could it be you''re worried that you''re just baggage that''s in the way? If that''s the case then throw away that way of thinking right now. It''s true that if you were to fight head on you probably wouldn''t even be able to win against Ralpha who''s woman. But, so what about that? Will you forever be unable to win against her? And even if you can''t win against her directly with a sword then isn''t it fine to just find something else you can win with? Do you intend to spend the rest of your life with only as much ability as you have now? If that''s the case then you would have made me your owner waste his money. Well, if that''s the case then it''s simply the fact that I don''t have an eye for people though." Zulu was looking at the food on the table while listening to my words but he properly looked at my eyes while responding. "You must be joking. I''ll prove to you that I was a cheap purchase." "Yeah, that''s how it needs to be. We''ll enter the dungeon again tomorrow morning. For today eat properly and rest." I grin then smile and said while bring the pork skewer to my mouth. After finishing our meal I told Zulu that we would all be meeting for dinner at the restaurant we ate breakfast at and handed him his bag before I left the store. Volume 1 - CH 77 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 4 After ending lunch with Zulu, I thought about going for an after meal walk, but before that I felt like getting some tea. Since I still haven''t done my daily training for today rather than a walk I''ll take a short break. After that it should be fine if I do some running. Since my throat is dry I''ll have some bean tea. I''m already used to bean tea, or rather I actually like it quite a bit. After walking for a few minutes I entered a random restaurant and ordered some bean tea and tea-cakes, after paying the 13 Z in Dai Shizu and Shizu coins I lean back in the chair and stretch my legs out. I sip away at my bean tea that''s hot enough to give off steam and throw two or three roasted beans into my mouth crunching away at them. The scent of the roasted beans spreads through my mouth. The roasted beans have just the right amount of salt so while I was thinking I would come to this place for tea again I sip away at my bean tea. I wonder if it''s this crowded here even though it''s past noon because of the reputation of this bean tea? It''s a good thing I was able to get a seat. The conflict between goblins. Scavenger Crawler. The various items we found. If I just look at the results then I''m completely satisfied. However, what about the facts? Even though I felt like we walked around quite a bit according to what I''ve heard that''s only a small portion of the dungeons 1st floor it seems. I wonder how many % of the 1st floor we were able to explore? If it was only a few % then in order to explore enough of the 1st floor to make it to the 2nd floor then we would have to enter every day for a month I guess? If the place we end up being teleported to ends up overlapping then it''s probably best to think it would take even longer. In the first place, even though we were only in the dungeon for a few hours it wore away at our nerves that much. Isn''t it a bit unreasonable to try and challenge the dungeon every day without rest? If we don''t rest for at least two days a week to relax our nerves a bit then we might end up making a fatal mistake. Since there''s 6 days in a week for the time being I guess we should do 2 days of work and 1 day off. If we''re going to go to the 3rd or 4th floors after this then I''m sure we''ll have to camp in the dungeon as well, if it comes to that then I''m sure it''ll be difficult we don''t have several days for rest after we return. What was it again? Remember, those five parties that are called the top teams, it seems that they even have tons of members of over 10 years but they still haven''t broken through the 5th floor. The only ones I''ve seen are the {Verdure Brotherhood} but the age of the elf that seemed to be the leader of that party was 39. His level was stupidly high at 19 as well. Just thinking in terms of abilities and I can earn experience three times more efficiently, and my growth per level up is three times as well. Therefore what it took them 10 years to do I should be able to catch up with in around 1 year. Although, it would require another 7 of me for that sake. No, even if there was another 7 of me it still would probably be impossible to catch up to them in a year. There''s a conclusive difference in experience between them and I. I can''t imagine that the number of times I enter the 1st floor would become 1/9th of them. I''m sure there''s a lot of things you can only learn through experience like the location of traps of which is the correct path as well. I wonder if it would be a good idea to buy a map after all. Since it''s only about 1 gold coin I guess I should go all out and buy one. It might fine to buy one with just the earnings from today. If we at least know the locations of traps and we don''t have to be on guard as much as that then it would be a cheap purchase. However, I''m sure there''s no such thing as a perfect map. I guess even if that was the case we couldn''t relax. It might be thought that if you have the money, you should just buy it but just for the map of the 1st floor that has traps added is 800,000 Z. It''s 800,000 yen. I can''t buy it so easily. In Bakuddo it''s an amount which a family of 6-7 people can live for a year and still have change. If it''s a family of serfs then I don''t even know how many families could live on it. Including the equipment I just paid an amount that can buy a war horse for Zulu. And the earnings from the dungeon this time have too much of a bonus feel to them. I''m sure there''s no way we could earn this amount every time. If that was the case then just putting some effort into it on the 1st floor I could earn plenty of money in 5 - 6 years. Since there''s no traps on the 1st floor that will kill you instantly if you could safely earn money then who would go to the 2nd floor and beyond? It would even be a waste to even just buy slaves. I''m thinking about things like that while sipping bean tea. "..ra..not at all..and..long sword.." "..ke..su..but..they are.." "..and..other..and..joking..there." "..unusual..girl..that..idiot..waha." I can hear the talking voices of customers from all over the store. I finish drinking up my bean tea that''s started to get lukewarm and go to stand from my seat and go training. "....Semayousuke is waiting there." The voice I heard from two tables behind me kept me from standing completely up. Semayousuke? What''s that? It sounds like something I''ve heard from somewhere? No, something I''m used to hearing? I secretly turned and looked around. It seems that the group of adventurers behind me is talking so I can''t hear very well. At the table behind that there''s two men sitting and talking about something. One is a human man and the other is a Bunny-man man. However, the hair of the Bunny-man man is black and his facial features look Japanese. The human man looks to be in his late teens but the Bunny-man man seems to be around the same age as me. On Orth we look even younger than our age but that''s the face of a Japanese in his mid teens. ¡¾Beilett.Deredonola/18/3/7434 Beilett.Deredonola/11/1/7434¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/2/7428 ¡¤ Rabbit-People Race ¡¤ Gandol Family Owned Slave¡¿ ¡¾Status:Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age: 14 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 4¡¿ ¡¾HP: 68(68) MP: 7(7)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 10¡¿ ¡¾Speed: 15¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 9¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 8¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability: Super Hearing¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability: Highly Efficient Digestive System (Lv. Max)¡¿ ¡¾Experience: 13425(18000)¡¿ As expected he was a reincarnated person. I wonder if Semayousuke was his original name? I have no way of knowing the kanji for it but I guess that''s the reason why I feel like I''ve heard it somewhere before. They''re still talking about something. In order to not be suspected I moved to the opposite seat of the table I was at and continued using Identify. ¡¾Unique Ability: Highly Efficient Digestive System; A digestive system with an extremely high ability. If it''s an organic material that isn''t toxic then roughly no matter what it is it can absorb the nutrients from it with almost the maximum efficiency. Consequently of that the amount of excretions also decreases. By using this ability after eating a meal it breaks down organic matter in the digestive system other than the user them self. And absorbs it. Therefore, it should be kept in mind that this ability is not always at work. Furthermore, this ability has a level for no reason other than convenience.¡¿ How...Amazing..Or is it? No, it''s amazing but. I can accept that to go on living there''s no greater Unique Ability than this. If I remember correctly, I''ve heard that the amount of nutrients the human digestive system and absorb from food is about 1/3 to 1/4. If you were to use some extreme logic then I guess it would mean you can stay healthy while only eating 1/3 the amount of food. No, if you take into consideration absorbing the more difficult nutrients then it might be even more efficient. However..Hey? How about it? Even though he''s a Bunny-man if he eats a normal meal then just a tiny small piece of round poop comes falling out? It might be different though. I try straining my ears in order to hear their conversation. Since there''s some distance and a loud group between us I can''t hear it well. What I was barely able to hear is they were trying to tell someone, "This evening", "the most of the Northwestern ridge", "come", "Semayousuke is waiting there". I can guess several things from these words. First off it''s only obvious but there should be another person who can understand the details. And that other person should be someone related to either Semayousuke or Dereonola. Since they''re saying Semayousuke then there''s a possibility the other person is a reincarnated person but I can''t tell that much. Also, it''s unknown if it''s pointing that this guy himself is Semayousuke. However, at the very least the possibility is high that person who this message is for knows the person called Semayousuke. It''s also possible that Semayousuke is a name on Orth but somehow it seems unsuitable for Orth, no, it''s safe to say it''s not a name from the Kingdom of Rombert. Volume 1 - CH 78 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 4 Zulu is almost like the wind while running with powerful strides holding a two-handed sword in one hand, after advancing for a bit let alone keeping up with him I''m starting to be left behind. Even though we''re still only halfway, there''s already a distance of more than 30 m between us. I don''t have the leeway to turn around but I''m sure that there''s a similar distance between Ralpha, Zenom, and I as well. The Wolf-race hunter family in Bakuddo was equal or a bit lower than me in terms of physical abilities as well but when Sonya would chase after game she would show off a frightening level of hand-eye coordination and physical ability. It''s a way of running almost they already know exactly where every rock or the ideal place to step is before hand. Even though I''m wearing my self-made boots with rubber-soles I still have to pay attention to the rocks and uneven ground on the hill path but Zulu is completely barefoot and running almost like it doesn''t matter at all. What''s going on with that hand-eye coordination? In the first place, after running up the hillside for over 1 Km and going wherever else Semayousuke went which we only know the rough direction we might end up having to fight. I know it''s partially my responsibility for saying to run as fast as possible to as far as you knew but, you, if you collapse the moment we get there I''ll be seriously pissed. Not just that but whatever injuries you take from stepping on stones I''ll put off for later, this bastard. However, putting aside my worries Zulu kept running without lowering his pace at all, and after arriving at what probably was the location that Semayousuke and the other person met up at and he turned around to face me. After confirming me as I''m still breathing with my shoulders running at a distance of close to 100 m behind him and he gestures pointing to a path going off the road to the left and starts descending the hill. Since the sun is still barely out the western slope outside of Baldukk still barely has some sunlight as we descended it. Zulu''s appearance quickly disappeared into the trees on the side of the hill and I couldn''t see him anymore. Shit. Even though I thought about taking a short-cut without going to the peak where they originally met up. In the end it would be faster to just follow the same path Zulu took. After I somehow arrived close to the area where Semayousuke used to meet up and there was a < symbol written on the ground. Also, there''s a bow, quiver, short sword, and a bag on the ground. I guess it''s this direction. The symbol arrow like mark points in the direction Zulu just disappeared. While descending the hill I glanced ahead and I could see Zulu''s back. In any case there''s no choice other than to follow him. Along the way I thought there would be another arrow but I couldn''t find one. There might have been one I could have just overlooked it. It doesn''t particularly matter though. Because I found Zulu 150 m or so down the hill hiding behind a tree. Since he doesn''t seem to be searching I guess he found Semayousuke. According to what I heard he was carrying a woman as he moved so his speed must have been considerably slow. I lower my speed to a walk and after reaching the tree that Zulu is hiding behind I whispered to him. "..Zulu..Did you..find them?" My breathing still hasn''t stabilized. "Yes, they seem to be about 200 m below here. I think it''s probably a tent but I see something like a hut covered in branches so it doesn''t stand out. I think they''re probably there." As expected Zulu is breathing a bit heavily as well but he still clearly replied. I looked in the direction he pointed his finger but I couldn''t find anything suspicious. I''ll try looking using Identify. I carefully sweep over the direction Zulu pointed. And I found it. It''s probably that. From a glance it just looks like a bunch of bushes but there''s some unnatural light coming through the gaps in the trees gathered there. It''s probably a large tent that several people could rest in. It''s not a triangle roof one. It''s the type you tie to trees on all four sides for the roof. And it seems he''s hidden it by covering it in branches. It doesn''t seem he could completely cover it but if you weren''t looking closely while trying to find something then it would be pretty difficult to find. After Identifying just like that after all it was a tent. After turning around I couldn''t see Ralpha and Zenom. Ah, there they are. It''s just Ralpha though. I wave my hand high to gather her attention and whispered once again. "Zulu, after Ralpha comes we''re moving ahead. We''ll go over to there. I think we''re on just the right side to be on the side of the tent." "I understand. What should we do after arriving?" "First we''ll check what''s going on. When I say "Now" you should somehow try to knock down the tent. If you cut two of the ropes holding the roof up I''m sure it''ll fall. Until I give the signal just stay hidden. If there''s any inconveniences then I''ll give instructions appropriate at that time." I told Zulu while glaring at the tent. Zulu immediately replied that he understood. Before long Ralpha arrived as well. I told her when she was breathing heavily that Zulu and I would go ahead and check things out and that she should quietly come when she''s caught her breath, then Zulu and I walked off towards the tent. After getting within 20 m of the tent it''s about time we start proceeding carefully. I can''t hear any voices at all. Although if they''re normally talking in a tent then unless you''re pretty close it''s difficult to hear I''m sure. I can''t hear any sounds of a struggle but this is probably because the woman was given poison so she can''t resist at all. We''ve gotten even closer to the tent. There''s already only about 5 m. After all the direction we were approaching from was the side of the tent, there''s no slit for entering, and it''s just got branches for camouflage. I only noticed after getting closer but there''s a net along the outside of the tent and various things stuck on that net. It''s started to get considerably dark. If there''s a lighting magic tool in the tent then I wonder if we''ll be able to see shadows? In the next moment, "Why are you doing this!? You-chan, untie me!" I could hear that sort of impatience female voice in Japanese from inside the tent. "Who''s You-chan? Your man?" Volume 1 - CH 79 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 4 I heard a scream like gya~ It was from inside the tent. I wonder if they''re torturing him? Well, just make sure you don''t kill him. Since as long as you don''t kill him I can heal him and there''s less trouble when we hand him over to the knight group. ..For a short while I sat on an appropriate rock and watched the fire. Just staring at the small fire and I can''t but think, ah, it''s pretty. And at the same time I also found it strange. Come to think of it that Dereonola is a reincarnated person. Since he was speaking in Japanese and when I identified him this afternoon I confirmed his Unique Ability "Highly Efficient Digestive System" so there''s no mistake on that. But, wait just a moment? Why did I think it was a good idea to hand him over to the knight group? If it''s the normal me then I would have done something like Begulu and force him to pay me an amount he can''t pay to overlook his crime and then make him forcefully into a slave, even if he''s a sex offender, hes still a reincarnated person...No, I guess it''s impossible since he was already a slave, wait, it''s not impossible. If I had requested the payment from his owner? The owner would probably just give him to the knight group without paying I''m sure. No wait, he''s a sex offender? If he made the stupid mistake of putting his hands on one of my subordinates and created discord then, in the first place I''ve always thought sex crimes were worse than other crimes since the past.. when was the past? before I reincarnated. Theft, intimidation, fraud, murder, there''s a mountain of despicable crimes but if it''s a crime other than a sex offense I''ve always thought there was room for pardon. Even though that''s the case accept him? There''s no way! That''s right, that woman, the Bunny-man reincarnated person named Asuka since she was about to be raped by him. Did I try to hand him over to the knight group thinking about her? If I were to just think about her then you could say that even in the case of revenge murder isn''t good, so that might be ri..right. But, if I think about in another way then I''m in a situation where I want as many reincarnated people as allies as possible. Did I discriminate against him because of his Unique Ability? Asuka''s "Shooting Intuition" is extremely useful after all. Putting aside combat in the dungeon it''s an ability that is considerably useful outside and especially when I make guns later.. though if I''m going to say that while it''s useless in battle but even Dereonola''s "Highly Efficient Digestive System" can''t be made fun of. If it''s a long-term concealment or scouting mission then being able to have less food on hand is directly related with significantly reducing the amount of luggage. In worst case you could last quite a while just eating some insects. Though it''s true that "Shooting Intuition" is a useful ability in a different direction. It''s not a problem of which is better. No, it''s not a problem of the Unique Ability, his personality is the problem. Just thinking about eating meals together with a disgusting sex offender who has no sense of reason makes me feel like throwing..what was I thinking about again? Stop, what point is there in thinking about these kinds of things right now! If I don''t think about them now then when will I! Calm down, even if there''s something I don''t know don''t get emotional, there''s nothing good that will come from it. Yeah, that''s right, I should calm down and organize things. Just like usual. Now, I''m going to do it. 1. Dereonola is a reincarnated person. His Unique Ability is "Highly Efficient Digestive System". 2. Asuka is a reincarnated person. Her Unique Ability is "Shooting Intuition". Both of them have useful Unique Abilities. Depending on the time and place they both have their advantages and disadvantages. That''s why there''s no problem at all that far. I want both of them as my allies, they''re talents I want as my subordinates. 3. Dereonola is a despicable sex offender. He was a slave. I don''t know if he was already a slave or was made into a slave for some reason but it''s probably unrelated to his sex crimes. I think there''s room for pity in the fact that he''s a slave on its own but I think that no matter what reason he had I can''t accept the fact that he committed a sex crime just to satisfy his own desires. Ah, it could be thought of as a type of revenge, maybe? That doesn''t matter for now. It doesn''t seem it''s that sort of reason this time after all. 4. Asuka is searching for Semayousuke. It''s probably someone she knows that died together with her in the accident. It''s certain there''s a reincarnated person named Semayousuke, or rather there''s a pretty high probability they''ve reincarnated. I''m sure Asuka is searching because she''s confident of it as well. In that case then if I can make Asuka into my ally then later on Semayousuke might automatically come along as well. 5. Derenola''s history of sex crimes didn''t start with Asuka. It seems he''s done it several times. Someone who''s committed sex crimes a number of times is..no good I''m sure. His willpower is weak and it means he has no self-restraint as well. His MP was 7 but it''s not a problem to think about just in terms of MP. I''m sure there''s differences in individuals. If that wasn''t the case then this would be a world where crimes don''t occur. With no crimes or conflict, in terms of public order you could say it''s a utopia but I''m sure that would just be dystopia. That''s why crimes should have no relation to how much MP you have. It might be interesting to try analyzing it but I''ll stop for now. 6. The reason Dereonola was in Baldukk. Unknown. Was he born and raised here? 7. The reason Asuka was in Baldukk. She most likely came searching for Semayousuke. Since it seems she was born the Kingdom of Devas. It must have been a coincidence she was found by Dereonola. When I thought as far as that Asuka and Ralpha came out of the tent. I stopped thinking and offered the easy to sit on rock to them. Well then, let''s start with introductions, I decided on you from the start, please take care of me from now I guess. Eh? Neruton Red Whale Group*, don''t you know it? "How did it go?" When I tried asking that Ralpha responded. "There''s nothing to it. That guy is the worst." Seeing that Ralpha, Asuka apologetically said, "I didn''t think it through enough. We''ll talk about those sorts of things later. First let me properly offer you my gratitude." Volume 1 - CH 80 I think the title is like a bad pun of traffic lights though I can''t tell if Bel has blue or green hair... Damn you Japan. Volume 1 - CH 81 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 5 After advancing through the cave a bit for a short while completely different from yesterday it starts bending back and forth. With this I can''t draw a map properly. There''s no split paths yet but by the time one appears I won''t know which direction we''re going. I really need to hurry with increasing Ralpha''s MP amount. If we can at least raise it up to 7 MP then every 5 minutes or so we should be able to figure out the correct direction. I''m thinking about that since I''ve already given up on drawing the map and watching Zenom''s back while making sure not to be negligent in my caution. Zenom is slowly moving forward while he checks the ground carefully for traps. It would probably be a good idea to let him switch with Zulu soon. In the next moment Zenom quietly said. "I really want a stick or something long for this. As expected it''s a bit exhausting." A pole huh, that''s true. "I guess so. When we return I''ll make sure to prepare one. Zulu, change places and take the lead." After I said that and this time Zulu took the lead and we started moving ahead again. Zenom is being cautious at the rear. After that, we continued for a short while when my identify captured some monsters ahead. When I tried identifying and they were gnolls. One, two...So there''s 13 of them. That''s just right. I put my hand on Zulu''s shoulder and stop him from advancing before turning around. "There''s the presence of some monsters. It''s probably goblins or something. The number is probably around 10. Let''s make some noise and lure them over. Zenom, Ralpha, Zulu stand at the front and take them head on. Bel and I will assist from the back. Okay?" After saying that in a whisper and I had them change the line up. After I instructed Zulu to raise his voice and lure the monsters I went to the back and urged everyone else on. Obviously being careful of attacks from the back is my job. Well, there''s only one direction so it''s probably fine though. Zulu is raising some sort of loud voice. They don''t seem to be words that have meaning but I guess it''s some kind of battle cry. The gnolls quickly noticed and started running here. Now then, I''ll open the identify window and carefully watch I guess. Who should I identify? I guess I''ll go with Ralpha here. Since she''s the weakest one among the three front attackers and her HP is low as well. With Zenom in the center, Ralpha is on the left side and Zulu is on the right as they''re lined up, I guess the gnolls thought there were only three of us they''re running over while screaming. Along the way one of the ones at the front was shot by Bel''s bow. After being hit in the center of it''s chest with an arrow the gnoll somersaulted before falling. Since the gnoll at the head fell all of the gnolls that weren''t even lined up in any order went into complete chaos as they continued to charge at us. While thinking it might be dangerous if it turns into a melee, I stand at the ready with my bayonet so I can assist them at anytime while watching. Of course my left hand is relaxed so I can use a spell at anytime. But, contrary to my worries the three of them are calmly dealing with the gnolls it seems. The gnolls are using short spreads it seems and since they''re completely at a disadvantage Zenom and Ralpha re completely focused on defense and earning time. Occasionally Bel is shooting her bow between the gaps in them. As expected of a user of "Shooting Intuition". Since I have Ralpha''s identify window opened still I can''t tell if she''s using her Unique Ability or not but for now she''s landing every hit on the gnolls. Since Zulu has more reach with his two-handed sword he''s using it to hit their spears and cause their guard to collapse then stabbing them through the gaps he made with his sword and defeating them. Hmn, this is hard to tell, I guess I chose the wrong person. When analyzing the experience it would probably better to do it on someone who uses a short sword or club. At the very least it would be better if it was an opponent where Zenom and Ralpha can land hits with their small range. Oh~ it would be bad if they think I''m slacking off. I''ll defeat one or so of them. It should be fine if I just find an appropriate one and blow it away with {Stone Arrow}. While thinking that without any sort of danger the combat ended. Gnolls and Goblins aren''t much more threatening than a group of children with weapons after all. The final remaining three Zenom threw his hand-axe into one of gnolls back and finished it off and the other two Bel shot in the back as well with arrows to elegantly finish them off. Volume 1 - CH 82 Year 7442, Month 6, Day 30 The first month since Bel has joined our party is about to pass. Every week we challenge the dungeon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and we''ve set Wednesday and Saturday as our rest days. In particular because my party does {search and destroy}, we progressively try to fight as much as possible so when we start exploring we get pretty tense and exhaust our stamina and mentality quickly. In reality I thought about putting a day of rest between each but around the time we enter the 2nd floor I thought that we might end up having to spend the night in the dungeon so I stuck with 2 days of work 1 day of rest as the base. During this roughly one month period we''ve been careful not to overdo things and if anyone gets hurts or right before lunch we turn back. Combat occurs every time we enter the dungeon. That''s why in regards to gathering magic stone''s were largely in black on the balance right now. There were no bonuses like obtaining the articles of deceased adventurers like the first day but other than Zenom and I everyone has gained 1 level each. I''ve stopped at just assisting all of them occasionally and since Zenom was originally a pretty high level it takes a lot of experience points for him to get to the next level. Furthermore, I wrote a letter to my family, and just in case Webdos Company. I drew a foot template of Ralpha and the others feet on some paper and included that. I wrote that I want Ralpha and Bel''s to be made slightly large but I don''t know how much time it will take for it to reach Bakuddo. I think at the shortest it should take about four months for them to arrive but I wonder if that will actually be the case? Since I left it with a caravan heading towards Keel I can''t predict it at all. Since today is Saturday it''s a day off. After eating breakfast together with Zulu the same as usual, I handed Zulu his wages for this month of 5 silver coins. Annual income of 600,000 Z. It''s an income that''s slightly larger than a small farm owner that doesn''t own any slaves and is the equivalent of 10,000 Z per week pay. Honestly speaking, in a large town like Baldukk it would be difficult to live on just this amount but since I pay for his inn and food costs it''s an exceptionally high pay for a slave. Though, I decided on it after watching him for this month. He can be useful. He listens well and he can decently use the sword as well. And above all it seems that he''s quite loyal so unless an extraordinary talent appears from now on then he''s going to be my head slave. Since we''ve only started to get to know him for about a month as expected we still haven''t told him that we''re reincarnated people. It''s because I somehow got the feeling that if he knew there could be conflicts between groups of reincarnated people that appear from here on then he might think of searching for them. Since this isn''t modern day Japan, I know it''s not good to be nervous about him being scouted or betraying but I''m not so optimistic nor have I seen through enough of his personality in just one month so it shouldn''t matter right. For the most part I''ve told the other members about this as well. On the side of Zulu who''s grateful for his high pay, I''m getting right to setting the goals for next month. This month I had made a secret goal of "confirming the ability for our party to cooperate and if possible improve that" but since you could already say we''ve more or less cleared it so I need to decide on next months goal. - In regards to clearing the 1st floor we''re still just randomly wandering around and haven''t properly drawn a map. It seems impossible. - I feel it''s unrealistic to try and draw a proper map with this situation where Ralpha''s MP is still 3. I''ve told her not to use her Unique Ability but magic twice every day but going off this pace it will take another five months before her void magic reaches level 1. As expected using magic three times a day and getting her MP to 0 is something I want to avoid because of her age. It can''t be helped betting on the 1% chance of raising her MP and above all Ralpha seems to stay the night the same room as Zenom so it would be too late after something happens. I somehow don''t like the idea of her visiting Zulu at night for sex as well. Maybe I''ll buy a map. Then it''s not a dream of clearing the 1st floor... If she just had 7 MP, if she could just reach 7. Since it''s already started to feel annoying I was thinking maybe I should just starve her and then have her use up her MP to 0 then after feeding her let her go to sleep. If I wake her up in the middle of the night and make her do it twice then she should be able to earn 5 experience points a day and it will level up in 2.5 months. But, I guess it''s a bit too pitiful...not letting her eat properly together with everyone else. - In regards to the objective of leveling myself up I feel it''s kind of half-hearted but if I were to seriously stand at the front and engage in combat all day I can solve it all at once. If I felt like it then I could even go and do it all today I''m sure. Though overdoing it is no good because I have no backup members. It''s not so important to make into a goal. - It might be a good idea to get one more additional combat slave. My earnings for this month have exceeded 10,000,000 Z by a little bit. I''ve given Zenom, Ralpha, and Bel about 300,000 Z each in bonuses. If I increase the number of members who can fight then we should be able to have more stability in combat I''m sure. I''ve used quite a bit of the money I received from father and even if it doesn''t quite reach the original amount I''ve been able to recover back to close that much. It might be a good hand to add one more slave around here. If we earn another couple million Z then I think I should still have plenty of leeway even after buying a slave. Let''s go with this. I was lost in my thoughts while sipping at my bean tea after breakfast but after deciding on the next goal there''s nothing left than to take action. I bid farewell to Zulu for a while until dinner and after leaving the restaurant I went back to my inn to put my protectors on and go running for today. Ah, I''ve haven''t said it until now but the inn I''m staying at is the "Boil Manor" and the inn that Zenom and other''s are staying at is called "Shuni" it''s just a step above a cheap lodging house. ............ Volume 1 - CH 83 Year 7442, Month 8, Day 14 On a hot day as summer nears it''s end once again today the five of us are challenging the dungeon. Since we''ve explored the dungeon countless times we''re already used to fighting the monsters that come out on the 1st floor. However, we still can''t let our guards down. If we make a single mistake we could get seriously injured and even death is possible beyond that. I can''t even remember the number of times the three front-line attackers have gotten injured. They usually end up being injured by opponents that appear in the afternoon when their ability to concentrate starts to break and we end up having to retreat. Today was the same. Unable to avoid the charge of a gnoll with a crude spear Zulu ended up taking an injury to his thigh. I immediately assisted them and after wiping out the enemies I healed Zulu''s wound. Zulu apologized but it doesn''t particularly bother me. It''s true Zulu was in the wrong by letting his guard down but it was also Bel and my mistake thinking Zulu would be fine so we weren''t able to assist him right away and since we''re advancing cautiously it''s about the time start to become unable to focus. It''s a bit early but since I''m sure there''s still pain remaining in Zulu''s leg we should head back for today. It was when I was thinking that while I cut open the pitiful gnolls chest to take out the magic stone. I heard something that was clearly a humans voice from somewhere saying "save me". It''s been two and a half months since we started exploring the dungeon and this is our first time coming across another living adventurer inside. We exchange glances and look further in the cave where the voice came from. Of course we can''t see anything but we couldn''t help but to do so. I guess this is a trait of living things. "What should we do?" Ralpha asked. Right now I''m strictly training her with magic. I''m sure she wants to freely use magic as well, she doesn''t make any complaints and focuses on the training every day, but it will still probably take about 1 month before her void magic reaches level 1. It''s really unfortunate that her MP didn''t increase during her last level up. As a matter of fact a large portion of the combat we''re doing lately has the objective of leveling up Ralpha. "Let''s move forward while keeping an eye on things." After I respond and Bel said as well. "But, I heard, save me. I think it would be a good idea to hurry." Her manner of speech has gotten a lot softer. But, she still tries to speak politely to me and since it''s unnecessary to tell her to go out of her way to fix that I''ve just ignored it. She just learned void magic the other day. She''s training the same as Ralpha right now but in another week or so I''m sure her level will go up. Having more than 30 times the amount of MP than Ralpha is that much more valid in earning experience towards magic and it''s to point where Ralpha is a bit pitiful. Zenom said to that Bel. "There''s no need to hurry. Everything that happens in the dungeon is your own responsibility. I won''t say we shouldn''t save them or not to save them. But, the area ahead of here we haven''t passed by yet. There might be a trap. If we go to save them and get caught in a trap then it''s pointless." Zenom is a pillar of the party with how he''s always calm and composed. There''s a personal opinion in his words and everyone pays attention to those warnings. Obviously I do as well. I washed my hands with water magic and after wiping them with a towel I opened the map and checked our current location once again. Going off the terrain from around where we teleported, the location we are is probably, here. If the map is correct then 100 meters ahead of us the cave should bend to the left and after continuing a bit from there it should connect to a large room. That large room should be connect to two other caves from the cave we''re advancing through. Right, I bought a map, but this map was a fake. There seems to be a considerable number of mistaken places and while the traps are written down but there aren''t enough to match up to them at all. We''re treasuring it because it''s quite a bit better than not having one at all but there''s no way we can put all of our faith into it. Zulu is watching as I confirm the map. I''m sure he wants to say something as well but he''s careful of his position and actions so unless I give him permission he doesn''t speak pointlessly. He''s a good subordinate. "Then, Zenom, take up the front with me. Zulu hold up the center and I''ll leave the rear to Bel and Ralpha." After giving simple instructions I ignored the gnoll''s corpse and picked up my bayonet. Lined up with Zenom I cautiously start walking. Zenom hits the ground with a roughly 3 m pole as we move forward. Just before we were about to make it to the curve to the left the sound from Zenom hitting the ground changed. A trap huh? We walk around the edge avoiding the trap and after passing the trap we started walking towards the large room that should be ahead of here. The voice calling for help is still continuing. After turning the corner it''s gotten louder. I say, "We''re on our way! Give it your best!" and just said that but after all raising our pace would be foolish so we carefully continued walking forward. I guess they heard my voice, the owner voice said, "It''s a slime! Be careful!" And gave us the warning. A slime huh... I''ve seen one on the edge of Bakuddo once in the past. I''m sure the only attacks that will work on it will be my magic. "Only magic works against slimes. I''ve seen one once in the past. There''s no other choice than to burn it with fire...He probably can''t be saved.." After I said that I took the pole from Zenom and stood at the front. According to the story I heard from the hunter in Bakuddo, Zachary Dokush, it seems that slimes wrap up their victims and melt them. Being melted alive is a seriously frightening way of dying. It''s probably for their sake that I kill them and put them out of their misery. I thought that. I didn''t turn around but I felt the presence of everyone following after me. These softies. Ah, do they intend to take the magic stone? Even I''ve never taken the magic stone from a human or non-human before..Do you guys seriously intend to cut open the chest of a person? Putting aside Zenom who''s been an adventurer for countless years, I wonder if Ralpha, Bel, and Zulu intend to do that? I''ll put it aside for now. We approached close enough to look into the large room and nervously looked in. The large room is about 30 m in every direction and just like other places inside of the dungeon the walls and ceiling are giving off light. It was the scenery of hell inside the room. I heard Bel and Ralpha say "hi" as they held their breath behind me. Volume 1 - CH 84 No content Volume 1 - CH 85 ?l Year 7442, Month 8, Day 16 Today when we were about to enter the dungeon, I was called out by Church-san who was guarding the tax official at the entrance. It seems that on Friday of next week the knight group of Baldukk is going to enforce the punishments of criminals they''re holding including Dereonola. Bel and I were told to be there as witnesses. It can''t be helped so we''ll have to make that into a day off from entering the dungeon. Furthermore, when I tried asking the reason why there was over two months between the arrest and the judgments and it seems it was for the convenience of the lord. Since Baldukk is the King''s direct territory then the lord is the King but obviously there''s no way the King would go out of his way to come to Baldukk for this stingy job so normally it''s the governor who manages the government of the town. However, as a matter of fact that governor isn''t a representative with full authority like in Japan. They''re limited to just the administrative authorities. In the first place it''s not even an official governor. Since Baldukk is lined up with Rombertia as the King''s direct territory in the true meaning of the expression so there''s no official governor. The only one who can administrate justice is someone that has been officially appointed as governor by the lord. Since that''s the case the administrative secretary (they''re treated as and actually called governor out of custom) that''s appointed to take care of only practical work in Baldukk can''t perform the judgments of criminals. For that sake, around 4-5 times in a year, when he has some leeway the official lord that is His Highness Count Baludukk Thomas Rombert the Third goes out of his way to come to Baldukk just to perform the judgments. It seems that reason this time was that it wasn''t convenient for the official lord, His Highness to make it. In any case, so it''s Friday of next week huh? I need to make sure I don''t forget. Thinking that I thanked Church-san and was about to return to everyone else when I was called out again. This time it was some advice. Bel is a foreigner. She''s a noble but since her family isn''t in the Kingdom of Rombert her treatment is the same as a commoner. Obviously that means it''s the same for taxes and she''s going to the government office every month to pay taxes. It seems that just in case it would be best for her to have the documents proving that she''s paying taxes at that time. I''m sure it won''t be necessary but it''s nothing more than a just in case so I guess I should be grateful for the advice. Bel and I exchanged glances as we returned to where everyone else was and explained to them that in order to stand witness to the judgement and enforcement of Dereonola''s punishment we would have a day off from entering the dungeon Friday of next week, then we entered the dungeon. .............. Year 7442, Month 8, Day 20 The combat potential of our party went up a bit since Angela joined but what was more useful than that was her special skill as a Dog-people race "Super Sense of Smell". Almost all of the monsters that live in the dungeon give off indescribable sour and raw smell that will make you feel like throwing up. She can accurately differentiate the smells of these monsters. At least until the end of my experiment I''m grateful that we won''t end up charging into a place where a dangerous enemy could be. Even with just that it was worth buying Angela. Thinking that, I was grinning on my own over how I profited, but it was quickly proven that something like that was just a bonus. Her true value was something much more important. Just as you could expect from Angela who has been entering the dungeon longer than we have, compared to us she had a wealth of knowledge about the dungeon. For example, the location that you teleport to in the dungeon, it seems that there''s some restrictions on this place you teleport to. It seems that currently there''s over 400 locations confirmed that you can teleport to but in most cases there''s a mark left in the area of where you teleport. Was there something like that? thinking that and since I was interested I tried asking and it was simple. The pedestal for the teleport crystal where you end up teleporting to has a variety of symbols like numbers carved into it but among those it seems that there''s always at least one symbol that points to the direction. On the wall where that points to there''s a small number written. The number is obviously something was carved out by the adventurers that visited until now. Also, even if you teleport to the same place it seems that the symbols carved into the pedestal aren''t fixed so while we obviously noticed the symbols carved into the pedestal, until now we just ignored them not properly investigating. What the, there was something this simple? With this we should be able to almost pinpoint the location we teleport at the start but I don''t get it. Even if there''s a number of inaccuracies written on the map I purchased there''s a considerable portion of the 1st floor and information about the traps written on it. There''s no information included in there about the teleport locations. Was it a partial map I guess? However, Angela quickly answered that question as well. Normally, the maps that are sold are divided into four types. The first is obviously the one that has the terrain drawn. The next one is that with the information about the traps added. That''s the map I purchased. And one more is the one that has teleport information listed. It seems that there''s numbers written all over the map. Since this one and the map with traps from just now both have a lot of information on them it''s normal that the map isn''t just one page. Even the map I''m holding is made up of 9 pieces of parchment about the size of A3 and along with the terrain the information about traps is written but since there''s no way it could fit with just one page it''s split up. Even on this map the terrain is drawn extremely small. I think in terms of scaling it would be roughly 1/3000 - 1/5000 or so? The roughly is just going off our feeling but even what is it drawn on just one piece of parchment I can''t help but think that the scaling differs depending on the location. That''s why even if we say it''s a picture of the terrain there''s some inaccurate parts to it as well. Volume 1 - CH 86 Year 7442, Month 8, Day 23 To Mill...Did something happen to older sister? Like entering a battle and being killed in action? It can''t be right. I mean, it''s that sister. Even if it''s not as much as me, but sister has an abnormal amount of MP and a considerable level of skill as a knight. There''s no way she''d die so easily. I''ve completely forgotten about the ex-Japanese reincarnated person Dereonola, that''s become a part of the execution grounds, while trying to imagine what in the world happened to Mill, but I can''t think of anything but bad scenarios. Why did the King ask where I was born? Why did the King confirm if I have an older sister? In other words, I''m sure he was just confirming that I was the son of the lord of Bakuddo. Since it was confirmed that I was the second son of the Viscount Greed family with Status Open, so it must have been him double-checking. It doesn''t mean that there couldn''t be someone else with the same name. The connection between the King and my house is light. Just the fact that my mother was born in the sub-family of Duke Sandak a family of politicians in the capital. Since it''s a Duke it should have some sort of connection with the royal family but since mother is the fourth daughter of the third son or something like that, so no matter how I think about it that seems unrelated. If we were to go back several generations then it wouldn''t be strange for there to be a connection but that sort of thing is the same as being strangers. After all, the closest connection is that sister is in the direct knight group. However you know, if it''s the knight leader or sub-leader then they would be the King''s direct subordinates but even if he didn''t know the face of a new knight below that it wouldn''t be strange. I''m sure there was at least an audience when she received investiture so maybe he fell for her at that time? While I''m thinking those sorts of things the judgments quickly advanced and when it was about over a knight came to call for me. I followed after the knight while still trembling. I was even brought into the government office building. While waiting with a disheartened and pale face and the knight from just now came to call for me. Seeing my facial color the knight got worried and called out to me. "What''s wrong? Greed-sama. It seems like your face is pale? Do you feel ill?" "Umm..Could it be that something happened to my older sister? My older sister is named Miluhaia Greed, she should be a member of the first knight group but.." "Yeah, I know of her. Since I''m a co-worker after all. Greed-sama is Lord Greed''s younger brother right? Then you should know.." So this person was a member of the first knight group? What is he saying I should know? "About what? Is my older sister alright?" "Eh? What are you talking about? Of course she''s alright. Even this morning she was lively and asking for seconds in the dining hall of the quarters in the capital.." I...see. I quickly calmed down. But, in that case then what is it? "If it''s not about my older sister, then what in the world does his Majesty want with me?" "I don''t know? I haven''t heard that far..However, I don''t think you need to worry that much. He didn''t seem angry...Now, we''ve arrived. Once you''ve entered you''re in the audience of his Majesty. Proceed to about halfway into the room with your head down and then please offer your gratitude to his Majesty as a retainer. Since it doesn''t seem you''re in possession of a weapon, then you need to kneel with your right knee standing and place your right arm on your knee, and make a fist with your left hand and stand that on the ground please. Until you''re given permission please face down and don''t speak." After saying that the knight from first knight group opened the door. Simultaneously he declared my visit. Just as I was told by the knight I bowed down to my knee and offered my gratitude. "Umu, Greed. You did well to appear before me. It''s fine for you to raise your head." "Ha." Volume 1 - CH 87 Year 7442, Month 8, Day 24 I''m accompanying the King on his roughly 10 Km return to Rombertia from his imperial visit. Ralpha and Bel wanted to accompany me as well but when I said I was going together with the King and they as expected they held back from it. Obviously I''m riding on my war horse. The King is riding on a large carriage with eight horses and the knights have surrounded it on their war horses fortifying it. The number of people was less than I thought it would be. There''s only about 50 people guarding the carriage. Come to think of it, even if they''re squires, they''re all ex-knights aren''t they. I doubt that they''re all in the first knight group but I guess this is the lap of the capital so the public order must be considerably good. Since the road was neatly maintained we were able to arrive at Rombertia in about two hours. The capital Rombertia is a huge town. There''s two rivers at over 20 m in width that are so large that Keel''s central river just looks like a stream flowing through the Eastern side of the town, and that river flows to the West into the ocean. The dike of the river has been properly constructed so there''s something like a sandbar in between the two rivers and close to 200 m of the riverside has something like a 6 m stone wall embankment along it, so it could be said that plenty of flood control has been done. No, though I think it''s done plenty well with just this. I don''t know if it''s because the entirety of the town is on a bit of a plateau but there''s close to 4 m between the surface of the river and the ground. There''s countless gutters running through the town from there. It doesn''t seem it was created with as much planning as Keel but going off the scale you could say it''s plenty to call sanitary and there''s the wall that surrounds the capital as well, so it looks even more splendid. This might be the ideal location to have a capital. In the center of the town of Rombertia is where the castle is located. It''s a large and beautiful castle with gold leaf on the roof tiles and three moats. I remember Osaka castle looking at it. It was almost to the point of letting out a groan over how splendid and majestic the castle of a large kingdom is with it''s five layers of large castle towers. There''s two outer citadels around the large castle towers as well. I can also see a large number of watch towers as well. There was a castle in Keel as well but it was a castle that you wouldn''t realize it unless you were told that was the case. It was a three story compact castle with just another stone wall and moats around it, a castle that felt a bit smaller than Marugame castle. It was at the level where if you were to say it was a large store from a distance then you would respond, "Ah, I see". However, this is the capital of Rombert Kingdom, and if I believe what father and mother said it''s the great city that boasts the largest population on the Western edge of the Oladd continent. Since they say it''s population is about 220,000 - 230,000 people it''s got a population close to that of Tokyo and Chofu city. There''s a bit more area than the city though. We follow the winding roads and enter the castle. After waiting in an open area inside the castle walls for a short while and a person came to call for me. I take the rubber repair kit from my saddle bag and after leaving my weapon and horse in their care I followed after the person guiding me. ............. I think this is probably a room in the area of the third outer citadel. It''s been about 30 minutes since I was told to wait here. Even though it''s repairing a bed I doubt I can enter the King''s bedroom to do the work so I''m sure they''re taking the water bed off of the bed and carrying it right now. Since I was bored I decided to reconfirm my repair kit just in case. If I were to fail here, buy the King''s displeasure, and cause trouble for my older sister then I wouldn''t be able to forgive myself for my entire life. A bottle of raw rubber, check. Sulfur power, check. Charcoal, check. Additive agent, check. The small bucket I brought along just in case because it''s difficult without it, no problem. I don''t think I''ll use them this time but I have all of the types of acid in different glass bottles properly coated with hard and raw rubber on the outside so they won''t shatter. Yeah, it''s alright. After this I just need a bucket filled with water for the final inspection but as expected I don''t carry that around so I just asked for one. When I was confirming my tools just like that and the King went out of his way to come here along with the servant slaves that brought the bucket and water bed. I bow on my knee and take the pose of gratitude for a retainer, with my head lowered. "It''s fine, raise your head. Since you came at my request and I''m interested in how you''ll do the repairs as well." Eh~ He''s going to be watching from nearby...This is going to be really hard to do. "Ha, then, I''ll get to the repairs right away. Please show me where the cut portion is first.." Oh~ Isn''t this the limited first edition water bed we sold? If I remember correctly, it''s the one we sold three years ago. So it was bought by the King. Just from a glance it seems they''re taking good care of it and other than the hole from a sword while it''s slightly worn down from aging it''s still pretty clean. It''s proof that the durability was plenty. Furthermore, the hole in the middle of the water bed went straight through the pole between water rooms on both the top and bottom. There''s two holes. But, if it''s the pole in the center of the bed then it''s useless as a bed. .......... Just as you would expect if it was stabbed with a sword, the cut itself wasn''t rough but a pretty clean cut. If it''s this cut then if I remove the fluffy portions around the cut and use the same material of rubber and plaster it on then stick the same fluffy rubber board on it should be fine. After a short while the work was completed. After this I just need to dry it, put some air inside, and then stick it inside of the bucket of water to check if there''s no leaks. Thinking that just as I was about to use the minimum drying spell. An old woman entered the room. I''m sure she was quite beautiful when she was younger but since she''s already in her mid-40s she''s an old woman who''s skin has already started to wrinkle. Although, she''s still quite beautiful. Since the slaves in the surroundings were taking the retainer''s pose just like with the King I followed along and did it as well. I wonder if she''s the Queen? Was it Molin-san? "Is it you? The insolent person who is repairing the bed?" Huh? Eh? Isn''t this person somehow angry? Rather, insolent person... "Ha, No...Umm.." I get stuck on my words not sure how to respond. "What do you mean by insolent person!? Be careful with your words! I asked this person myself to come and do the repairs!" Oh~ I''m saved. I''m saved but your majesty, King-san, your first person has changed to the formal form. Volume 1 - CH 88 Year 7442, Month 8, Day 24 After I was released from the King and Queens I returned to my horse with an exhausted face. I put away my tools for repair and this time I took out my measure tape while asking the slave or whatever that was watching after the horses where Baron Logan of the first knight group is located. Just as I was told when I tried going to the area between the second and third inner citadels and I found the group of about 10 knights from last night gathered together. Hey now, wasn''t the first knight group busy? After greeting them and I was politely lead to a room. I guess I''m going to take measurements here. There was one guy who was about to get naked so, "The rubber armor is something you put on above your armor padding so it''s fine if you keep your padding on." And after saying that I quickly started taking measurements. Since it took around 15 minutes per person, I ended up spending close to three hours measuring sizes and keeping a record of them. They ordered 10 suits of rubber protectors, 2 kite shields, and 4 small shields like bucklers like what my older sister uses. Uwa, this is some pretty good business. I was trying to control myself from letting the fact that I was grinning on the inside from showing while making records and Baron Logan started talking to me. "However..can you really finish 10 suits of armor by the end of the year? I''ve started to worry about it a bit." It''s not particularly a problem. After I left Taylor was making armor all on her own after all. I''m sure if someone else helps then they can finish it much faster and older brother and sister-in-law would gladly help out. Even in terms of rubber they should have started gathering from field #5 by now and #6 might even be ready pretty soon. And..we''ve been under the care of the leader and Queen Yulusufol after all. "N~~ I don''t think it will be a problem though...Since it''s a job from someone my older sister has been under the care of we can''t treat you badly. The problem is how much time it takes for my letter and the advance payment to arrive. In the case of the letter, if there''s no caravan going in that direction then it will take some time..so at the longest it might even take up to a month and a half for ti to arrive." "If it''s about your older sister then you don''t need to worry about her. It''s become a problem for us whether or not she might overtake us. However.. it''s true that there''s some distance to your household.. Oh~ come to think of it was Bal still around?" "Ha, right here." "You were going to Viscount Penlaid''s place supervising a practice maneuver right? Take the letter and advance payment along with you when you go then. And, find a caravan that''s heading towards Keel from around there and order them to take it. Were you departing the day after tomorrow was it?" "Ha, that''s right. That''s a good idea. Greed-kun, on the morning the day after tomorrow I''ll go to your inn to receive the letter. Is it fine if I take the advance payment along with me at that time? It would have been fine today as well but the reception window for luxury tax in Rombertia is closed in the morning so I don''t think it would be a problem to pay the taxes in Baldukk. If it''s too much trouble then I''ll pay the taxes for you over here but...What''s the company registration number for Bakuddo?" The knight named Bal asked me that. I forgot about taxes. Shit. Also what''s a company registration number? I don''t know about it. "Eh? Company? Registration number? Ah, we don''t have our own company. Up until now everything that Bakuddo produces that is being sold outside of Marquis Webdos territory is products we mediated through Webdos Company. What would be best to do?" If it''s something I don''t know then it''s best to ask honestly. If you get too proud over these sorts of things it turns bad. "Mu, I see, if you''re not registered as a company then it will be bad from here on out...Hey, someone go to the government office and register them. Since you''re a member of a Viscount family it will only take a bit of money for the registration. It''s 500,000 Z. If one of our members goes along with you then I''m sure they''ll register you immediately as well. Also, since it''ll be categorized as doing trades across multiple territories make sure you register as a Type-2 Third Variety. With that you''ll be able to freely do business anywhere inside of our country. It''s fine if you pay the taxes in either Rombertia or Baldukk." Baron Logan taught me about it. I guess when you make it to the leader of the first knight group you need to know a variety of things. It''s some appreciated advice. But, 500,000 Z is just a little bit of money..I don''t know if it''s because he''s a Baron or because he''s the leader of a knight group but.. "Thank you very much for teaching me about it. Well then, since I''ve finished recording the measurements I would like to go and register. Also, before that I would like to greet my older sister, but is it possible?" After I said that and Baron Logan said, "Eh...Well I guess it''s fine." He says that while grinning and, "Ah, the third company is by the riverbed today right? I guess so..Hack. You go together with him. Including the procedures for the company as well. That thing the other day...What was it..when I bought that spear from a company in some count''s territory the one who went along to register was you right? I''m leaving it to you." He called out to one knight. "Ha..I understand." After the knight named Hack who looks to be in his late 20s responded like that to the Baron and he said to me. "I''ll go together with you. Then shall we go?" I straddle my horse and then followed along with Hack to the government office. According to the explanation by Hack and the one in charge of the government office, companies require registration in each territory and it seems that depending on their classification the products they can deal in, the taxes, and the territories they can do business are different. It seems that the ultimate company that can do business in any territory including outside of the country and can deal in any type of merchandise is a Type-1 First Variety. A company which can do business in any territory including outside of the country and is limited only by not dealing in military goods is a Type-1 Second Variety. The opposite of that where it can only deal in military goods is a Type-1 Third Variety. It''s split up in the same for companies that can do business anywhere within the country under the Type-2 classification. The final classification Type-3 is limited to only the territory they''re registered like only doing business within Baldukk and Rombertia. Obviously the largest number of registered companies are Type-3 Second Variety. Restaurants and inns would be under that classification. Next is Type-3 First Variety. Furthermore, what is considered military goods isn''t just weapons and armor, but preserved food, war horses, saddles, other horse equipment, and even military purpose tents and carriages are included. The only thing not included in military goods in modern day Japan is the food. Medical supplies, normal food, and furniture aren''t included in military goods. In other words, putting it in terms of Bakuddo''s products, it''s possible to force sandals through as military goods but simple rubber cloth that hasn''t been sewn isn''t included. Cushions and things that you can attach to the saddle are included but things like normal mats aren''t included. The water bed is included..probably not. The fee for registration is 100,000,000 Z for Type-1. However it''s only in the case of commoners and Free People. It''s only 10,000,000 Z for nobles. Type-2 is 50,000,000 Z. 5,000,000 Z for nobles. Type-3 is 1,000,000 Z. 100,000 Z for nobles. And in terms of classification there''s no additional cost for the second variety. The first variety costs three times more. The third variety costs two times more. Huh? Don''t you think it''s strange? Normally it would cost me 100,000,000 Z for the Type-2 Third Variety. Even if I deduct the fact that I''m a noble it''s still 10,000,000 Z. Obviously the amounts I just said are when you have no connections or backing. However, I have with me what would make my plate from Marquis Webdos go pale, the first knight group. In order to purchase and research various equipment the knight group purchases small amounts of equipment from various places so only the first knight group has the authority to forcefully push a Type-2 Third Variety of company through for just a handling charge. If that wasn''t the case then for just buying a single sword or spear there might end up being tens of companies taking their own margin between the sale. Since my household is the one manufacturing the products it''s seen as a blessing that they can deal directly with the producer. It doesn''t matter if it''s a Third Variety as long as the official company has been created then it''s in my favor. Normally the condom''s are medical supplies as well but the name of them is "Saya" after all. If I were to say they''re equipment for men I''m sure the King would say, "Yeah, that''s OK." If it''s no good then I''ll just ask a favor from them King and get the classification changed to First Variety. Well, even if I go the formal route then it''s only 5,000,000 Z to make the change so if I put half a month of profits from the dungeon into it then I can do it anytime. Rather than that it''s bigger that I was able to skip over the annoying qualification inspections and procedures for issuing my license. Viva! Absolute monarchy! It wouldn''t go this way in a constitutional rule or democracy I''m sure. Also, it seems I can create a plate for the company. I wonder if it''s something like the Marquis Webdos plate for proof of passage inside the country? No, a noble like myself can move around within the country with no proof of passage with no problems. Ah, I''m sure it would be convenient to bring Zulu and Angela to Bakuddo. It seems this plate will take about 2-3 weeks to be completed. Now then, my business at the government office is completed. After this I just need to take a look at sisters sullen face before returning to Baldukk. I follow after Hack to the riverbed. Oh~ They''re training. It doesn''t seem like they''re on horseback for today but I guess that''s the training of the first knight group huh? Come to think of it I never properly saw the training of the knight group in Keel. Hack says, Volume 1 - CH 89 Year 7442, Month 9, Day 1 "Then, shall we go. Is everyone ready?" After confirming that everyone nodded I teleported us into the dungeon. We started carefully examining our surroundings and determine our current location using the map. Going off the number it''s probably around here. After advancing down the cave for a short while and it turned right. Soon after that there was a split path. Ah, then, after all our current location is here...In that case then we have to pass through three rooms in order to get to the teleport crystal to the 2nd floor. Usually it''s dangerous we turn back and re-enter the dungeon to avoid the rooms but since we''re aiming for the 2nd floor starting today we can''t mind it. We just advance forward. Since we have the map of traps as well it''s become quite easy to explore the dungeon. I wonder if we can make it to the 2nd floor in today? It would be good if no one gets hurt though. After moving ahead for about 30 minutes and we arrived at the first room. I said in advance that I would wipe out the monsters in the rooms. When I tried peeking in with Identify and it was a Green Slime. Hmph, it''s already exposed that you''re weak to fire. I sterilize the deep green viscous liquid like sewage with {Flamethrower}. I easily burnt the close to 30 slimes in the room with the spell {Flamethrower} while standing at the entrance. Angela was watching that spectacle with her mouth wide open. How''s a glimpse of your master''s true ability? Hn? I won''t easily throw away the lives of my slaves. Since I''m a cheapskate after all. I think I probably burnt them all to death. I tell everyone to start searching for the bonus items that are the magic stones and items of deceased adventurers while I keep watch in case monsters come to the room from the path further in. After a short while it seems that gathering the items was completed. After all it seems that there were some worn-out swords and spears but they are all too old and covered in rust so it was just stuff that hadn''t even retained their original shapes. It seems that no one had entered it recently. Since we obtained close to 1,000,000 Z in cash mostly in silver coins then I guess that''s enough to call plenty. We quickly started down the cave going further in. We continue for another ten or so minutes while being careful to avoid traps. We should arrive at the next room soon. Now then, I wonder what is making it''s nest in this room? Even after looking in from the entrance with Identify vision I wasn''t able to see the monster. I wonder if it''s hiding near the edge? I slowly approach the entrance of the room...There it is. It''s like a huge insect. It has four legs and there''s two feeler like tentacles growing from the sides of it''s small head. It''s body gets thinner as it nears the tail and at the end of it''s tail there was a strange protuberance like a propeller. When I tried Identifying it and it was a "Propeller Tail". Hmm. It''s my first time against it. It''s not too late to slowly read the Identify window after I kill it. I put the sling-belt of my bayonet on my shoulder and fire {Lightning Bolt} with my left hand and then immediately launched a {Stone Javelin Missile} with my right hand killing it. I feel like it probably would have died with just the {Lightning Bolt}. Since I did even further damage to the corpse it just comes up as Corpse (Propeller Tail) with Identify now. Well I guess it''s fine. Since there doesn''t seem to be anything else I guess we should head for the next room. Since I''ve already heard about this thing from Angela there''s no need to make the foolish move of trying to take the magic stone from this monster. It seems that Propeller Tail''s have a special skill where any metal that touches those feelers or tentacles rust away. If you touch them with a knife on accident then it''s already too late. And I''m sure any items of adventurers have just become a mountain of rust as well. It''s best to just ignore them. If the corpse is still remaining on our way back and I have room to spare with my stamina and mana then I''ll use earth magic to made a stone axe or something to disassemble it with. Well, I think we''ll end up returning to the entrance directly from the teleport crystal of the 2nd floor though. Up until here we''ve still only fought against the monsters in the rooms so far this time. If it''s like this then we should be able to make it to the 2nd floor in perfect condition. Since we don''t have a map for the 2nd floor we''re just going to check out how things look and then return though. We continue ahead again. Along the way there were 6 gnolls wandering around. It''s fine to let my subordinates earn some experience as well but we''re heading towards the 2nd floor today. I still have an excessive amount of MP after all, there''s no point in being stingy with it. I felt like I wanted to show Angela my close combat skills as well so I raised my head but when I was about to put power into my legs and charge in I thought again and just killed them safely with magic. And we arrived at the room which should be the last one. I couldn''t see the enemy this time at a glance as well. However, I already know the enemies identity. If the map of the cave we''ve gone through up until now is correct (probably, at least on the path up until now I''m sure it''s correct) then this room should be connected at the corner. I''m sure I won''t be able to see inside of the room until I get considerably close to it. However, I can grasp it plenty from here. I can see a huge spider web at the edge. I guess this is the entrance of the "Gargantuan Spider" I had heard about? I guess it''s fine if I just burn the spider webs with fire magic. I immediately shot a {Fire Ball} in. It hit the edge of the spider web and sent burning stones flying all around the surroundings. It seems that the spider web is burning well. I quickly raised both of my hands and use {Flamethrower} to send flames spewing out as I enter the room. There it is. In the center of the spider web in the middle of the room there''s a huge spider that''s about 2 m high, probably about 5 m if it spreads it''s legs out. I sent my {Flamethrower} flying aimed at it. The small hairs all over the surface of its body caught fire. The spider is rolling around in pain. Without letting my guard down I continue pouring mana into the {Flamethrower} increasing the intensity of the flames and burnt it to death. Since it seems these have poison, I didn''t want to fight it in close combat. After I safely killed the "Gargantuan Spider" I looked around inside of the room. Mu, is that..an egg..No, a cocoon? There''s prey wrapped up in what seems to be cocoons all over the spider''s web. Goblins, gnolls, and even some adventurers that fell victim to it. Since it seems they died quite a while back we couldn''t save them. The items we found that were in good condition were three long swords, two broad swords, and two spears. We couldn''t find any shields. Also, we found close to 1,300,000 Z in money. Uhha. It''s a large haul. The magic stone of Gargantuan Spider had a value of close to 10,000. If we sell it then it should come out close to 70,000 Z. I peaked into the other caves confirming if it was safe while watching my subordinates gather the items. Hmn, we''ve earned quite a bit Oh~ that sword is in considerably good condition. However, the end of that spear is broken. Since it isn''t rusted I guess we should at least take it with us. After that we continued walking for close to an hour, after blowing away the goblins and gnolls we met along the way with magic we were safely able to arrive at the small room of about 30 m in every direction with the teleport crystal rod to the 2nd floor. I guess we should take a small break here. I tried asking Zenom the time and he checked the time on the clock magic tool. It seems it''s still just past 10 am. It''s just the right time for having some tea. As expected we didn''t bring any water that will add to our luggage in the dungeon but we''ve at least prepared flasks. I use water and fire magic to create hot water and put it and some tea leaves into each persons flask. Putting it frankly the tea of Orth isn''t all that good. I guess it''s different from the tea of Earth. The bean tea that I like needs boiled beans to make so as expected we can''t prepare it here. We took a break while everyone was blowing on our hot tea that doesn''t taste particularly good. Everyone was worrying about my remaining mana. "Al, is your mana fine? You''ve used quite a bit of magic right? Isn''t it best to turn back for today?" Zenom said that. Volume 1 - CH 90 Year 7442, Month 9, Day 2 The next morning, after gathering at the restaurant we started to summarize all of the information we had gathered individually last night. However, it seems that no one was able to gather any information on that strange pitfall. Come to think of it, everyone is making slightly undecided expressions. I am as well though. In any case, putting aside that pitfall the information we were able to gather on the 2nd floor is as follows. 1. According to legend it seems that there''s a pond where fairies live on the 2nd floor but the only one who has confirmed this is the founder Rombert the First so it''s believed to be a story for drunks. There''s no point thinking about that for now. 2. There''s something like a fountain which spits out snakes. Come to think of it, there was a snake. Well, I thought, if I stand near the fountain and burn the snakes to death with {Flamethrower} wouldn''t I be able to earn all the experience points and magic stones I want!? but it seems that after a fixed number they stop coming out. What the, how boring. 3. The teleport location map for the 2nd is sold. The price is 9,000,000 Z. As expected it did exist. Though I predicted that sort of price. Then, in that case, I guess the place we went to yesterday was still an unexplored region? I wonder if it''s related to the pond of fairies which comes out in the legends of Rombert the Firsts adventures? 4. The monsters that normally appear on the 2nd floor at Orks, Hobgoblins, Gnolls, Kobolds, and snakes. However the rooms are different. I see. Then, putting aside the poison of the snake, you could say that''s a relief. 5. The types of traps are the same as the 1st floor the pitfalls and device which makes noise, it seems that other than that, while only a small number have been confirmed, but there''s a crossbow like device as well. I guess if you step on a switch or something on the floor then a bolt from a crossbow comes flying from somewhere? How frightening. The information was around there. After that it''s fundamentally not all that different from the 1st floor it seems. Also, it''s not information about the 2nd floor but it seems that there''s point of view or rather common sense that applies to all floors, it seems that the monsters that act like bosses of the rooms have a pre-decided range they can move within. Fundamentally if you move more than 100 m away from the room then they give up on chasing you and return. For the time being we''re killing them mercilessly on the spot so it''s not a problem but thinking about from here on out this is an important piece of information I''m sure. Also, it seems that on the 1st floor Propeller Tail and Black Gargantua Leech (I still haven''t seen it) are considered the representatives for easy bosses. Both of them are not only alone quite often for some reason, but their movement speed isn''t fast, so if you throw a rock in and grab their attention, then after they''ve moved a bit away it''s easy to just run past them all at once. Even though I gained close to 8,000 experience points for killing that Propeller Tail yesterday. Well, if we assume that it''s a party of 8 and they all do about the same amount of damage then they would only get about 350 experience a piece, so it''s limited to just me. It''s completely different whether or not you have the Gift of Natural Talent. Volume 1 - CH 91 Year 7442, Month 10, Day 2 Starting from today until the end of the month we need to earn some experience points in order to level up my subordinates. In order to efficiently earn experience points we should go around as many rooms as possible so we repeatedly entered and left the dungeon. If possible I''d like a place that passes by over 10 rooms until the 2nd floor but it can''t be helped taking time here. We just have to endure where appropriate. Just what has been confirmed there''s over 400 locations you can teleport into on the 1st floor from the entrance of the dungeon. And there''s only one place in the center of the dungeon where a teleport crystal capable of teleporting to the 2nd floor is located. Of the over 400 teleport locations not even half of them make it to the location you can teleport to the 2nd floor from. At the very least if we can''t make it to the 2nd floor then our efficieny rate at earning experience points will drop a bit so as long as it''s connected to teleport point for the 2nd floor it doesn''t matter where we end up. We luckily (?) were able to teleport to a location which has to pass 8 rooms before reaching the teleport crystal to the 2nd floor. Other than slimes my subordinates can directly do damage so let''s start from here. The same as usual Zenom is holding the pole and hitting the ground as we start advancing. Along the way we ran into a group of 6 hobgoblins. Since we realized them first, I told everyone sorry for the wait and went ahead. Thinking that I was alone, they let their guards down in thinking they should attack me, I froze the lower bodies of the hobgobs (adding lin is a pain~), and after that I called my subordinates and let them kill one hobgob each as they screamed in fear. I let Ralpha kill the remainder. Zulu and Angela had a bit of resistance against killing an opponent who can''t move their lower body and can''t counterattack at all so they looked at me with slightly critical expressions but I put power into my eyes and said "kill them", and they honestly obeyed. Zenom, Ralpha, and Bel indifferently killed their targets but I''m sure this is because I explained it ahead of time. Ah, thank goodness the boots and sandals arrived. I''m sure it would have been painful to walk on the ice without shoes after all. Putting that aside, hobgobs are monsters that are shaped like people and have their own thinking process and will. Just like before if they feel fear then they''ll scream out. I figured Zenom would be different but I thought it would be a bit heavy for the two women. Among the two of them when I tried asking the thick-skinned one about it and "It''s something that''s necessary for us to go on living. We talked about it a lot last night. Bel said that in order to meet up with her boyfriend she needs power as well. We''re alright...It would be a lie to say we''re okay with it but in the past I finished off a lot of goblins after Zenom had knocked them down so it''s not a problem. Just think about following up with Bel." Sorry I referred to you as thick-skinned. Bel was just like Ralpha said, "It can''t be helped after all. I want to become stronger and while monsters resemble people they''re not people, is what I''ve decided to think. If I were to die before meeting him then my life would be meaningless, so it''s fine." She''s quite firm on it. The two slaves don''t matter at all. It''s fine as long as they move as I tell them. If they hate it then it''s fine if they quickly pay up and buy themselves back again. However, I wonder if they can escape from me? However, without the Gift of Natural Talent and they aren''t gaining much experience points. Hobgobs are lined up with Orks as some of the most efficient monsters for experience points while exploring the dungeon but even then they''re only getting around 300 for each one they kill. Even when it comes to the room bosses they''re getting an average of around 2,000. While continuing with the combat almost as if it more than half just an operation, while gathering the magic stones we were able to arrive at the teleport crystal to the 2nd floor quite a while past noon. Usually it''s about the time that we would turn back. However, it seems that we were able to earn quite a bit of experience points for the half-day from morning until past noon. They''ve earned an average of about 4,000 experience points per person. If it''s like this then putting aside Zenom, the other four should level up once between this week and next week I''m sure. I''ve told Ralpha to main strongly focused on the fact that she''s using mana. In any case, the objective is to quickly get Ralpha''s MP higher than 7. The reason I''m letting Ralpha earn a bit more experience points is because of that. If Ralpha just had 7 MP then she would be able to use a special skill once every five minutes and if it''s the most basic of void magic that only uses 1 MP then she would be able to level it up quicker. In reality it''s to the point I''d like to enter the dungeon with just Ralpha on the days off and have heard earn a large amount of experience points. But, I still don''t feel in that much of a rush to order that far. I''m sure that in order to rest the body and mind the days off are necessary so I''m letting her do as she pleases for now. I think it would be fine as long she understands a bit at a time. It''s simple to push things on to her aggressively and if you look at the short-term then you can expect some effect to that end but she''s not like slave after all. The best method to earn experience points towards magic is to use magic to damage living creatures but since that involves danger it was too frightening to do. Let alone because when they first start learning magic it takes quite a bit of time of concentrating in order to complete the magic. Normally you can earn the most with magic when you''re trying to do some kind of operation. Even if you just use attack spells or elemental magic you can earn some experience but that amount is less than decimal point so rather than earning experience it has more meaning in practicing using specific spells. On that end, working with rubber is close to the ideal method of earning experience with magic. Even then it''s a matter of whether or not you''ll earn 1 point though. It''s almost entirely something like a measurement error but the efficiency is several times higher. Depending on things go it could even change up to 10 times. I think that this difference in the amount of experience points acquired is whether or not you remain conscious of a suitable objective when you use the magic. Normally in the case of the people of Orth, after they turn adults they start training and if they have aptitude with void magic or elemental magic then they''ll be able to learn at least once magic special skill. Furthermore, until they go from a state of having no magic special skill to having it, in other words until it becomes level 0 there''s probably not concept of experience points for it. The aptitude for whether or not you can use it is probably decided when you''re born. I''ve already guessed that there''s some difference in individual whether or not you can get a handle of the trick on learning it. There''s some like Mary who even if they give it their best training and after three weeks or so they still can''t use it, on the contrary, there''s people like Kuro and us siblings who were able to use it within 1 day or a few days as well. It''s just how I think of it but I feel like doing it while you''re young is better. Also, the more MP you have the easier it is to learn it seems. Ralpha is different but I think that Bel proves that. After that, they finally enter training of their magic special skill that''s turned level 0 but if they just keep creating a spoonful of water without particularly being conscious of it and the people who are happy with just being able to use a slightly powerful Cantrip will probably take quite a while to reach level 1. If they''re creating water then they should make sure to remain conscious of of carefully giving that to the fields or if it''s the Cantrip then use it to move a flame, it''s necessary for them to remain conscious of their objective while they use the magic to do something. If they do that then magic should level up faster than just using it. And, after the elemental or void magic you''ve started training reaches level 2 you start training with a different elemental magic or void magic for the first time. It seems that it''s quite a bit easier to learn other magic if you have some kind of magic special skill from the start. I guess it''s because you already understand the feeling of using magic. And then next you give it your best to get it to level 2 the same as the skill you learned first. By this point, your MP has already increased by 4 compared to when you weren''t able to use magic. If they''re already around adulthood then it''s often the case that they''ll have about 3-4 MP so it would mean they have a total of 7 or 8 MP. The training from there should become much easier. After all as long as MP is over 6 then it recovers at a rate of 1 per 5 minutes. The trick to leveling up from there is to make sure you don''t try to get arrogant use void magic or elemental magics in combination with each other at level 2 or level 0. It''s best to use the same magic at level 0 or 1 where it only consumes 1 MP per usage. From here you can explosively earn experience points. After one of the two magic special skills you learn reaches level 3 you can finally start training with the third special skill. It''s around here that the individual differences in people who can use magic start to appear. There''s people who can learn their third special skill and people who can''t learn it as well. If they can learn it then they should start aiming for level 2 with that skill as well. If they can''t learn it then it can''t be helped so they have no choice other than to keep trying to level up the skills they already have. The training with combining them is after that. I noticed this method when I was still in Bakuddo training the younger squires in magic for the sake of producing rubber. It''s probably the most efficient method for a normal person to train with magic. Though in reality it''s best to start training around 5 years old like sister did. Since that can''t be done after I realized this method I use persuasive words to guide them when I was supervising the rubber production. In the first place, I was able to realize that there was a difference in the growth because those were in charge of the rubber had a clear objective in mind when they were using magic compared with the other squires and serfs who were just randomly using magic. Just as I was thinking that the way to train with magic was to use it up close to the point of running out on a daily basis was normal, I brought this sort of method in as an excuse in to focus on the magic. From a glance it might just seem like a small difference but when it accumulates it''s huge. I''m sure that people who can''t use Identify wouldn''t notice it. It might be possible for them to notice but I''m sure they wouldn''t be able to prove it and since I''m sure there''s few samples they probably wouldn''t notice it. Even I was only able to confirm it after I passed 10 years old. In the first place, as long as you can increase your MP when you''re a child then it''s actually a method which doesn''t have much meaning. Up until you turn 10 years older rather than something like leveling up your special skill you should just focus on exhausting MP to increase it and after that the efficiency of making use of that excessive amount of MP for training will make it seem idiotic to even compare them. Bel and Ralpha are proof of this. Volume 1 - CH 92 Year 7442, Month 10, Day 4 Today, Ralpha and Angela''s level increased and they each became levels 8 and 7. Thanks to the level up this time and the level up of void magic Ralpha''s MP has increased to 5. Just a bit more to 7. Since Angela has increases due to age along with the increases from level up her HP and MP increased a bit as well. Though there''s not much meaning to it since she can''t use magic. Well, the valid range of "Super Sense of Smell" increases with level up so I''m honestly happy about that. Since it''s got a range of about 20 m per level it would be fine to say she''s the longest range radar in the party. But, inside of the dungeon even if you can smell something in the end since there''s only one direction you only really know that there''s something giving off a smell ahead of you. There''s no way to differentiate between the rotting corpse of a monster and a Scavenger Crawler. Other than Dexterity it was the same as Ralpha so it''s easy to make comparisons with the Dexterity ability points. It''s just my thinking on it but maybe dexterity is quite literally referring to how skillfully you can use a weapon. Though I don''t know how to verify being skillful with your hands so it doesn''t matter. Picking up beans with chopsticks and putting them on a plate or something, feels meaningless. Ralpha''s weapon is a hand-axe. In comparison Angela uses a broad sword. It might just be my imagination but I feel like Ralpha''s chance of hitting opponents that are moving is higher. If you were to just use it as a daily necessity then using the hand-axe is simpler but when it comes to using it in combat then it suddenly changes. More than something like a broad sword if you can''t skillfully use a hand-axe then you wouldn''t be able to land any hits and no matter how I think of it defending use a hand-axe seems more difficult. I''m sure she''s had it pounded into her head by Zenom since she was young so it''s in part being familiar with it but it''s true I feel like Ralpha is more dexterous in making use of her weapon. Furthermore, right before they were about to level I said to them "make sure you always keep your senses sharpened". However, I guess because they were too common of words, it doesn''t seem like they were able to feel the instant their levels increased, they didn''t seem to react the moment before or after it happened. After all I guess it''s normal not to realize~ Even I don''t realize unless I think, I''ll level up after killing this enemy, while focusing on it. Well, I guess this can''t be helped, it''s not like the result changes even if they notice it. In any case, Ralpha''s MP finally increased on level up. It''s a great single step forward. I''m sure the effects of her training will increase a bit as well. After this we earned a bit more for today and then left. ............ Year 7442, Month 10, Day 5 Today Bel''s level increase and she became level 7. The effects of training her magic are appearing favorably. Still it''s amazing when their MP is high from the start~ But, it seems that she didn''t have aptitude for using wind magic. The same type as sister huh? Since the range on her "Super Sense of Hearing" increases with level up as well she''s a radar of the party along with Angela. This one is 10 m per 1 level. Though you know the details better than Angela''s "Super Sense of Smell". Whether they''re walking on two legs, dragging themselves along, or have multiple likes like an insect, as long as she focuses for a period of time she can figure out the identity of most monsters from their footsteps. It''s obviously useless if they aren''t moving though. But, in my case I have to have things enter my sight so I''m useless when it comes to monsters that are around a corner or somewhere I can''t see, so it''s big that we can notice monsters that are outside of normal field of sight. .............. Year 7442, Month 10, Day 7 Today Zulu turned level 8. I have him lined up with Zenom as the front-line attacker and charging in like a certain assault commander. Through leveling up he''s become even more able-bodied and powerful. It seems that he can see much better than my Identify with "Night Vision" as long as it''s in his valid range. Everything in his field of sight feels brighter and even when there''s just a bit of light it seems that amplified and reflected in his eyes. It''s short at 5 m per 1 level but effective. It differs from Zenom''s Infrared Vision in that he can''t see at all if there''s no visible light. Infrared vision can only see 3 m per 1 level after all. He hasn''t used "Instant Speed" up until now so I don''t really know how it works. I''m sure it''s something you use in a pinch. Since after he uses once he can''t use it again for several hours it''s unnatural to have him use it just for inspection in a dungeon where you never know what will happen. I guess I''ll have him try using it when we''re doing formation training next time. If it''s now then his strength and speed should increase for 8 seconds. Volume 1 - CH 93 Year 7442, Month 10, Day 25 Now, it''s the 2nd floor. Since we were able to take a 30 minute or so break in the teleport room in the end it was just right. "Al. That ice monster is referring to you right?" "Al-san, isn''t that ice monster you?" ""Master, isn''t master that ice monster?"" "Al(abbreviated)" Ah, after all? As a matter of fact I was thinking that might be the case as well. "But, there''s one on the 5th floor right? An ice lizard. It''s big that we were able to get some information we don''t know." "Don''t try to cover it up." "He tried to cover it up." ""Yes, he did try to cover it up." "He tried to(abbreviated)" "What is it, it''s not like I''ve particularly caused any trouble to anyone so isn''t it fine. Also Ralpha, stop abbreviating it as you please." Really, this girl... "Now, rather than that it''s the 2nd floor. Let''s remain cautious as we go." And, before that maybe I''ll try asking Angela. I wonder if she knew that the surroundings of the teleport crystal room were a safe area? No, if I remember correctly she shouldn''t have only made it to the 2nd floor. There''s probably a low possibility that she knew~ ..I guess it''s fine, I wouldn''t like it if it seemed like I was criticizing her after all. And Anderson said it as well but Black Topaz was just camping in the teleport room of the 1st floor because they got there in the middle of the night. Even though we''ve gone to the 2nd floor countless times to far we''ve never met anyone camping in the teleport room of the 1st floor before. Most likely it''s probably common sense for adventurers who''ve achieved above a certain level. We just haven''t reached that level yet I''m sure. "For the time being, let''s confirm our current location." We investigate what''s beyond the symbol on the teleport crystal pedestal..62 huh? It''s here. We all put heads together and searched for number 62 on the map and found our current location. It''s necessary to pass through four rooms to get to the 3rd floor in the shortest distance. Well, that should be fine. After I nodded and Zenom started advancing while hitting the floor with the pole. Immediately Zulu lined up by his side, Angela is behind Zenom, and Ralpha is behind Zulu. Bel and I are remaining cautious of the rear at the end. 1 Green Gargantuan Leech, 24 Red Slimes, 2 Owlbears, we crushed the room bosses one after another while collecting the magic stones. There''s still one roughly one person talking about the ice monster but it''s not like it''s particularly troubling anyone so it doesn''t matter at all...We should be pretty close to the final room soon. While relying on Bel''s hearing we slowly move forward. According to Bel it seems that there''s several creatures-like things that have multiple legs. Angela says she smells the scent of a beast different from Orks and Goblins as well. If we turn right at that corner and the large room should be right away. First we need to confirm the appearance of the enemy. After I told everyone not to move, I quietly put my head out from the wall peaking into the room. It''s there. It''s something with long hair and two curved horns sticking from the sides of it''s head almost like a Muskox. When I tried Identifying it and it seems it''s called Roze. There''s..6 in all huh? Their level isn''t particularly amazing and they don''t seem to have any sort of special skill either. After opening the sub-window and it seems that they''re a monster that doesn''t like light and prefers to live in caves. They''ll probably charge in and attack with those horns. Now then, I wonder what we should do. If there was even less of them then it would have been fine to let my subordinates fight. Volume 1 - CH 94 ? Year 7442, Month 10, Day 25 Hmn, there''s no particular problem with telling them about it. There''s no problem but there is a problem. I wonder if I''ll be told it''s unrealistic and laughed at? Will I be told I''m like a child and looked down on? If as a result of that they were to leave at the same time the contract ends then...Ah, I guess they can''t cut the contract from their end huh? Though you know~ Even though I finally made acquaintances of them, and they''re reincarnated people I''ve made into my subordinates. But, there''s no way to completely see through the other sides personality and what they''re actually thinking in this short period of time. I''m sure that''s the same for them as well. I wonder what they could know about me in just a matter of a few months? I''m not such a fool to believe in illusions like if you hold deep interaction with someone then the amount of time it takes is unrelated. Even my parents who cared so much for me, they listened to and accepted my dream but didn''t sympathize with it. I already understand that my dream is that close to being something absurd. However, if I were to talk to them here while they don''t worry about me as much as my parents did then let alone sympathize I can only imagine that they might not even try to accept it so it''s difficult to tell them about it. However, someday I''ll definitely have to tell them and it''s my true feelings that if possible I want them to sympathize and cooperate with me on it. From here on out I need to gather even more people but the majority of them should be following me because I''ve offering them something to their advantage. Though it would be more unusual to hope for loyalty greater than the compensation given from the start. Although, I''m not God or anything like that, so I''m not so arrogant that I think I could manage over everything all on my own. If I can''t do it myself then trusted retainers are necessary. The problem is whether or not they could pledge loyalty to me in some meanings greater than compensation to me. I don''t think I have anything that could captivate their hearts. Of course, my encounter with both of them took the form of coming to their rescure so I''m sure they at least feel a favor towards me. There is right? If there isn''t then I would cry from the start. I''m paying them plenty of compensation and not putting them through a lifestyle where they''re especially troubled by anything. I''m sure the way I treat them isn''t all that bad as well. I don''t think I''ve dealt with them unreasonably like a slave even once. Therefore, I want to think that they at least feel a debt of gratitude towards me. But, something like loyalty is completely different from that. Since I''ve gained some amount of information from them you could say we''ve both benefited each other but even in that case I should have paid even more. I thought about it for a bit. "I guess so..Honestly speaking, I don''t mind telling you. But, if I tell you then you might scorn me, or at least it''s my true feelings that I''m afraid of that happening." After I said that and Bel opened her mouth. "Al-san. I just said it but can you really not trust us as that much?" "It''s a bit different from whether or not I can trust you. It was only a few months but we''ve eaten meals out of the same pot. I trust you two. However, it''s different from that. That''s right, it might digress a bit but listen to this. Bel, how do you feel about your parents and siblings?" She was a bit confused when I suddenly brought her parents and family into it so Bel was a bit lost at words but responded. "Eh? My parents? I think the Koloil family was probably an average sub-Baron family on Orth. It wasn''t all that wealthy but there was nothing I troubled about in my life. And I knew that I was loved as I was raised. But..I wonder ..I feel like they aren''t my real parents somehow as well. I obviously feel the gratitude towards them for raising me and I can boast that I love my parents and siblings as well but..In the end, in order to search for him I left the house. Obviously, when I first brought it up they were against it. I think my parents probably wanted me to remain in the village and marry one of the squires or else marry me to the child of a different villages lord. I understand that. Since I understand that they were trying to send their daughter off into a stable lifestyle. However..no matter what I want to find him. I must find him." Well going off what I''ve seen of her so far it''s pretty much exactly the answer I had guessed. "I see, Ralpha, what about you? What do you think about Zenom? Ah, if you don''t want to say it then you don''t need to force yourself." "I''ve always wondered about it but, why do you only refer to me as "omae"? It doesn''t really matter though. Zenom is...after all my father. I was a high school student before I reincarnated but my parents weren''t in the house very often, and honestly speaking I have a weak impression of them. Was it imprinting? That thing with chicks do where they mistake the first moving thing they see as their parents. I wonder if it''s like that? Ever since I realized I was reborn I was always by Zenom''s side and he protected me. There were countless dangerous times. Even then Zenom raised me without abandoning me. It''s true we might not be true parent and child but we''ve already been together for countless years, and we''re completely family." Well, I figured it was like that. "I see. However, in regards to your treatment, put your hand on your chest and think carefully~ You''re too cheeky. And Bel is much cuter as well. It''s only obvious to treat you two differently~ Also, if it doesn''t particularly matter then don''t say it in the first place. Be quiet, that part of you is why you''re such a child." Since this girl says everything she thinks bluntly. In particular to just me. In some meanings you could say she''s similar to Mill. "Ha...What the, Al, you think Bel is cute? You like her? How unfortunate~ Bel has a boyfriend~ Bel''s chest belongs to her boyfriend~" Th..This brat...I can''t help but feeling like I want to punch that smile which pisses me off. Calm down, my right arm. "Yeah, Bel is cute right? Unlike you she doesn''t say smart-ass things after all. Also, even if someone of your level doesn''t say it over and over I already know she has a boyfriend. Ah, Bel don''t be bothered over it. Since this girl is an idiot "Fufu...I understand. Doesn''t Al-san probably not think of me as anything more than like an ally or subordinate? I can tell that much. I''m sure Ral isn''t saying it seriously as well." Right. It''s true that Bel''s chest is worth paying attention to but she''s about average for the Rabbit-people race and not all that unusual for her race. Though it''s plenty strange for the sensations of a Japanese. But, I haven''t been caught up in being conscious of Bel''s chest. It''s not that I''m not interested. Rather I am. However, I also know that no Japanese women would feel good about attention paid to their chest. "Well, ignoring something like Ralpha. And, in regards to the matter I just heard about but I like my parents and siblings. I lived together with them until the spring of this year but it''s true I have indebted to them but the feelings of love are stronger than something like that. One of the few things that I felt was good about reincarnating was that my family had increased. However, my current parents on Orth and my parents on Earth I don''t feel like there''s any difference between them at all inside of myself, might be putting it too extreme. It might not feel the same for you two but when I reincarnated I was 45. In comparison to that my parents at that time were both in their 20s. At first I saw them both as brats. They were both considerably younger than me after all. But, after living together with them and having them care for me I naturally started to be able to respect them. It might have been because I saw the hardships up close to a degree which would have been impossible on Earth." I use my tough will that''s like steel to hold back my right arm that feels like it would go on a rampage at any moment while looking at the two of them and continuing my words. "Bel, it''s strange to say this but listen without getting angry. You left your house because your boyfriend was more important than your parents. Is that wrong? It''s not wrong right. No, it''s fine. It''s only obvious in some ways. Even my parents on Earth were important to me but my wife was more important than that. It''s an extreme example but if I were told to choose between them I''m sure I would at least worry over it but in the end I would pick my wife. It''s the same as that. However, I want you to calmly think about this without feelings. Which of them truly understands things about you more? If you were to commit a terrible mistake, who will cover for you? It''s just for example but even if I were to soak my hands in a far too trivial crime there''s a possibility my wife would lose patience with me and it''s even possible I would be given a letter of divorce, but even if I was mistaken I''m sure my parents would scold and slap me but in the end I think they''d cover for me." Volume 1 - CH 95 Year 7442, Month 10, Day 26 Since that sort of thing happened the other day for a moment I worried about what kind of face I should make in front of Ralpha and Bel but I thought once again that I don''t particularly need to change the way I act so I can just act the same as usual. Since they didn''t seem any different than usual as well I was relieved. After confirming our equipment the same as usual we entered the dungeon. We proceeded through the 1st and 2nd floors in ultra express mode and when we arrived at the teleport room on the 2nd floor it was just about noon. We ate the soup made with hot water from magic along with some sandwiches we brought along and took a break for about an hour. During our break I was telling some jokes to Ralpha and Bel, and Zenom, Zulu, Angela joined in on that. It''s the same as usual. No, it might just be my imagination but it seems like Ralpha''s expression is stiff. "What is it? Are you tired?" We probably walked close to 15 km to clear through the 1st and 2nd floors. We''ve already walked through both of them countless times and we have a map where the traps are listed including several we added ourselves so the tension should have been considerably reduced. Though I say that, since it''s descending through the dungeon at a speed of close to 2.5 km/hour so there''s no way it wouldn''t be painful or exhausting. "Hn, I''m alright. But, I guess I was a bit on guard? Didn''t we talk about those sorts of things yesterday? That''s why I thought I need to give it my best and not fail. Fu~ but, after all I think I might be a bit tired...Sorry, let me rest for a bit longer." Come to think of it, among us only Bel''s Endurance is 12 and considerably low. The next lowest ones after Bel are Ralpha and Angela but even then they have 16, so it''s 33% higher than Bel. I''m sure her Endurance will increase from here on out with level up and age but why did Ralpha get tired before Bel this time? I wonder if it''s related to the fact that Bel is a Rabbit-people race? Or maybe Ralpha is just weak to tension and easier to exhaust herself? I tried gently taking a look at Bel''s state but she doesn''t seem to have changed at all and is happily talking about something with Angela. It''s not like we''re in such a hurry that we have to fight over one or two months. Thinking about things from here on out so I think it would be best to clarify as many things as possible that I''ve put off around here. "I see, don''t push yourself. If it''s painful then you can say so anytime." Alright, it''s a shame even though we''ve made it this far for today but let''s just take a look in the 3rd floor and then return. After tomorrow we''ll take it a bit easy in the dungeon for a short while and I''ll try doing something about the things I''ve been putting off for a while. "Eh...Yeah..I''m sorry. Somehow, Al, have you become kinder? But, I don''t want you to misunderstand." Ralpha grabs both of her shoulders like she''s protecting her body and moves away from me. "You know, are you seriously trying to anger me? What about it?" I''ve decided, Ralpha, I''m going to use you as an excuse. I''ll provide you with the perfect role for a terrible farting bug. Rather~ after all let''s go as far as we can on the 3rd floor. Volume 1 - CH 96 More to come in 4-16 hours. Volume 1 - CH 97 Was pretty tired when I did the first half of this chapter so some parts of it might read out oddly. Next chapter in 4-8 hours. Volume 1 - CH 98 Next chapter in 4-8 hours. You might just want to skip over the armor equipping parts, I really just half-assed those since I honestly cannot get a mental image of what is going on there. Lots of rubber bands and things tied together in layered armor to make a comfortable and easy equipped fit, I guess? Volume 1 - CH 99 Year 7442, Month 12, Day 28 It''s somehow become a strange situation, but, this is a good chance for to appeal herself. She can''t afford to show too embarrassing of a scene. Well, in worst case I''m sure it would be fine if she just froze them right away. It seems that in the past sister did it to Baron Logan before after all. No matter how I think about it, if it''s just a normal one-on-one practice match then there''s no chance of me losing. I need to show off my good side to Zulu and Angela as well. After getting on my horse I started off alone towards the government office to pay taxes for the luxury tax while grinning to myself. I need to quickly pay the taxes at the government office then I need to get something adequate in my stomach before heading to the riverside. Since I found a decent restaurant on my way to pay the taxes I decided to eat there. I left my horse with the stable in the back and then took up a seat along the road. Bacon, bean soup, pork piccata, and white bread. Just as you could expect from the capital with it''s huge population, I felt like it was a bit expensive but it''s a very satisfying meal. The payment is at the end of the meal as well. In any case, it''s my first time eating piccata on Orth. I wonder if they''re making pork cutlets somewhere? I''m sure there''s no Japanese sauces but I at least have some mayonnaise and if I search a bit I know there''s mustard. Ah, if I just had rice with this I''d have nothing more to say but I can''t do anything about asking for something that I can''t find. After asking for my usual bean tea, I staring at the road while satisfied with my stomach full and sipping it. There''s a peddler''s carriage advancing along the block a bit ahead. There''s what appears to be a dwarf man and woman in the carriage box, two human men as escorts, and one more that seems to be quite short is it still a child? There''s one more woman. It''s a scene you can see anywhere. Hn? That child or woman that seems to be either an escort or peddler..It seems she''s got her hair tied up into one large braid but her hair is black. ¡¾Gulinel.Akdam/2/7/7429 ¡¿ ¡¾Female/14/2/7428 ? Dwarf ? Rombert Kingdom Rombert Duke Territory Registered Free Person¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 14 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 3¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 65(65)¡¡MP£º 11(11)¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 11¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 6¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 15¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 11¡¿ ¡¾Unique Ability£º Mapping (Lv. 8)¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£º Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£º Infrared Vision¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º 7821(10000)¡¿ Oh~ since she had black hair I unintentionally used identify without meaning to..What? I just said red characters didn''t I? She disappeared from my field of vision before I could see clearly so I don''t know but I think there was some red characters. It''s a Unique Ability! I can''t afford to be sitting here! I need to at least call out to her! I went to stand up and pulled my bayonet from the chair next to me. I guess I was in too much of a hurry and my expression had changed, the waiter woman who was just about to bring my bean tea screamed, "hii" and dropped the bean tea. I grabbed my bayonet and "Bring my horse around." and yelled that while jumping out of the restaurant. However, from the restaurant they said "It''s an eat and run, eat and run?!!" I heard that sort of scream. Damn it. "I''ll pay properly afterwards." Putting aside the bean tea I haven''t paid for the meal yet. However, I''ll pay ten times more later. And just as I was about to run off to the stable my arm was grabbed. Shit. "Isn''t it Greed-kun? Hey now, you can''t eat and run." Knikniknikni it''s the knight commander! Seriously... "Ah, I''ll properly pay later"I don''t know how much of a hurry you''re in but properly pay right now. If not then I won''t be able to overlook this." ..Aaaaa, damn it. "Yes...Here, the payment. I don''t need change. Rather than bring my horse around, I''m in a hurry." I said that while taking one silver coin from my wallet and handing it to the waiter. Not just the shitty expensive 800 z for the lunch set but I paid over ten times the cost including the bean tea. "Greed-kun. What''s wrong? It''s not like you. If you''re a noble you should maintain your composure better. Even if you''re in that much of a hurry the training place won''t run away. There''s still some time left as well." After coming to my senses and looking around and other than Baron Logan, there was Sub-Baron Bittwaz, and several members of the knight group who''s names I don''t know looking at me with surprised expressions...I guess it''s no good...Even if I have them bring my horse around it will take some time. On the roads where there''s a lot of pedestrian traffic in the capital if the carriage even takes one turn somewhere I''ll lose sight of them in no time at all. Ah, if it was going to come to this I should have just left my horse here until I could come back and pay or paid right away and then run off while leaving my horse behind. That I would get too excited and lose myself after finding someone who seemed to be a reincarnated person..I honestly don''t think it''s unreasonable though. I scratch my head and in order to hide my embarrassment, "I''m sorry for the disturbance. If I think carefully about it there''s no need to hurry so much. I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to go and pay the taxes so I couldn''t help but panic a bit. I''m sorry for showing you something so unsightly. I''m really very sorry for causing you any trouble." I said that while lowering my head. "It''s fine. It''s fine as long as you pay the luxury tax within a month of the date on the proof of sale. There''s nothing to worry about. However, even you get flustered over carrying such a large sum of money I see." He said that while laughing. It''s true I''m currently holding a large amount of money over 100,000,000 Z. It''s embarrassing but it seems it would be best to let it slide as that. I lowered my head again and after getting on my horse that was finally brought out, just in case I went to where I saw the carriage just now. However, I guess it''s only obvious but I wasn''t able to find the carriage. I don''t know if they''re a peddler or an adventurer but in any case it seems to be clear that there''s a reincarnated person in Rombertia or patrolling around the area. In the worst case, if we setup a net around this area for a month we might be able to catch them. I''m sure Bel and Ralpha will cooperate with the search at that time. I tottered along to the government office, paid the taxes, and then went towards the practice place near the riverside. ............ Starting with brother and sister, Zenom and the others were all already at the practice place. After I arrived late and they all started questioning me right away. I said I''d explain it at night but well I guess it can''t be helped. Even older brother was surprised even though I already told him I was making deliveries of "Saya" to the royal family. Even if I say I''m making deliveries to the royal family you wouldn''t normally that I was direct acquaintances with the royalty of high social standing. It''s not unreasonable. I managed to cover it up by saying that there was an opportunity I had to directly deliver rubber products to them. Since sister knew I had directly met them face to face when I repaired the water bed she didn''t find it all that strange but it seems even then it was unexpected that all of the Queens knew about me. In addition I said that Yulu and Marin would be coming to observe as well. Volume 1 - CH 100 Year 7442, Month 12, Day 28 The practice match between brother and the commander heated up with both sides making intense movements. Wooden sword and wooden sword hit together, we''re evaded, and the two of them yelled words like "Eh!!", "Ya!!", "Tseei!", "Muun!", and "Two!!" as the spirit in their attacks surged, before the simple shield on their left arm can be driven into the opponent they step in and repel that, the one who has it repelled immediately jumps back and puts distance, then another intense exchange of techniques starts again. The commander is making use of the rubber protectors that you wouldn''t believe it was his first time using them. Brother showed his last resort the two-consecutive thrust that he almost never shows but after the commander parried it on the first thrust with the wooden sword in his right hand he twisted his face in surprise for just a moment but splendidly brushed off the second thrust with his left hand even though it was his first time seeing it. Even though it took me close to a month to be able to do that while practicing with brother... Once he holds the wooden sword in both hands you never know which hand he''ll switch it to, the commander was splendidly reacting to brother''s technique of using both hands. So you can raise the skill with swordsmanship this high..I was so fixed on it I even forgot to breath. However, brother couldn''t win. He held out just like me but in the end the commander forced him into defeat. Not to mention he lost to the same two-consecutive thrust that he uses. There was a small difference in the shoulder when he used it so the commander probably used it as well originally. The speed of the commanders was faster. After that there was the match between brother and the commander of the third company Viscount Kendus. I''m sure he was tired after the match with the commander but just like he did with the sub-commander he made light of the company commander wearing his splint-mail and when there was an opening he finished it off with his two-consecutive strike winning in no time at all. Amazing~ as expected. I guess sister is allays having matches against the company commander, it seemed like they both already knew all of each others movements and neither one moved at the start. Eventually, sister got tired of it and tried make use of her speed while the company commander stood his ground firmly as he met with her attacks. Although it seems that the company commander was above in terms of technique but he couldn''t avoid losing to sister in terms of speed so by the time each one of them had landed one hit each 10 minutes had passed and it was decided as a draw. Next up is sister and the commander, is what I was thinking but the commander said we should take a break for a bit. And unexpectedly it seems I''m having a rematch with the company commander before sister and the commanders match. Of course that first time would be invalid. It''s too much to consider that a loss. It''s true we''re about to fight so it was my fault for showing my gratitude. But, you can''t even call that a practice match. It''s true that I was about to have a match for the purpose of learning things and I knew that there was no need to greet each other during practice matches. However, I thought I shouldn''t be rude to sister''s direct superior and did it without thinking too much, so I had the naive thinking that it would be fine and he would overlook it. I learned that no matter what the occasion during practice matches greetings and gratitude aren''t necessary but that''s it. If it''s something on that level you could just say it. There shouldn''t have been anything the company commander could learn from that. No matter what, no matter what even if I have to use my last resort I''ll win! Even if they say it''s cowardly I don''t care. Sister said it was {OK}. If I can win against the company commander that tied with sister then..Well something like that doesn''t matter. I just need to think about fighting and winning right now. Just like I have until now before I entered the training field I crouched down and rubbed dirt on my palms to prevent sliding. And I face off against the company commander who''s on guard with his wooden sword after taking a short break. After all I guess I should take him on with speed. I close the distance all at once and thrust with the wooden sword using my left hand. The company commander parries my trust with his wooden sword and tries to make use of that moment to cut down but compared to the match with the commander just now I was able to evade it with ease. Unlike against the commander I had enough composure to use foot techniques. However, after all the company commander is used to practice matches against people using rubber protectors. It seems he''s a bit confused over how to deal with things like foot techniques after being used to the normal swordsmanship of the first knight group but he''s almost completely parried or received my attacks with the wooden sword and even managing to counterattack. I jumped back a bit and opened up a distance of about 4 m and acted like I was fixing my hold on the sword. The company commander is fixing his stance and lowering his waist as well showing his resolve to receive any attack and counter them. I took up a stance with my left side behind like in knife fighting where my right side is facing him and the wooden sword is held in my left hand while I approach from my left lower back. Since my body twisted to the limit on the left side is in the way the company commander can only see it as if I''m hiding the blade of my sword while building up power from the twisted state of my right shoulder. My last resort is hanging from my waist on the rubber string attached to the D ring. I held the handle of my wooden sword along with my last resort and moved my body from the right using my left hip following along that. I held my wooden sword while bending the hinge on the D ring and properly held on to my last resort along with the handle of the sword. My right hand is reaching it''s limit soon so I stretch it out to my left hip. I gently put the dirt I still had in my right hand into the compartment of my buckshot slingshot. After pouring it into the condom-shaped end of the slingshot I grabbed on to it and pulled it back all at once with my left hand. After letting go of the stretched out end of the buckshot slingshot a bit more than a tablespoon or so of dirt, just enough for blinding someone was launched at the company commanders face. I''m sure the company commander had no idea how to comprehend what happened. The sand which was fired off with quite a bit of force dispersed without missing it''s mark and in instant passed through the eye portions in the helmet which are almost like a net, and displayed just the effect I was expecting of it. After I fired the slingshot I simultaneously let go of both my slingshot and my wooden sword and went around the company commander closing the distance on his right side. He''s swinging the wooden sword around like crazy but as expected something like that won''t hit. I put a kick into the inner part of his right knee and after his posture collapsed I grabbed his right arm in just the right position to do a one arm shoulder throw (there''s no problem with grabbing on to the inner part of the splint-mail where it''s made of leather) while letting out a yell of "Cheeeesst!" as I lifted him on to my shoulder from his right arm as I lowered my waist and rotated him to the left and then while hitting the company commander''s thigh with my ass I threw him over my shoulder. And with the brass knuckles on my gauntlets I do a thrust at his helmet, and stop short of hitting him. Just the same as the time when I was against the sub-commander I can hit him in the head with my brass knuckles as much as I want. "Greed-kun''s victory!" After it was declared my victory I immediately took off the company commander''s helmet and used the spell shower to create water and wash away the sand I blinded him with. Since I was so happy I won the fact that I failed at holding the power of it back and a bit of the water entered my gloves is a charm point. Alright, I was able to win against the company commander that sister couldn''t defeat! I was so happy that I felt like doing a dance but endured it. However, whether it be the company commander or the sub-commander, if I were to take them on with the sword once more I probably wouldn''t be able to win for as long as I just use the sword. Thinking like that and sister is amazing that she managed to get a hit off of him while fighting countless times, or at least I thought that once again, but I''ll never speak of it. After that, sister and the commander had their match. Unexpectedly the commander lifted the ban on sister''s magic. We moved as far away as we could to observe the practice match. She didn''t go to the point of burying him but she easily concluded things using {Water Bolt Missile} (almost zero attack power). Before the second attack hit the commander was using magic as well to try and desperately intercept it but before he could concentrate and materialize the attack he took a direct hit from sister''s spell and lost. No matter how light the armor is if you lift the ban on sister''s magic it''s impossible. "Hmm, I thought I could dodge magic with this armor though..but, it''s certainly good armor. It''s light and easy to move. The defense is high for it''s weight as well. I like it." After hearing what the commander said we were all shocked. If just by becoming light you could dodge guided magic no one would be troubled. There''s several methods to cancel out a missile that''s being guided but they''re all pretty difficult. 1. Escape from the valid range of the user. 2. Faster than the projectile being guided can hit it''s target interrupt the concentration of the user. Volume 1 - CH 101 Year 7442, Month 12, Day 29 Morning, brother and the others stopped by Boil Manor. Since he had a practice match yesterday I thought he would drag out the day they return by one more day but it seems they''re departing today just as planned. It seems that he''ll be able to come around the middle or near the end of April next. Also it seems that the delivery of goods and taking orders will be the main thing that time but I was asked once again to find a good place to use as a headquarters in the capital. Of course I intended on that so I said leave it to me like you''re riding on a large ship, but obviously he didn''t get it like with Myun. Rather than that, in regards to the condoms made intended for the royal family that I had them bring along but there were 50 bags this time. There''s no way the royal family could need that many. I guess they intended for me to offer them as samples to the nobles and high-class brothels in Rombertia. After listening to various stories it seems that brother still sees room for improvement and is trying to make adjustments to them. I still don''t have any experience on Orth but brother was saying things like "And, how was it? I think the ones I sent you last time should be a bit better than the last time. If there''s anything you''ve noticed let me know." It can''t be helped so I said "How about making them ribbed along the way?" and he showed great admiration. He said, "What! Making them ribbed huh..After all you can notice things well. Once I return I''ll try making a prototype right away. I''ll need to remake a new model but I think it''s a good idea. Honestly speaking it''s not my idea or anything like that. I was overflowing with feeling like I wanted to lower my head to the makers of hygiene products in my previous life. I''m stealing their achievements and saying it almost like I thought of it myself. I feel sorry but this as well is all for the sake of preventing the spread of disease on Orth. Ah, though I feel like making them ribbed has no relation to the prevention of diseases though. After talking until noon about our rough plans from here on out and the reputation of our current products, older brother and the others left. After that I broke a sweat by running and then after getting some practice in the dungeon, I had dinner with Zulu and Angela and spent the rest of the day resting. .............. Year 7442, Month 12, Day 30 Today is New Year''s Eve. Although, just because it''s New Year''s Eve doesn''t mean there''s any changes to the town of Baldukk like in Japan. When I was having breakfast with the slaves just in case I told them that dinner might be late for today. I went and bought another sandwich bento and while using my empty flask as a lunch box I entered the dungeon. Today I intended to investigate the mechanism on how the room bosses revive which I had been putting off until now. Up until now I''ve always avoided entering the rooms to avoid the worst case possibility of danger when I''m in the dungeon alone. Today I intend on spending half a day until night to investigate it. I quickly wiped out a group of goblins I encountered on the way and after taking down the Black Gargantuan Leech that was the boss of the first room, just in case I dragged the corpse to a corner of the room and then sat down on a stone in the opposite corner of the room. Of course I haven''t collected the magic stone from the corpse. The current time is 7 in the morning. 30 minutes have passed. Nothing has changed. Another hour has passed. Nothing has changed. One hour has passed. Nothing has changed. One hour has passed. I can hear the footsteps of what appears to be a group of monsters approaching the room. I prepared my bayonet and was ready to fire off a spell but in the end the footsteps started go far off. One hour has passed. It''s just become noon. I had my lunch while being careful of the corpse that''s covered in the darkness of the corner on the opposite side of the room. My caution ended up meaningless. One hour has passed. Nothing is happening. One hour has passed. I can feel the call of nature. While remaining cautious I took care of my business in a different corner of the room then covered it with dirt. One hour has passed. There''s no change at all. I''m starting to get tired of it already. I made some tea. One hour has passed. There''s still no change as usual. One hour has passed. It''s already 5 pm. I''m almost out of time huh? 30 minutes have passed. Just when I was about ready to head back already. Something like a haze started to swirl in the center of the room. But, it''s just swirling around and there''s nothing in particular that occurred after that. I tried to Identify the haze but I couldn''t do it. I started to get afraid so I left the room to get as far away from the haze as I could. If it''s something like poison gas then it would be bad after all. While observing it from outside of the room I noticed that the haze gradually started to get thicker. I wonder if this is the revival of the room boss? I''d rather not approach it right now but I think it should be fine if I observe it a bit longer, even if I Identify myself I''m still healthy and there''s no change to my condition it seems. The thickness of the haze gradually increases, the center of the whirl is almost like a thick fog with how deep white it''s gotten. The white portion of it is gradually getting bigger. I think it''s already been around five minutes since I noticed the haze. And, from the center of the whirl there was a flash of white light. It wasn''t all that strong. I guess so, something on the level of a 30-40 W fluorescent light. The light immediately disappeared. The fog cleared up at the same time as the light disappeared. And right now where there was a whirl of fog until now there''s a monster in the center of it. It''s a Scavenger Crawler. It''s just appeared and it''s trembling with a purpuruto~ Volume 1 - CH 102 Year 7443, Month 2, Day 5 I''ve started to understand quite a bit about the revival of monsters. An average of about 10 hours after you kill the boss monster of the room something like a haze outbreaks in the center of the room and the new boss is born. The age of the newly born boss is obviously 0 years old but it''s level is somewhat high from the start. And there was something among their details that I had overlooked until now. They have no listing for experience points under the items with Identify. Whether it be Ralpha, myself, other humans, or non-humans if I use Identify on them the very last items on the Identify list are experience points and the amount of experience points to the next level. However, whether it be the goblins or the something or other spider, the monsters inside of the dungeon have listing for experience points. I wonder if the monsters in the forest near Bakuddo or the Horned Bear had them? I usually don''t bother remembering something like that. At the very least the monsters in the vicinity of Bakuddo had children and babies, and raised them. I''ve seen a small baby goblin and I killed both mother and child of a Horned Bear as well. I''ve seen an individual that appeared to be the child of a Hobgoblin as well. However, at the very least inside of the dungeon they appear to be adults but I''ve never even once seen an individual in the process of growing or a child. What I can guess based on the details of the revival I''ve been investigating is that the monsters inside of the dungeon might look similar to those outside but be something completely different. Or maybe the monsters outside of the dungeon are the same as the ones inside and being born from a haze somewhere? Well, I''m not a scholar so things regarding the reproduction and ecology of monsters don''t matter at all. Rather than that it''s fine as long as I can understand the behavior patterns, thought processes, attack methods, and special skills of them. It''s something that might eventually be clarified academically but I''m sure that''s not my duty. I''ve still only seen a handful of revivals so I haven''t gained full confidence in it yet but at the current point these are the common factors of it: 1. After killing the room boss a new room boss will be born in an average of about 10 hours. 2. It''s no guaranteed that the new room boss will be the same type of monster as the previous room boss. 3. The new room boss appears roughly 5-6 minutes after the haze springs forth. 4. The new room boss that has just appeared can''t move well. 5. During the period of time after you kill the previous room boss before the new one revives the monsters that wander around in the halls sometimes enter the room (In other words, even if you''ve killed the room boss the room doesn''t become a safe area). Is what I found out. Between those points as long as I know this much it''s plenty. Just knowing that after you kill the room boss for several hours it will be in a state where there''s no boss is a big step forward in terms of information. ............... Year 7443, Month 2, Day 14 Ralpha, Bel, and I all had our birthday and turned 15 years old. Accompanied by the increase in age all of our HP has increased by 1 each but there was no change to Ralpha and my ability points. Only Bel''s Speed increased by 1 point along with a total increase of 2 HP points. I wonder if it''s differences in growth between races? The night of that after we returned from dinner, I called the two of them to my room in the Boil Manor. As presents for their birthday I gave Ralpha some durable leather gloves and Bel a hat for Rabbit-people race which allows just the ears to come out of it. I was the only one who received an inverness during Christmas last year, so I splurged on something that was reasonably high-quality. I sewed both of their names into them. Ono Misa and Soma Asuka. Don''t underestimate the sewing skills of someone who went through Self-Defense college. It was the first time since I was born that I sewed someone''s name but let alone attaching buttons, I was even able to patch things up. And my sewing needle is the same as my sword it''s a specially made one forged with steel and sharpened. "Al-san, thank you very much. I''ll take good care of it." Bel smiled as she was delighted to receive it and immediately put it on. Yeah, it looks good on you. "Eh? It has my name on it..Wait, this, did Al put it on? You''re extremely good at sewing. Was sewing your hobby? But isn''t that a bit of a depressing hobby for a man?" Yo..You really. At least say a word of thanks. And what do you mean depressing? That''s prejudice right. In the past there were plenty of skilled male tailors. Volume 1 - CH 103 Year 7443, Month 3, Day 10 Even if I''ve determined their destination if they end up moving in the time I''m requesting reinforcements then it''s the end. I guess I should make contact with them even if it''s alone here. I quickly left the restaurant and started following the carriage. It seems that the carriage is empty and it''s going at a decent speed but there''s no way it could go at full-speed in the middle of Rombertia. Since it''s at best going the speed a child runs as long as I don''t lose sight of it I should be able to quickly catch up. I wave the left hand that was holding my inverness while following after them. "Can you wait for just a moment?" There''s no response. I''m sure they don''t think they''re the ones being called out to. The two of them sitting in the coachman''s seat are talking about something and not turning around here. "Hey, wait just a minute." After talking in Japanese and they reacted for the first time. They turned around startled. I breathe a bit heavily while running to the side of the coachman''s seat and continue to talking. "That''s great. You''re Japanese right? If it''s alright with you I want to talk for a bit though." I smiled while saying that. "So you''re Japanese as well! Wakana-chan, it was just as you said coming to Rombertia was the correct answer." The elf man said to the dwarf woman sitting next to him with a voice that had a mix of surprise and joy. I guess Wakana is the original name of the woman? "Ye, Yeah. I''m surprised as well.." The dwarf woman called Wakana looked at me with her eyes wide open while saying that. Well it''s just the reaction I expected from my end and not particularly anything to be surprised about at this point. I assumed it would end up like this when I started forming the net and killing time. It might be possible we could end up meeting one more reincarnated person as well. "Since it''s a bit unusual standing around talking in a place like this. For a long-awaited occasion like this I want to talk in some place we can relax but...Do you have item after this? Do you have any business to take care of?" I returned to the {Common Language} while saying it. It could be possible that they''re from outside of the country or the shitty countryside even further out than Bakuddo so they might not have understood my first words as well. "Yeah, but I want to return to my house once first. I need to take care of my carriage and horses as after all.." The dwarf woman responded. It was clearly pronounced in the {Common Language}. I guess they just couldn''t hear me calling out to them from behind because the surroundings were noisy. "Ah, I guess that''s true. You, is it fine to talk tonight? We''ll come back tonight, let''s talk in some kind of restaurant." The elf man has a bit of an accent to it but he started talking in the {Common Language} as well. By the way, it seems that we''re an obstruction to traffic. It seems it would be best to quickly setup an appointment and finish things there. "I understand. I''ll reserve a restaurant. I''ll make the reservation under the name Greed. The place is..I guess so, is "Rokidd" fine? Do you know of it?" Rokidd is the high-class restaurant my sister used once when they celebrated her passing. It seems it''s quite famous. "Eh? "Rokidd"? At an expensive place like that.." "It seems you know about it. Please relax, the one invited you was me. I''ll take care of the bill." I smile while saying in order to try and relax the two of them. If it''s money than I have it, if it''s money. If it''s the first time then I''ll at least treat you. "Is that so? Then we''ll rely on your words. Is around 7 fine?" "7 it is. I understand. I''ll be waiting for you. Greed is my name. I''m Alan Greed. In Japan I was called Kawasaki Takeo." "I''m Gulinel Akdam. In Japan my name was Nishioka Wakana." "I''m Tolkelis Kalstalan. Just the same I was Sema Yousuke." My right eyebrow raised up. So this good looking guy is Sema Yousuke? For an elf he looks pretty human but he''s extraordinarily {handsome}. Rather you could even say he''s more charming than a normal thin and beautiful elf. Since he''s with a woman right now it might be a good idea to keep quiet about Bel. If these two are mutually in love then..I''ll be troubled. Since Bel is a splendid adult who can make judgements on her own so in the worst case she might pull back herself. However, I''m sure something like romantic feelings can''t be explained away so easily like that. Even more so since I''ve seen Bel''s course of continuing to feel for Sema Yousuke from nearby her. Volume 1 - CH 104 Year 7443, Month 3, Day 10 The one knocked on the door was a waiter of the restaurant. Since my two guests have arrived he wanted to confirm if it was alright to let them pass. Since it was a group of two a male elf and a female dwarf I said to let them in. Akdam and Kalastan entered the room from behind the waiter. While looking around curiously at the extravagant interior they said admirable things like "sorry about this" or "thanks for the meal". Akdam seems to have changed, her clothes are pretty neat but Kalstalan is still working slightly dirty clothes. I''m glad I paid the waiter a bribe. "Ah, excuse me but is it fine if I go to the toilet really quick? Kalstalan how about you join me? It''s quite amazing." I went to the toilet ahead of time to check it out. There''s a urinal that was carved out from a stone like marble, and they''ve put a bag of perfume or something into the drainage pipe so it''s an insanely luxurious toilet for Orth. It was a bit coercive but I invited Kalstalan and brought him to the toilet. After we entered the toilet I started talking to him. "You said your name was Sema Yousuke right? What is your relationship with Akdam-san?" "What''s with the sudden change in tone? Well it''s fine though." What''s he saying. The first time we met and even just now the one who''s been using a crude way of speaking is you right. "I think I got to know her around one month or so ago? I saved her when she and her parents caravan was being attacked by Orks. It''s just that but what about it?" Ho~ Thank goodness...I''m relieved. "I see..That''s great...I can finally relax. At the very least you don''t have any sort of romantic feelings towards that girl right? I just wanted to confirm that." After I said that and while Kalstalan didn''t see to get the meaning it seems he thought of something. "Ah, that sort of thing. It''s true that for a dwarf that girl is shapely and cute after all. I do feel sorry for her but I don''t have any sort of romantic interest in her so you can rest easy. I won''t interfere between you either." It seems he''s misunderstanding something. And it seems that going off the way he''s talking Akdam might be interested in Kalstalan? Or is this guy just too self-conscious? "Ah, it''s not that sort of thing. What I wanted to confirm was just your feelings. Yousuke-san. In addition please let me confirm one more thing. You, do you have a woman?" After I said that and this time he started to slowly back away from me while saying. "I''m not a homo so don''t hold any hopes in that direction. I have a woman I''m in love with. I need to search for her." Who''s the homo, this bastard. Well it''s fine. I grin and smile and "I see. Also I''m not a homo either." and I just said that shut away my parts into my pants. I took a glance to the side. Ah, this guy is smaller than me~ Not to mention it''s still covered the same as me. This is a weird place for it but after all I thought he was the same Japanese and got a bit happy about it. "I''m happy now that I was able to hear that from you. It''s fine if you look forward to it." I scooped some water out of the water jug and washed my hands while saying that and, "Look forward to what? It''s true I''m happy to have met another Japanese and I thought I wanted to ask various things but..Ah, is the food here that amazing?" He washes his hands the same as me and wipes them with the towel hanging on the wall before I pushed his back while saying, "Well it''s fine, in any case look forward to it." that and we returned to the private room. Akdam was alone and looking kind of uneasy at the table but after Kalstalan and I returned to the room she made a relieved expression. "Ah, that''s right. Akdam-san, you should look forward to it as well." "Eh? What?" After I said that and she made a strange face while looking at me and then looked at Kalstalan. Kalstalan said, Volume 1 - CH 105 ? Year 7443, Month 3, Day 10 "Then, make sure not to lose your contract. If possible it''s best to leave it in a place you can trust. I''m holding on to one myself and the last one I''m leaving with the government office. That''s why if I weren''t to pay your wages then you could claim to the government office that I''m defaulting on the contract and force me to pay it. Though during those times you need to either prove you''re a noble with status open or or proof of paying taxes." I looked at their faces while saying that and smiled. "Well, you don''t need to worry about it. Al properly takes care of things like that." "He doesn''t say anything unreasonable as well, and he properly thinks about our combat capability..Al-san will you not talk to them about that stuff?" I wonder what those sorts of things are? I can roughly imagine though. "Yeah, I intended to tell them about it after this. Since you two have already met God, I think you should already know about leveling up right...Yeah, just I expected. However, if it''s just that then I can''t give you any more than 30 points." Toris and Gwine are looking at me strangely. "This is something I''ve talked about with a reincarnated person I talked to previously, I''ve actually tried verifying myself, and imagined from various settings, so I can''t say it''s completely accurate but I think it''s an answer that''s as close to 100 points as possible." I said that as a preface and took a sip of my tea. It''s not my favorite bean tea but just as one would expect from a high class restaurant, it has a satisfying fragrant smell and taste. "There''s one more form of level other than the level of abilities. For convenience purposes, I call it the body level. Since you can''t see it like the levels of abilities with status open, there''s no way of proving it but I''m sure without a doubt that body level "exists". Have you two tried playing a game in your past life? Yeah, since you two were young I thought that was the case. Then things should be fast." I gave the simple explanation of likening it to RPGs on a computer. Obviously they weren''t able to suddenly accept it but what''s important right now is to put this sort of knowledge into their heads as "this information exists". Honestly speaking, since the level of both of them isn''t anything special it''ll increase right away I''m sure. Particularly Gwine since her level is low she should increase a number of levels all at once. In that case I''m sure they would be able to actually feel the benefits of increases in their status. Even in the case of Zulu and Angela, non-humans who''s status is originally pretty high seem to feel the effects of leveling up consecutively. If Gwine who''s originally ability values are low we''re to level up in the same way then I''m sure she''ll definitely notice it. This should be the same for Toris. That''s why for now this is fine. "Things like that I''m sure that you two will become conscious of yourselves after actually hunting monsters in the dungeon." I said that and looked at their faces again. They''re looking at me with suspicious expressions. "Yeah, it''s not unreasonable to believe it so suddenly. That''s right, how about we do a simple experiment? Toris, you said you''ve been an adventurer for about two years right? Bel has been for about one year and furthermore she''s a woman. If the two of you arm-wrestle I think you''ll understand well." "Eh? That sounds interesting. I want to do it as well! I think I''ve built up quite a bit of power recently!" Ralpha, I didn''t say it to you. Well, it''s fine though. "Well, it''s weird to do it here, so, look, what was it. Toris, try doing it with Bel later. I think you probably won''t be able to win. If you''re always training in a way that we can''t even imagine it would be different but even then you should be surprised by how much power Bel has. If you do that then you should be able to accept the conversation from just now a bit more. For Gwine..that''s right, how about this?" I went to the entrance of the room where there''s nothing around and suddenly did a handstand. Just like that I bent my elbow and lowered my body down until it was level with the ground and switched to a horizontal handstand. And then I went back to a normal handstand. Of course I don''t have anything other than the palms of my hands on the ground. After repeating it several times and I started doing pushups while doing a horizontal handstand. My breath gets a bit disordered but nothing special. Yeah. It''s my first time trying it but I''m sure it''s something I can do supported by high ability values. Toris and Gwine were dumbfounded. It seems Bel and Ralpha were surprised as well but these two made expressions like it somehow made sense. "I think you already know that something like just now could only be done by a gymnastics athlete who has gone through quite a bit of training in our previous life right? Well gymnastics athlete might be saying a bit too far but it''s impossible with just physical strength. You understand that it also requires a sense of balance right? It also needs the stamina to repeat high-burden movement as well. I don''t know if Bel and Ralpha can do as far this but it''s true the two of them should have an unnatural level of stamina and strength for 15 year old girls. You should really try arm-wrestling them later and confirming it." I said it Toris and Gwine who still had their mouths opened shocked. Continuing on, "Also, you two, if you were born in Rombert Kingdom then I think you know of it but..particularly Gwine since she was born in Rombertia she should obviously know it..though this is just bragging, just as Ralpha said, at the next of last year through some connections I ended up having practice matches with the commander, sub-commander, and third company commanders of the first knight group. Unfortunately I lost to the commander but I won against the other two. And this is being a poor loser, since it was a practice match before the Queens I wasn''t allowed to use the weapon I''m the best at using. Since it''s related to my Unique Ability I wasn''t even able to use magic which is even more a specialty of mine. Even then I was able to put up a decent fight with the commander. Since it''s the story of a person involved and you haven''t seen it yourselves I''m sure it''s hard to believe, but it''s true. I think that a big portion of it is thanks to increases in my body level." As expected I doubt it''s just a matter of an increase in my abilities thanks to level ups but even then it''s necessary to steadily (in my case I have Gift of Natural Talent so it''s not as much of something to brag about though) accumulate hardships by experiencing danger and killing monsters. The sword techniques I''ve had beaten into me since I was an infant are the same, and if I didn''t have the knowledge and fighting techniques I had trained with from my past life I doubt I would have been able to fight that well. "I can declare it but Toris and Gwin if you dedicate time to training and..I don''t know if this is the appropriate way of expressing it, but killing monsters in order to gain experience then one day I think you''ll be able to do something like this as well." ............. Volume 1 - CH 106 Year 7443, Month 3, Day 12 Today, once again I tried going to the real estate agency aimed towards businesses. If possible a building which has a storefront attached on the main street close to the castle would (Obviously enough space for one family to live is also necessary) be good. Since it will also act a work place it needs good water circulation, in other worlds a location where it''s easy to use the drainage is desirable. I conveyed these conditions and said to contact me at the Boil Manor of Baldukk where I''m staying if something is found. I told them that if it was a purchase then 30,000,000 Z (30 gold coins), or lease then I''ll pay up to 2,000,000 Z. This amount is slightly higher than the market price. Since I said everything I wanted I quickly left the real estate agency but since I did a preliminary inspection of places that seemed to be good prospects it ended up eating quite a bit of time. During that time Gwine and the others went to Gwine''s house and loaded all of her belongings for the time being into her carriage. I''m sure it''s not a lot of stuff but it seems she''s also going to discuss with an acquaintances company about taking over the grains and vegetable seeds remaining in inventory as well. I was sure they would take a reasonable amount of time so I thought my business would finish sooner but they had already arrived at the meeting place. Since we didn''t know at all how much time we would take we just vaguely set the meeting time to afternoon so it can''t be helped but I felt a bit sorry I made the four of them wait. However, it seems they only arrived about 10 minutes before I did so it was perfect timing. Looking at the carriage and their belongings are one backpack that seems to belong to Toris and this should be Gwine''s stuff, there''s two large baskets that seem to be came from rattan, three or four small baskets that I can see. They all seem to be made of knitted rattan and have a lid on them. As expected she has more belongings than Bel and Ralpha. Furthermore, in regards to Gwine''s horse and carriage, we ended up setting negotiations with me buying the two horses for 5,000,000 Z and 6,000,000 Z each, and the carriage for 2,000,000 Z for total of 13,000,000 Z. The reason the prices of the horses is different is because it varies based on their age. The average lifespan of a horse is around 30 years. It seems rarely there''s individuals that live over 40 though. One of the horses was 12 years old, the ideal age for working and breeding so it cost the highest level of money and the other horse is 20 years old so that reduced the price a bit but honestly it''s still around 1,000,000 Z more expensive than the market price. The carriage was right on the market price. Gwine was grateful for it, but it''s fine. If it''s gratitude that can be bought with money then it''s a good idea to buy it when the timing is right. Seeing that the three others each made different expressions. Obviously, it''s an amount where I asked the market price at a horse merchant and added a bit of a bonus to that so I didn''t seem like an idiot who doesn''t know the market price, or at least I''ll just say that. After we finished up all of our business in the afternoon, it''s finally time to depart to Baldukk. Since the luggage has been reduced by quite a bit there''s no problem with two on the coachman''s seat and two in the back of the carriage. Yeah, well if I think about travel from here on out and while the price of the horses was a bit high it wasn''t a bad purchase. Once I''ve made a headquarters for the company the convenience of having a carriage is completely different after all. Until then it''ll be fine if I use it like this as a small bus. We met up with Zenom and the others as they were pulling out of the dungeon before dinner and once again started doing introductions while we all had dinner. It''s deviating from our usual plans but tomorrow morning we''re to do cooperation training. It''s because it''s necessary to properly confirm Toris and Gwine''s movements before we enter the dungeon. It''s probably dangerous to include Gwine in the combat potential for the time being but it''s still necessary to see how she carries her body, her stamina, and speed. We''re adventurers who have finally just peeked into the 4th floor but since I''m here we rarely ever run into situations where we''re troubled with combat or need to retreat. However, you never know what will happen in the dungeon. It''s not like every place has been explored after all, like that strange trap we''ve only run into once on the 2d floor, there''s a countless number of unknown points in the dungeon. There''s not even a perfect map of every corner of the 1st floor. I''m sure this would be different to produce even with Gwine''s Unique Ability. Since she can only store information she''s seen with her eyes in memory, it''s the same that there''s no information on traps after all. ............. Year 7443, Month 3, Day 13 One day has passed and it''s Monday, after breakfast we''re all doing cooperation training. Toris was born in a Viscount family and it seems that sword techniques were pounded into him, but that night, it seems he lost to Bel in arm-wrestling so I remember him talking about it with a complicated face. "Toris, Gwine, listen well to what I''m going to say. The sword and spear have several roughly decided forms. As a matter of fact there''s only a handful number of forms you absolutely have to remember. Putting it simply just remember boxing. Jab and straight. The basic punches are these two. If you go into application then there''s the hook, uppercut, but ultimately it''s fine with just the jab and straight. It''s crucial to first be able to use the jab accurately and look for the best timing to use a straight. If you can do this properly while you might not make it to champion you should be able to do decently. Is up to here fine?" I show the way to punch with a shadow while saying that. While looking at the two of them nod I, "In terms of the attacks of a punch those two are fine at the start. But, what you must never forget is the method of defense. Step, guarding with your arms, swaying, ducking, weaving, there''s far more methods of defense than there are attack. Of course, there''s also countless methods to move from defense to counterattack as well. That''s why if you can just properly practice one or two fundamental attack methods, after that I think it''s just a matter of polishing your technique to protect yourselves." Volume 1 - CH 107 Year 7443, Month 4, Day 20 There''s no problem with combat and no problem with producing the map as well. The only the thing we need to be cautious of is the positioning of traps. Since Toris and Gwine joined us traps, or rather it''s limited to pitfalls but I thought of a strange method around them. I create water with water magic and stretch it out extremely long and thin with a depth of a few centimeters following along the passage. Since combat hasn''t been very difficult either I use the magic {Light} without restraint as well. If there''s a pitfall then the water will drip down into it so if you go close-by it''s easy to tell. After I thought of this method the efficiency in our exploration dramatically went up. We''ve filled in to the point where only 20-30% of blank space is remaining on our map of the 3rd floor. That means in barely a month we were able to fill in close to half of it, it''s a miraculous pace. We were able to fill in a small portion of the blank spaces on the 1st and 2nd floors as well. Though we''re only moving through the 1st and 2nd floors to pass by but thanks to Gwine''s Unique Ability the scattered scaling issues of the map that made it difficult to use have been improved a bit. The newcomers levels have increased as well. Particularly Gwine who''s level was low, I''ve been giving her priority in earning experience points so her level has suddenly risen. At first when I started to let just her kill monsters I used, "since she''s lacking in combat experience so in order for her to get used to killing faster" as a retarded sounding reason but it seems that everyone had some ideas on what I was doing so they agreed with it. Particularly Ralpha said, "Ah, I get that. I disliked killing goblins when I was little as well. It took quite a bit of time to swing a weapon at a living opponent without hesitation... On my first time I just got lost in it so I was able to do it but a short while after that I became afraid of swinging my Nata." You, so you used a Nata when you were a child. I''m sure it''s lighter than an axe so it''s fine though. Bel as well said, "That''s right. Though the first thing I killed was a wild rabbit with the bow though. I hated it a bit. Though since it was for the sake of eating I was able to come to terms with it right away." It was only the reincarnated people but everyone made a face that said "well that''s cannibalism after all", Zenom, Zulu, and Angela just nodded. After that Bel said, "Maruso, how was it for you? I want to hear your opinion as a woman as well." and brought Angela into the conversation but, "Since the first killing I did was in the dungeon..I just obeyed by the orders of my master at that time, so I didn''t feel anything in particular.." and responded with a composed face. Well unless it''s someone who was raised in the town the people of Orth get used to killing a lot of animals while they''re children. Strangling the chickens you keep at your house and helping out with slaughtering the pigs kept in the neighborhood are common occurrences. In Bakuddo the Dokush family had a monopoly on hunting but if it''s a village with no hunting specialist then it''s not hard to imagine that something like the lord or squires hunting game while patrolling around being a daily occurrence. Even Toris "Yeah, I hunted a White-Hair Deer as well. That was delicious. However, when the arrows o the squires hit the White-Hair deer to finish them off the first couple of times I threw up." said that. Zulu and Angela were a bit surprised hearing Bel and Toris conversation. It was as though they think that hunting game or killing livestock for the sake of eating doesn''t even enter the realm of killing. "Gwine, I think you already know but if you aren''t used to killing things then the stress accumulates. It''s true you''ve seen adventurers kill monsters from nearby and said you''ve seen them disassemble them as well but there''s a big difference between seeing and actually doing it with your own hands. However, there''s no other than to take care of this as it comes by and in the end it will connect to your ability to make decisions when your own life is in danger. In regards to this regardless of what you wish for, I can''t afford to listen, so in the first place I won''t ask your way of thinking on it. I''ll use my authority from the contract. Just think of this as an order from your employer. That''s why, if you feel any kind of strong stress just think it can''t be helped because it''s my order." "Yes, but I think it will be fine." Gwine properly looked at my eyes while responding. But, when it comes to this there''s no other way than to actually try putting it into practice... "I see, then that''s good. Now, since it''s Toris and Gwine''s first time in the dungeon, you never know what will come out at first.." I said that and used the spell {Audible Clamor} to call out a group of monsters and they normally stabbed the goblins from the edges, killed them, and gathered the magic stones without a single complaint. As expected it''s waste of time to gather magic stones from goblins so I stopped them but it seems my fear was just needless anxiety. ............. Since brother and the others should be coming to the capital again near the end of this month to deliver armor, after that''s over I intend to start seriously challenging the 4th floor. Incidentally, there''s still no contact from the real estate agency in the capital. Since it''s not common for a good location to empty out, it seems that they''re investigating the owner of building in a good location and searching for those who are leasing the building from it''s owner. The management situation of their store doesn''t look very good so they''re looking even deeper into information on their situation of paying rent. It would be the greatest if they go into default. If we use that as a reason to negotiate with the landlord and either buy the building or pay several years of rent in advance then it seems something can be done about it. However, I wonder if a store in a good location of that huge city would really fall into enough of a management slump to be unable to pay the rent? I''m a bit doubtful about things around that area. Well in regards to the real estates acquisition the location meets the conditions, and above else it''s a story that already has a candidate. There''s nothing that can be done by getting impatient so I''ll just hold out on that one. I''m sure there''s no need for me to do anything careless. If it seems like they really aren''t able to do anything about it this year, then it''s just a matter of prostrating myself before the knight group or royalty or something. Rather than that, what I''m interested in is that one other reincarnated person that I think exists. I thought it was Gwine that I saw at the end of the year but she said, "That might be the case but I don''t remember." Of course if it was her then there''s no problem. However, it might have been a different adventurer than her. However, it''s my true feelings that I want to secure as many reincarnated people as I can. In the first place what I caught a glimpse of might have been Gwine, and since I have no proof that it was a different person, it''s a problem though I feel wasting anymore time on it would be difficult. If I knew for sure it was a different person even if it wastes some time I could have moved to secure them but... There''s the possibility of setting up a net again and trying to search for the adventurer or merchant reincarnated person I saw at the end of the year as well. However, in comparison to previously our numbers have increased by two all at once, and I don''t feel we''re lacking in any combat potential in the dungeon right now so I can''t bring myself to decide on setting up a net again. Although, I think the possibility is low that the same methods as now will keep working enemies on the 4th and 5th floors so sooner or later I feel like I might setup another net again. Volume 1 - CH 108 Year 7443, Month 8, Day 21 Today is Wednesday so it''s the day we have off. Normally I''d take Zulu along as escort while practicing magic on the 1st floor or earning some experience points but it seems my plans for today are going to change a bit. After eating breakfast and just as I was about to head out to my usual stuff fully equipped at Boil Manor. There was a knock on the door and after looking outside the apprentice of Boil Manor informs me of a visitor. I don''t have any ideas as to who it is but it might be another person who wants to join my party that''s increased in number recently. Nevertheless, it might be a member of the first knight group who needs some urgent maintenance to their armor as well. I wonder if the latex in sister''s repair kit has run out? Last month brother and the others brought me quite a bit of it when they came for deliveries so I have quite a bit of surplus, it might be good to quickly do some repairs and earn some small change, thinking that I went to the front and there was a middle-aged dwarf I don''t remember seeing before accompanied by a young Laios man who is probably a servant waiting for me. Judging from his appearance and physique I doubt he''s related to the knight group or an adventurer that wants to join my part. I wonder if he''s a person related to the finances of the knight group? Even then he doesn''t seem like he''s related to the army. "I''m Greed but.." I called out to him like to catch his attention. The man turned around to face me and politely lowered his head to greet me. "It''s nice to meet you, my name is Yohen Logflat. I run a certain store in the capital. I would like to talk with you for a bit but is it convenient for you right now?" and said that confirming my situation. Is this man, that I guess? Did he come to directly negotiate with me in regards to the matter of a headquarters for Greed Company? I tried Identifying him and he''s the head of Sub-Baron Logflat family. His level is 10 which is decently high but he''s already 45 years old. I guess he misunderstood I was looking at the Laios man next to him when I glanced to his side to check the identify window but Sub-Baron Logflat opened his mouth again. "Ah, this person is my guard and slave. Please don''t mind them." I see, so he''s bringing around a combat slave as a guard? I thought the capital and it''s surroundings were safe but since I''ve never seen the head of a noble family walking around in the middle of town so I wonder if this is normal? or at least I decided to think that and not worry about it. But, as expected it''s hard to think that the head of a noble family would come all the way here from the capital without an escort, so I guess it''s only obvious. "Yes. There''s no problem with time but what is the reason for your business?" If he has a building in a good location that he''ll offer to me I definitely want to jump at that but I don''t want him to hike up the price either. Well if it''s some plus-alpha that remains within common sense then it''s fine so I don''t mind if he hikes it up a but this Sub-Baron Logflat has a refined smile on his face and I can''t read his intentions. Among the many one-track minded people of Orth you could say he has quite the good business sense. "Dealing with the Greed Company" In the next moment, a voice called out from above the stairs. "Isn''t that Sub-Baron Logflat!? Why are you in a place like this?" It was Zenom. It seems he''s an acquaintance of this Sub-Baron Logflat. He quickly descended the stairs and opened his mouth again. Volume 1 - CH 109 Year 7443, Month 8, Day 22 Just now we teleported from the 2nd floor of the dungeon in Baldukk to the 3rd floor. We just finished eating lunch and taking a break for about an hour in the teleport crystal room of the 2nd floor. Since it''s summer right now, we''ve been exploring since a bit before 6 am. The time has just passed noon or so. I''d say 12:15. I guess I''ll get to checking the number on the crystal rod right away. 84 huh? Since it''s an early number I''m sure we''ve come before. I tried confirming with Gwine and "It''s true we''ve come before. I can remember this place." is what she said. Just from a glance it feels like being in the center of a passage made of stone and you can''t tell it apart from other places on the 3rd floor. However, I guess her Unique Ability can tell the vague differences in the width of the passage, the unevenness of the walls, floor, and the ceiling. If while using her Unique Ability she says "We''ve come here before" then that''s a place we''ve visited before. She hasn''t been mistaken about it even once up to now. It''s a frightening level of memorization in regards to terrain. And her ability to call up those memories and create an accurate map, has in some ways become an staggering force in battle. She doesn''t things like the direction or where each area of the dungeon connects together but at the very least Ralpha can accurately determine the direction. By combining their two abilities together up until now our party has reached the point where when exploring a new area we only have to be careful of the traps. Today we had already referenced our map and after determining that there was roughly five hours to the teleport crystal room on the 3rd floor, we started walking. It''s necessary to pass through five rooms to get to the small room with the teleport crystal. I want to quickly pass through and secure our rest spot on the 3rd floor before evening. It''s already mostly become an operation, I freeze the lower bodies of monsters we meet on the way and then we kill them. If it''s on the level of gnolls then for the sake of practicing our coordination we try fighting normally as well. In regards to the powerful monsters in the rooms we use magic to kill them all at once without pushing ourselves. We gather the magic stones almost like a machine and after double-checking the map we continue further into the dungeon. When killing monsters if we have some leeway then Bel and Ralpha will use attack magic to damage them as well. We''re winning easily and aren''t struggling either. It''s still the 3rd floor and the monsters have only increased in type by a few from the monsters on the 1st and 2nd floors. It''s fine as long as I use magic to create ice, observe the battle(massacre), and remember to be cautious of our surroundings. Honestly speaking, as long as I don''t let my guard down we can manage just about anything. Of course, there''s not a single fool who would openly let their guard down in the dungeon. Just as planned we arrived at the small room with the teleport crystal rod by evening. It''s open today. Other than us there''s two parties, a total of 17 people here before us. I''m already acquaintances with them. I create some dirt in the Northeast corner of the room that''s gradually become our fixed place and after evening out the surface we start preparing to camp. In order to quickly get some rest and prepare for the 4th floor tomorrow, everyone moves quickly. I put some hot water into the portable stove magic tool and while I was at it put some hot water in the 40 cm diameter bucket that Zulu was carrying as well. I took my shoes and shocks off before putting my feet in that bucket and start massaging them. Zulu is a master of the foot massage. Angela isn''t bad at it but there''s no one who exceeds Zulu in in putting in just the right amount of power. After washing my feet and having him massage them for about 10 minutes, I exchange the water in the bucket. We all feel like we''re going to melt from Zulu''s massage but it''s heavy labor for Zulu. During that time Angela puts vegetables or dried meat into a pot with hot water and stirs them up. At the same time she thinly cuts some bread and puts ham and mayonnaise on them to prepare simple sandwiches. We eat in the order after we''ve had our feet massages and finally Zulu and Angela eat until they''re full. I put some dirt into the empty bucket. If you have to go to the bathroom you take this bucket to an appropriate place outside of the room and after taking care of your business you cover it with dirt. Since monsters won''t come within 100 m of the room as long as you don''t go too far away you can relax and take care of your business. Excretions are absorbed by the dungeon in a period of about one month as far as I can tell. Corpses as well other than the bones and magic stone feel like they''re decomposed and absorbed in about a month. Even leather armor at most lasts around two to three months. Dirt and water that''s been create with magic and lasts permanently (water evaporates), equipment, and things which have a lot of metal will remain there until someone cleans them up. Also, cotton, hemp, and articles of clothing remain over quite a long period of time as well. It seems that lumber remains for a number of years but it''s hard to determine if this is just because the amount of time it takes for it to rot is too long and it''s being absorbed or just rotting away. Since there''s not much moisture on the 1st and 3rd floors it seems a lot of it maintains it''s original form for quite a while. I''ve talked with Bel and Ralpha about this a number of times in the past. Since it seems Toris and Gwine are interested as well they asked various questions but Zenom, Zulu, and Angela don''t have much interest at all and if I try to point the conversation in their direction it''s, "I don''t know" if I keep asking then it finally reaches "is there some kind of meaning in knowing that?". I think this is probably the normal way of thinking for the average person on Orth. If it''s not something that has direct relation to yourself then it''s quickly removed as a target of interest. Well it''s true that in the dungeon there''s a lot more things than that you should be paying attention to and those things directly have relation to your safety and life so it''s not unreasonable. In our past lives we may have thought about the mysteries of the universe at some point but rather than something like that the weight of interest ends up leaning towards worries about our job tomorrow and reviewing for the next test at school. Things like whether or not Pluto is a planet of the solar system or about a new type of deep-sea fish that''s been discovered were unrelated to our lives. Even when it comes to how many people are dying in a war on the other side of the planet, or how many tens of thousands of children are starving it just ends up as fund-raiser, and just being satisfied or basking in that for a short while is plenty to erase it from your memory a short while afterwards. Even if a new insulation material has been developed and it comes to putting it in the walls of your house, if your wallet doesn''t seem like it can manage it then you''ll just remain satisfied with your current living environment and almost no one will try to gather more information than that. Things like the new carbon shaft of a new model of driver that sends the ball flying, without having your heart pulled towards that, unless it''s a person with a certain amount of interest in golf they would overlook that news. In essence it''s the same thing as that. If it has no direct relation to your body recently then it won''t arouse your interest. The moment you think "it has no relation me right now" your interest in it will largely be reduced. I''m sure that since reincarnated people have a high standard of education the degree at which interest is reduced is just smaller. I guess even more than that since they have a large combat potential like myself here it''s lowered their sense of crisis enough that they have the composure to hold interest in trivial things? It''s hard to decide if this composure is a good thing or a bad thing. I was thinking about unstoppable things like that with my eyes closed wrapped up in my qiviut blanket as I fell asleep. However, all of the small teleport crystal rooms in the dungeon have a temperature which feels like it''s in the early 10 degrees C all year around. It''s nice in the summer because it''s not hot but it''s painful that you can''t let go of your blanket. ............. Volume 1 - CH 110 Year 7443, Month 8, Day 23 I finished keeping lookout and after waking Bel and Zenom up in the end I was able to fall asleep again by 3 am. And I was woken up at 5 am. After cleaning up our camping luggage, erasing the dirt on the floor, and confirming our equipment, I guess it''s around 5:30 right now that we''re holding the teleport crystal rod to the 4th floor. I chant the usual teleport incantation that makes no sense at all and we step foot on the 4th floor. The 4th floor has the moisture of the 2nd floor and the white walls are similar to the 2nd floor as well made of dirt and stone. Also, it smells. It smells a lot. Since the walls are still giving off a faint light there''s no for lighting. Gwine immediately uses her Unique Ability {Mapping} and determines if we''ve come here in the past or if it''s an unknown place. "It seems that this is our first time here." I see, then it''s a good chance to fill in the blanks in our map. After hearing Gwine''s words and everyone started searching the pedestal of the crystal rod for the direction of the symbol. When you get to the 4th floor there''s about a 50/50 probability of finding a number. "O..h~ North is that direction." Ralpha uses her {Spatial Understanding} Unqiue Ability to confirm the direction. I searched as well but couldn''t find a number. Then number 137. "Bel, 137." After I said that Bel she lowered her bag and took a brush and bottle of ink out. Then after searching for the direction the symbol on the pedestal points she wrote {‰Ò²ÎÆá}. In order to prevent other parties from reading it, it''s important to use numbers in kanji. I was amazed when Toris and Bel first proposed this. Up until then without thinking too much about it we were just using Orth numbers. We thought about a mix of normal Arabia numbers and kanji numbers but since the structure of the characters is too simple someone might be able to figure out the rules to them right away so I thought it couldn''t be helped. By the way, just now we wrote the kanji numbers in alternative kanji but writing {°ÙÈýÊ®Æß} is fine as well and so is {‰Ò°Ù3Ê®7}. Since it''s fine as long as no other parties can read it. As proof of that occasionally we find some symbols we don''t understand either. I think they''re probably writing a code instead of numbers. Bel quickly finished writing and after confirming she put away her tools, I made a wind in the passage and focus on discovering hidden pitfalls like the 1st and 2nd floors. Furthermore, the monsters on the 4th floor have nothing in common with those on the 3rd floor. Orks and Hobgoblins don''t come out either. What comes out is just Zombies of those. Goblin-Zombie, Gnoll-Zombie, Ork-Zombie, Hobgoblin-Zombie is what they''ve become and in exchange for the Speed dropping quite a bit their Endurance has jumped multiple times higher so it takes quite a bit of time to finish them off. In the end, since they''re rotting corpses that are moving around the bad smell when fighting or taking the magic stones is seriously something hard to put into words. Since their HP is high you''d think the experience points they give would increase but their levels have dropped by 1 or 2 so they don''t have as much experience points as I thought. Even then since their HP is high they''re a bit better than their non-zombie counterparts. The boss rooms are almost what you could call Ghouls and (as a matter of fact I''ve never seen anything other than that) in most cases they attack in groups of more than 10 of them. Their attacks are like the Scavenger Crawler where they have the ability to paralyze the targets they bite so it''s quite a difficult fight. However, thanks to practicing my Remove Paralysis spell in our case it''s not that much of a problem. Well~ putting it simply since I can use the spell {Flame Thrower} I can just burn them to death in no time at all. Since there''s the problem of experience points I''m still fundamentally freezing their lower bodies and after hitting down their weapons which are just being swung around, we cut off their arms and everyone finishes them off so it''s honestly not much different from until now. Since they look disgusting everyone''s already tired of the 4th floor. Among us reincarnated people, including the women we assumed there were Zombies and Ghouls that would come out eventually in this world, and we had already known ahead of time that the 4th floor was a nest of Undead Monsters so we had prepared ourselves for it and didn''t panic. However, Angela''s feelings of disgust towards the "moving corpses" was severe and she''s often throwing up. It''s pitiful but it can''t be helped. Whether it be Zombies or Ghouls the smell is terrible but the bad smell floating around in the air of the floor itself is bad and Angela Super Sense of Smell isn''t very useful. Since Infrared Vision is an ability which feels differences in temperature it''s completely useless as well. Since the body temperature of the Undead Monsters isn''t any different from the surrounding temperature after all. There''s a small number which get caught up in Zulu''s Night Vision and Bel''s Super Sense of Hearing but since Undead Monsters don''t normally move around much, so honestly speaking other than my Identify Vision they''re almost completely useless. Well when it comes to Zulu''s Night Vision he can see a bit further down the passage and since they''ve lost their ability to charge from before they turned into Zombies so it''s a big help we almost never get ambushed. After sending some air down and blowing away any dirt that''s camouflaging the pitfalls it''s about time for us to proceed ahead. Starting from this floor in most pitfalls there''s something like a wooden reverse stake buried inside of them. Also, the traps where arrows shoot at you have increased from the 3rd floor as well. In a position where you can or can''t see a turn, on the wall in front of you of about 30-40 m they''re fired from somewhere on the floor around there and there''s almost always a switch to launch it hidden on the floor somewhere. Since just like the pitfalls it makes these easier to find they''re not that much of a threat to us either. Rather than that what we''re all sick of is the hidden doors. The zombies that are in the halls are fine. Since their movements are dull and they have a lot of stamina, other than the fact that they''re difficult to defeat right away it''s just an extension of everything up to now. However the doors which are skillfully hidden in various places of the dungeon are troublesome. Around 30-60 seconds after we''ve passed the hidden door it opens and Zombies start coming out in swarms. I can find them with Identify but when that''s not the case it''s extremely difficult to notice them unless you get close so they''re troublesome. When I first saw one I couldn''t even imagine there was a door in the dirt and stone wall so I tried Identifying it. Well it came out as {Door} so I understood right away but when I discovered the hidden door I was in the middle of the formation. It couldn''t be helped so I had to wait until we were somewhat close before "Hey~ isn''t that area strange?" Volume 1 - CH 111 Year 7443, Month 8, Day 23 Since we somehow defeated a powerful opponent that we don''t know much about and we obtained a number of items we took a small break after that while discussing what to do. ..As expected this time was no good. I didn''t expect that I would have to cut my trump card. No, to be more precise I didn''t think I would have to use it at the level of the 4th floor. I thought at most I might end up needing to use it on a deeper floor like the 5th or 6th floors but honestly speaking I can''t say anything other than that I was underestimating it. I had Identified him about one second after he jumped down next to Toris. He was probably disintegrated around 5-6 seconds after that but I feel like I fought him for over a minute. Since I only glanced at them I don''t remember for sure but I saw Vampire and including magic he had a mountain of special skills. He even should have had over 200 HP. If something like that comes out again then this time it''ll be bad. I only have 3,700 MP remaining. I used 200 times in that instant but I went overboard. As expected the only way it would reach 200 times is if he was a bodybuilder or had a splendid physique like that but it should have been plenty around 130-150 times. As proof of that the surrounding ice where his lower body was disappeared from the aftermath of the {Disintegrate}. There''s no need to aim for something that''s barely enough but too much is also a problem. I''m sure I could have saved 750 MP. If I have over 4,000 remaining then I would have made the decision to continue without hesitation. "..Wouldn''t it be best to return?" I can hear Toris''s voice. "But, this is an unexplored area. We might be able to find some ores or something.." Ralpha huh? "It''s true, it''s suspicious if there''s anyone who made it this far and returned to the surface. I''m sure all of the bones scattered around were done in by him." Zenom says gravely. "He just looked like a normal person with a slightly bad facial color though..was he a monster?" This is, Gwine? "I don''t know. But, I saw him avert masters stone spear spell with his own stone spear spell. It''s true it''s not something that a normal person would have been able to do." Zulu''s voice was calm. "I didn''t feel like that man was alive. His skin was extremely pale as well..and his eyes were shining red.." Angela says with some restraint. "..A nest of undead huh..It might have been a vampire.." Bel whispered as she said. Correct answer. "Gwine, draw the map up to here. Bel and Ralpha put the weapons together so they''re split up into groups for each of us to carry about the same amount of weight. Zenom..Nn, use this sword. Ralpha use Zenom''s {Tomahawk}. Zulu, remain cautious of the hall on the other side. Angela you watch this side. Don''t go too far away from here, it would be a pain if the Ghouls in the Northern room were called over. Zenom, Toris, come with me for a bit." I hand Zenom one of the more decent short swords of the weapons we found this time and after gathering him and Toris on my side we opened the map of the 4th floor. It was unexpected that we would lose a weapon. Since I''m here I thought we wouldn''t easily lose our weapons and in order to reduce our luggage until now we haven''t prepared spares. I couldn''t imagine that I would end up disintegrating it to dust... "We came to the 4th floor at around 5 am this morning so it''s been over four hours. Calculating the distance we walked then the area we teleported to this time should either be here or here. If we match up the map Gwine is drawing later I''m sure we''ll know for sure. Then in that case there''s a high probability it''s not connected to the room with the teleport crystal to the 5th floor. It''s the usual cave area. And then" I looked at their two faces while continuing my words. Zenom is making an amused face. Toris is listening seriously but has a slightly strange expression on. Hmph. "Since I was surprised just now I used quite a bit of mana. However, I can somehow use that spell I used in the end just now once more. I can''t say anything until Gwine finishes drawing the map but if it''s this area then since it''s small I think we''ll keep going. But, if it''s this area over here then it has a shape like it fits in so it''s possible it could be quite wide. In that case I think we''ll return from here. Let me hear your opinion." Volume 1 - CH 112 Year 7443, Month 12, Day 1 After paying the wages for the five others that aren''t slaves we were about to head the dungeon the same as usual. Along the way, I started talking about things from here on out. "Since it''s about come to the point where we can clear through the 5th floor, from here on..I guess so, in another two months or so I don''t think we''ll be able to continue with only staying one night in the dungeon like right now but what should we do?" I start talking to Zenom about that and, "That''s certainly true..It takes from morning to evening to get to the end of the 3rd floor after all..Things get pretty harsh if we don''t take a nights rest there. And no matter how much we used to them it seems like getting through the 4th and 5th floor will take a full day as well. It might be about time for us to think about staying in the dungeon for a full week like other parties." After looking at my face he looked up and replied. Everyone else didn''t say anything in particular but I can tell they don''t really like the idea of it. After all, right among the 6 days in the week we''re exploring the dungeon for 4 days, and have one half day off, and only one full day of rest. In other words, we only have 5 full days of breaks during the month. If it comes to this then it might be better to not use the standard as one week of work but rather one month. For example, it might be good to split it into 10 days. From the first day until the sixth day we''re in the dungeon, and then we have two days off on the seventh and eighth days and get some proper rest. On the ninth day we go to the dungeon but not to explore just to practice our cooperation. Nevertheless, if I think about the density of our training it still feels more efficient to do it in the vacant lot at the edge of town as we have up until now. And we rest on the tenth day. If we do this then the number of work days until now was 22.5 days will decrease to 21 days. However, the amount of time we''ll be in the deeper floors of the dungeon will be incomparable to what we have until now so if we look at it comprehensively if it has any effect on our earnings it would rather increase them. The problem is whether we can suddenly spend a whole week inside of the dungeon so putting it frankly, the amount of time we''re restricted will increase more than now. You could also change the way of saying as the amount of time we can comfortably sleep on a bed will decrease. We still have to properly pay for the cost of the inn even when we''re not staying there. Well, if it''s an entire week, then it''s like using the inn as an expensive locker but since everyone has amassed a decent amount of wealth. It''s also possible to take one persons room and put everyone''s stuff there for the time we''re out but if someone were to take another persons room during that time it would probably feel unpleasant. If they''re interested in it, I could make use of my privilege as a Type-2 company and create a paid locker in the government office of Rombertia and Baldukk as well. It costs an amount the same level as the cost of an inn but if you gather your assets into a currency above silver coins it isn''t all that bulky so if you definitely want to store your assets it''s a potential option. Although, this is an asset preservation system for Type-2 companies when they''re in the vicinity of the capital to do business for a few days so there''s not many people who use it for long periods. That''s why it requires quite an expensive maintenance cost of 5,000 Z (50 copper coins) per day. It''s a 60 cm or so cube locker but even if it''s just silver coins you put quite a few inside and if you made it into gold coins then let alone a town you could fit enough of them in to buy an entire territory and still have some change leftover. I''m sure you could easily fit several billion Z inside. When you leave it to them the officials produce a list of the amounts and goods inside and confirm status as well. Obviously the license of a Type-2 company is necessary as well so even if they''re a noble if they don''t have a company over Type-2 then they can''t use it. After that another method of safely maintaining your assets is leaving them at the temple. As a matter of fact at the temple in Baldukk I''m borrowing a locker similar to the one at the government office. I''m saving up all of the assets I''ve earned from business selling armor and inside of the dungeon. It costs the large amount of 300,000 Z (30 silver coins) per month but for starters it''s safe and since you can just keep leaving stuff there it''s reliable for me. The only amount I have on hand is at most? 10,000,000 Z (10 gold coins). By the way, right now I''ve left 370 gold coins there, a bit over 370,000,000 Z. Gold coins have a diameter of a bit over 6 cm and width of over 3 mm, so if it''s just 500 or so of them then they''ll fit inside of a small bag. It seems that platinum coins are one size larger but since I''ve never seen the real thing I don''t know. Even gold coins you can only use at reasonably large stores and right now just one locker is plenty large enough so I have no problem at all. I digressed a bit there but I guess it''s going overboard worrying about the cost of their inn huh? Since I''m paying plenty in wages and how they use that is their freedom. "..Hn..I guess so. I guess it''s fine as we are now until we get to 80% completed on the map of the 5th floor. Either way when we go to the 6th floor there''s no choice but to change the method we do it, let''s think about it after seeing the 6th floor a number of times." Even then suddenly spending a week in the dungeon is something to consider over. It might be better to slowly increase the days instead. I''m sure it''s necessary to get used to the mentality of remaining tense for several days straight after all. Volume 1 - CH 113 Year 7443, Month 12, Day 15 Every month on the 15th is the day I do maintenance on the armor of the knight group. The largest crack I''ve seen up until now was a cut mark in a shield. The kite shield and buckler shields aren''t the usual shape of a flat board but rather when manufacturing them they end up with the center of them about 10 cm higher than the outer edges almost like a light pyramid shape but the outer edges end up being weak to cuts. Well it should still be better than a wooden board so I don''t think they should have anything to complain about but Enbert who''s in charge of producing the armor asks Arnold who''s in charge of forging to produce a metal outer frame to strengthen the outer edges of the shield. However, if it''s training then they use a wooden sword so there''s rarely large cuts to it but as expected it differs when it comes to live combat. There was a large cut on the kite shield of a knight who came back from the conflict. It seems it was cut from the upper area of the shield and there''s a cut in it about 10 cm long. There''s no way to return something like this to normal. I can make it look the way it originally did but the part I repaired will end up getting weaker, in the first place I can''t repair the outer metal frame. I couldn''t do anything other than honestly say, "I can''t do anything other than fix the appearance of damage this large, there''s no other choice than to have the knight groups exclusive blacksmith create a new outer metal frame." I felt bad for him when he was making a disappointed face but this is something I had already expected so I''m glad I said it from the start. Without it turning into any major problem, I repaired the small cuts and gashes on the surface of the armor and shields brought in and left the knight group. Furthermore, when I left the knight group, I apologized as it was related to my convenience but around next month I said it''s possible I''d have to shift the repair date. Just, at the same time I also said around the spring of next year we''ll be opening the headquarters of Greed Company about midway on Bell Road and after that we''ll be doing repairs there at anytime and they were pleased. Since we''re going to have the proper number of people, tools, and materials we can do a more mainstream level of repairs and it''s big help to me to have it out of my hands. ............ After that, I walked towards the headquarters of Greed Company when I just purchased the other day, and went to check how things looked. It seems they''re still continuing business as a general goods store but since it''s necessary for them to sell out by March of next year, I suggested that they do a total inventory sale and I''m having them do that. Of course, I''ve already secured a full set of pots and other necessities for the squire family that is expected to be moving in here. After seeing me enter the store Yotlen deeply lowered her head and said. "Greed-sama, we were really saved. Thank you very much." "Ah, don''t worry about it anymore. I just purchased it normally after all, from here on out, there was definitely a need to hire people as well. Rather than that, how are the sales?" "Thanks to you it''s selling quite a bit. If it''s like this then we should be able to get rid of all of it by March." "That''s great. Also, what''s going on with the signboard?" "Yes, I tried asking the carpenter about it. It seems that they probably can make it with no problem." Weeks back I asked to search for a place where we can order a signboard. "I see, then how much is it?" "300,000 Z (30 silver coins) is how much they estimated it at it seems." Well, I guess about there sounds right. Volume 1 - CH 114 Year 7443, Month 12, Day 30 New Year''s Eve. Even if it''s Orth, it''s only obvious that the first day of the new year is a holiday and most businesses close up for the day. That''s why today pretty much every store thrives considerably well. Even though I don''t particularly have any business I''m looking into food stores as well. Talking about New Years dishes during the New Years holiday is extremely boring but it''s probably a good idea to at least completely rest until I''m satisfied once in a year. Regardless of whether it''s a holiday or anything else I''m still continuing with my training so my body won''t weaken that easily. If I get too bored then it might not be half bad to go to the dungeon and rage around as well. It''s become where I have to bring either Zulu or Angela along but I''m sure that the New Years holiday is different after all. It seems that recently Zulu is on good terms with a sister that works at a restaurant and the dark expression that Angela had when I first purchased her has completely disappeared. Ah, that''s right, starting next year how about I raise their wages a bit as well. I take out a smoked octopus leg I bought at the delicacies shop from the inner pocket of my inverness and start chewing on it while thinking these things and wandering the town. Oh~ Toris and Bel are window shopping at a store over there. They have their arms crossed and are completely on good terms. How enviable. Come to think of it on the day we saved Bel I was chewing on a smoked octopus leg as well. Even though all four of us has octopus legs in our mouths we were discussing it. I remembered something pointless. "Master, are you out on a walk?" Hn? What the, so it was Angela? She''s holding bread and some kind of vegetables or ham. I''m sure this fellow is shopping for tomorrow as well. I just paid their wages for this month this morning after all and there''s quite a few restaurants that are closed for business tomorrow as well. Since I said to get your own lunch, she''s probably buying up enough food right now for tomorrow''s lunch as well. It seems like quite a bit of food for one person though if you think of it as lunch for throughout the holiday then it''s an amount that is just right. "Ah, Angela huh? Buying lunch for tomorrow?" "Yes, since most places are closed tomorrow.." After all. "That''s true. Maybe I''ll buy something as well~" "I think that''s a good idea. The places that are still open will be extremely busy." Right. "That''s true..I''ll make sure I buy something as well. See you later." I said that and walked towards the food store nearby. I wonder what I''ll buy...In the end, I decided on some dried Meineiji. Meineiji is a seasonal fish but I''ve seen fat ones being transported after being caught in the reef area west of Baldukk. It might be nice to go fishing next time but I don''t have any reel after all. If you grill them with the portable stove magic tool and they''re delicious. It''s no comparison to the taste of the dried mackerel I had in my past life though the dried fish of Orth aren''t anything to make fun of either. It''s common knowledge that fish become more delicious by drying them out. You grill the dried fish and then unravel it and put it in between bread with some mayonnaise and it goes together quite well. I don''t know who thought of it but I was trembling in excitement after meeting this taste. I got two dried meineiji dried and cut like in Japan in my past life and had them tied on a string by the neck. I hung that down while wandering around again. It seems there''s some kind of uproar going on at the restaurant a bit ahead but it''s nothing unusual. Well if a member of my parts is involved in the fight then there''s no choice than to arbitrate it so I''ll peek in a bit but the only one who I can think of doing something like that is Ralpha when she gets drunk, so I''m not all that worried. Recently she''s often drinking with Gwine, and Gwine is the type that gets quiet when she''s drunk (I haven''t seen her really drunk) so there''s probably no problem. See look, it''s someone different. Ah, that guy.. isn''t it a guy from {Bright Blade}? Really, those guys are all quite rough. Well anyone who is willing to pick a fight with the members there is pretty unusual as well. I bet it''s just some countryside hick who just came to Baldukk. If you''ve even spent six months in this town you''d know they''re the top of people you definitely shouldn''t mess with it. As proof of that look, no one is even coming out to act as bookmaker for gambles. A~a, that bro is going to be beaten half to death I''m sure. It''s a Wolf-people man that seems to be in his late teens but his face is bright red as he says something. The Dog-people race man with a large wound on his face is scratching his chin while listening to that. Of course the Dog-people is the member of {Bright Blade}. If I remember correctly his name was...That''s right Rongel. He''s one of the center members of {Bright Blade}. I met eyes with Rongel. I shrug my shoulder and pass by. Well make sure you let him off by not killing him. If you kill him it''s troublesome right? By the time I finished passing by it seems they had reached a conclusion. One punch huh? I turned around once but there was nothing like an upset. Even though I say that, around the time we recruited Bel, adventurers often picked fights with us at restaurants as well. Since even on Orth Bel''s beauty stands out, she''s the perfect bait for drunk adventurers. Bel herself as well but I don''t even remember the number of times I''ve gotten into a fight either. Eventually when we started to be called {Slaughterers} there was almost no one would mess with us though. There''s restaurants where Ralpha and Zulu were banned from as well. What entered my sight is the scenery of Baldukk which is a bit more lively than usual. It seems I was able to safely make it through this year as well. Thinks are proceeding smoothly in exploring the dungeon as well, I guess the results of our training are finally showing, but it feels like everyone''s skill with the sword has changed quite a bit. Starting next year I want to become the true top of Baldukk in both name and reality. Hmph. Since tomorrow is New Year''s day in order to not forgot my original resolve it might not be half bad to run through the 1st floor alone. ............ Year 7444, Month 1, Day 1 The second New Year''s day I''ve met in Baldukk. Just like last year I go to the temple for my first shrine visit and donated 10,000 Z. Since you can''t see the first sunrise of the year unless you go to the summit of the crater like hills, when it was still start I started my running and went to see it before going to my first shrine visit of the year. After visiting the shrine I went straight to the restaurant and had breakfast with everyone. I gave the five others than my slaves their wages and then returned to my inn. Volume 1 - CH 115 Year 7444, Month 1, Day 1 As I approached close to the side of the pond the fairies were still laughing, frolicking, and flying around as if I wasn''t here. I was certainly surprised after seeing the fairies for the first time but after calming down and Identifying a couple of them there''s several things I''ve understood. 1. All of the fairies can use all elemental magics. 2. Other than magic the fairies have the special skills ¡¾Naming¡¿ and ¡¾Fairy Sight¡¿. 3. They have individual names. I guess they did the ceremony using their special skill ¡¾Naming¡¿. 4. They''re freely flying around using the wings like a mayfly or dragonfly from their back. 5. Their height (size?) is only about 30 cm and they don''t wear any clothes. 6. There''s individuals that have a long lifespan as well (Over 100 years old is common and there''s even a couple of them over 300 years old). 7. They have a lot of MP because of the level of their magic special skills and age. 8. I don''t know if it''s because of their late age but their HP isn''t balanced with the other ability values (it''s low). And above all else what''s important is that different from monsters, on the bottom the Identify window there''s properly an item for ¡¾Experience¡¿, related to their body level. In other words, you could say that the Fairy race is different from what is normally considered monsters. Also, going off of the above points, you could say that the 7th and 8th are racial characteristics so I can''t say it''s all that unusual. I walk to the side of the pond and after taking a good look, the pond has a diameter of about 200 m and what I thought was a small island in the center was actually a peninsula. If I walk a bit I should be able to cross over. I can see a lot of fairies gathered around the end of that peninsula. Let''s try going over to there. I somehow don''t find it amusing that they''re not showing any interest in me at all. It''s not like I particularly want them to make a fuss but if I try matching it up to myself while thinking about it and if something like a 7-8 m high giant were to suddenly appear I think everyone would be equally surprised as they meet them. I''m being ignored but it''s not like I want to create some strife from my side either. What is it? This feeling. Being ignored itself, is better than it becoming an uproar but if I just keep getting ignored like this and somehow you know~ If possible I want to have some friendly communication, is my true feelings but it''s inconvenient to keep being ignored as well. I think it would be possible for me to catch several of them and make them into an exhibition or sell them at a high price to the royal family but even if it''s me if I were to be attacked by this many with magic all at once it would be bad. They only have at most a bit over 100 MP but since they''ve lived for over 100 years, there was even one with their magic special skill at MAX. I have no intention at all of taking hostile action towards them. If they can talk, I just want to try asking about the dungeon and about the mechanism for that door. If possible I''d like to try asking about what happened with the founder George Rombert the First in the past as well. After that is...that''s right. It would be the best if they would teach me some spells that I don''t know. During the time I''m heading towards the end of the peninsula, I make sure to pay attention to my feet so in the worst case I don''t end up stepping on a fairy laying on the ground. I don''t know if the fairies are just thinking of me as something like a large moving rock but they''re sitting down on my shoulder or resting for a bit on my head, they''re all just having their own way. In order to not surprise them I tried calling out "Hello" in a small voice but it seems they don''t understand. It seems the fairies are talking in their own language made of extremely high sounds something like "pirurururu" and no matter what I say to them they aren''t responding. I arrived at the end of the peninsula. The trunk of the large tree has countless cave-like holes in it and it''s almost like a mansion for the fairies. There''s a lot of fairies going in and out of it. I slowly walked to below the tree and sat down on an appropriate rock before starting to talk to the fairies. I wonder if there''s no one who understands my words? "Hey~ hello." "Do you live here?" "What do you eat?" "Do you have some sort of representative?" "DO monsters not come here?" "Do you know Baldukk?" No matter how much I talk to them the fairies won''t directly give me an answer. This is no good. I sigh as a small fairy is pulling on and opening the right nostril of my nose. I''ll try identifying the special skill ¡¾Fairy Sight¡¿ that I''ve seen for the first time. ¡¾Special Skill: Fairy Sight; A special skill that the Fairy race possess. It includes Infrared Vision, Night Vision, Far Sight, Clairvoyance, X-Ray Vision, and including strengthened vision, can see mana. This ability increases based on level.¡¿ Don''t joke with me. What''s with that convenient skill? It might still be a bit too soon for lunch but it seems like this place is safe so I''ll have some lunch with the feel of a picnic and head back. Volume 1 - CH 116 Year 7444, Month 1, Day 1 I throw away the meineiji that had turned into just a bone and take the second dried fish out of my bag before putting it on the grill of the stove and started grilling it again. Karl and the other fairies are all intently eating the dried fish in their hands a bit at a time. The ones that managed to get the delicious fatty portions of the stomach are curling up their bodies to protect it from the other fairies while eating it, it''s the same for the ones who got the meat from the cheeks, eyes, and areas like that. Hmn. These guys, since their height is roughly 30 cm or so, well it means they''re less than roughly 1/6th my size. Since my height has just reached about 170 cm, and you could say I''m pretty tall for a 15 year old. In any case, since their height is 1/6 of me then I guess that would make their body weight 6^3 or so? To be more accurate it would be a bit less than 6, so that means they''re about 1/200 of my weight. If you''re asking what I want to say then it''s about the volume of their stomach. The dried meineiji I brought was about 30 cm long. The portions of it that were possible to eat putting aside the head from the neck to the tail was about 20 cm worth. When it comes to me in my growth spurt as expected just one is not enough. If I don''t have two and some bread I feel it''s a bit lacking for a single meal. I think there''s over 100 fairies in all? It wouldn''t be strange for there to be about 200 of them. In that case, they probably feel it''s not satisfying with just one fish as well. Ah, it would have been good if I bought two more... "What''s this?'' Karl points at the bottle of mayonnaise while moving his mouth as he chews. He still has some meat of the meineiji in his left hand. You, took a bit extra right. "Ah, it''s mayonnaise. If you put a bit of it on the body and"Ah, mayonnaise huh? I don''t need it. It''s sour after all." I see. It can''t be helped so I smear some mayonnaise on the bread I just cut and ate it just like that. I talk while eating. "And, continuing from where we just left off, would you mind telling me?" "Talk? What was it again?" Stop talking with your mouth full. I''ll flick you in the head, this winged insect. "The magic, the conversation about the spell {Report}." "Ah, I''m amazed you could remember that. How far did we talk about it again..Ah, I guess it doesn''t matter. In any case, {Report} is a spell that shouldn''t be known all that well. There''s quite a few restrictions on using it after all. Did I talk about the restrictions?" "No.." "I see. {Report} is a spell you use on a specific target. It often requires using a lot of mana. In most cases, there''s quite a bit of distance between the user of the spell and the target, or at first even if they''re close by, they use it under the assumption that they''ll separate afterwards. That''s why the first condition is that the user needs to have a large amount of mana. After that, it''s also necessary to know the targett they''re using the spell on well. On the level of family you''re normally living together with. It seems it''s not impossible to use it on a completely stranger as well, but in the case it requires even more mana it seems. Well in the first place {Report} itself uses up a tremendous amount of mana so regardless of whether it''s family or a stranger it doesn''t matter at all. By the way, this fish, it''s my first time eating it. It''s really delicious right. It''s even more delicious than the Meizassh that George brought in the past! What kind of fish is this?" Volume 1 - CH 117 That character that everyone has been waiting for, HE finally appears. Year 7444, Month 1, Day 1 I somehow managed to return to the town of Baldukk in time for dinner. I had a slightly extravagant New Year''s dinner(it''s just that the ingredients were slightly higher quality) with everyone and then returned to the inn. I was invited by Toris and the others to go drinking but there''s something I have to do alone in my room for a bit. It doesn''t even need to be said, trying to release the {Report} spell cast on me. It''s a spell that''s supposedly God-level extra high difficulty to use in addition to taking an ultra amount of mana, but you know~ even my mana is God class. Probably though. I sit down on the chair in my room and grab my head with both of my hands. Right, in order to deploy an {Anti-Magic Field} on my head. The amount of mana I''m putting into it is all of it remaining except 5 MP. Since I have 7,063 MP remaining right now I''ll use 7,058 (I only recover 12 MP per hour from natural recover after all, I used a reasonable amount of MP in the combat on my way back. The amount of MP required to use the spell {Anti-Magic Field} multiplies in 5s with an addition of 3 so if I were to use it all my MP would hit 0). Since I just ate and it''s just a matter of getting tired enough to go to sleep so I thought of using all of my MP as well but I want to avoid being unable to endure it and attacking a woman walking down the street. And right now as long as my MP doesn''t hit 0 I''m safe inside of the inn so it''s fine if I just sleep after. I calm heart and start kneading mana. I normally use {Anti-Magic Field} quite a bit but the amount of MP I put into it is at most a few hundred. The last time I used this much all at once was when I was still small and devoted to increasing my MP. Even then I''ve only used {Anti-Magic Field} while trying to precisely control the MP used in it about five times so it would probably be best to resolve for it to take about 10 minutes to properly activate. ............. ......... .... Alright! I take the {Anti-Magic Field} I deployed and while remaining focused on the spell {Report} cast on me I aim it towards me head. ..This should be fine. I''m probably already fine. The only thing remaining in between my hands right now should be the MP remaining from the remnants of the {Anti-Magic Field}. If I Identify my glowing hands then I can tell exactly how much MP was used on that spell {Report} by subtracting it from the MP remaining. I should have 5 MP remaining. If I use Identify it will turn to 4 but it should be fine. Since I''m interested I''ll try Identifying it. Eh!? My hand isn''t shining! I can only think of one possibility. It perforated through my {Anti-Magic Field} that was using 7,058 MP, in other words over 7,055 MP was used on the spell {Report}, is what it means. Since I''ve used {Anti-Magic Field} a lot since the past against my brother and sister I''ve completely gotten a grasp on it''s characteristics. The bare minimum uses 1 MP in earth, water, fire, wind, and 4 in void for a total of 8 MP. With this you can erase any spell that uses up to 5 MP. I just said it but after that if you add 1 MP for all magics after that (in other words, 5 MP each) you can increase the aggregate amount of MP erased with just that. If it''s the {Anti-Magic Field} I just used then it should be able to erase a spell that uses up to 7,055 MP. I just stared at the palms of my hands in a daze but I''ve gradually started to feel like laughing. "kukkukku" I don''t know if it''s a {God} or a {Demi-God} but the world is a vast place. "Ufufuffufu" With just 7,055 MP. "Heeeee e e e" I guess it''s the frog in the well doesn''t know the ocean. "Ahhaahahahah" There''s someone that would use this type of spell which you never know when it would come in handy after countless years of checking. It''s truly a God, this is. If I try to calmly think about it, it''s not something man could manage. I already knew more than well enough that the beings called Gods existed but once again I can''t help but think they''re amazing. Simultaneously I feel some sort of pitch black emotion rising up that is difficult to control but I decided forcibly push it back down. CH 118 More coming~ Probably 2-6 hours. Year 7444, Month 1, Day 17 A bluish-white lightning surges from the left hand I''ve stuck out. In an instant the electricity hit the guy standing at the front holding a long sword and round shield, and a moment after he was surrounded in the cage of electricity it quickly divided and split into two directions hitting two more guys behind him. It then split up again but this time it didn''t hit four people, it hit two more even further in the back. It was just a matter of it not having enough targets. And when it was about to split up again since it hit the two archers in the back that were about to fire another arrow it ran out of targets and disappeared. "Al-san!" Bel''s scream echoed around. I guess she noticed the sound from the {Chain Lightning} I used and noticed we were under attack at the same time. I don''t have the time to pay attention to Bel, there''s no time to leisurely be checking the identify window either. Since the guy at the front with the long sword and round shield took a direct hit of the {Chain Lightning} while it was still converged he''s most likely dead. The two behind him are probably dead as well. THe problem is the two guys in the back holding a spear and broad sword, and the four archers even further in back. "{Fire Javelin}" "{Flame Javelin}" "{Ice Cone}" "{Web}" Right now they''ve taken electricity and their muscles seem to be contracting but there''s no telling when they''ll be able to move again. I sent magic javelins flying into the guys holding the spear and sword to make sure they die and then sent ice blades flying in the direction of the archers all at once. If they''re lucky they might be able to barely survive it. If they are then it''s just a matter of strangling them as we ask the reason for the attack so it''d be fine as long as a few are remaining. After we properly make them tell we''ll finish things off by killing them though. Finally I used the spell {Web} to make sure they were restrained to the ground so it should be fine. The arrows are still stabbed into the back of my right thigh and my right upper arm but I''ve already neutralized the poison so afterwards if I just have someone pull them out and use the spell {Cure All} twice then a scar shouldn''t even remain so for now it''s more important to quickly kill this ice monster. I turn around again and look at the ice monster. Everyone is still moving. It seems that the only target for their arrows was me since I was close to the entrance they came in from. I saw Bel throw her bow away in the edge of my sight, take her short sword out and run to my side. "{Fire Javelin Missile}" This time for sure I sent some scorching spears flying into the ice monster''s back without missing. If I look closely Ralpha seems to be dragging along one of her legs. Angela''s left arm seems to be twisted a strange direction from below the elbow as well. Gwine is sticking out her spear to back up Ralpha. It seems that Zulu doesn''t have any problems and is swinging his sword down on the tail. I can see Toris moving pretty nimbly on the other side of the ice monster as well. Zenom is alone right in front of the head of it swinging his {tomahawk} up into it. Shit, since I couldn''t back them up with that timing, Angela was unable to evade an attack from it''s tail or something. I wonder if Ralpha got dragged into that? In any case after hitting the white lizard in the neck with {Fire Javelin Missile} once more, Zenom sent another attack flying into it''s head. It seems to have died. ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Male/14/6/7438 ¡¤ Frost Lizard¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Acute Wound.Bleeding.Burnt.Bruised.Stab Wound¡¿ ¡¾Age: 5 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level: 11¡¿ ¡¾HP: -4(268) MP: 11(11)¡¿ ¡¾Strength: 46¡¿ ¡¾Speed: 12¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity: 20¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 80¡¿ ¡¾Special skill: {Ice Breath}¡¿ What a monster. His HP is absurdly high~ It seems it''s still not dead but his HP has entered the negatives, so it''s no problem to leave him be for now. "Toris, Zulu! Bring Ralpha and Angela over here." CH 119 Year 7444, Month 1, Day 17 Since we had a lot of baggage and to avoid as much combat as possible we hurried back down the passage we came. We even lessened our caution against monsters a bit to put priority on speed. "Hurry, even in the case that monsters come out I''ll blow them away. It''s a battle with time." "Ah!" "Yes!" I quickly explained things to everyone after that and without even taking a short break we all ran back the way we came from. The number of corpses of {Bright Blade} that were remaining there was 9 in total. There should be 1 more. Either they were there during the attack but were far enough distance away for me not to notice and ran away or they were left to look after their luggage in the teleport room of the 4th floor I guess. When we teleported into the 5th floor there was traces of a camp on the 4th floor but no one around. So most likely it wasn''t someone looking after their bags but rather they ran away. Somehow the atmosphere is heavy, I guess I''ll try to change the mood. I started talking while we walk. "Hey~ everyone. I have a bit of something to discuss. It''s about the days we explore the dungeon." I said that and everyone made faces like "so it''s finally come" with faces filled with resolve as they looked at me. "Since we''ve explored quite a bit of the 5th floor. It''s about a good time to go to the 6th floor. I''m going to change our schedule starting next month. Starting from February we''ll enter 3 and then 4 consecutive days, we''ll gradually increase the number of days we spend exploring the dungeon. However, we''ll properly have the same amount of days off per month 7.5 as we have until now. We''ll do the same 2.5 days of cooperation training as well. But, since I''m sure it''s exhausting to explore consecutively, I''ll probably increase the number of days off as well. I''m taking into consideration consecutive holidays. Well I''ll see how things go until partway through February and then modify the schedule. It depends on our stamina." Excluding Zenom everyone''s making complicated faces. "That''s true. Even if you increase the number of days off a bit the amount of time we spend deeper in the dungeon should increase so I''m sure our earnings will go up, I agree." I guess it''s because I talked to him about ti before, Zenom immediately raised his voice in agreement. "That''s true..It''s just as Zenom-san said. I think that''s fine as well." Toris agreed as well. Hey now, I thought that you and Bel would be against it though. I mean, if you think about it through the month, the amount of nights we''ll spend in the dungeon will increase. With our schedule of exploring the dungeon until now we''ve only spent one night at a time in the dungeon so it was only 10 days in the month but I think it''ll increase from here on. For him to agree with something that would decrease their consumption rate of "Saya"... "..I''m fine with it as well. Let''s earn some more." There was a strange pause in Bel''s reply. I wonder if that means since I''ve spent more time with her than Toris I can read her feelings better? "If everyone is fine with that then I am too. Let''s give it our best." Gwine is making a slightly stiff smile but agreed. "..Che." I''ll ignore this girl. However, well I guess I''ll say it for her. "Hey Ralpha, I''ll teach you so you can understand it with that pitiful head of yours. The fact that we''re exploring the dungeon longer certainly means that we''ll earn more as well. Up until now on the days we return from the dungeon and even then only on the Tuesdays or so when there was no training the next did you have chances to drink through the night but when we have consecutive holidays you''ll be able to drink several days straight, so I think the number of chances for you to go drinking will increase. I intend to do the cooperation training in the afternoon of several days as well." After I said that and the edges of her mouth raised up a bit. She''s so easy~ ............ We returned to the teleport crystal that brought us to the 5th floor. We''re about to teleport to the center of the 4th floor teleport room. It''s a good thing only the top teams are able to make it to that room so either no one will be there, if there is it will be people from a different top team, or it''ll just be the single remaining member of {Bright Blade}. I thought everyone''s expressions would lighten up a bit because we were finally able to return to the safe area but that wasn''t the case. Alright, my carefully selected elite properly understand the critical moments it seems. We''ll teleport in and restrain the remaining member of {Bright Blade}. Otherwise, counter attack them. I stretch out my hand to the crystal rod. "It''s just right, I''ll talk a bit before we teleport." CH 120 Year 7444, Month 2, Day 1 Finally, we''re finally aiming for the 6th floor starting this month. The day that we {Slaughterers} will become the top team of the dungeon in Baldukk in the true meaning has come. It''s not like I want to bask in the self-satisfaction of being called the top team. We''re going to achieve something others have not and along with making a foothold for the future we''ll step foot into the virgin land these past few decades and obtain unseen treasures. If it was just about earning safely then even if we continue as we have no in another few years we''d probably have earned enough to live our entire lives, we have enough power that on the 2nd floor there''s just about nothing that could put our lives at risk I''m sure. However, isn''t that boring? In our plans we''ll spend the night tonight in the teleport room of the 3rd floor. Tomorrow we''ll arrive at the teleport room of the 5th floor and spend one more night there. And the day after tomorrow we''ll finally step foot on the 6th floor. Until two days after tomorrow, we plan to spend almost a full two days exploring the 6th floor. Of course we''ll be camping in the teleport room of the 5th floor. For the time being there''s almost no one who would be camping here and depending on the case if we can make it to the teleport room on the 6th floor I think it might even be good to camp there. However in the case, we''ll end up using the teleport room of the 6th floor as a starting point to explore backwards and we won''t gain any information on teleport points from the 5th floor so I don''t really want to do that. In any case, we''ll be taking the first steps on the 6th floor. There''s only stories told from the founder George Rombert the First but since it seems that the 6th floor is like a maze where teleport keeps happening even though there''s no crystal so we''ll probably need to depend on Gwine and Ralpha''s Unique Abilities even more than until now and it''s possible that their remaining MP will become a life line for us. After we finish up breakfast, we all head towards the entrance plaza which is quite congested. Zulu bought a pork skewer at a stall and after sticking it into his mouth he threw away the skewer. I gave the two slaves their wages of 20,000 Z (2 silver coins) yesterday. Zulu''s increased by 1.4 times and Angela''s increased by 1.5 times. Their morale is high today. The entrance plaza of the dungeon is packed as usual with adventurers entering the dungeon, the parasites, guides, merchants trying to sell incomplete maps of the lower floors, and merchants who deal in preserved food and equipment. When we arrived there the people moved out from in front of us almost like the ocean was splitting and as the path opened up cheers were raised. I walk through there without emotion. I can hear voices filled with envy and admiration from here and there. It''s been less than two years since we came to Baldukk and even though we don''t even have a full party we''ve quickly risen to the top groups, the other day we were attacked by {Bright Blade} in the dungeon for reasons of jealously and impatience (or at least that''s how it''s rumored to be), and instead turned the tables on them wiping them out so the {Slaughterers} have become an existence that stands out quite a bit. "Greed-sama! Please put me in the {Slaughterers} as well! I''ll show you I can be useful!" "Firefreed-san, he''s so cool right. He''s masculine and I can look up to him." "Greed-sama! If you add me to your party then your scouts will become more complete! How about it!?" "Ehe...Young lady Akdam, I''ve been in the care of your father. You should help connect me with Greed-sama." "No wait, Gulinel-chan, I''ve seen you riding on the carriage when you were little! Once your beard grows out come be my wife~!" "Ah, Greed-sama! Don''t forget about us Boton brothers! We''ll show you we can be far more useful than those riffraff around there!" "Oh~ Bernadette-cha~~n! I''m cheering for you~! Tolkelis drop dead!" "What are you saying! Kalstalan-sama~! Look over here~! Kya~ that, he just waved his hand towards me! Rabbit''s should quickly die!" "Greed-san! Introduce me to your older sister! I''m from the Viscount Penlaid families.." "So that Laios is Zulu huh? After all he has an amazing physique." "That Dog-people is Greed-sama''s combat slave as well right? I''m sure she''s eating some good things~ her breasts are big~ after all the women of the same race are good. If they don''t have the second set of breasts then it''s half the charm!" "Greed-sama! How about it, this? It''s the new model of backpack!" "Ou~ Ralpha! Let''s go drinking together again~!" I feel like the ones calling to Ralpha were a bit of a different direction, isn''t that just drinking buddies? Don''t get into fights. I bow to Church-san who is making a bit of a dry smile and after paying the 80,000 Z taxes for all 8 of us we headed towards the teleport crystal rod at the entrance. ............... Year 7444, Month 2, Day 3 CH 121 Year 7444, Month 2, Day 14 Somehow or other, we ended up going past our original plans, we spent from February 1st until the 5th inside of the dungeon, after that we took 3 consecutive days off, then from the 9th until yesterday the 13th we explored again. The conclusion we arrived at from adventuring during that time was that after all the teleportation on the 6th floor is a type of trap. If you throw a rock while walking it''s actually pretty simple to discover them. The width of the passage is about 9m but on the walls of both sides of that there''s a fixed stone with a strange symbol carved into it. In between those two stones there''s a space of about 6m that''s the starting point for the teleportation. After testing out throwing a number of rocks inside we confirmed it. In other words, you can pass through about 1.5m from the stone. Even if you throw a rock in from the other side it seems to teleport. Other than that, there were still the same arrow and pitfall traps as well. It''s actually more troublesome to discover those. That''s why we haven''t advanced much at all with exploring the 6th floor so far. Furthermore, the stone with a symbol carved into it seems to be part of a large boulder sticking out so we gave up on digging it up. Also, the symbol isn''t uniform. Just guessing but the symbol is probably different for each teleport destination? is the best opinion we could come up with. Even when we tried to carve off the symbol, the stone, or rather boulder was too hard so it was impossible. Well even if we were able to shave it off considering the recovery ability of the dungeon I feel like it would restore to normal after a short while so I don''t think it has much meaning. Since we don''t know where we''ll teleport to on the 6th floor it''s not like we''re often passing by the same spot after all. We still haven''t tried going inside of one of the teleport traps. There was the far too reckless proposal of Ralpha to go all out and try jumping in but it was immediately rejected by everyone. Incidentally, we were able to confirm that nothing happens when just sticking the end of a pole inside. If you throw it in it teleports. After carefully observing and it seems that when more half of the object passes the teleport trap it activates. We weren''t able to confirm if that''s the same for living creatures. If there was a goblin wandering around we could tie one up and kick it in but unfortunately the only thing we''ve seen is the wild boards {Cave Wild Boar}. As expected capturing a wild boar of this size alive is a bit unreasonable. Even if we were able to I don''t think it would budge even we kick it. In any case, just like this we''ve predicted that exploring the 6th floor is going to take an extremely long amount of time. There''s already no choice but to firmly sit down and make an effort on it over time. The things to be gained are big. After all, even though we''ve only entered rooms on the 6th floor twice so far but the first time there was about 10 wild boars and no problem at all but the second time, there was an altar like the ones on the 5th floor and what was summoned was a {Cave Great Boar}, after we defeated that an idiotically huge ore of gold came out. A large ore of gold that was two times the size of an adult''s head was immensely heavy and according to Toris it has the weight of above 50 times that of a liter of water so it should have weighed about 50kg. I''m sure the purity of the ore must have been high as well, since it seemed that it would have amounted to 20kg or so of gold after being tempered and if that''s true then it seems it will sell for over 60,000,000 Z. Since it seems that this is the first time this large of a gold ore was brought back in Baldukk in several decades the adventurers were all excited. Since we reported that we found this ore on the 5th floor we succeeded in pulling the top teams to the 5th floor. Particularly {Sun Ray} jumped at this information, today they''ve even split their party in two and are clearing it at the same time. Just like we do every year exchanged birthday presents all five of us celebrated that we were safely able to reach our 16th birthday and the fact that it seems one week later the tempering will be done so we''ll get our hands on a huge sum of money as well. Everyone got into the spirit and drank a lot. Since as expected things were pretty painful the next day I seriously started to think about using {Neutralize Poison}. All five of us reincarnated people had an increase in ability values thanks to the increase in age. Everyone''s levels increased as well, the lowest Gwine is already level 12, and even though she''s in one of the top teams it''s no problem at all. .......... Year 7444, Month 4, Day 25 After returning to the Boil Manor from the dungeon and brother and the others were there. It seems that brother and the others arrived on the night of the day before yesterday and instead of going to make deliveries to the knight group without me, they waited. I mean, I did get a letter saying they would arrive tonight after all..so I relaxed thought it would be just right. The caravan from Bakuddo this time brought along a huge load. Starting from this month for roughly two years, the Ryogu family of squires from Bakuddo will be living in Rombertia after all, I''m sure it''s their luggage as well. After all, there''s only two carriages, other than the goods for delivery the carriages packed with their belongings are piled up like a mountain. That''s why it seems they left the village about a week early. Well in the end they were slowed down for two days in Baldukk so it was canceled out but if I think about it, it''s only obvious they got here faster. CH 122 Year 7444, Month 4, Day 30 After that several groups of adventurers entered the teleport room on the 1st floor and took short breaks, or started teleporting to the 2nd floor. It''s a big help that I was able to doze off for even two hours. Since I was using the alarm clock {Cantrip} I was able to wake up just before midnight. After confirming with the clock magic tool that the date had changed past midnight, I slowly stood up from the wall I was sitting against and approached the teleport crystal. I grab on the crystal rod, and chant the teleport incantation. "Rigoruku" I teleported to the 2nd floor. I check the symbol on the pedestal of the teleport crystal and search the wall. Number 84. It''s no good... The one I''m aiming for is number "356" that I wrote the last time I visited Karl. Since nothing other than that is my objective for now there''s no meaning. I should quickly return. "Rinteren" I returned to the teleport room on the 1st floor again. There''s various things said about the rules in regards to where you appear in the room but no one has been able to come to a satisfying conclusion. It''s said you just return to a randomly open area in the room. Since it''s about 30m in every day direction, a reasonable large space it''s almost never completely packed. Even if we were to test a situation like that, it''s said that you would just be returned to a bit outside of the passages on the side. I return to the center of the room and after grabbing the crystal rod I chant the incantation. "Homika" I teleported to the 2nd floor. Number 26. It''s no good huh? Well I already knew it wouldn''t be so simple so I made preparations for it to take some time before coming. In the worst case all of today, I intend to test it out for an entire 24 hours. "Fokubo" .............. Year 7444, Month 5, Day 1 I wonder how many times I''ve teleported? I think I''ve done it at least 20 times. It takes a reasonable amount of time to search for the number every time I teleport. I think about two hours have passed. It''s good that the symbol on the pedestal pointing to the wall is nearby so it doesn''t take much time to search like if it were down the hall. "Kumurika" This, place has a good feel to it. I check the pedestal and investigate the wall. ..It''s no good huh? "Kano beze" I returned the 1st floor again. I walk towards the center of the room. "Hey, you. You''ve been pretty restless for a while now. Even if you don''t get as neurotic about it as that the 2nd floor isn''t that much different compared to the 1st floor." The one remaining party of adventurers called out to me like that. They''re a group that I saw enter the room from a glance after I had repeated teleporting a number of times. Their ages are about the same as me, or a bit above that. If I remember correctly they''re a party of just non-humans that came to Baldukk a short while after we did and the leader is the second or third son of a high ranking noble from Kanbitt. They should have only just finally been able to make it to the 2nd floor. I can''t say much about other people but they''re newcomers of 1.5 years or so. A considerably skilled group. "Hey, Joni, ignore him. He''s exploring alone. It''s kindness to let him choose the course he wants to as many times as he pleases." "Yeah, and things about other people don''t matter at all right?" "Tan belu" I teleported to the 2nd floor...This place is different as well. I don''t think the humidity was this high. Just in case I check the symbol on the pedestal but after all it was pointing further into the hall. CH 123 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 1 The fairy village doesn''t seem to have changed at all since I came at the start of this year. Even though we''re inside of the dungeon there''s light almost like that from the sun coming from the high ceiling and it might just be my imagination but it feels like the temperature is higher than the dungeon as well. It''s a scenery like an illusion of a meadow covered in bushes. I hold back my impatience in order to not scare the fairies and slowly advance towards the center of the pond while circling around it in order to get to the large tree growing in the center. I lower my bag and first take out the grill. Just like last time the fairies still aren''t paying any attention to me. There are ones who take a break on top of my head and shoulder as well but it''s limited to just feeling like a short break on a rock as they climb on me. I came to the rock I sat on last time. Now then, I think it''s just before noon now? Just in case I checked the time on my clock magic tool but just as I thought it was about 11 am. I put the clock magic tool in one of my large pockets and take out the stove magic tool from my bag, then places the grill I just took out on that. And, I took out the dried meineiji and lit the fire on the stove. Several minutes after smoking the dried fish with the fire and a bit of smoke and good smell started to float around the area, I started to notice the fairies gather around me. I wonder if Karl isn''t around? "Karl, if you''re here respond to me." After I said that and "I''ve been up here for a while now." and I heard a reply from on top of my head. So it was you~ the one crossing their legs on top of my head. "What the, so you were up there? I brought some fish along, you''re eating it right?" "Eh!!? Is it fine? I''m happy about that, by the way why do you know my name?" Th..This guy..He forgot about me. "What are you saying. I brought the dried meinieji at the start of this year right?" "Ah, so it was Al huh? Since you''re wearing something like this I couldn''t tell." Ah, I see. Since I had the hood covered so far down you can''t see much other than my eyes. "Sorry about that. I''ll take it off now. Just move for a moment." After confirming that the fairies on my shoulders and head flew off I took off the coat. I folded my coat up and placed it on the side of the rock and then sat down again. Karl flew on to my right shoulder. "I''m amazed you were able to come again. Not to mention, it''s just you again right? Was the {Snake Generator} not moving?" "Ah, another snake fountain? No, a lot of snakes came out of it. I killed them all." "Hmn..Then you''re considerably strong. Just like George." Karl said with admiration. "Nn, well, I''ve gone through a reasonable number of troubles. I had to teleport from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor over 100 times." "Eh?" Karl raised his voice in surprise. "Hn?" "Al, could it be you teleported here from the 1st floor? You really put a lot of effort into it. If you don''t have quite a bit of luck then you can''t make it from there. But you know, it would have been much easier to teleport from the 3rd floor." CH 124 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 3 The end of the days off. Starting today we''re exploring the 6th floor again. Thanks to the information I gained during these days off, the dungeon isn''t simply a place for me to gain treasure, but it''s become a place where I can obtain the catalyst needed to use a spell in order to negotiate with the one who used this {Report} on me. It will change the amount of fighting spirit I''m putting into it. Since I was supposed to be in the capital until yesterday, I paid everyone''s wages before the break started. There''s no way I''d let there be any delays in payment. I was eating a chicken roast, some eggs, and a badly made muffin for breakfast while looking around at everyone''s faces. Yeah, I can feel that everyone is energetic from their expressions. It seems they were satisfied with their days off. "Come to think it, that guy supposedly died." Ralpha is saying to Zenom and Zulu next to her. What is she doing talking about dead people this early in the morning...It''s not like she said it to me, so I''ll just ignore it. "Hn?" "Who did?" Zenom put some egg on his muffin while and Zulu put some pepper on his egg while responding. "Remember, after we came here..Nn~ It was around the time we went to the 2nd floor, so it''s those guys that came to Baldukk a short while after Maruso entered our party, right? That Tiger-man noble who came from outside of the country." I guess there was still some roast remaining on a rib. Ralpha said while taking the bone out from her mouth. "Ah, that young guy called Rokis or whatever? He was the son of a Marquis or something right? Did he die?" Zenom finishes his egg muffin while saying. "No, not Rokis but one of his followers. The male Rabbit-people named Biku. I think it was a short while after Maruso joined us. When Zulu came along with me shopping, didn''t it turn into a fight? Don''t you remember? Zulu." "..I don''t remember. In the first place there were a lot of people who picked fights with us over Koloil-sama around that time so we got into fights often." I guess it''s that, do you remember every time you''ve eaten bread? type of thing. It''s true I don''t remember them all either. Honestly speaking, I don''t remember getting into an argument or fight with Rokis and the others either. Other than that one incident in the dungeon the other day. It''s not unreasonable that Zulu doesn''t remember. "I see. Well it''s fine. And, that Rabbit-people died in the dungeon fighting against an Ork it seems. But, since it was after they started to retreat they weren''t able to recover the corpse." Ralpha is talking while she uses the bone she pulled off the rib as a toothpick. Is this girl really a woman? I feel like I''m about to be stuck with some serious doubts. I''m sure Bel and Toris are stuck together as usual so they haven''t noticed but Gwine is frowning as well. I''m sure my expression isn''t much different from Gwines as well. "Isn''t it something that happens often? Was there something that seemed strange about it?" Angela said while putting some roast chicken between her muffin. Zenom is focused on eating his completed egg muffin. "It''s not particularly unusual. I think that Biku just let his guard down. Ah, Kalstalan-sama can I use the pepper?" Zulu, isn''t that too much pepper? I''m amazed you can calmly eat something like that. "Well you would think that right. But you know, I don''t know if it was the 1st or 2nd floor but since Orks will run away all on their own if you defeat or injure one of them, so depending on how you think about it goblins and gnolls are more dangerous right. I guess he must have been hit in a pretty bad place." It''s true it''s just as Ralpha says, Orks and Hobgoblins have a decent amount of combat ability individually but since they specialize in group combat, if they even take a bit of damage it''s often they start to retreat. Gnolls sometimes show signs of that as well but when it comes to goblins they just keep charging at you so you could say they''re more troublesome. There''s times when weak adventurers are eaten. However, putting aside newcomers, it''s unusual for an adventurers with enough ability to make it to the 2nd floor to get killed by an Ork. Though it''s not that there''s few enough of them for it to be unnatural though. "Al-san, why is Ral like this? I don''t think she was like this in the past but I guess people really do change.." Gwine is putting ham on her muffin as she talks to me. "Really though...I don''t know about in the past but she was only putting on a feigned face for the first few days after I met her. After that it was always like this." Ralpha was watching as I responded to Gwine like that but she didn''t say anything. After all it''s the truth. I bite off a bit of the roast chicken leg while making a face that said "I haven''t spoken any lies" but it seems Ralpha decided to ignore us and she''s still continuing to talk to Zenom and the others. From the other side of Ralpha and the others, "Really, stop eating just meat and eat some eggs as well." "Eh~ I don''t like eggs. I just took them for your sake." "Eh..Is that so? Thanks. I love you." "Of course I do too. That''s why if you''re not going to eat that chicken I''ll take it." "That is no~good~." And I hear a strange conversation that I''m not sure if I''m envious of or not. The couple of Toris and Bel are as annoying as usual this morning. I''ve just decided that you two are standing at the front until the teleport room on the 3rd floor for today. ............. Year 7444, Month 5, Day 8 After returning from the dungeon last night I slept a full night and today I was able to relax and take a break. Right now I''m having dinner with everyone. This "Murowa" is a good bar to relax where their selling point is the skewers they offer while you have a drink. Since it wears away at your nerves quite a bit exploring the dungeon for 5 days straight, the day after getting back we don''t feel like doing anything. I''m lenient towards them spending their time sluggishly and self-indulgent. Even then one of my slaves and myself never miss out on running for about two hours though. Recently I''ve been seeing the faces of Toris and Gwine when I go for my running in the mornings as well. Since the course and pace differs by person it''s not like we''re running together. This time we weren''t able to get our hands on anything big while exploring the dungeon. It was just the magic stones from monsters. Since normally this is only obvious, it''s not something to get depressed over but since I got quite enthusiastic about exploring the dungeon I was a bit disappointed. Ah, really, I wonder if a raw gem crystal won''t come out already? "Today you know, when I was eating together with Gwine at "Rasurun", I heard about it again." Ralpha is talking about some sort of information she heard about again. No, it''s not something as refined as information. It''s like the rumors you hear at the well-side gatherings. Are you a housewife? "About what?" Bel tried asking Ralpha. Just ignore her there. Toris and I exchange glances and Toris started pouring some lukewarm beer from the pitcher into my mug. I asked the Laios waitress for two more pork skewers and poured some beer back into Toris''s mug. After the waitress went and gave the order to the kitchen with her swinging beautiful long scarlet hair and then she sat down "next" to Zulu who was sitting alone at the next table over and started talking about something. Why didn''t she sit across from him? Angela, Gwine, and Zenom are getting excited about the topic of the beard Gwine has started growing recently. It''s a beard which you can barely tell has started growing if you look closely at the bottom of her jaw and below her nose. It sounds like a conversation to comfort Gwine who is worried about it. Zenom is giving his opinion of "A woman with no beard has no charm" but it seems she doesn''t approve. Toris is skillfully eating some dried ibodi with his {My} chopsticks. I''m eating keiswago in fish and vegetables also with {My} chopsticks while (I get a good impression that Toris is also properly using chopsticks~) drinking some bear as well. "And you know, this time it seems it was Joni. You remember right? I think it was last winter, ah, since it was last year before we met Toris and Gwine so it should have been after the new year. It''s the Tiger-man who tried to pick a fight with us to hit on Bel at "Danfulu"." It''s the voice of a rumor loving housewife. "Eh~ I can''t remember. There''s too many." The voice of a rabbit who is putting on airs. "Is that sarcasm?" CH 125 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 25 Morning, I woke up before daybreak and before having breakfast I think while running. Angela is keeping up behind me as I run. These guys, don''t they get tired of that? Just like this Zulu and Angela switch out daily under the pretense of fortifying as my bodyguards. The only times they don''t come with me are long holidays like the end of the year and when I go to the capital, also if I''m just randomly wandering around the town. It''s not like they''re particularly causing any trouble for me so if my slaves can relax better like that then I''m just letting them do as they please. It''s not a bad thing to run after all. It leaves a good impression that as long as I don''t talk to them first they have no intention of interrupting my thinking as well. I run up the crater-like hills surrounding the town of Baldukk as a warm up and once I get to the summit of the crater I increase my speed running the roads. I wonder if I can''t increase my Endurance a bit more already? I started running when I was 10 years old but I''ve still only gained 1 point in Endurance from my daily running. There was an early dawn sky when we left but it''s gradually started to get brighter. After breakfast yesterday, because of the exhaustion from the dungeon I took it easy for a day and thought about various things. In regards to the continued casualties in Rokis''s party. Since I''m sure that Rokis''s party had enough ability to make it to the 2nd floor, even if their members were in their late teens to early 20s, I didn''t think they were all that foolish(or reckless) in their behavior. Since they were able to make it to the 2nd floor they should have properly been producing a map and being reasonably careful. However, it''s a fact that you never know what will happen in the dungeon and as a result of that there were some casualties. If I remember right then the first one was the Bunny-man died in combat to an Ork. Next was the Tiger-man who died from a crossbow trap. I don''t know if the Bunny-man died on the 1st floor or the 2nd floor but since they''re a party that goes to the 2nd floor it should have been there. In regards to the tiger-man the crossbow traps come out on the 2nd floor as well so it''s a very possible story. After that, two people have died in boss rooms on the 2nd floor. It''s unknown if they died as a result of the combat or traps but just going off information from the surface there''s nothing strange there either. If it''s at that level, it''s really something that happens all the time. However, the next one is the problem. On the 1st floor, while in combat with a Giant Spider in the boss room, one more died from stepping on a trap. It takes some guts to enter the dungeon after 4 people had already died and combat ability has dropped but it''s not all that strange. It was after he made reservations for three combat slaves after all, I''m sure he wanted to earn even just a bit. In the first place, we only had four people when we first challenged the dungeon. And if it''s at the level of the 1st floor it''s not like there aren''t people who enter it alone so it''s not all that strange. Giant Spiders are a large spider that have a body of around 50 cm, they''re individual combat ability isn''t as high as Gargantuan Spiders. However, different from Gargantuan Spiders when they come out in the boss rooms they come in groups. They have poison as well and are reasonably fast so depending on how you think about it they could be seen as more troublesome than Gargantuan Spiders. However, they don''t usually have webs in their nest like the Gargantuan Spider so if you make sure to fortify your defenses they aren''t all that much of a problem. Unless they manage to jump on you and bite somewhere there''s no armor or clothes you won''t take much damage either. That''s why, if most adventurers have confidence in their skills they can just kill them in one thrust of the speed or quickly run through the room shaking them off. If you were to say something extreme then as long as you properly fortify your defenses it will take time but even some newcomers can deal with them. I doubt there''s any newcomers who properly fortify their defenses though. Their magic stones are roughly the value of 2 goblins each and since they have poison, it''s common to just run past them or ignore them, that level of monster. After all antidote medicine is 20,000 Z (2 silver coins) for even the cheapest ones. And you never know when other monsters might come attack you while you''re fighting them so most people just choose to run past them. The reason why Rokis and the others chose to fight against the Giant Spiders, I can only imagine as to being they thought they wouldn''t take much damage and if they''re careful they could retreat before any other monsters came, though that itself is fine. Even when it comes to stepping on a trap in combat, it''s not a good thing, but well it happens. There are times when you can''t always pay attention to your feet in combat after all. There''s no surprise you might step on a trap if there is one. The problem is that trap was supposedly in the boss room. Up until now, at the very least until the 6th floor we''re at we''ve never discovered anything like a trap in one of the rooms. I guess you could say there''s something small that is similar to that though. Though I think the possibility we just overlooked them is high. I think that that but somehow I can''t just accept that. The only time traps that come out that kill in a single hit are the crossbows starting from the 2nd floor. Even then it''s only if you take it to the face, neck, heart, or vital organs, in many cases it won''t kill you instantly. Though in reverse you could say it''s plenty enough to kill you. The only traps on the 1st floor are pitfalls, unless you fall in head first they shouldn''t be anything that you would lose your life from. Since it seems to have been in combat, it might have been possible when he had some momentum going he tripped and rolled in head first, is a possibility as well but in that case I wonder if they would say "stepped on a trap"? Well, that was just something Ralpha heard from rumors, so I don''t think it''s all that trustworthy but... In the first place if you interpret "stepped on a trap" as "activated the effects of a trap" then it''s no problem. The problem is that trap was in the boss room on the 1st floor and it''s unknown what kind of trap it was. In some meanings you could say it''s only common sense that it''s either a pitfall or alarm if it''s a trap on the 1st floor(even on the map we produced of the 1st floor there''s nothing but those two types) but I can''t deny the possibility there''s even a crossbow. There''s even worse traps than that on lower floors after all, it wouldn''t be unnatural at all if a huge metal ball suddenly came rolling, the ceiling suddenly falls, or some spears come flying. I''ve heard that there''s a case on the 2nd and 3rd floors where the wall is a pitfall (if you lean on it then the wall pushes in), as well. I wonder if we should investigate it? If you think about it realistically then I''m sure it''s impossible. However, after thinking about it this far I realized that what was bothering me was something different. Or rather, since I just don''t want to think about it I was thinking more about investigating traps. I noticed it yesterday morning. In the first place the first victim the Bunny-man, they say he was killed during combat with an Ork. I wonder if this is true? It''s hard to imagine a party of adventurers who can make it to the 2nd floor dying to a monster other than the boss rooms. Putting aside some newcomers, these are guys who were exploring the dungeon for over a year. It''s unthinkable that they let their guards down and their skill shouldn''t be bad either. Were they killed by someone else while in combat with the Ork? Since it seems they retreated they weren''t able to confirm the corpse of the Bunny-man. Whether it be a sword or spear wound, an arrow, or maybe even spell (If it comes to {Air Cutter} or {Winder Cutter} from a glance they look like sword wounds). In any case, they aren''t idiots so if they notice the situation is a disadvantage to them they''ll start running. If during combat with multiple orks someone were to fall, it makes sense they''d run if they can. Just like Orks do in that case. The second victim, I heard that the Tiger-man who picked a fight with me died from a crossbow trap. I wonder if this was during combat as well? During a time when they''re fighting with multiple monsters the guy next to them makes a mistake and falls. After the combat when they check him and there''s a bolt from a crossbow in one of his vital organs. There weren''t any other monsters. Ah, this guy, so he stepped on a trap huh? Otherwise someone else stepped on the trap and the bolt unluckily hit him. Here..after searching there''s a switch nearby. This is a trap. It''s not strange thinking that way. Rather it''s only obvious. It''s the same for the ones after the third. The fact that they died during combat was the same as the first and the fifth one is said to have died from a trap but it''s not said to be a pitfall. The only trap that''s come out with a specific name so far is the crossbow. A considerably shocking death through falling into a pitfall it would be stranger for them not to mention it. Shit. Is this the revival of {Bright Blade}. If you''re going to ambush the opponent then you want at least two to three times the enemy in numbers. Since if you don''t crush them all at once you it''s easy to end up taking damage on the attacking side. You gradually reduce their numbers starting from those with the flimsiest equipment, once they''ve been reduced to a certain number you wipe them out all at once. Since the limit that you can enter the dungeon with is 10 people the first objective would be to reduce them to 5 people or less. Previously, the timing that {Bright Blade} attacked us was perfect. A powerful enemy like the {Frost Lizard} appeared, we used magic consecutively to get rid of the gargoyles, and all of the {Slaughterers} were focused on attacking the {Frost Lizard}. After some amount of damage was done to the {Frost Lizard} they tried to use focus fire on me who seemed to be out of mana and can use magic, next up would have been to finish off the archer next to me right away. By that time the rest of the party would have been exhausted from combat with the {Frost Lizard} so they would have had trouble dealing with a sudden attack. The only method for the {Slaughterers} to survive in that situation would be at best to have the dwarf girl using the spear move around to guard the rear while somehow quickly finishing off the {Frost Lizard} then all trying to attack at once. If I hadn''t been there, no, if I had been out of mana then the probability we would have been wiped out was really high. However, that was a strategy that could be used because we were in combat with the {Frost Lizard}, no, because we were in combat in a boss room on the 5th floor. And in the first place, the {Slaughterers} only have 8 members. Putting aside the vampire that came out on the 4th floor, if it''s just at the level of the 1st or 2nd floor one person can remain to keep the monster in check while the rest of the members could have done some damage to {Bright Blade}. Of course, in the end {Bright Blade} probably wouldn''t lose but if there''s a possibility they would take some kind of damage I''m sure they wouldn''t try initiating such a reckless attack. It''s only obvious but {Bright Blade} has already been wiped out so it''s someone new. I don''t know how they''re following after Rokis''s party but it''s not like there''s no methods at all. I''ll try thinking about the several methods that are possible. A. 1. First off they start by doing something to reduce the number by even one. This is fine even if it''s a coincidence. 2. Next time by coincidence as well.. ..It''s only obvious that''s impossible. What kind of out of the world probability would that be? B. 1. First start off by somehow reducing their numbers my one. This is fine as a coincidence. 2. After the next time, one of the attackers uses the spell {Invisibility} and sneaks in when they teleport together. 3. Use a crossbow and watch out for the chance during combat.. ..Rejected. {Invisibility} is a spell I wouldn''t even know if I hadn''t heard about it from Karl. I can''t imagine there are many people who can use it. There''s also the problem of the duration and their equipment. C. 1. Have one of their allies sneak into Rokis''s part. Bribing one of them is fine as well. 2. After that.. ..How are they going to meet them in the dungeon. It''s impossible. Rejected. D. 1. Have one of their allies sneak into Rokis''s party. Bribing them is fine as well. 2. That person looks for the chance and shoots a bolt from a crossbow at them. ..It seems difficult but it''s probably not completely impossible. It doesn''t have to be a bolt but magic is fine as well. After killing them if you pretend to be the first one to discover their corpse and point to a bolt nearby it could work. On hold. E. 1. Go ahead and wait in the teleport room on the 1st floor for them. 2. Split the party into multiple groups, while they''re in combat aim or guys who are spacing out they aim for with a crossbow and kill with a bolt. It would require a considerably high level of skill. 3. In this case, they wouldn''t have had their eyes set on Rokis''s party from the start. It''s possible that they just happened to succeed twice and after that they tried putting priority on them as well. It''s an extremely difficult thing to manage but not as much as A. It doesn''t just have to be the 1st floor but if they wait in one of the areas leading towards the center of the dungeon not far from the teleport room then it''s not a completely impossible method. Though they would need enough skill to deal with the monsters on the 1st floor alone...On hold. F. 1. There''s a method of using the teleport crystal rod that I, no, that isn''t commonly known. For example if you chant the same incantation as the previous party you can teleport to the same location...Since there''s supposedly people that have tried this that shouldn''t be the case but there might be some method that isn''t known. I''m sure the probability is low. For the time being, On hold. G. 1. There''s someone who has some sort of Unique Ability that let''s the attacker know the current location of their target. CH 126 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 27 I gave it my best desperately trying to cling to the protuberances on the floor but they''re at best a light uneven slope of about 10 cm and the surface is slimy so there''s no way to grab on to them. It''s to the point where it was good luck that I somehow managed to shift my posture so I was sliding down with my feet first and my head up. I quickly perceived that the lid of the dark slanted pitfall closed from above. Because, up until now there was some slight light from the entrance but now it''s completely shut off into darkness. This is bad, Identify..and just as I was thinking that I saw some small amount of light from my lower body but! just as I thought that both of my legs were standing properly on the ground. Of course, I still had the momentum remaining so I ended up rolling along just like that. I touched the floor and felt the sensation of solid and dry dirt. Then I''ll use the spell {Light}..I can''t use it. In that case Identify, I can''t use thsi either! What does this mean!? I suddenly started to feel helpless in the pitch darkness so I started to search around for the long sword I had let go of before I realized it and started crawling around but I couldn''t find it. Shit!! What in the world!? is this. I can understand that I fell in something like a pitfall. I also know that the lid of it closed right away. Along the way down I saw a bit of fine light but..was that, teleportation huh!? Is this not the 3rd floor that I was on until just now!? I looked upwards and yelled out "Hey!" but there was no response. I thought I might end up calling some monsters over so I thought again and stopped yelling but the impulse to scream out remains just as large as before. We were just a bit away from defeating Franken. I wonder if, those guys will be alright? I think they should have been able to defeat it in another one or two hits, so I want to believe that they''re fine but..Somehow I suddenly start to feel uneasy about it. Come to think of it, since it seems I''ve survived the immediate emergency, it might just be my imagination but I feel hungry..I''m hungry! Ah,aaaa,aaa,aa....Shit! This feeling. It''s mana exhaustion! This is bad, this is bad, this is bad. This is very bad! Following that I intensely want to have sex. The desire to sleep has quickly started to come on as well. I guess it''s because I was in a situation where I didn''t even have the time to worry about feeling any desires until now. Otherwise, the anxiety I felt around the time I hit the ground was caused by running out of MP as well? Ah, my bag. There should be three days worth of preserved food in my bag but..It''s not here! I should have been carrying it on my back..damn it! I pulled out the pin and threw it aside before charging into Franken. Then, in that case the emergency use antidote and healing potion that I put into the pack on my D ring..I guess it was no good that I had put it inside of a leather bag but the medicine bottle feels like it shattered inside the bag. Then, in that case..Ah, shit, I feel hungry and my crotch is raging with violent energy. I took off the crotch protector portion of my rubber protectors. It hurt since it was hitting. Of course I''m still holding the crotch portion that I took off. There''s no way I''d throw it away right. However, with this my only belonging is the flask I had hanging from my tassets on the opposite side. It seems that this one is safe but it''s empty. No, there might be one or two drops of water remaining though. My weapons are..the brass knuckles in the fists of both of my gauntlets and the throwing needles built into the simple shield on both of my arms for a total of 20 of them, and the knife I have fixed to the band on my right thigh. It seems my safe is safe as well. However, I''m tired. Boiling. Hungry. If it was just one, since I''m already an adult I''m sure I can still endure it. However, for all three primary desires to come at once, what kind of torture is this? If I felt like it I could at least take care of sexual desire but if I was attacked or killed by a monster in the middle of that, for an eternity..rather if I die here there isn''t even a next era. Ah, but, I''ve been rolling over here and there while screaming. If there was a monster nearby then it''s strange that I wasn''t long since attacked. Then, in that case I guess there aren''t any monsters nearby, in other words...The moment I feel like I''m able to start thinking clearly, the feeling of wanting to satisfy my desires gets stronger to where I can''t hold it back. Shit, shit!! Be cool! The feeling of starvation is terrible! I''m tired! I want to do it! I was able to think "No matter what I do isn''t staying in the center of the room a bad idea? with the little remaining ability to think I had. It would be good if I can make it to the wall but I don''t know which direction the wall is in. I''m hungry! I want to do it! Tired! Ah, really, I don''t mind if I die so just let me eat something! I remember back to the food I ate on a trip to a hot spring ryokan once. The raw whitebait was delicious. Why am I only remember small fish? CH 127 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 27 "Ah, I guess that''s..great." While looking at Chizumagurol''s face on their knees while looking up at me with a starving glare saying things that I don''t get like "I remembered", I somehow got a nostalgic feeling from it. However, I can''t remember well. This face, I''ve seen it somewhere... "Ffu.....Talking...Nn...Saw face...Suddenly various things..Ah...I remembered but..Uu...God..this..sort of thing..Han..Kka..Kawa..ki,san..I am.." Eh? This person, just now, they were about to say my name from my past life right? They know me... Who is it? Miki? there''s no way that should be the case! Their facial features are completely different after all, and they were about to call me "Kawasaki-san. In the first place she would never have such a disgusting color like this. There''s no way she should! She must not!! Yumi? My girlfriend from high school? No, it''s probably different. I''ve seen her face at high school reunions since we both were adults but at that time she called me "Kawasaki-kun", I think. "I..I''m hungry..so..Yeah!!..a bit..tired..a aa...th..is..ku..n..wa?!!" Ryoko? My girlfriend after that? I think that''s even less likely. I''ve heard that Ryoko married and left the country with her husband who works overseas. "P..lee.ase..an!!..and..fa,fa..st..u..ku..." The Dark Elf is embracing their body with both arms like they''re trying to endure it. ... "Nn!!" they faced down. ...... "A..aa!!" They raised their face and looked at me. Their eyes were wet with tears. .......! Is this..Shiina? "You..are you Shiina..?" Putting aside that unnerving light violent skin color there''s some facial features remaining from Shiina my subordinate in my past life, or at least I feel like there is. Since I don''t know her face from when she was 15 or 16 I couldn''t remember right away. "Nn..Yes..It''s Shiina.. Ngu...And...Fu...I was...finally able to...meet..aaa..Cu..cute..wwaaaa..Nn..Su...Subordinate...re..reward..Nnn!!" I thought she was enduring it but it seems she''s groping her chest with her left hand. After all it''s Shiina. "Sorry but there''s nothing to eat and no matter what the situation I have no intention of embracing you. Though if it was about three hours ago it would have been dangerous." I ruthlessly declared to Shiina as she was suffering from mana exhaustion and drooling with her 10 cm or so long characteristic pink forked tongue for elves sticking out with about 3-4 meters between us on the other side of the {Light}. Just going off of the details from Identify there''s no she''s a useful talent and I believe I''ve already got an understanding of her personality and tendencies. As long as she hasn''t changed a lot I can trust her as well. Probably even among everyone I''ve met up until now, no, since I still don''t know of any other reincarnated people I haven''t met yet.. so she should be the person I can trust the most on Orth. "Th..That..can''t be..a..aaa..nn..kuu...Already..already..." Even if you look up at me with that sort of heartrending face, things that are no good are no good. Even if your face has gotten quite a bit better looking from the Elf blood mixed the inner-company romance of Greed Company (for the time being my three slaves are automatically, and the rest of the members are for convenience sake employees) already has it''s stomach full with Bel and Toris. In the first place, it''s too soon for me to get with a single woman. "P..Plea..please...I can''t...endure...nnnnn!! Aaah!! Always..endur..fu~aaan!!" She bit the fingertip of the glove on her right hand and took it off and then moved that right hand between her legs and started moving it. Ah, I guess I was just like this until a short while ago? "So...So..many years already...Aa!! Ku!!kuu~n!" CH 128 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 ".." Shiina who has finished confirming her equipment is watching me with a serious face while I''m remaining silent. "It''s not like I intend to blame you for anything. If you want to keep it a secret then I won''t tell anyone, I just found it strange. If you don''t want to say then that''s fine." Shiina quietly said that. And, "But, that you won''t trust me is a bit..that is..lonely...since 16 years have already passed since then, I guess it''s not unreasonable though. But, I just remembered a moment ago. That''s why I can remember it like yesterday. I was on my way to my appointment with Sexton Company when a train drove into the bus I was riding. But, I can remember the events like it was yesterday." She said that and made a sad smile. "..Ha..I guess it''s fine if it''s you..It can''t be helped, I''ll reveal the trick. Promise that you won''t tell anyone." I scratch my cheek and said that and Shiina''s face suddenly got cheerful. "Of course. It''s a secret between just the two of us. Yeah, I won''t tell anyone." That''s certainly true but..when you say it, it just feels unpleasant right. I look at Shiina in the eyes while saying. "It''s called Magic Acquisition. Quite literally it helps learn magi"Supposedly people who can calmly tell lies have psychopathic tendencies. Who do you think I am? Please don''t think that I the Dark Elf, "Rank 1 warrior class", Shiina Junko, no, "Miduchi the Silent" would fall for such a simple strategy." ! This girl..after all I thought it was strange that she was entering the dungeon alone but she''s no longer just a simple person, I guess that''s what this mean? Though I don''t really get "Rank 1 warrior class" or "Miduchithesilent"...but, psychopath, you...Though I don''t feel like it''s all that incorrect. The first time my heart got a bit disarrayed but I explained it away by saying it was for Myun''s sake and I didn''t hesitate at all when I killed everyone from {Bright Blade} the other day. Well if I was bothered by something like that then I wouldn''t even be able to get involved with a single war from here on out. I already know. In the first place, if you say that then all of the heroes in the world would be psychopaths after all. I''m aiming for that as well. Whether it be Orth or Earth the people who can calmly kill living creatures or monsters that have arms, legs, a head and walk upright is messed up in the head somewhere. That goes the same for you too, Shiina. Since you''re inside the dungeon after all. ".." ".." The silence continues for a few seconds. "Why can you say that''s a lie? Is there some sort of merit for me to lie to yo"There are merits, a lot of them. Also, I''ll say it any number of times but please don''t think that I don''t know much about Kawasaki-san. Please don''t underestimate me. How many times do you think I accompanied you during sales? When Kawasaki-san tells lies while doing sales, he always makes sure to properly look at the other person''s eyes. Didn''t you previously say it before? "When you tell lies you need to fortify your resolve so even if it''s just for that time you''re even lying to yourself." like that." ... "I was always working by your* side for eight years. I was always watching you. Even if you try to deceive me it''s pointless. If I combine Shiina Junko''s feelings and the 16 years I spend as a dark elf training my skills of observation and discernment then I can almost perfectly see through the lies. It''s fine if you decide not to tell me as well but please do not tell me any lies. I also do not intend to, no, to only you I will absolutely never tell any lies." ..Anata*, huh? How long has it been since I was called that? I suddenly remembered Miki. "I''m sorry. Seeing through them is probably limited to only you. But, it seems I already confessed my feelings to you just now. I remembered what I said and did after running out of mana last night and since it was so embarrassing my tension went up that high and became like that though... Kawasaki-san, about you but..I love you. These 16 years since I was reborn I can''t do anything about the fact that I forgot it, but I really love you. Since I understood we were reborn as a result of that accident..I was able to say it because I knew that your wife is no longer around..that''s why I can say it. I''ve always loved you since many years ago. Please at least...at least don''t lie to a woman like this. I''m begging you." ... "Why are you remaining silent? You already realized my feelings since a long time ago right?" "I already knew. Obviously...There''s no way I wouldn''t realize right?" We were both adults after all, I was married and had my own family. There''s no way it''s something that could be said and I had no intention of confirming it either. After hearing my words Shiina raised her face up a bit and shed some tears. "Thank goodness...So they were conveyed. Just a bit..this is..something I''m happy about." She said that while looking at me. I can''t lie to you right. I kept company with her without thinking in terms of advantages or disadvantages. Of course it wasn''t the relationship of a man and woman though. I took a deep breath and then opened my mouth. "It would be better if you don''t learn the name of the ability. I''ll explain it later but I''m passing it with other reincarnated people as Magic Acquisition. Since I''m sure you''ve already met God so I think you know though." After I said that far and Shiina, "Reincarnated people! Somehow that''s a cool name~ Well if you say it like that then it''s certainly strange*. Also, I''m sorry. It''s true I met God but as a matter of fact I don''t really remember much from that time...All I remember is that the people who died in the accident were reborn on Orth and the method to use my Unique Ability, also that I was carrying some kind of large problem and it seems God lent me a bit of a hand in doing something about that. Incidentally I think that this large problem is probably referring to my memory loss." Said that. "I see. If you don''t remember then that can''t be helped but the growth rate of reincarnated people is higher than that of normal people. This is"Ah..I somehow was able to remember that." Ah, I see. "..When your body level increases things like your mana increase but the degree of those increases is high, is basically what it means." CH 129 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 We leave the 30cm or so rock with a square like characteristic in the place we were resting until now along the wall as a landmark and then started walking with the wall along our right side. Miduchi is still holding a different {Light} rock. After walking for a short while there was an opening in the wall and you can tell it''s a passage further inside. "It would be bad if we suddenly approach and there''s something inside. Shouldn''t be return once and try checking the other direction for passages as well?" Miduchi said. There''s no reason to be against it. "That''s true, I think it''s probably fine but it''s true the probability is high something is inside. Let''s try going around to the other side once then?" I said that and turned around. We pass by the place we were resting until just now and continued even further along the wall with it on our left side. Judging from the distance we walked, we''ll have ended up making one full lap around the pillar pretty soon. Ahead of us I can see the passage entrance. "It seems we returned. There''s nothing else we should go and or look at. Let''s go." "Yes." "Fundamentally the rooms in the center of the dungeon where the teleport crystal is are around 30m in every direction. However, this pillar has a diameter of 100m or so. It''s possible there''s a monster inside. Let''s make sure we remain cautious." "Of course." Miduchi holds her short sword in her right hand and the {Light} stone in her left hand. I''m still holding Toris''s long sword in my right hand as well. We carefully stepped foot inside of the passage. The width of the passage is roughly 3m, the height of the ceiling is around 4m I guess. The passage itself seems to have a length of around 10m? 10m ahead the walls and ceiling on both sides disappear. It turns into a large room with the floor stretching out. "Be careful of traps." "Yeah." We slide our feet as we proceed. Since {Light} cut off once along the way Miduchi reused it again. In addition I had her make two extra {Light} stones that I''m holding. We stepped foot into the room. Since it''s inside of a large cylinder, I guess it''s a doughnut shaped room? In the front I can see something like an even thinner pillar than the one we just entered that''s around 40m. Judging off the thickness of this 100m or so pillar that we walked around and the 10m length of the passage we just passed through, it''s outer area should be around 80m, and inner diameter around 40m, with a width of about 20m a doughnut shaped space, furthermore inside of that there''s another 40m round pillar in the center is how it''s structured. My intuition is telling me. There''s a boss in this room! I quietly whisper to Miduchi. "Stay behind me on the right side. If you can see a monster then anything is fine hit it with some magic. Alright, stay behind me on the right." "Yes." Since both Miduchi and are right handed. We''re holding our weapons in our right hands. Then I need to remain on the side where her heart is. And, soon after we stepped foot inside of the doughnut I threw the two stones we had used {Light} on ahead of time in both the right and left directions about 20m. I guess it heard the sound of that falling. I could see something drifting in the center of the passage(?) of the doughnut shape on the right side. There''s no mistake it''s a monster. I identified it in an instant while using an attack spell. It''s {Lightning Bolt}. In an instant from my left hand electricity surges and reaches in front of the monster, and then it bounded 50-60 cm in a different direction! It can''t be, again!? ¡¾¡¿ ¡¾Asexual/25/7/6444 ? Death=Tyrant.King¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 999 Years¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 25¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 1114(1114)¡¡MP£º 347(347) ¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 20¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 27¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 89¡¿ CH 130 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 "It will take time, around how much?" If it''s just several tens of seconds then I can probably earn it. If it''s at that speed (the speed an adult and walk quickly) then if we just do a lap around the doughnut depending on the course we might be able to earn three or four minutes. "Probably over 10 minutes.." So it''s no good. Then how about this? "Let''s pull it closer and then throw the rocks with {Light} cast on them at it without letting them touch my {Anti-Magic Field}." "Eh? I understand." I''m sure she has some doubts about it but it''s good she obeys right away. Miduchi quickly picked up a random rock and used the spell {Light} on it. Simultaneously I threw the second {Long Duration Rock} I had into the center of the passage in order to secure light. I guess because I had been standing still, the eyeball bastard had already approached to within 10m. The rock with {Light} cast on it hit him right in the center of his muddy white eyeball with a thud. There was no change to the rock. It''s HP didn''t decrease and there''s no change to the number of uses on Magic Reflection either. I guess it doesn''t reflect low-threat magic? We raised our speed again a bit and increased the distance. Something we can throw..20 throwing needles and a knife with a chipped blade. Miduchi has a total of 9 knives. 4 throwing darts. Blowgun. We don''t have anything decent..If Bel was here we could have her shoot consecutive arrows from behind the anti-magic defense wall though... Even if we try using the blowgun with wind magic instead of blowing into it according to Miduchi due to problems with the durability of it, the power can''t be increased very much. Maybe I''ll challenging the production of metal air gun when we get back. In the past I made several varieties but according to the stories I heard about crossbows it''s power was below that. Due to problems with the shape of the ammunition there was too much air resistance. It ended up being single shot but I went through quite a bit of trial and error to prepare my bayonet. I made an iron pipe and then put an exclusive arrow in from the back. Then put some cotton in the middle or back of the arrow and use your fingers to seal the remaining side and use wind magic from that finger. It will only fly about 40 meters or so and there''s a limit to how much power it could have. Though because the arrow will have cotton on it, it will quickly decelerate. Even if you raise the level of wind magic your hand will come out of the pipe this time and it''s pretty much the same in the end, since you can''t aim there''s no meaning to it. Integrally speaking it''s a bit better than just blowing a blowgun with your breath but in the end I gave up on it. In any case no matter what we throw that we have onus right now it can''t do any damage to that eyeball bastard. If we were to throw ours swords and it hit right then it might be different but if throw it once it''s over after all. "It''s fine already, next is..I''ll get even closer to the inner wall. You hide behind {Anti-Magic Field} while making dirt walls in an appropriate location on the other side of him from the pillar. The height will be where I can hide from them and a width of 1.5m should be plenty... now, go!" "Yes!" After confirming that Miduchi had run off I glared at the eyeball bastard again. He''s still looking atrocious as usual. I''m sure if I were to release {Anti-Magic Field} here even once I''d die an in instant. I really want to make fighting in close combat while holding my long sword and using {Anti-Magic Field} at the same time my last resort. After all his Magic Reflection takes effect around 50-60 cm from his body. Since I don''t know what will happen if {Anti-Magic Field} touches it, I don''t have any method of attacking while maintaining that much distance. I''m sure if I were to jump over the {Anti-Magic Field} even if I stab it, if a beam hits my hand I''d probably die. I raise my speed of moving backwards against thinking I should increase the distance to 30 m or so. "I did it!" I heard Miduchi''s voice that she''s finished the work. "Alright, standby just like that. I''m going to move into the inner walls so you follow along it as well!" I threw down the third {Long Duration Light}. Suddenly I looked the left where the pillar is acting as the core of the doughnut and I can see a passage just like here. The passage bends directly to the right and obviously I can''t confirm the teleport crystal. "I''m 5m behind you. I made the wall about 2m to my right." Miduchi called out to me. "Alright, pull back at the same speed as me. Just before you can''t see me anymore stop. Once I''m hidden behind the wall count to 20 seconds and let me know." "Yes." A wall appeared in my field of sight. The eyeball bastard is about 30m ahead. I quickly hid behind the wall and released {Anti-Magic Field} before using a new magic. It''s a spell I just had Karl teach me at the start of this month. I''ve still only practiced it using the standard amount of mana but it should be plenty. "{Delayed Blast Fire Ball}" Of course it''s also possible to use this like a normal {Fire Ball} but it''s true worth is that there''s no need to fire off the warhead. Or to be more correct you send it flying but since you''re just moving it about 1 cm it''s not much different from not moving it. You can set the time on the delay before it explodes, and quite literally like a landmine, it''s possible to match the timing up for when it explodes. This time I''m setting the time. After all I can''t let go of {Anti-Magic Field}. I was able to create 10 of them in the 20 seconds before Miduchi gave me the signal. I set the timer on all of them to 5 seconds later and then used {Anti-Magic Field} once more before quickly retreating along the inner area of the doughnut. It seems the eyeball bastard lost sight of me since I was hiding behind the wall but must have guessed I was behind the wall. Without floating around in that spot it kept moving without slowing down over here. It''s already in a place about 5m away. 4 more seconds. It seems to have sent off a beam of light towards me after I appeared from behind the wall and some lightning ran along the surface of my {Anti-Magic Field}. Oh~ I forgot to Identify. It''s MP is 51 huh? Alright! Another 3 seconds. With {Anti-Magic Field} still deployed I quickly retreat. There''s only about 2 m between the dirt wall and the inner wall of the doughnut. The only way for it to chase after me is to follow along the outer side of the wall. Of course it could fly over it as well. If it uses Magic Reflection to reflect the wall then that would be even better. Another 2 seconds. There''s also 10m of distance opened between it and myself. Miduchi has grouped back up with me as well. Another 1 second. Come! I saw it fly over the dirt wall. The moment before it landed all of my {Delayed Blast Fire Ball}s exploded at once. Along with a loud noise the burning rocks were sent flying all over the place including my direction but were blocked by the {Anti-Magic Field} and disappeared long with the lightning. CH 131 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 The image that was shown in the crystal ball in the end was the single color of black. Even though I say that it''s not like something like a pitch black piece of paper is showing but rather something like bristle. It might be closest to say it''s something like the black fur from the surface of some kind of animal. What is, this? The image of the camera is too close. Once I thought that it''s started to slowly zoom out. Some kind of soft looking surface of skin like velvet and it feels like thick hairs are growing all over the place? Zoom out some more. Even more. The image being transmitted to the crystal ball from the camera (or something like that) is extremely slowly moving backwards from the target as I try to command it to in my head. "What is it? This?" Miduchi is raising her voice in doubt but something like that, I want to know. It''s zooming out at such a slow speed that it''s irritating and finally the surface of the body which the hairs were growing has started to take shape. The left and right sides of the image were cut. The hairs seemed to have been growing off of something like a rod? The rod like thing with hairs on it..Is this a leg? This, is the leg of some kind of insect. "Huh? No matter where you look from it''s the same image.." He~ Is that so? The number of legs increased. Since I don''t have anything to compare it to in the image I can''t tell the size of it at all. The range that''s being projected is gradually stretching out...What was it again, that''s right, I guess you could say it''s something like a large black spider a {Tarantula}. It has hair growing after all. The large ones can get up to like 30 cm when they stretch their legs out. In the past I saw them on a nature program with my wife. Yeah, it was just like this. I''ve started to get it. Miduchi is looking at the crystal ball with a strange face. "What is it?" "Ah, no~ it''s nothing. But..Ah..Aah~!" "Do you have any idea what it is?" "It''s the symbol of my country." "?" The camera has considerably backed away so I can tell quite a bit. This is an insect..rather a spider. It''s the legs of a spider. It''s showing the lower body starting from the legs of a spider. The image in the crystal ball shows four legs on each side and there''s something like long white hairs along the hairline so I can''t tell for sure...But, this is strange? If I remember correctly the legs of spiders are supposed to grow from it''s chest towards the grown and they stretch out at the joints, but it seems this is different. I feel like something is growing directly out of the surface but can''t tell for sure. However, rather than something like that for it to have been a spider... "Is it this thing? This thing used {Report}..." I''ve spent countless years living on Orth and for these past two years I''ve lived as an adventurer I''ve seen a number of different monsters. I had confidence I wouldn''t be surprised by most things but this surprised me. I mean, it''s a spider. Are you saying a spider used magic? Is what I was thinking but as it gradually continued to zoom out I''ve started to get it. This thing, it''s a spider but not just a normal spider. I noticed that I was entranced in looking at that appearance. Neither Miduchi nor could utter a single word. Let alone that, before I noticed it Miduchi was prostrating herself towards the image in the crystal ball. Do-geza-r*. There''s someone''s back growing from the back of the the spider legs! Then in that case, there''s mistake this person is the one who used {Report} on us. Then in that case, I should use {Telepathy} here. I immediately started kneading the mana. Since it was such a large crystal ball I forgot but this spell {Detect Magic User} is on a time limit. That''s why once you use it, until the duration ends it will remain cast, though thanks to that you can use other spells during that time. Finally I was able to see almost the entire image from the camera. It feels like it''s showing the image of a person sitting holding their knees from behind. No, even if I say person it''s not a human. That is..a Dark Elf. The long pure white hair growing from their head is covering all over their body because they''re facing downwards and the amount of it was enough to cover down to the legs of the tarantula. The length goes down to just above the waist. Since their back is bent over and their posture is facing down right now, if they were to properly stand up and stretch their back out it would probably go down to their butt. The spider legs are stretching out as if hiding the shape of the body but from the skin that can be seen here and there you can tell there''s some curves and you can see the waist line as well. It''s easy to tell it''s a woman from behind. Since they''re hidden by their hair the ears can''t be seen but judging from that deep purple skin color close to black there''s no way they can''t be a Dark Elf. Most likely they''re hiding their face in their hands that are crossed in front of their knees, the camera moves irritatingly slow as it moves horizontally but since the face is still hidden I can''t see it. Incidentally, since it''s not directly showing in my eyes there was no effect from Identify. Beautiful. It''s become a common expression but I thought they were a beautiful. I can''t tell their face but just those limbs are plenty. Simultaneously it was like I was hit with an electric currency, it suddenly flashed into my head. CH 132 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 While looking at the remains of the crystal ball that crumbled and scattered I contemplated for a short period before trying to use {Anti-Magic Field} as if I remembered it. On both my head and Miduchi''s head the blue spell light continued to shine. "Well, that is, how do I put it, it''s weird for me to say but sorry about that." I showed my hand with the light still on it while saying. "..It''s fine. Since I''m still alive like this..and I understand the madams feelings as well. She wasn''t able to tell us about it in detail but she reincarnated in an era 1,300 years ago...Soon after getting married and having a child an army from a foreign country invaded and I''m sure she lost her family them...After that I don''t know what happened..She lived for several hundred years and even made it to a {Demi-God}...And then another countless hundreds of year. It was at that time that I was born right near her, at first she might have just felt like confirming a bit but after peeking inside of my memories you were there. I''m sure, it was nostalgic, and a variety of emotions suddenly overflowed as she indulged in and looked through everything." That''s true but the one who was the direct victim of it was you right... "It''s not like I have the experience of living a life like that so it''s not like I''d really know but...But, I think that surely that''s the case. Like it''s not unreasonable, and can''t be helped. If she saw all of my memories then she should have been able to imagine that you reincarnated as well. I think that it was quite difficult." That is~ not a hard amount of time and work to imagine. And, after spending several years she finally found me I''m sure. ".." ".." "Thanks for thinking like that." "No.." Miduchi looked downwards. She might be saying that but I''m sure her feelings are a mess. I have no right to say anything more though. Even if it wasn''t my intention it''s a partner I was separated from 16 years ago. Furthermore, 1,300 years have passed for Miki, honestly speaking I''m just happy she still remembered and cared about me. "By the way, Miki..Is Lilus a proper King?" It''s nothing I particularly need to ask about right now but I wanted to change the topic. "It''s my first time seeing her majesty''s face. According to the stories I''ve heard the last time the elders..the elders are like the ministers of Lail Kingdom but the last time they met her was far in the past as well. I''ve even heard that the current elders haven''t directly met her." So she wasn''t. No, I guess it''s not a problem if the country is still properly being managed even like that. "Hmn..Let me hear some stories about Lail Kingdom. I''ll tell you all of the things I know about Rombert Kingdom as well.." ............. I think we probably continued talking for another 2-3 hours. Our stomachs finally started growling so we decided to return to the surface. I guess it''s just after noon right now? I''m sure everyone is worried. "You''re, returning to your country right? Around how far away is it? When do you think you''ll be able to return?" "Erurehei..Mount Kinru is 1000Km away from here, so it''s not that much. But it''s still considerably far. I think if the trip on a horse is favorable then it takes around 4 weeks? There''s quite a few mountain paths after all." It''s quite far. since I was suddenly curious about it I tried asking midway through the conversation. "Do you have a horse? If you don''t the"It''s alright. I have a horse. I''ve left it in the care of my inn right now. I''ll dispose of the magic stone I received when I return to my country..retire from my job..confirm the condition of my brother, and if everything is good I would like to return right away but.." "Do you feel bad for your older brother? Seeing Miki, no the King..and she was going to die wasn''t it.." "I think I would like to return as fast as possible but.." Miduchi said with a slightly serious face and depressed voice. "I''ll still be here in Baldukk for the time being. We might not even be able to reach this floor in a year or so..not that I know what floor it is though." ".." "That''s why, don''t worry about it. It would be good if your older brother gets better." "..Yes..But, even though we finally met again..be..because of my circumstances.." Don''t make a face like that. "It''s fine. Rather than me right now worry about yor brother..Alright! Let''s go!" I stood up cheerfully to try and remove the slightly depressing atmosphere and stretched my hand out to Miduchi. Miduchi''s hand was hard from the sword callouses. ............ "Return us." How many times we have teleported up until just now again? One..Two..Three... "Nn..Since when was Unit Organization cut? Isn''t that strange?" Since we were dazed out in the process of repeating teleportation to the upper floors I didn''t notice it. "Huh? Come to think of it.." By the time we realized the effect of Miduchi''s Unit Organization had been cut off. I guess because Miduchi was spacing out? "Well, it''s fine since we''re leaving already though." "Wa, Yes..But, that..I''ll use it once more." CH 133 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 29 After seeing off Miduchi I returned to "Boil Manor" again to leave my bayonet, changed into my under-armor, and put my rubber protectors on. I went through that sort of thing. I do have the feeling that I can afford to rest from my training for today at least but I can''t let my greatest asset my value get weak. I''m considerably mentally exhausted but if you were to ask if I''m physically exhausted that isn''t the case. I walked countless Km inside of the dungeon but my body has already reached the point where something like that isn''t much at this point. Since it seems my training time was a bit later than usual Angela came to get me from "Shuni". Angela was waiting while looking tired in front of "Boil Manor". "Morning, is the alcohol all out?" "Yes, I''m alright." After exchanging greetings in order to warm up a bit we slowly ran towards the outer crater. Once we entered the summit {training road} (the name I''m calling it) we raise our speed to the usual but for today I''ll maintain this pace for a short while. I wanted to talk with Angela a bit. "Hey~ Angela." "Yes, what is it?" "How, are you in regards to Giberuti?" "..What do you mean by how?" Her face is a bit red. Either she''s embarrassed or it''s simply from the running? "No, when you tried to rescue me, you guys did it right?" "Well, we''re the same race after all, I wasn''t against it. If that wasn''t the case then even if it was me I wouldn''t so easily.." "Hm~n." You say that but when you''re out of mana you feel like anyone is fine as the partner. Anything that can be eaten, or anything that seems like it could be eaten you''ll feel like trying to put into your mouth after all. Since she might have had a bit of reason remaining she probably avoided Zenom, Toris couldn''t move from the pain of the bone fractures. Zulu was unconscious and couldn''t move either. Since the only one remaining was Giberuti, I''m sure there wasn''t any room for choosing. Honestly speaking, I''m not such an ogre that I''d talk about the morals within the party when it comes to mana exhaustion. Even when it comes to me if the partner is a goat if it''s biologically female when I''m out of mana I might feel they''re fine to do it with. If there''s someone who can unconditionally endure that I would respect them. However, you can properly remember the memories from that time and you can completely remember your actions and the things you felt at that time. What I''m worried about is whether or not you''ll end up regretting doing it with a partner you didn''t want to. "Then I guess that''s fine, sorry about asking something boring, forgive me...Let''s go." I said that and raised my speed. We did one lap around the outer summit and then returned to Baldukk descending the road along the riverside. Roughly 25Km in just around two hours. Right now even if I''m fully equipped I can run mountain roads at this speed. Putting aside Zulu and though Angela isn''t wearing any armor I''m amazed she can keep up with me. After we returned to "Boil Manor" I said to Angela, "Wait just a minute." and returned to my room before getting a rubber bag and returning. "This is something that works as a substitute for a pig''s bowels, there''s 10 of them inside. You know about pig''s bowels right?" When I said that with a flat voice and no emotion and her face suddenly turned red, "Eh? Ah..Ha.. I know but..that is...I, I haven''t used them, very much." She said it while quite embarrassed. What''s with her, did she always have this sort of face? "Nn? You don''t know how to use it? Then hand it to your partner. Once you cut the seal use them all right away. The water inside is fine to lick but it rots easily. If it''s during the season right now it would probably hold out about two days. Make sure you save the remaining ones. And throw them out. Also, the only one I''m providing these with is you. Don''t tell the others about this." "..Yes." I handed Angela the rubber bag while her face was red and, "Well, that is, how do I put it. I''m sure there are times when you want to let loose as well. Be careful not to get pregnant. It''s not definitely safe with this but it''s incomparable to not using them after all." I said that and without properly listening to her response turned around and walked off. I''m sure it''s my obligation as their owner to manage the slave''s condition as well. But, I saw it, so you make that sort of face when embarrassed. .............. That day after breakfast was over and everyone was relaxing and drinking some tea, I opened my mouth. CH 134 Year 7444, Month 5, Day 30 I went to greet the King and also greet the commander of the second knight group. The King, "Yo~ Greed. It''s been since the start of the new year. I wasn''t in the castle when you came last month...Molin and the other''s said to say Hi. By the way, it seems you''re involved in this incident again. I heard a bit of it the last time I came to Baldukk for a report. What was it again, the {Murderers}? Ah, right the {Slaughterers}. If it''s the {Murderers} then they''re the one''s being judged right. In any case you''ve gotten quite the dangerous nickname. It seems that there aren''t many who can make it to the top ranks in the dungeon in this short of a time right. I guess it means Greed has become quite a famous. It''s only obvious some people will be envious I''m sure." is what he was saying while grinning. You, intentionally said it wrong didn''t you. "Leaving the jokes to about there, I''m glad you were fine. {Bright Blade} were one of the top adventurers in Baldukk right? Even I had heard the name before. Though I forgot until I received the report this time. What? Could it be, you''re actually quite strong? Well, you know I, even then was quite relieved you didn''t die. Since you, sell us such a good thing, and you''re quite the amusing fellow after all." "Ha, thank you very much for your kindness, I''m greatly obliged." While I was lowering my head it seems the commander of the second knight group whispered something in the King''s ear. I''ve only seen the face of this commander before. "It''s fine, it''s like I have my balls being grasped by this guy after all. There''s no need for being so stiff at this point...Eh? Ah, is that so? So you''ve fought against Logan huh? You even won against Bittwaz? I guess that''s not just quite but considerably strong. Ah, if I remember right your older sister is in the first knight group and you were pulled out by your older brother as well? Then, it makes sense that you can reach the top magic stone earner at that young age. If you find any sort of amazing~ magic tool then bring it to me. I''ll let you have a reward. If it''s something good then like with Viscount Grimson in the past it''s fine if I let you become governor of one of my territories as well." It seems I had a grasp on the King''s balls at some point. I guess that''s technically true though. "Wa ha." I humble myself with my head still lowered. "Come to think of it, it seems you placed the headquarters of your Greed Company in Rombertia. Logan was so pleased he was doing some sort of crazy dance. Make sure you sell some armor to the other knight groups and not just the first knight group. Right~ Valmort. You think so too right?" After the King said that he looked at the commander of the second knight group who is guarding him. This person as far as I can tell is a slightly thin middle-aged Tiger-man a bit past his 40s. As expected I can''t use Identify because my sight will wander in a strange direction. "Yeah, I would definitely like to make use of that armor in our group as well. Greed-san, it''s fine if it''s only a bit but please send some our way. I used to be in the first knight group as well after all, isn''t fine?" Viscount Valmort said that and smiled at me. "Ha~ I guess so, I''ll think about it.." Hmn, it''s not completely impossible. If it''s one or two suits then I guess it''s fine~ "Also, "Saya" was it? Sell that to us as well. When I went to "Emerald Duke Crab Reception Hall" the other day, I was surprised. That one with the emblem of the royal family on it, that''s nice isn''t it." "Right!? That''s the greatest isn''t it! Greed''s place really made something good. Greed, you know, I''ll say it a number of times but I''ll make you into at least a sub-Baron or something so quickly quit being an adventurer and make more "Saya". I''m sure everyone would be pleased to buy them so you could live your entire life off that." "With all due respect your majesty, I have something I would like to do. Though I am terribly sorry to decline so many times.." "Ho~?" CH 135 No idea if anyone didn''t get this part but in regards to Bel''s Shooting Intuition. The bonus is a % correction/adjustment, not a hit rate bonus. So even if it''s 100% it''s not 100% chance of hitting, but it''s better to think of it how in some FPS the cursor changes in size to match the range where the bullet will deviate within. Bonuses to correction = smaller range of deviation. Year 7444, Month 5, Day 30 After we all finished dinner, I told the slaves to go and receive the equipment of {Bright Blade} that is supposed to be returned to us tomorrow. If there''s anything of good quality then it would be fine to just use it like that as well. I''m pretty sure there was banded-mail and ring-mail included in the armor as well. In addition to purchasing some new leather armor for the members who''s has started to damage it would probably be good to make use of those. After dinner, I paid the salves their wages for this month and after they separated from us, I pulled along Ralpha and Gwine who wanted to go drinking and we returned to "Boil Manor". And then, once again we all gathered in my room. "I thought we should talk a bit more about things with only the people who know the details a bit deeper. It''s about Unique Abilities." I sip at some bean tea while switching the topic to Unique Abilities and everyone in the room that was pointlessly chatting until then quieted down and looked at me. "Nn~ this is extremely difficult to talk about...Well just listen." I guess there was something that they didn''t get with my way of putting it, everyone was making slightly mysterious faces. "Including organizing it, I guess I''ll talk about it once more...We were all born on the same day, in the year 7428. It''s the same day we died as well. It was an accident and if we died instantly then it''s only obvious. Though there might be people who didn''t die instantly as well but I can''t say anything in that regards. I can''t imagine that every one of the victims in that accident died instantly after all. It wouldn''t be strange for some of the people to have died in the hospital...It could be possible that only the people who died instantly were reincarnated to this Orth, though that might not be the case either." "Haven''t we already talked about that quite a bit already?" Ralpha said that. Certainly it''s quite late to be mentioning it. "That''s true. However..It seems that the only ones who reincarnated to Orth isn''t just those of us who became victims in that accident." After I said that and Ralpha opened her mouth shocked while looking at me. Everyone else is in a pretty similar state. "Obviously I think you''ll find it strange right. Why I know something like that." I continue my words after seeing everyone slowly nod. "We talked about it a bit yesterday night but..Obviously that''s not all of the story. First, I guess I should start talking about it in sequence based on the dates...However, listen well, there''s no guarantee the things I''m about to talk about are correct. Even the things I heard could be fake. But, for the most part I think there''s conformity in the things I heard. First, things started 1,300 years ago. It might have started even further back than that or might have really been 1,300 years ago. I personally think it''s just one story in a history of things that''s continued since even further in the past." I looked around at everyone before opening my mouth. "1,300 years ago a single Japanese person reincarnated to Orth. However, they weren''t a Japanese person from 1,300 years ago. They were a person who lived in the same era as us. They were a woman named Lilus and an Elf. She was born in a place far to the East of here, a country of Elves that no longer exists. I''m sure that woman had the same sort of confusion and conflicts as all of us but somehow or other she was able to adapt and she probably had a considerably amount of luck as well. She was safely able to become an adult, get married, and have a child. The child grew up a bit..around the time it turned two years old she was out hunting together with the girls of the village. Several days later, when Lilus returned to her village from hunting the scene she saw was her village trampled by an invading army of a nearby country and all of the villagers killed including her family." Gwine''s eyes went wide while she''s holding her mouth. "She pledged to get revenge and centered around the survivors of the village organized a resistance. I don''t know the specific details but I think things would have been pretty difficult. It seems that she spent countless years and finally was able to destroy the country that invaded." Zenom has his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he patiently listens to the story. "Around that time the only survivor from her village was just Lilus. I''m sure all the other people must have lost their lives in the fights up until then. And, I don''t know how, or why but it seems that either as reparations or as a reward for that she gained eternal youth. Supposedly she wasn''t immortal...Hey, don''t look at me with such suspicious eyes. I still haven''t finished." Ralpha took a pose exactly like Zenom and was looking at me with a questionable expression. "And then, it seems she ended up marrying a different man who was also eternally young. I don''t really know when this happened. And, it seems that the partner she married wanted a child but she wasn''t able to have a child. It seems that husband even tried to kill Lilus in a maddened rage...Yeah, that''s right, he''s an insane bastard. However, since she felt that she was in danger she ended up turning the tables on and killing him." Bel is nodding with a serious face. For her breasts to ride on her crossed arms..as expected. It might have just been my imagination but Toris seemed uncomfortable. You, could it be you said something to Bel? "Just like I explained at the start, Lilus was on the Eastern side of the Oladd continent but it seems after that she moved to the West. And then we skip ahead a bit in time. It was about 700-800 years ago from now, so I guess around 400-500 years after she was born..It seems that some Gods with power named Sharaizudan and Nelal died. Eh? I don''t know why they died. In any case, it seems that it took the shape of her inheriting the deaths of those two Gods and she turned into a {Demi-God}. That time, she supposedly turned into a Dark Elf..This is nothing more than my imagination but I think that maybe Lilus killed those two Gods." Zenom suddenly opened his eyes and then closed them again. CH 136 No content CH 137 Year 7444, Month 8, Day 19 Since we managed to get our hands on a {Magic Item}, I decided to cut our plans short and return to the surface. Honestly speaking, I just want to get rid of this {Bracelet.Of.Dead.Body.To.Water} as soon as possible. Either way I already know it''s effects using Identify so it''s the point where I don''t even care to investigate the small details. I don''t want for there to be anything even small that makes me like it or think it''s useful, is my strongest feeling. I don''t want to be in possession of it. We returned back to the teleport crystal on the 6th floor and teleported into the teleport room on the 5th floor. After telling Giberuti who was waiting for our return, about the item we found this time and he was happy and cheerfully started cleaning up the camp. While glancing at that from the side I started discussing with Zenom and Toris. The details of the discussion are only obvious. What to do with the {Bracelet.Of.Dead.Body.To.Water}, the treasure we found on our exploration of the dungeon this time. Zenom and I had the opinion of selling it off but Toris said we should wait to sell it. I already know what Toris is trying to say. I understand but you know... It''s certainly a bracelet that can be pretty useful but honestly speaking I don''t want to think that it will be useful at all. I already know about it''s effects thanks to Identify. It doesn''t have any ability other than to change a certain amount of corpses to water. In the past, I''ve actually used after all. Even as a final method to obtain water it''s almost completely useless because there''s my water magic. I''m sure it''s certainly useful in situations like a couple months prior when I had my mana absorbed or scattered from the trap but even if you held this bracelet and jumped into that trap I feel like it would absorb the mana from the bracelet as well and either way you''d end up having to wait a full day. In the past I thought a variety of methods that it could come in handy. Though the most conspicuous of those wouldn''t be of much use until after my country is made. For example, cleaning up after a war. Before the dead enemy soldiers end up becoming the source for disease you can completely clean them up without a trace. Though if it''s once in 10 days then it''s not a very large number but even then it will reduce the amount of work needed to do be done burying them. It''s not something that''s very necessary to me right now but I''m sure it''s one effective method of using it. If they were a spy or assassin then there''s also the merit of leaving almost no evidence from a corpse but I don''t think this one is very necessary to me right now as well. There is the method of handing it to Miduchi when she returns and having her assassinate someone, but it would be fine if I just conduct myself so something like that isn''t necessary. She isn''t suited to being an assassin. Probably if I were to tell her to do it, she''d give me an immediate reply. However, regardless of what her own thoughts are on it, I don''t like it. If I have something like this on hand, then I might end up feeling like relying on Miduchi. In that case it''s best if it''s not around in the first place. I''m sure I feel like that somewhere in my heart and that''s why I want to sell it. "In any case, we should hold on to it for a short while and properly confirm it''s abilities. Al-san you said you saw the same {Magic Item} in the past but do you already know to what degree and frequency that would could be used? Also, even if you do know that there''s no guarantee this {Magic Item} has the same level of abilities." The things Toris said were just as I imagined, a completely reasonable opinion. Even the abilities are considerably powerful on this compared to the one that Myun had. It doesn''t restrict the user and it can be used more frequently. I think that the amount it can convert to water was the same though. It can''t be helped... "..That''s right, it''s just as Toris says. It would probably be good to experiment with it a bit to raise the price up...And..I think it''s important to know the limits of the abilities of a {Magic Item}. For starters, I''ll talk about the similar {Magic Item} that I know about." "Fumu, if you''re going to say that then I''m sure that''s true. Certainly there''s no need to hurry." While I was hesitating a bit as I responded, Zenom showed admiration and changed his opinion after hearing what Toris said and found it strange how I was glaring a bit. "..First off, the bracelet I know could only be used once in 10 days...And then..it doesn''t matter if there''s magic stones included in the corpses or not. If you don''t take the magic stone out then that gets converted as well..That''s why, it shouldn''t be useful to omit the need for disassembling them.." The tone of my voice dropped a bit. Suddenly, I remembered Balk the adventurer who came to Bakuddo in the past to get into contact with Myun. As expected Toris noticed that my state was different from usual. He was looking strangely at me. I just continued pretending not to notice that. In addition, I though it wasn''t necessary to say that it was restricted on who could use it and didn''t require a command word to activate. "The amount that could be converted at once was limited. Just going off my intuition and it was an amount equal to about 10 times the amount you can make with level 4 elemental magic..about 1/3 of the amount of level 5..and, I guess that''s difficult to understand. An amount equal to the normal size of..I guess so, it can change about 100 people the same size as me into water. If all of the corpses are in contact it should regard them as one large corpse...I said it just now but the only thing that is converted to water is just the corpses. The clothes and armor that the corpses are wearing remain just like that..the definition for a corpse is whether it''s listed as a corpse on {Status Open}..that''s why, it probably can''t be used to kill undead. It has no relation to the degree of damage to the corpse...it can be used while the individual''s name is still appearing or even after it changes to just their race it still has effect." Well, there''s no way I''d feel guilty over Balk at this point but he was still the opponent of my first time. I probably won''t forget him for the rest of my life. ".." Zenom and Toris exchanged glances while listening to my dry speech. They''re reaching to the part about the individual name. It seems I caused a bit of a misunderstanding. Though that''s fine as well. "The items that we can to confirm are, I guess, the frequency of use and the amount it can convert. It''s fine to test if it can be used against undead as well but since I don''t want to touch ones still moving, you do it since your the one who suggested it Toris." I laughed while saying. After cleaning up the camp and returning to the surface it was past 4 and getting close to 5 in the afternoon. ............... Year 7444, Month 8, Day 20 Just in case, we went to the 1st floor and tested the bracelet out. The bracelet of Myun I mentioned could be used with a frequency of once in every 10 days but since it was worth trying we tried waiting one day and entered the dungeon soon after eating. Since I just want to finish this and sell it off right away, and I already know it will be possible to use it again by this evening, I said we should confirm it''s abilities right away. Since there''s no real enemy for us on the 1st floor the members were me, Zenom, Toris, and Zulu, just the four of us. I gave the women the day off today. Use times like this to conveniently all have your periods. Since we didn''t have the special skill Super Sense of Smell we couldn''t find monsters at all. I used the spell {Audible Clamor} and lured over monsters. After repeating that 10 times, we had monsters gathered up like a small hill. If we''re going to do it, it''s more efficient to investigate the limits on how much can be converted as well. Goblins, Gnolls, Orks, Hobgoblins we piled up over 100 of these stinky corpses, and managed to gather an amount that I think probably won''t completely be converted and have some left over. I can handed Zulu the bracelet and had him use the magic infused in it. Obviously, since we don''t want to become like wet rats, we''re watching over from quite a distance away. Zulu came along knowing he''d get wet so he isn''t wearing his armor from the start. Zulu looks considerably foolish with only the lower party of his body in under armor. Of course, since we had the time we made sure to take the magic stones from all the corpses we placed together other than the goblins. Well, there were Orks as well, so we needed to at least gather enough money to pay for the entry tax for today. CH 138 Year 7444, Month 8, Day 24 After we arrived at the teleport room of the 5th floor we immediately started making preparations to camp. I used earth magic to make our beds and after we finished dinner preparations, showering and changing, we all licked our lips at the food Giberuti finished making. "Today was disappointing right. I wonder what came out of the shrine on that altar?" Ralpha is saying petty things as usual. Isn''t it already fine on the 5th floor? We''re exploring the 6th floor starting tomorrow after all. "I''d like to think it wasn''t anything special." Bel responded. That''s right. It''s fine if we just think that. "But, the people of Black Topaz..They struggled quite a bit." Gwine changed the topic. Certainly they did~ The spear user in their party was only a bit better than Gwine in their movements. Even the guy who was using a kite shield and long sword on the front, putting aside his shield, his sword wasn''t even up to Toris''s level. If it''s just that then even if I don''t use magic I should be able to take on two of them with just a single long sword. If it''s fine to use my bayonet then I should be able not just deal with three of them but I might even win. "That''s right. That Laios man who was using the battle axe, while it was quite showy along the way, he''s the type who can''t do anything but use brute force after all. If you look at their overall abilities I think Zulu is much better." Zenom bites into the roast chicken seasoned with sauce using salt as the base. Hey old man, that''s your second one. There''s only two of these per person you know. "That''s true..it looked that way to me as well. After that, that woman who is the leader, what was her name again? Ah, Anderson-san. It seemed like her skill with the bow wasn''t that great either." Toris responded to Zenom. Hey now, didn''t Anderson do plenty well. Even you''re using Bel as the standard like Zenom just now. I''m telling you Bel is just abnormal~ Ha~ "No, Anderon''s skill with the bow wasn''t that bad right. As proof of that she managed to properly land both of her shots right? If you think about the cahnce of it missing while trying to aim for vital points then it was doing plenty. Even that Laios, his decision after using Instant Speed wasn''t the greatest but there''s no need to be that harsh..Zenom and Toris aren''t your viewpoints too severe?" I said that while amazed. Ah, this leg meat is delicious! It''s not just salt. It has an even deeper flavor to it. Giberuti..you were a good purchase. "Hn?" "Huh?" Zenom and Toris are exchanging glances. Huh? Did I say something strange? Zenom and Toris are making slightly difficult faces. Ah, so that was it was about. "Nn~ so it was about that. It seems like I made you two strain yourselves a bit. Thanks. But, it''s fine even if you don''t worry about it too much for now. And, I don''t think I want to make adventurers into my subordinates. Even if I had them they''d only be useful for something like forced reconnaissance or so. And it''s not too late to start thinking about stuff like that when it''s required. Of course~ if there''s a good talent then I would want to scout them out. But, that''s still a story for quite a while in the future." I said that and bit into the leg meat again. It''s seriously delicious, this. CH 139 Year 7444, Month 8, Day 25 After we teleported to the 6th floor we started exploring the same as usual. We poke the ground with a long stick while remaining cautious of all directions, if there''s a teleport trap we follow along the walls of the passage to avoid it as we proceed. And then, after entering the 5th monster room we''ve found for today, we froze the lower bodies of a group of {Quad-Hand Apes} that appeared before killing them and after unfreezing them it was just as we were gathering the magic stones. The time was just past 3 in the afternoon or so. "Al-san! Someone is coming!" Gwine who was being cautious of the passage shouted a warning. There''s three other passages than the one we used to enter the room but Toris is watching the passage we entered and one other, and then Gwine was watching the remaining two. One person came staggering into the room from one of the passages Gwine was being cautious of. After the intruder saw us surprised yet prepare for combat they threw down their spear and held up both of their arms, "Thank god! I''m not a monster! I''m Ginger from {Sun Ray}! What in the world is going on with this floor!? Please save me!" and cried while screaming. Fumu. She has the dyed golden cloth on her right arm. ¡¾Virginia.Newman/15/8/7418¡¿ ¡¾Female/24/6/7417 ? Human ? Newman Family Eldest Daughter¡¿ ¡¾Status£º Normal¡¿ ¡¾Age£º 27 Years Old¡¿ ¡¾Level£º 14¡¿ ¡¾HP£º 92(123)¡¡MP£º 6(6)¡¿ ¡¾Strength£º 17¡¿ ¡¾Speed£º 20¡¿ ¡¾Dexterity£º 18¡¿ ¡¾Endurance£º 18¡¿ ¡¾Special Ability£º Small Magic¡¿ ¡¾Experience£º 393156(450000)¡¿ At the very least her name doesn''t seem to be a lie. And it''s true that I saw her face this morning as well. I watched as Angela carefully approached her and picked up her spear before opening my mouth. "Certainly, you seem to be a member of {Sun Ray} but..are you alone?" Zenom stands on my left. Zulu is still gathering the magic stones and while Bel casually went to the corner of the room, Ralpha moved around her surrounding her on both sides. Toris and Gwine are each continuing to remain cautious of and observe the passages. "I got separated from my part..everyone, I wonder what they''re doing, I don''t know what''s going on. We suddenly were attack bed a wild boar monster and when everyone was fighting suddenly the wild boars increased. I moved away a bit to avoid the charge of the wild boar and suddenly I was alone! What''s going on? When I realized it after that I was in a strange place.." Ginger said that while facing the side and after unfastening her helmet and holding it in her left hand, she bit the nail of her right hand. It seems like she''s considerably reached her mental limits from that expression and facial color. "Well, calm down a bit. I''m sure it''s difficult though. Right now we''re being cautious so it''s alright. Ah, if you''re fine with water then please have some." After I said that and Ginger stopped biting her name and took the flask I gave her before taking two large sips. "Thank you. I''ve already calmed down.." CH 140 Year 7444, Month 8, Day 25 After I returned to where everyone else was I thought to take a shower and feel refreshed but it was right after Gwine had jumped into the shower room. For her to take one before me, what a shameless girl, is what I was thinking but after giving it more thought Gwine was especially careful on the way back not to reveal her Unique Ability to Ginger. Yeah, for today Gwine has earned the right to first shower I guess...Next is, Bel. And after that next would be Toris. I guess I''m fine later. I''m not all that tired either way. "Bel-san, hot water~" It seems that after taking off her leather armor and clothes Gwine entered the shower room. Bel says yes-yes~ while putting some hot water into the bucket above the back of the shower room. Zenom still has his armor on as he relaxes a bit sticking his feet in the foot bath. Ralpha and Angela are helping out Toris to remove his banded-mail. They hang the armor that''s been taken off on the armor stand against the wall and after that each one of them checks their weapons for damage. Giberuti seems to have lit up the stove magic tool. The vegetables and meat he cut up is sizzling as it echoes through the room. I feel a bit sorry for {Sun Ray} but it''s the peaceful daily life of the {Slaughterers}. After I went to Giberuti''s side and, "This time we''ll return tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so don''t worry about the remaining amount of ingredients and make some for them as well." said that before pointing at the five members of {Sun Ray} who were whispering about something with my chin. Giberuti smiled and, "I understand, master." said that before adding more vegetables and meat to the frying pan. The large pot on the stove next to it was lit as well. "About how long will it take before it''s ready to eat?" and I asked that, "About 15 minutes." the reply came back. I guess about the time Bel finishes her shower. I take off my rubber protectors and after returning to my under armor I said to Bel, "Next, Bel you take yours. Also, thanks for today. Since it was a good chance. I''ll make good use of it." before starting to check my bayonet. As a matter of fact I didn''t even use it once today but checking it is still necessary. After confirming there''s no problem really quick and I started towards {Sun Ray} on the other side of the room. It was just as they were digging through bags in order to prepare their meals. It was good timing. Judging from the guy who pulled it out first it seems their meal is something like rock hard soba with some dried meat and a single cucumber. I guess it''s still better than those shitty disgusting cookie-like preserved foods. "Zemyunel-san, if it''s alright with you, would you all like to join us for a meal? We have something warm. And after your meal, feel free to take a shower as well. You''ll feel refreshed." I said that and smiled. Zemyunel, "No, I''m grateful for the offer but, however, to go that far.." and started trying to show some reservation but, "Please don''t hold back. And, the food that we went out of the way to prepare will go to waste." and I replied like that while smiling at their other members including Ginger. The members of {Sun Ray} exchanged glances before waiting for Zemyunel''s decision. "I understand. Please allow us to rely on your kindness. I would definitely like to eat together with you." After confirming that Zemyunel replied like that I turned around and went back. ................ CH 141 No content CH 142 Guess I''ll post these up as I feel like it. I mentioned it at the bottom of the chapter index but Reverse chapters = different character PoVs that take place during the same period as the chapter number they have. IE Reverse 79 = same time as main story 79. (Chapter 142 is just for reader/translator reference and not the original chapter numbering) Also, OMG what will happen to Miduchi? Such cliffhanger, will she really make it back to Al alive!? Find out next time! Or not. Year 7444, Month 5, Day 29 Just past 4 in the morning. When it was still early morning before the light from the sun started to appear. There was the silhouette of a single person on a horse at the Southeastern edge of the town of Baldukk in the King''s Direct Territory of Rombert Kingdom. Shortly after another silhouette appeared to approach that silhouette. The silhouette on a horse got off it''s horse after noticing the approaching silhouette and became one with the silhouette that was approaching. For a short while the two silhouettes remained overlapped before they split into two and then when one of the returned to the horse, it proceeded along the road leading out of the outer crater of Baldukk. The distance to the summit of the outer crater in a straight line is roughly 1.5 Km. Since the road goes tilts along with the summit the actual amount of distance is a bit father. Almost straight to the East from the Southeastern side, the riding silhouette continued along the road at a steady pace towards the summit. After taking about 20 minutes when it reached the summit, the light from the rising sun was finally starting to shine through on to the silhouette. Basking in the light from the sun the rider looked at the bright sun and then turned around just once. It seems that the silhouette it just split ways from is still standing in the same place seeing this side off. After facing ahead once more the face of the rider was making an expression twisted from lingering attachment. *slap* the rider slapped both of their cheeks before changing their expression and properly looking ahead as they descended the hills basking in the light from the sun. After basking in the sunlight you could tell that the rider wasn''t just a person. The black hair isn''t particularly uncommon, but their face and hands were an unbelievable level of purple skin color. What in the world is their race? If you were to just look from a glance then you could determine that they''re not a race of this Orth. If it''s deep purple skin then you could say they are a Dark Elf which some people call the Dyurou but the skin color of that rider was difficult to compare to that of a Dark Elf. It''s even lighter, a purple color that borders on purple-blue. If you were to forcefully try to match them up then you might be able to consider them an Elf, or around there. Since other than the color of their skin, they still have the racial characteristics of the Dark Elf that they were born from. Basking in the sunlight as they descended the road, the rider was slightly trembling. If you were to see the tears overflowing form their eyes then you would be able to tell they were trembling as they tried to endure sobbing. What in the world saddened the rider? Was it going separate ways from the silhouette from just a moment ago? However, it''s not just sadness that is reflected in the expression of the rider. A form of joy could also be seen floating in their expression. But, at the same time an inexplicable expression as if they''re confused could be seen as well. Putting it frankly it''s eerie. .............. "Ha..I still can''t get used to it.." Miduchi mumbled to herself. The large amount of confusion that occurred since the other day still hasn''t settled within her. Up until now..other than the memories of her life and experiences since she was born, she''s confused over the seal on the memories of what could be called her past life suddenly being released. Certainly she has confidence she can state that her personality is just this one. However, she also felt that her personality from the memories in previous life was a bit more proper than her current one. Thanks to the seal on the memories of her past life being released the inside of Miduchi''s head is completely jumbled up. The instant the seal on her memories broke, a sharp pain ran through her head as if she had been stabbed and it was to the point she had to crouch down. That was, while she was also experiencing the symptoms of mana exhaustion, a pain and shock so intense that even she a dark elf who had been trained as a rank 1 warrior since childhood couldn''t endure it. And then, she was able to comprehend thanks to all of the memories of her past life that were released all at once. This is once again, certainly another life that I lived. Most likely, Miduchi''s personality received some influence from her memories and changed up until now but the base hasn''t changed at all. The confusion at that time was large and it most likely was washed into the most comfortable direction, in other words the memories of her past life as Shiina Junko and that personality. That only makes sense, it was her first time experiencing such a large amount of mental disorder and since her personality as Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol was horrified by that disorder, it might be more correct so it was almost an instinctual self-defense mechanism that it handed over the leadership to Shiina Junko. CH 143 Well this chapter only took like a week to finish...I really don''t like trying to do stuff relating to dark elf society, too many weird ass terms and people who refer to themselves gender neutral so I can''t tell whether half of them are men or women. At least this was the longest of the Miduchi Reverse chapters so the rest are a bit easier... Next chapter in 3-6 hours. Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 "..Nn..Then, I need to start pretty soon"and, I need to fix my language as well.." Lilus whispers that and used magic. It''s an action that will reduce her amount of time remaining in the present world but it''s not like she''ll really die. She''s just temporarily moving over to a different dimension {Other.Plane}. She''ll spend a period of time there and then come back. Even she doesn''t know how much time will have passed when she returns over here. A few years, a few decades, or over one hundred years. With a smile that could be considered self-derision on her face she started mumbling about something after using magic. The magic she''s using right now is {Instruction}. It has the condition of the side receiving the orders undergoing a special ceremony first but other than that it''s an extremely convenient magic. Of course the caster can freely select the target matching the conditions. It''s fine if the target is just one person or even multiple people. This time 10 people were selected as the targets. "I wonder if this is fine..it would be good if they properly take care of things while I''m gone though..since it''s my first time as well..if I say anything too attentive and they might be troubled..Ah, I''m looking forward to what the town will look like when I return..after that is..just in case I guess that''s necessary as well.." How to avoid the regulations, whether there''s any loopholes to it, Lilus held her finger to lip for a short period while thinking and used magic another couple of times. And then, with a slightly satisfied smile on her face she closed her eyes. . . Several days later, in the Queen''s bedroom of the depths of the palace in Lail Kingdom, leaving just the hole where it''s masters legs were rooted the room was empty. Leaving all of the valuable treasures and expensive various types of items in place, the room was left just to quietly wait for the return of it''s master. ............... Year 7444, Month 5, Day 28 Lail Kingdom claims an enormous tunnel beneath Mount Kinru as it''s territory. In their sole capital of Erurehei it''s always dark. Of course there''s lighting tools that make use of magic stones here and there but it''s a number far too few to light up all of Erurehei and the wasting of magic stones is strictly forbidden. It''s not unusual for the lighting tools that are for the purpose of street lights aren''t actually lit up. The buildings are mostly made up of dirt and stone walls that were gathered from the enormous tunnel and since it doesn''t rain the roofs are made by just stretching a cloth over top. Erurehei is a capital made by digging a tunnel in the mountains but since their population isn''t all that many, there is some leeway in space. Though that''s the case, the average family lives together with 7-8 people in a building with three rooms and total area of about 30 square meters. If there''s a member of the warrior rank in the family then it''s slightly easier for them to be allocated a a bit larger building. Also, it''s something that almost never occurs but among the small number of families that marry and are allowed to start a new household they''re allocated a cramped house with an equally less amount of rooms. In that sort of environment, the comparatively splendid building(of all things it doesn''t use cloth but has an actual roof) excluding the palace that is the government building, the young elder Fantodu was taking care of paperwork in the luxurious 10 square meter individual office room when he quickly reacted to the voice echoing through his head, jumping to his feet and prostrating himself in the direction of the palace. It''s an instruction from her majesty the Queen that is said to occur at a high pace when it''s once in every 10 years or so. Fantodu remained prostrate for a short while and after the voice echoing in his head was finished he stood up. It''s necessary to discuss the instructions with the other elders and start making adjustments to execute the details right away. After leaving his office room in the government building Fantodu went to the meeting room in order to discuss with the other elders. There were already five other elders seated in the meeting room and he was the sixth person. The remaining four should arrive shortly as well. The other senior elders that were already seated can''t hide the excitement from their expressions. Though they aren''t trying to hide it either. That''s the same for himself. It was a direct instruction from her majesty the Queen that you may or may not hear even once in your life as a part of the lineage of elders. Furthermore, the instructions this time were concrete and above all else the amount of time they heard her majesty''s voice was quite long compared to what was heard from previous senior elders. CH 144 Next chapter in 2-4 hours. Year 7444, Month 6, Day 1 After giving out the instructions Fantodu returned to his office room and called out the head warriors of each ranking. With the rank 1 head warrior Zageruforu at the front, the rank 2 head warrior Akein, and rank 3 head warrior Emyuddo were all quickly called to gather in Fantodu''s slightly narrow office room. They''re all older than Fantodu. In an already cramped room, while feeling the pressure of the three head warriors, even then Fantodu somehow tried to maintain his dignity as he opened his mouth. Obviously since he''s younger he spoke politely. "Yesterday, just as we notified you, the command was given by warrior inspector general Yoretto. Just a moment ago with rank 2 warrior Harugozon as the command an interception unit with a total of seven members were given the dispatch order. As the assistant inspector general, no, as a single citizen of Lail Kingdom I don''t think there''s any order more foolish than this. I''m sure that the inspector general has his own way of thinking but I have my own thoughts as well. I would like to proceed with this discussion as if everyone already understands the circumstances. If anyone still doesn''t understand then please come forward now. I''ll explain everything." The rank 3 head warrior Nemerukoru.Emyuddo her long light blue hair swayed as she stepped forward. Just the same as Zegeruforu, she''s a female warrior wearing leather corset armor dyed in high quality black and crimson with a mantle that goes midway down her back. Her skin color is considerably deep. Emyuddo appeared nervous as she opened her mouth. "What I was notified about was commencing a practice match against a member of the rank 1 warrior class as they return from the outside. I wasn''t told as far as the reason." Just the same the rank 2 head warrior Dyusukuri.Akein stepped forward with his slightly reddish hair fluttering. While he''s also wearing leather corset armor but that armor is dyed black and yellow green. He isn''t wearing a mantle. "I haven''t heard about the reason either. I thought that we would receive an explanation about it here though" Hearing their words Fantodu made a face as if he expected it and nodded. "..I see. I''m glad I asked. The reason is far too worthless. First off, the warrior inspector general is of the thoughts that he wants to make Lail Kingdom even larger and more abundant. Of course, I am too and I''m sure everyone thinks that way as well. The matter this time is a dispute over the method of how to achieve that. The warrior inspector general believes that in order to make the kingdom even more abundant we need to increase our production ability. Up until here is fine right." After confirming that the two head warriors who stepped forward nodded, Fantodu continued. "For that reason, the warrior inspector general is of the thoughts that it would be best to cut each of the warrior class numbers by 20% and allocate those numbers to the service ranking in order to increase our productivity...Yeah, without a doubt that''s what he''s thinking. I think that you all already know but ever since the warrior inspector general took up his role he''s been advocating that we should reduce the number of warriors. Since the assembly of elders has continued to push back against it, there hasn''t been much of any change at all to the number of warriors but he''s still been advocating that. And then the other day, we received divine instruction from her majesty Lilus. The details were over a number of topics unlike ever seen until now. However, among those the warriors were almost not mentioned at all. The only words she offered us were "Rank 1 is fine. Deal with the fall in quality of Ranks 2 and 3." was just that." Hearing that Akein and Emyuddo looked down making mortified faces. In their eyes they were directly referenced by her majesty the Queen in the "fall in quality". Certainly they haven''t just been playing around but it''s true they''ve felt a drop in quality compared to 10 years ago as well. "Hearing this what do you think? Do you have any ideas on what to do?" Fantodu questioned the two head warriors. "I would like to increase the amount of time for training. I''ll discuss the details afterwards with rank 3 head warrior Emyuddo but in order to make the most effective use of the extended time I would like for the two of us to devise some means." Akein replied. CH 145 Mmm.. They just don''t make 2-4 hours like they used to these days. Actually I just fell asleep. Next chapter in 2-4 hours hopefully for sure this time... Year 7444, Month 6, Day 20 Bashi!! Along with a sound as if the atmosphere is being cut the electricity from {Lightning Bolt} surges out of Miduchi''s left hand and stretches towards one of the dark elves that was trying to circle around her knocking them out in an instant. Since she''s only poured the standard amount of mana into it the damage isn''t enough to cause instant death. It should have just paralyzed them. Bashi!! Again the same sound from before rings out, this time the electricity jumps from her right hand. The target is one of those coming from the front, rank 2 warrior Harugozon. The warriors who are below rank 2 can''t use {Anti-Magic Field} due to reasons relating to the number of elemental magic skills they were able to learn. Although, even if they could use it, there''s no way they would have mastered it to the level of being able to deploy it faster than electricity either. Without missing it''s aim, the electricity hit Harugozon in the abdomen and knocked him out on the spot. For Miduchi since she''s taking on multiple opponents she''d like to use {Chain Lightning} which splits up after hitting it''s target but her wind magic only just reached level 5 the other day. Consequently, since she''s barely used it before it, she can''t activate it in an instant, let alone that when it comes to {Chain Lightning} putting aside the attacks that split up, unless you''ve achieved mastery with it the first direct hit will almost always deal enough damage to seriously injury or kill so it wasn''t an option in the first place. The reason she used wind magic to send herself flying into the air as well, it was to momentarily move outside of their sight and gain the 2 seconds needed to use magic. She''d like to send one more hit flying but it''s already the limit. She''d like to use wind magic a number of times to gain a soft-landing but she can already confirm several hands and bows being aimed over here. In order to camouflage her landing point she uses wind magic consecutively going parallel to herself and went to great pains to try and shift her landing point from mid air to a location she can''t be noticed. Miduchi''s wind magic shakes the bushes and trees that have a height of over 10 meters around both sides of the road Miduchi was following and generates a miniature typhoon. Even if it couldn''t be considered high quality if she wasn''t wearing proper leather armor and had the hems of her pants inside of her boots it would have been a disaster just like the robe she was wearing from the wind. The robe was already reduced to nothing more than scraps and strings since the first wind she used to ascend and is now basically a mantle swaying on her back. However, it might have been thanks to this robe that she was able to receive the wind easier. There''s no need to even evade the arrows that are flying, their trajectory is bent by the wind magic and the warheads of the spells end up being blown in a different direction as well, thanks to that she was somehow able to land without taking any damage. Since she ended up rolling about 5 meters form the impact of the landing, it''s not as if she didn''t take any damage at all from the fall but the fact that she didn''t suffer any bone fractures or sprains was just as she was aiming for. Miduchi ignores the pain surging through her body from the landing as she stands up right away and dashes at an intense speed up Mount Kinru towards where she heard the voice from just now. However, while she''s knocked two unconscious there''s still five people remaining. While things have gotten a bit better compared to the start, there''s still no change in the situation of being outnumbered. She''s paralyzed them through electricity but if they can just use earth and water elemental magics at level 4 then as long as they have time there''s no problem with them being able to use the spell {Remove Paralysis}. The possibility that sooner or later they may return to the battlefield can''t be ignored. "Over there!!" When Miduchi ran off she heard that voice shout from behind her. It''s one she recognizes. It''s the voice of a male rank 3 warrior that was the same age as her. During the education training process they spent just the first year together. What was his name again? (In your case..you''re magic results were bad right..) She glances behind and hides behind an adequate tree while smiling and after waiting for the timing jumped out. She''s already got both of her hands aimed at the target. And, between Miduchi and her pursuers a blue colored gas springs forth. CH 146 Next chapter 2-4 hours. 7444, Month 6, Day 20 "Fumu..Well then, with this we call an end to the hearing of rank 1 warrior Chizumagurol. Chizumagurol, from here on out devote your loyalty to Lail Kingdom as well." The speaker elder Webundo said that concluding things and Miduchi went to open her mouth to reply in understanding. "Webundo-sama, please wait. We still haven''t finished with the judgement of the practice match today!" One of the elders, warrior inspector general Yoretto stated a difference. Currently in this location other than the subject of the hearing Miduchi, there''s the 10 elders, and additionally the the three head warriors as well as the head of the rank 2 warriors that was escorting the caravan and Beindoru the head of the acquisition ranking. In the first place they discussed the source of the problem that is the details of the escort mission at the start of this year and the hearing concluded without any particular problem. During that time, Miduchi and the other warriors remain keeling with their heads lowered only allowed to speak when their opinions are requested. In the not particularly spacious corner of the assembly of elders meeting room there were five warriors and one other kneeling so it was considerably cramped. Miduchi couldn''t help but find it strange. In regards to the hearing this time as well, it was just a matter of conveying the details she had reported to the head warrior after completing the mission. No matter how anyone looks at it the fact that they were able to minimize the damage to just one rank 3 warrior who was escorting was largely thanks to the efforts of the escort leader Miduchi taking command and each of the other escorts. Exactly where was there any fault that a hearing needed to be performed. Of course, the hearing was something like a formality and it quickly progressed and just now ended without problem though. Up until another problem was raised again here, excluding just one person everyone on the spot didn''t have any doubts that it was the conclusion of this strange ceremony. It was quite literally just about to end now. It was then that the elder Yoretto warrior inspector general accused Miduchi. "Even though it was a practice match, I''ve heard that rank 1 warrior Chizumagurol didn''t just use horukutokiso but also used magic to injure her brethren. Isn''t this fine as rank 1 warrior Chizumagurol''s loss?" Regardless of whether it''s fine or not. Miduchi doesn''t care about the outcome of the practice match at all. If you want to say it''s a loss then a loss is fine too. She can''t accept it but it''s certainly true she used the natural paralysis poison horukutokiso which is forbidden from practice matches so if you want to determine it as a loss because of that then it''s fine to think that can''t be helped. After all she already understood that it was a practice match at that point. Rank 2 head warrior Akein raised a groan on Miduchi''s side. CH 147 So many names...So many names!! This chapter was a bit longer than I thought it would take. 150 is like 75% done and 148/149 are pretty short.. so 2-4 hours? I don''t even know anymore. Today sometime, not counting midnight. Year 7444, Month 6, Day 20 After being released from the administrative office which also acts as the assembly of elders, Miduchi moved to the warrior building along with each of the head warriors. It''s because she still hadn''t given an official report on the completion of her mission this time. The group was engulfed in a strange atmosphere, no one said a single word as they maintained the silence while moving. In front of the warrior building rank 1 warrior Kurozakku was taking the saddle bag and harness off of Miduchi''s horse and waiting with that luggage until Miduchi and the others returned. Miduchi offered her thanks to Kurozakku when receiving her luggage and started on her way inside of the warrior building where Zageruforu rank 1 head warrior has his domain in order to report the completion of her job. "..And that''s the shape it ended up so I ended up finishing off the target Mittorigu.Rokisu including all of the subordinates he was leading inside of the dungeon. There were no witnesses as far as I confirmed. The surrounding people believe they were defeated by monsters while exploring the dungeon, and I believe it was accepted in that sort of natural shape. Taking into consideration the possibility of their corpses being discovered I didn''t gather their magic stones but I definitely confirmed their deaths. I also disguised their injuries to appear as if they were attacked by monsters." "..I see. Thanks for your work. It''s fine for you to return home today and get some rest. Since you have to appear at the royal palace tonight after all.." Rank 1 head warrior Zageruforu replied while wiping the corner of his eye after receiving Miduchi''s report. A deep fatigue could be heard in his voice. "And also, umm.." Miduchi faltered with her words. "Hn? What is it?" "That is, during my mission I inevitably defeated monsters inside of the dungeon. When I had leeway in time I gathered the magic stones so I have the magic stones with me. Also, separate from the mission there''s a magic stone I obtained privately but this is..." "How many are there?" "All of the small ones I obtained during my mission I merged together so there''s a total of two." Hearing that Zageruforu waved his hand while declaring. "Yeah, just the same as usual whatever magic stones you obtain during the mission belong to you. Feel free to use them or bring them to the place of the rank 3 and sell them, dispose of them however you please. I''m always saying it right? There''s no need to honestly report things every time." Hearing Zageruforu''s comments Miduchi suddenly made a cheerful face, "Right. Excuse me, thank you very much." and said that while lowering her head to Zageruforu. "Ah, and then if possible submit a report document by the end of the month." "Yes." Miduchi turned around and left the warrior building. Of course she returned her harness to the stable hand and switched all of her belongings into a sack. .................... She returns to her home that she was away from for a short four month. There''s a strange nostalgia. "I''m home." She rolls up the cloth that acts a door to the entrance while calling out but there was no reply. There''s no lights on inside of the house and it''s darker than outside where the street light is. She doesn''t know if her older brother is in good condition today but he seems to be out. In order to exercise his legs that have started to go numb, when there''s open hands among her uncles family they often take him out for a walk. CH 148 Next chapter in 2-4 hours probably...Putting aside the size the content is somewhat difficult... Year 7444, Month 6, Day 20 Miduchi, No, as a part of the senses of the Japanese person Shiina Junko who''s a part of Miduchi she felt it was considerably plain for the royal palace of a single country but from Midu~ritto''s sense it was a considerably extravagant royal palace that she was stepping foot inside. It seems the maids are properly taking care of their service work and the cleaning was done so thoroughly there''s not a single piece of dirt or dust. Just from a glance it seems like about 2 meters from the ground was made from rock that was cut out but from there and above was made of wood and mortar almost as if interest was lost in it. The floor is made of sturdy wood and a portion of it was made of a stone material like granite that also has been carefully polished. The ceiling is considerably high and it was made extremely spacious and there should have been a second floor as well. Come to think of it the roof was tile as well. Even though something like rain will never fall. Soon after entering there was something like a rail and a entryway step up on to the wooden floor. It resembles the lobby of a mid-scale hot spring ryokan of somewhere. There''s lightning magic tools in four places on the ceiling of the lobby that were lit up. They aren''t white like fluorescent lights but closer to an opal like sunlight that sort of tinted high class luxury item. There''s a 10 cm difference in level between the polished granite floor and the wooden floor on the higher step up, going off of Shiina Junko''s feeling she wants to take off her shoes. She somehow manages to hold back the uncomfortable feeling of standing on the polished and sparkling wooden floor with her shoes and opens the double doors on the right side of the lobby that she heard from elder Webundo. If it''s this sort of structure she would have preferred they were sliding doors. Ahead of that was a hallway that was roughly 3 meters and after advancing for a bit there''s several similar pairs of double doors on the left side of the direction she''s proceeding. On the opposite side there''s windows for light and shoji fitted on to them but since it''s dark outside they probably have no meaning other than just decorations. Just the same as the lobby there''s lightning magic tools along the ceiling of the hallway and they''re giving off light. On Webundo''s instruction they must be left on all through the night up to the descending stairwell that''s supposedly ahead of here. Miduchi continues while restlessly looking around the first royal palace she''s entered since she was born, after turning left twice a stairwell that almost seemed as if it was descending into the abyss appeared. There''s light from the ceiling going down the stairs. After descending down the long stairwell and the floor changed to the same polished stone that was at the entrance lobby. Since she had heard that even for the service rank maids the basement was prohibited from entering she thought there would be dust but as far as she could tell it was carefully being cleaned. Now then, if we were to go off of common sense there should be a switch around here for the lightning magic tools. Thinking that she tried fumbling around searching the wall where she assumed one would be but couldn''t find one. Since it couldn''t be helped she used the spell {Light} on her left fingertip to light up the area. Infrared vision would be fine as well but since it''s a rare chance she wanted to see with proper color. After descending the stairs as far as she could see down the hall that was on the immediate left there was nothing like a switch. The light shining from the {Light} reflect off the polished stone floor and walls and make it visible a considerable distance though the ceiling just seems to continue for quite a while. For the time being there were lightning magic tools along the ceiling. Around the dead end she can see in the distance there''s one set of double doors and then two sets of double doors that can be seen on the left side. One of these three doors should be the {room of sleep}. Since she has light she won''t trip in the darkness. It seems that the stone used in the basement isn''t granite but marble. The moment she took one step forward, Miduchi twitched as if she had been hit with an electric current. (What? Just now?) and she only thought that for a moment, it soon made sense. Just now was probably a check for intruders. She can''t even guess what kind of principle it works on but the walls on both sides there''s two rows of circular holes lined up and when she looked into one she understood it. It''s probably some kind of anti-intruder sensor. There were spears embedded in the holes. She can tell there''s something moving a bit ahead in the hallway. It''s not very big. It looks like a transparent jelly about 15 cm high in the shape of a cube. About once every 3 seconds it seems to be rolling. (What is that?) and she thought that but it was something Shiina Junko knew about. That''s most likely {Cubic Jelly}. A splendid monster. Normally they make their nests in underground dungeons like Baldukk and they''re often much larger in size. Right, large enough to bury the entire passage. They''re the cleaners of the dungeon who cleanly dispose of the corpses of monsters and adventurers defeated. Did she tame those and use them as cleaners? If they''re large scale ones then you could say they''re considerably troublesome powerful enemies but if it''s that size then there''s no harm at all. When she approached it to get a closer look she could see a small magic stone about the size of a little finger inside of it. She arrived just in front of the first door. When she checked the plate on it and it says {room of meditation}. The plate on the next door was "Bath". Why is just this one in Japanese? In that case the {room of sleep} or whatever should be the one at the end of the hall. She went to the end of the hall and checked the plate and just as she guessed, it was the {room of sleep}. Miduchi took a deep breath and then put her hands on the door door to try and push it open, she was about to push it but the moment her hands touched it, it was slow but automatically opened. She nervously entered inside. Some lighting magic tools automatically lit up. The room seems to stretch out to the left. There seems to be a length of about 15 m. There''s shelves all over in the room and all sorts of things she can''t tell what they are placed all over the place. Among that stuff, the things that caught her eye was large bed enshrined further in the back, the desk in the corner, and a large hole opened in the middle of the floor. Could it be someone dug a hole in order to sneak into her majesty the Queens bedroom!? and, shortly after she thought that a voice echoed out from somewhere. Not in her ears, it felt like it echoed directly into her head. "If it''s Shiina-san then sing the Japanese national anthem, if it''s not then leave now. You have 10 seconds. 10.." In a panic she took out the anku and put her to her forehead while singing the Japanese national anthem. She thought, there''s no to sing it all in 10 seconds but the counter stopped after she got through singing the first phrase. After she finished singing and a 3D image of Lilus appeared above the hole in the center of the room. The image differs from the one she saw during the day and it''s transparent enough to see through to the other side a bit. Also, around the knees of both her legs they''re fused together and around the point where they''ve fused the skin seems to change into that of a plant as it gets even thicker. Beyond that is almost like the roots of a plant entering the hole in the ground. With long hair that''s white than snow and slightly diluted blue purple color skin. Her red-violet eyes are a bit slanted in the shape of almonds. On her back is 8 spider legs that almost seem to have broken through the skin and seem to be vaguely moving. She''s not wearing any type of clothing. "Confirmed as Shiina-san. This a spell that I assembled on Year 7444, Month 5, Day 30. It''s possible for it to reply to some extent but it can''t reply to questions that are far too apart from the details that I had assumed. Also, I can''t reply to any questions regarding the principles of this world. Since time is limited if there''s anything that is insufficient I''m sorry. First, a confirmation. Is this your first time coming to this place?" "Yes, it''s the first time." Miduchi knelt down in a hurry before replying and then the image stopped for about half a second before starting to move again and opening it''s mouth. CH 149 Decided to put this one up today finally finishing off these Reverse chapters. Next chapters will be starting tomorrow roughly 30~ hours, should have all of SS27 parts ready be tomorrow morning. Only one more set of Reverse chapters left 160-164 and after that there''s no more Reverse chapters ever. Though SS still go up to 34. Also I only just realized it when I was skimming chapters again but the conclusion for SS23 which I mentioned previously did actually get mentioned in a later chapter, it was during one of the intermissions I hated and only mentioned in like two lines so I completely forgot about it, so technically that was a good end one, yay~ Also if anyone is interested in some maps the author posted the originals that I''ve been adding some points of interest to, these are incomplete/badly edited versions since I''m still working on but just for interest sake: Countries: imgur.com/FXhDLTa Various Locations: imgur.com/m3WjaE8 Map posted on front page: imgur.com/bLdCazx Year 7444, Month 6, Day 21 When Miduchi finished singing the "Japanese national anthem" and for just a moment the anku gave off a powerful light and then the Queen of Lail Kingdom, Lilus, was standing in front of the royal palace. Her appearance was just the same as it was when she appeared in assembly of elders meeting room in the government office yesterday, with a crown her head, long and graceful pure white hair, and with spider legs growing her from back wearing a light veil of silk. Of course she properly has legs as well. It''s something they found out after investigating it later but her voice echoed through the heads of all of the dark elves bowing in prayer over 100 m in the surroundings. ""I''m Lilus.Zugutomore. The ruler of Lail Kingdom and Empress. My children, kneel before me."" The last time her majesty appeared this many times in such a short period to offer words was the "Purple Worm Incident" on record. The dark elves who gathered as spectators were even deeply moved and shedding a flood of tears. If you were to ask, in their case rather than her words they were shedding tears of joy fro being able to be in the audience of her appearance. "Everyone, listen to my instructions and execute them without missing any details." Everyone on the spot pushed their foreheads to the ground. "Since I was pleaded by Chizumagurol, just this time I''ll give out instructions directly...It''s fine for you to raise your heads." What! The elders thought it was unexpected. Judging from the conversation yesterday, they thought her majesty''s words would be an oracle conveyed through the warrior Chizumagurol. For them to directly be granted her words. Everyone concentrated their nerves on their pointed ears so as to not miss a single word. Incidentally, the "raise your heads" matter was one of the divergent conditions for the custom settings. "First off, Yoretto warrior inspector general. I understand your worry. However, no matter what the reason reducing the number of warriors is not permitted. Also, the point of almost causing a dispute between brethren is inexcusable as well.." Yoretto who was criticized directly by name from her majesty the Queen couldn''t do anything but humble himself. However, even if it was a bad impression, he was delighted at the same time that her majesty would call his name and remember him. "I remove you from your duty as warrior inspector general." No raised even a single cough to the harsh decision. "In your place I make Fantodu warrior assistant inspect general into the inspector general. Fantodu, from here on out bring together the warriors and devote yourself to our country." "Wa, wa ha!!" Fantodu''s reply echoes out. Fantodu was making an expression as if he was raising to heaven. "Furthermore, I remove the duty of warrior assistant inspector general that has become vacant from the elder''s duties. From here on out the current head warriors of each ranking will act as assistant to the inspector general." CH 150 The least unexpected chapter at the even less unexpected timing. Got really busy all of a sudden so only have had time to finish the last few paragraphs on this and start 149. Just figured I''d post this up since the latter half of it should already seem familiar and a moment I totally forgot about. 149, SS27 1-3, 206+ on Saturday. Year 7444, Month 8, Day 4 Close to half a month has passed since Miduchi departed Erurehei. Yesterday she finally passed through Viscount Mongoto''s territory and entered Count Faruergaz''s territory. After entering the Count''s territory the state of the roads underwent a complete change as they were more maintained and better. The mountain pass she passed through yesterday afternoon should have been the border between territories. After Miduchi left Erurehei the first place she stopped at Remeru village in Viscount Mongoto''s territory she wasn''t able to buy a horse. That was fine since she didn''t think she''d be able to buy a horse in the small Remeru village. However, while she just intended to take a slight detour on the way to the capital of the Viscount''s territory Rigettsu but even there only old pack horses and donkeys were for sale. She had no intention of seeking the luxury of a young and fearless war horse but if possible she wanted a horse that was under 10 years old. Since it couldn''t be helped she ended up having to travel to Count Faruergaz''s territory on foot. Different from the poor Viscount Mongoto''s territory, Count Faruergaz''s territory is a completely normal high ranking noble''s territory so Miduchi thought that if she goes to the capital Robamorusu then she should be able to buy any number of young horses. ........................... Year 7444, Month 8, Day 8 Miduchi arrived at the capital of Count Faruergaz''s territory, Robamorusu just past noon on this day. It''s just a bit larger in scale than the dungeon town Baldukk that she was staying in until two months prior, it''s a large town with a population of 50,000. The town is split into roughly six sections with the river flowing from the East to the West and just the same around 1 Km North parallel from the river is Mina road and then Rapisshu road which runs from the Northwest to the Southwest. Miduchi came walking along the Mina road from the East to the West. There was a mix of houses and fields between the road and the river and on the other side of the river to the South is almost entirely fields. In the North there''s a lot of housing. There''s some houses in the fields to the South as well but judging from the construction of the buildings and their location they''re problem housing for serfs. With the summer sun blazing down on her, there was a waterfall of sweat between Miduchi''s back and her rucksack as she''s already soaking. She could see a well a bit head so after drinking some water there and resting for a bit she''ll start heading towards the center section of Robamorusu. Ever since she ate breakfast she''s only had water to drink so she''s considerably hungry. Either way she wanted to have a proper meal in the restaurant of a large town. After finishing her short break Miduchi started walking towards the center block of Robamorusu. A dark elf carrying a large rucksack with a bow, quiver, and sword doesn''t seem like anything other than a peddler. It''s unusual for them to be alone but it''s not as if there are no peddlers who travel alone not limited to just dark elves. There''s always a constant number of poor novice merchants who can''t afford to hire adventurers as escorts. Along the way she ended up encountering what she believed to be knight group members on patrol. "Excuse me, there''s something I''d like to ask but" Miduchi called out to the knight group member while still wearing her hood for blocking the sun. It seems they noticed. "I want to buy a horse but could you please refer me to a place somewhere?" "Oh~ a dark elf huh? What is it, did your business go well and you make a nice profit? Do you not need a carriage?" It was a group of two male and female knight group members and the male replied. "Yeah, a carriage is still..Just as you can see a saddle bag is plenty for my luggage.." "You, if you''re peddling then you might already know but the knight group only just returned from a campaign last month. Since there''s also replacing horses that were crushed, right now, the price of horses is increasing." The woman puts her hand at her waist while saying. She already knew that half of the knight group had gone on the campaign. Previously, when she was heading towards Baldukk and returning to Erurehei she heard both times. But, I see. CH 151 Next chapter in 3-8 hours. This is why I will never translate a series with excessive cooking... even just an odd chapter here and there is too much for me. I am not a master sushi chef, I do not understand all that sushi cutting terminology!11 Miduchi''s bad accent at the {Common Language} is hard to translate as well. Year 7444, Month 8, Day 28 We''ve returned to one of the small rooms on the side of the teleport room at the surface. "Ah~ I want to take a shower. I can''t get the smell of the blood out from my hair." Ralpha said like she was already sick of it. After finishing our exploration of the 6th floor when we returned to the 5th floor Giberuti had already finished packing our stuff so we decided to put priority on returning right away and taking a shower at the inn. "Me too~ Al-san, we returned one day early this time but are we still doing a four day holiday?" Gwine continued to say as well. Why do you always tilt your head a bit when you say things like that? It''s quite sly. "Yeah, there''s four days off starting tomorrow. The next time is starting from September 3." "Where are we going tonight?" Toris asked. "I want to eat meat~" Bel is speaking on a whim. Even though she''s a rabbit she eats meat. Though it doesn''t particularly matter, I want to eat fish. I guess it''s fine if I carry one in? "If it''s meat then ""Murowa" is good. The pork skewers there are delicious." Zentom said while licking his lips. Yeah, "Murowa" huh? They have ibodi and keiswago there as well so it''s okay. However, today my stomach is saying it wants flounder. I''ve learned it recently but even without soy sauce if it''s white meat fish then sashimi is pretty good with just salt. In my past life I made fun of it as a "fancy" way of eating it and was adamant about having soy sauce and condiments but when I drink alcohol I can''t help but want to eat sashimi. As a matter of fact this method of eating was something Mary taught me but it''s surprisingly good. Incidentally those born on Orth like Zenom and Zulu find eating raw fish to be creepy. Even in Binsil''s restaurant of Keel it seems that Mary and Kuro would eat ekiswago, wokoze, mivaru, and those sorts of white meat fish with just salt or citrus juice on them but no one would order any of it. Hmph, everyone who can''t understand the deliciousness of this just has a pitiful tongue. Even if I''m scorned as a barbarian who eats raw fish I have no intention of stopping. "Ah, then, let''s make it "Dorureon". I''ll stop by the fish dealer and buy a peiramu. Since you can''t bring your own ingredients in to "Murowa". If it''s the meat dishes at "Dorureon" then you don''t have any complaints either right Zenom? Ralpha you and the others can go ahead first and take a shower." As we walked up the stairs to the surface Zenom nodded while smiling and, "Ah, peiram is it? That sounds good. Please let me judge them." and Toris replied. Recently, it seems Toris has awakened to the deliciousness of fish as well and whenever I go to buy some fish he comes along. One day I want to go fishing together with him. "Oh, I see. Just the lively looking peiram is no good. They''re the best about two days after being caught when they''ve had time to mature. Make sure you properly see through them?" I said that and went to the surface. After leaving the dungeon and I felt Miduchi nearby. One week ago, just before we entered the dungeon I couldn''t tell anything but that she was quite a distance away but the moment we left into the entrance plaza I could feel her. Her distance is roughly 1 Km. The direction Southwest. It seems to be "Boil Manor". I wonder if she''s already in the inn? A smile naturally appears on my face. I wonder if I made her wait? But it was really perfect timing. "Then, shall we go. Ah, Giberuti, go ahead first to "Dorureon" and reserve some seats for us." Since we go to "Dorureon" once a month even my slave Giberuti can reserve seats for us with no problem. Well we are the {Slaughterers} who saved the second son of the owner after all. We split into three groups. Angela and Zulu were given the luggage Giberuti was carrying, Giberuti who is going ahead to the restaurant. And then us six. Along the way when we were about to arrive at the fish dealer, Ralpha and Gwine wanted to take a shower so Zenom their guardian went along with them ahead of us. Toris and I started looking for a good peiram from the fish lined up in the store front. Since Bel obviously won''t separate from Toris while we''re on the surface she''s here as well. There were only two peiram at the fish dealer. There''s no room picking. Since I normally only buy one of them regardless of what I just said without picking I ended up buying both it seems that Toris and Bel found it strange. "N, today is special. When we arrive at the restaurant I''ll have them cut right away. If it''s "engawa" then Bel you''ll eat it too right?" Since it''s this sort of occasion. I paid the master of the fish market 10,000 Z (1 silver coin) for the two fish and then held on to a string that went through their gills. Even on Orth Peiram is an ultra high-class fish. I''m sure there''s many among the commoners that will never taste them. They''re normally eaten as a meuniere. Even if you look at all of Orth probably the only ones eating them in sashimi would be reincarnated people I guess? CH 152 No content CH 153 Ha! Got your hopes up again. Next chapter 4-8 hours, 1-2 more chapters today. Once Again to the Fairy Village Year 7444, Month 8, Day 29 After our morning training, it seems that centering around Bel they''re going shopping for Miduchi''s clothes and other necessities. Ralpha and Gwine are accompanying them and together with the leader part Miduchi, the four of them disappeared. In addition it seems they''re going to have lunch. I returned to the inn and started producing Miduchi''s contract. The details should be fine the exact same as Ralpha and the others. If she reads this then she should know what I was trying to say. I finished writing the three contracts in about 30 minutes and started my preparations to go to the capital. Even though I say that, it''s just going to the fish dealer and paying in advance for some dried fish that I''ll be coming to pick up tomorrow evening. After that, in order to kill some time while Miduchi was shopping I started using {Divination} to study incantations of spells, I used the spell {Shield} a number of times, and was considerably engaged. Around 4 pm the women finally returned. For the time being I had Miduchi sign the contract in front of them. After examining the contract for a short while Miduchi''s facial color changed for a moment but she immediately nodded and said "this seems appropriate" before signing so I felt relieved. I''m sure someday someone will retort on it but it''s best if that time is as late as possible and when they finally do we''ll see what happens when we get there. It should be fine if I just make a face like I''ve only just realized for the first time and say "Ah, I guess so. Then should we revise it?" It''s not like it''s one-sidedly to my advantage after all. No, I guess it is pretty one-sided. "Then, I''m heading to the company. If it''s something like boots then they should be able to make them." "Yes, I''ve understood it." "It''s not supposed to be "understood" there but "Understand"." "I understand." The two of us each ride on our own horses and departed while being seen off by Ralpha and the others. While we''re lined up swaying on our horses after we passed through the outer rim of the crater Miduchi started talking to me. "..By the way Kawa..Al-san. Koloil-san is a good person isn''t she." "Hn? Yeah, Bel is a good kid. She properly thinks things through on her own and doesn''t mix personal and official. She''s also good at reading delicate signs." "I got that sort of feeling as well. I wonder if she''s an older sister kind of position?" "N~ Well I guess around there. Though why?" "She called out to me that if we''re going shopping today she knows a good store." That''s right. "She promptly picked out small necessities and things like clothes, soap, towels, and such. That is..and underwear." Eh? You even had Bel pick your underwear? What''s that? You can''t even buy your own underwear? Were you that pitiful of a child? "Ah, no. Of course I picked out the goods myself. But, even if it was the same thing she showed me cheaper stores with a better variety." Ah, I see. "I see, Bel is pretty reliable so get along with her." "Yeah, that''s true..But" Hn? "I wonder what kind of people Firefreed-san and Akdam-san are?" "Ah..Those guys. It seems that originally the two of them attended the same high school. Not to mention it was a school for idiots. That''s why they''re still children. Did something unpleasant happen?" "No, it''s not like that''s the case..I see. So they''re children.." "What is it, that makes me curious. What happened?" "No, the two of them asked quite insistently about whether I planned to marry you." Miduchi''s face seemed to turn a bit red. "Hmph, and, what did you reply to them?" "..say." "Eh?" "I can''t say." "Is that so. Well don''t worry too much about those two. Ralpha is"Eh? It was ignored? Isn''t that where you''re supposed to delve in deeper!?" I mean, you can''t say it right? It''s not like I want to force you to say it after all, so it''s fine. CH 154 No content CH 155 That awkward moment. Year 7444, Month 9, Day 2 Morning, after going running I took breakfast with everyone and started drinking some tea when a couple I''ve seen before and another couple I haven''t seen a total of four people came asking for me. Since the places we eat breakfast at is limited to 4-5 places if someone were to seriously look for us it''s easy to find us. The couple I haven''t seen before was just a matter of not having seen them but I knew their name and face. The man is named Koritto.Rindobel, a 34 year old Laios and the woman is Meilia.Rindobel, she''s a Laios of the same age and they''re a married couple. The other pair is a Dog-people, Zemyunel and the female elf who was with him and didn''t get lost Hisurura.Harurein. It seems that the Rindobel couple is the other pair of leaders from Zemyunel ins {Sun Ray}. Most likely they''ve come to offer thanks for saving Ginger and Binsu. They politely lowered their heads to me. "Greed-san, thank you for saving our party members from a crisis this time. Furthermore, is seems to have been for extremely low reward..that is, we really were saved." Meiria the wife of the Rindobel couple said. Does that mean the wife is the true leader? It doesn''t particularly matter though. "No, please don''t mind it. We only did what was obvious." The Rindobel couple opened their eyes in surprise hearing my words but quickly erased their expressions and lowered their heads again. "I see now, you''re quite the splendid person." "Yeah, it''s just as we had heard." Zemyunel proceeds forward and lowered his head as well. "And then, it''s fine if it''s just a bit but could we borrow some of your time?" "Yeah, that''s fine. What is it? Please take a seat." Now then, I wonder what it is about. The matter of the shower or the matter of cooperating. Or both. I exchange glances with the annoyouple, Angela, Giberuti, and Miduchi who were drinking tea at the same six person table as me had them move to the corner and then offered them a seat. The members of {Sun Ray} saluted the members who offered up their seat and then sat down. While I''m sitting on a corner edge the Rindobel couple sat in front of me but next to them is Zemyunel and then one seat on my side across from Zemyunel is Harurein. "Since we finally left the dungeon yesterday night I''m sorry for being so late on the greetings." The husband of the Rindobel couple said that while lowering his head. Miduchi is talking to the waiter about something in the corner. Since Miduchi looked at me I lightly nodded. Miduchi is writing something on the table with her finger. "No, it''s already something that''s past us, really please don''t worry over it.." I shake both of my hands in front of me. I don''t know about you all but to us it''s already something in the past. Honestly speaking, I don''t think anything of it more than a bit of materials to let us have the advantage. "And also, we were only able to rescue two people, one other we were too late for and had already passed away, the remaining one I wonder is still in the dungeon?" I continued as if it was quite unfortunate. "Putting aside Bogu who still hasn''t returned, we feel nothing but gratitude for even going to the trouble of carrying Yuriel''s remains out." Zemyunel said that lowering his head. That''s why I said, it''s already over. It''s already more than enough being thanked once. "Ha.." I shrugged my shoulders and lightly lowered my head. "And then, that is..We also heard that you''re allowing us to use the shower facilities in the teleport room on the 5th floor as well. It''s a great help." CH 156 Daily Life in the Dungeon Year 7444, Month 9, Day 3 I watch as my allies disappear from in front of my eyes while holding the teleport crystal rod in the entrance of the dungeon. After confirming that Zulu and I teleported to the 1st floor. Oh? We''re quite a bit of distance away. I confirm the map and check the route before Zulu and I started forward. "Zulu, let''s arrive there before them. We''re hurrying." "Yes!" I''ve passed through it so many times, I know the 1st floor like it''s my own yard. Since the completion rate of our map is high as well, since it''s a route I know there''s no need to worry about traps either. It seems that they''re moving a reasonable speed as well. We crushed five monster rooms (by the stink bug) and arrived at the center teleport room just before 8 am. Since we entered around 5:30 am that means we cleared in about 2 hours. After waiting for about 30 minutes and Zenom and the others arrived. "After resting for about 30 minutes let''s head to the 2nd floor. Zulu, alternate with Angela." While we were taking a break a party I don''t know teleported to the 2nd floor. We cleared through the 2nd floor without problem before 1 pm and ended up waiting in the teleport room of the 2nd floor. If I think carefully about it I''ve only entered the dungeon alone with Angela, Zulu, and Miduchi. On our next break, it might be good to tell Zulu and Angela the rough details about everyone''s Unique Abilities while we''re in the dungeon. I remembered from Unique Abilities but I wonder what ever happened to the expansion ability on Toris''s Scale at level 9? I feel like Ralpha''s will somehow be useful though. On the 3rd floor I teamed up with Zulu again and rushed ahead. Since we were only taking the magic stones from the bosses of monster rooms we''re quite fast. Just past 4 pm in the afternoon we arrived in the teleport room on the 3rd floor. Today we''ll camp here. I managed to secure a place ahead of time. I tried asking Zenom and the others during dinner and it seems they didn''t have very much trouble either. That''s good. Since Miduchi joined the group, I changed the rotation for keeping lookout. One person doesn''t have to keep lookout each day and can sleep until morning the same as Giberuti. Since it was the first time I was the one who ended up resting. Though I''ve gotten used it, being in the dungeon still wears away at your nerves and along with that it exhausts your stamina as well so I fell asleep right away. Going off of the rotation Miduchi and Ralpha will end up keeping lookout together on the day after tomorrow. It would be good if she can at least unravel Ralpha''s caution(?) a bit but nothing will come of rushing it. It''s fine even if it takes six months to a year. Rather if it takes that long then the other members who are getting the experience bonus effect from Unit Organization might catch up to how much extra experience Ralpha has. ............. Year 7444, Month 9, Day 4 Without any particular problems we were able to arrive at the teleport room of the 5th floor. The thing I was worried about was in the case someone hits a room with an altar but in the first place they almost never appear (as far as we know there''s only 9 rooms on the 5th floor) so it can''t be helped getting too neurotic over it, is what I decided to think. Miduchi can''t use her MP as efficiently as me but elemental magic level 5 isn''t just for show. If it''s a thickness of about 50 cm then she can freeze an area of about 8 meters in every direction. Putting aside the insanely strong special bosses of certain rooms, if it''s just a normal room boss (though calling them normal is a strange way of putting it) or the opponents that come out in the halls then they''re no challenge. It uses 10 MP every time she uses the ice but as long as she holds the handle of the magic sword she can recover it in 40 minutes. She can even use it consecutively making use of her large amount of MP. I doubt she''ll fall behind so easily. We were able to establish that even if we split our party we''re still plenty able to line up with the top teams. Incidentally, with the increased number of members in the Unit Organization I thought I would be able to see the bonus to ability values with Identify but I wasn''t able to see them. Since it''s a proficiency bonus after all they don''t seem to be the type that increases the maximum value. One night passes and it''s the next morning. Today I''m last on the rotation for keeping lookout, from 4 am to 6 am. My partner is Toris. I was woken up by Bel and Zulu as I rub my eyes and then wash my face with some cold water, then Toris and I took turns taking a piss in the hall. The trick to creating a good urinal is to create about one bucket of dirt ahead of time and have it sink in a bit. Use it as a reference for something. Toris and I, the two of us are sitting with our backs to the teleport crystal in the center of the room while talking to kill time. "Please leave Ralpha to me. Or rather please leave it to Bel to mange things. Rather than the surroundings saying too much it''s best to let the two themselves settle things on their own." "Yeah, that''s right." I know that. And somehow Bel has taken up the central position managing the women''s side of things. In some meanings even the men occasionally are overawed by the strange force or pressure she emits as well. If we had everyone state their true feelings we''d probably all say, "It''s seriously bad if you anger Bernadette.Koloil." Of course, it''s not a joke but I think they really think that just as it sounds. The source of her power is the God-like archery skills and the spells supported by an abundance of mana but I think what''s really feared is her personality. While she has those lovely rabbit ears and a beauty which doesn''t fall behind elves making it understandable she was Miss Campus, those glamorous curves that are characteristic of Rabbit-people, and a body which is tense from the exercise. If you just look at her outer appearance it''s plenty to be called close to perfect but sometimes the glances she gives to people outside of our allies are like ice. The words that feel like they don''t have an ounce of mercy at those times leaves a strong rational impression. Though it''s not like she''s really that cold, she''s quite warm in her interactions with allies. Particularly her lover Toris she''s all over. Though she does get distracted if he falls into danger as well. I''ve given Miduchi a simple explanation but since she hasn''t gotten an actual feel for it yet she probably don''t know Bel''s true nature. On the contrary Ralpha knows really~ well. On the surface they might seem like nothing more than equal friends but I think deep below Bel has a firm hold at the base of Ralpha''s tail. Particularly since she didn''t show those sorts of things on the surface much until we grouped up with Toris, but after they joined us I think Bel is the one who changed the most. I don''t know if meeting him again was the chance, her disposition was originally like that and it just came to the surface, it''s difficult to make a decision on but the "naivety" that I felt from her at the start the same as Ralpha disappeared. Honestly speaking, even if it benefits my goal, for example if it was something like burning down an entire village, I think I would hesitate. I think I would devote all my consideration to trying to find a different method to arrive at the same result. However, I''m sure she would burn it down without batting an eyelid. If it was an outsider village. Ah, of course, I think she would at least give them a warning to evacuate. CH 157 Next chapter in 12-24 hours. Year 7444, Month 9, Day 9 Yesterday evening we returned from the dungeon and starting today we have three consecutive days off. Just as usual I went and did my running and just as I was about to head towards the dungeon I suddenly realized. If I think carefully about it I was planning to use this holiday to increase my mastery with {Find.Trap}, {Detect.Snare}, and {Perceive.Pitfall}. Though it''s just forcing Miduchi to use the magic like crazy as reference in front of the appropriate traps on the 1st floor. However, there''s no real need to pay money to go into the dungeon just to investigate traps with a spell. I borrowed a hoe from an old commoner man who was doing farm work outside of the town and had Zulu dig a pitfall. I had Miduchi look at it and check the relationship of the traps while I practiced the two spells but the pitfall Zulu dug could only be seen with {Detect.Snare} and {Perceive.Pitfall}. We tried making a trap with grass that catches on to your leg but this didn''t get any reaction from {Find.Trap} either. It''s the opposite from the pitfalls on the 6th floor. Though I feel like this is more correct, I wonder why? However, if it''s like this then we can''t use {Find.Trap}. No, since I''ve actually seen Miduchi use it right in front of me, it''s not as if I can''t use it but it''ll take time. I wonder what they did during Karl''s training? Since I found it strange I tried asking and it seems they practiced using something like a small crossbow with a string connected to the trigger. Hearing that I thought some extremely rude things like, "Eh? They''re all naked, do they even have something like string." and "So they use tools." Since there were trees and shrubs growing in the fairy village and if they can use spells that well then they could easily gather some metal as well. If I think about it like that then I''m sure there''s no problem with making things like a crossbow or bolts. For the first few times, I looked at Miduchi''s state and once it seemed like there was no problem, I released Zulu and Miduchi, they can do whatever they please for today. After this there''s no problem even if I''m alone. Close to lunch the number of times I had used the spell was over 100 and I had gotten used to it to the point where it only took a bit over 10 seconds to activate. I still have over 5000 MP in leeway remaining. As expected buying a crossbow just for the sake of practicing with a spell is...There''s not that many of them but there''s the {alarm} traps on the 1st floor as well. I guess I''ll try testing it on that. I returned to "Boil Manor" just in time for lunch and after putting on my protectors, since it was troublesome I just put my sword on my waist and after grabbing my map I left right away. I had some skewers for lunch at the entrance plaza and then entered the dungeon. I ended up having to repeat teleporting a number of times but I was luckily able to teleport into an area with an {alarm} trap. It took until close to evening but I was able to practice using the spell {Find.Trap} over 100 times. Of course, even if there''s no trap it''s possible to practice it. However, it''s easier to understand if the result shows in front of your eyes. The alarm trap from a glance resembles the pitfall. If you step on a large board camouflaged with dirt and an alarm starts ringing out from somewhere. The moment I used the spell {Find.Trap} the camouflaged board looked red. The appearance itself is the same as {Detect.Snare} and {Perceive.Pitfall}. After eating dinner I learned {Detect.Charm}, {Detect.Lie}, {Detect.Life}, {Dispel.Illusion}, and {Dispel.Magic} from Miduchi. For the time being I''ve become able to use them but I need to properly increase the number of times. There''s no choice other than to find the chance and practice them. ............... Year 7444, Month 9, Day 17 Around 5 in the evening, when I returned from the dungeon there was a message at the inn. It seems that today around noon, when I was still inside of the dungeon older brother and the others stopped by the inn. After reading the message without eating dinner with everyone or changing, I just threw my change of clothes into my saddle bag, piled it onto my horse and then flew off to my company in the capital. After all delivering condoms to the royal family is my job. I''m quite busy this month. Everyone thought it was strange that I ran out of the inn in a panic so they asked the reason but when I replied that after older brother and the others arrive I have to go to the castle for deliveries, they all understood. While I was gone to the capital, with Miduchi as the teacher, I had Toris, Bel, Ralpha, and Gwine learn {Detect.Life} and {Dispel.Illusion}. I particularly gave instructions that {Detect.Life} was important, when I gave a simple explanation of the effect everyone understood. Just in case I explained to Miduchi everyone''s MP amount and the amount of MP the spell uses so I''m sure she''ll be careful of running out of mana. Furthermore, due reasons relating to the magic skill level even Ralpha and Bel can''t use {Dispel.Magic} yet so this is on hold. Due to reasons relating to the elemental magic they have Toris and Gwine can''t use {Detect.Life}. The only one that they were all capable of using was {Dispel.Illusion} which only requires void magic. I arrived at the company around 6 pm in the evening. I rolled in while panting but it seems like I made it in time. As expected of the war horse that older brother used. Though it was just around 10 km, it didn''t make anything of the hills of the outer crater and arrived in a short 40 minutes. It seems it was just as everyone was about to go for dinner. They were all in front of the company closing up shop. "Sorry, I was late!" "Hey~ staying healthy?" A nostalgic face greeted me. "I''m healthy. Quite lively. Father, mother, it''s been a while." "You''ve grown a bit taller." The ones who came wasn''t just older brother but father and mother as well. It seems they felt guilty for just pushing deliveries on older brother lately. And since they already handed over the nobility to older brother, it''s not good that the lord is outside of the territory so often, so from here on out it will be brother, my parents, or depending on the case even sister-in-law who is leading the caravan as well. "Al, we''re about to go for dinner. I need to reward the squires and there''s the Ryogu family who have been giving it their best away from the village here in the capital as well. And since it seems that Yotlen and the others are working quite hard as well. I''m feeding everyone something good as my treat today." Oh~ that sounds good! Come to think of it I can see Ruku''s face as well. Dianne seems a bit embarrassed. I''m sure tonight will be quite fun. "Hn, so Al came? Then it should be fine for me to go too right?" Older brother opened the door of the company headquarters and stuck his face out. I had some sweat dripping down as I didn''t understand the meaning. "Yeah, that''s true. Let''s do that." Huh? CH 158 No content CH 159 Year 7444, Month 10, Day 5 Close to evening, the nine of us teleported into the 7th floor. The 7th floor was a complete change from the 6 floors up until now. The width of the passage is over 30 meters and there''s evergreen trees growing all over the place. The ceiling is far above and just like the fairy village there''s light being emitted almost as if it''s sunlight. It seems the walls which form the passage stretch up to the ceiling and you receive the impression of being at the bottom of a withering valley in the middle of the day. Just from a glance the height of the trees and bushes are around 4-5 meters. It feels like they''re different in each place as well. The ones closer to the wall seem to be taller. It''s only obvious but the areas with no trees growing have clear visibility. "How do I put this, that is..this is a surprising scenery." Toris said while showing admiration. Ah, I see, if you''ve never been to the fairy village then this would be quite unexpected. "It seems quite easy with it this bright." Ralpha said while looking at both sides of the wide passage. The area around the teleport crystal is open and there''s clear visibility. If you think about the fact that we''ve only had at most 30-40 meters we could see up until now then it certainly does seem easy. It gives off the impression that even if there was a trap or pitfall there''s no fools who would get caught in it. "If all of the dungeon was like this then it would be easy I''m sure but.." Angela said while looking at the bright surroundings. Really though. "Shi!!" Bel gave out a warning. It seems she''s closing her eyes and concentrating on her ears. I guess she picked up some footsteps. Her rabbit ears are standing on end and twitching, they''re changing angles and trying to catch sounds. Bel quickly opens her eyes and, "It''s difficult to tell since they''re far away but I feel like I heard footsteps." and she pointed ahead. I tried asking her about it previously but due to the location of her ears it seems it''s difficult for her to directly put her ears to the ground. "Shall we go to around that tree?" Gwine fixed her grip on the spear and pointed in a direction. I wonder if she''s saying it because it''s easier to hear footsteps by putting your ear to an adequate tree? If it''s the trunk of tree then Bel can put her ears to it. "That sounds good." Since Bel nodded everyone moved about 50 away towards the random tree that Gwine pointed at. The trees are thickly growing around here almost like forest. "Al, how is it?" Zenom called out to me while I''m using detection spells. Nothing that seems like traps are getting caught in the spells. "I can''t find any traps." Hearing that Bel put her right ear to the trunk of the tree. She''s bent her knees and it''s almost like she''s hugging the tree. During that time I''m using the spell {Detect.Life} to check the surroundings. I make an {OK} mark with my fingers and tell everyone that there''s no problem before taking my bayonet from my shoulder. CH 160 Is that not the most cliff-hanger-est-y title you''ve ever seen or what? I might be able to do one more chapter in 2-3 hours but iffy and this time it might end on a bad cliffhanger. So don''t count on it, regardless next chapter not for another 12-16 hours. Year 7444, Month 10, Day 8 We''ve returned from the dungeon. Excluding the first day we only explored the 7th floor for three days but this should be plenty. Just as we had predicted due to the fact that the passages are wide and it''s bright the speed of exploring seems to be considerably fast. Also, I''ll just say this as well. We still haven''t arrived at the teleport room from the 7th floor to the 8th floor. Though there''s some forked paths up until now all of the destinations we''ve teleported into have been dead ends. We still haven''t encountered an ogre mage but including the three on the first day we killed a total of 29 ogres. They came out in maximum groups of four but as long as I use magic to finish off one or two at first, then if we focus them down we''re managing them. I think we''ve gotten quite a bit used to combat against ogres. Though really, you know ogres, they''re idiots on the same level as goblins, so you can easily get them caught up in traps, or rather leading them around. We tried doing a variety of experiments but as long as we have some distance then we can seriously defeat them safely. Of course it''s also fine to use projectile weapons and attack spells as well. Ah, freezing them in ice and burying them in dirt is no good. It''s not that it can''t be done but when I just tried burying their lower bodies it was impossible. Just like the Horned Bears in the past, if I aim to cover it''s entire body and suffocate it to death then it''s possible but if I don''t go that far then they manage to pull themselves out with pure strength. Though suffocating them to death is fine as well if we do that then the only one who gains experience points is me. The correct answer was. Drugs. All you have to do is smear some paralysis drugs on a throwing knife and manage to hit with it. And, then when it can barely move you can slowly kill it. The magic paralysis drug (it''s almost like Dereonola who tried to rape Bel in the past taught me though) that I used during my training of the spell {Remove.Paralyze} has taken a great role. We have Bel smear an arrowhead with plenty of it and then aim for their legs. If we run away for a bit then it''s legs get numb and then if we put the same drug on the blades of swords then in a short while after cutting it the drugs will have circulated to the point where it can''t do anything. Incidentally the natural paralysis drug(I was surprised after hearing how it''s made but it''s the exact same as the one Myun taught me in the past) that can be made from the ingredients of Ganbi grass and green tree frog that Miduchi brought had almost no effect. The one that had the most effect was a paralysis drug that was made from some sort of mixture of the fluid secreted from the feelers of the {Scavenger Crawler} and magic stones. It''s pretty cheap since the adventurers who use it are often ones who struggle against orks and hobgoblins on the 1st and 2nd floors. Since it was low enough that even the slave Derenola was able to buy it the sale price is at most 20,000 Z (2 silver coins). I''ve tried using it on a number of different monsters up until now but there wasn''t a monster it was this effective on. The {Cave Boars} on the 6th floor can keep moving around for 5-10 minutes even after taking it. It properly works on Orks and Hobgoblins but it''s free to just freeze their lower bodies in ice. It seems that this paralysis drug isn''t very effective unless it''s against humanoid races. I found it strange why it wasn''t used very often until now but since the only place {Scavenger Crawlers} are is the dungeon in Baldukk so it seems they don''t circulate very often. Furthermore it seems there''s a number of different mixtures for it but the cheapest one was the most effective kind. Just, if we buy too much of the stuff then the stock will run out quickly, and it''ll seem suspicious. ¡¾Paralysis Drug¡¿ ¡¾Magic Stone.Alum.Scavenger Crawler Fluid.Ritto Leaves¡¿ ¡¾State: Good¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date: 7/6/7444¡¿ ¡¾Value: 200/g¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: -¡¿ ¡¾Ability: Applies a magic-based paralysis when absorbed and inhibits voluntary movement.¡¿ ¡¾Effect: Paralysis effect towards humanoids(most effective via oral intake)¡¿ It looks like this with Identify but putting it frankly it''s classified as a paralysis drug with a considerably weak effect. Recently whenever I bring in some feelers from the Scavenger Crawlers as thanks for buying them I buy a couple of different varieties of mixtures. If you rub them on the blade of your sword then they''re about a charm and most of them don''t work. Furthermore, we still haven''t found any sort special rooms like monster rooms on the 7th floor. Also, the only monsters we''ve encountered on the 7th floor were ogres and goblins. After carrying 29 ogres worth of magic stones into the magic tool shop and the owners eyes went wide in surprise. The average value price of them was 120,000. The sale price was 800,000 Z (80 silver coins) times 29 of them. That''s 23,000,000 Z (23 gold coins). I wanted to combine them but I couldn''t do it. After all the magic stones were only the size of the nail of a little finger, the color was light gray and close to white. It''s impossible to combine them without a larger mother stone. I only noticed after seeing the magic stone of the ogre but the magic stones of the ogres are all about the size of a little finger. The Horned Bear''s was a lot bigger and the Death=Tyrant.Kin''s magic stone was so large it''s not even a comparison. Though in reverse when it gets to that size it''s probably difficult to use since there''s no way to fit it inside of a magic stone box on the average magic tool. Since the total amount was large I was a bit worried he would refuse to buy them but he bought them with no problem. Certainly there are magic stones in the shop window that have sale prices of about 2,000,000 Z. Since the ogres magic stone is at best 1,000,000 Z it should be included in the goods he deals in. With a smile on my face I gave out 46 silver coins to each person and Miduchi was surprised and, "Th..This much.." at a loss of words. Yeah~ buy whatever you like. I profited 20 gold coins after all. Furthermore, that''s just from magic stones. It''s a new record that''s largely overwritten all of our previous records. Up until now our highest record was about 4,800,000 Z. We suddenly increased it by close to five times that. We returned to the inn once and after leaving our bags and changing everyone went to the usual "Murowa" to eat and drink when some young adventurers came to greet us after hearing the rumors. When asking them, what rumors? and it seems that the old man from the magic tool shop put up a sign saying, "Singular Ogre Magic Stones Mass Arrival!!" It seems that thanks to that there''s rumors that someone made it to the 7th floor. ............. CH 161 No content CH 162 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 13 Our exploration of the 7th floor is proceeding smoothly. It''s so smooth that it''s starting to seem frightening. We were able to gain a considerable number of magic stones from ogres this time and have gotten quite used to combat against them as well so if there''s a small number even without me they can defeat them. As long as it''s not a monster room, it seems they can manage the 7th floor plenty without me. Though as expected since the number of times we''ve entered the monster rooms on the 6th and 7th floors(though we''ve only seen one one the 7th floor) can''t be called a lot in the first place it''s still too frightening if I''m not accompanying them starting from the 6th floor. It should be about a good time. The next day after we returned from the dungeon, I brought along a few allies and came to "Slave Store, Ronslail". "Ronslail-san, have you still not obtained a slave that can use the shield?" "Ah, Greed-sama, I''m very sorry. When it comes to a slave that can use the shield there really is only those who become prisoners from wars. Recently, they haven''t appeared on the market...I''m truly very sorry that I''ve not been able to be of assistance to you..." The madam said that and lowered her head. How troubling. Ah, come to think of it I heard from my parents that there''s a dispatch of troops early next year. If a war prisoner comes along from there then they should arrive around early summer of next year. I have no intention of getting impatient but if possible while everyone is still young, I want to let them experience various things when their heads are still soft. But, well I guess it''s fine. In the two and a half years since we came to Baldukk I think we''ve passed through everything a bit too smoothly. Of course, we''ve experienced some considerable dangers a couple of days as well but in the end I''m sure it''s because luck is on our side that were able to make it this far without losing anyone. After leaving Ronslail''s store all of us entered a restaurant and after taking a table in the corner we ordered some tea and started talking. The members here right now other than me is Miduchi and the irrit-ouple. If Zenom were to be included in there and it''s the members we often gather in while spending our days off recently. Today Zenom is together with Ralpha and Gwine as they went to buy clothes in the capital. It seems that Ralpha is going to use him to help choose. Even though I say choose it''s just the cloth though. Since it will take some time to finish I''m sure she intends it to be a Christmas present or something. That''s why I''m grateful we can talk in Japanese today. Ah, the clothing shops on Orth have places with pre-made clothes hanging up as well but when it comes to high quality goods after all they''re tailor made. Though it''s uncommon for commoners to buy tailored clothes. You could say that since we have quite a few clothes we''re living quite wealthy lifestyles. That''s why I know in most cases when you order some clothes from a tailor they''re usually done in about two weeks. There''s not a wide variety of cloth and most of the clothes you can have tailored is things like Kimonos from Japan. There''s not much need to have them fit to the body like a suit. Well, as expected we reincarnated people still have a bit of resistance to wearing a tailor made kimono as casual clothing. Hanging clothes like yukata''s are often worn as casual clothing but after all western style clothes are more common. Sandals, pants, and a shirt that doesn''t open from the front that you wear by putting over your head. Excluding the sandals those are the types of clothes that line up with yukatas as being common. Women are fine in either pants or skirts. Though since we never know when we''ll get dragged into a disturbance no one really wears skirts. "..and with that sort of feel. That''s why a regiment often points to one type of the largest units of soldiers. Normally, at something or other station place there will be over one regiment there is what it means. A stationing place put easier is something like a base. However, since there''s no naval ports or air ports, the old Japanese world of army base might be the most appropriate. I don''t know about foreign countries but the American army doesn''t use something or other base for their army stations but rather camp something or other right?" Recently during our days off I''ve been using my spare time to teach them some basic military training. Since we''ve still only just started it''s really just the basics. Ralpha and Gwine joined at first as well but they start falling asleep and can''t remember it when I test them so they''ve already given up. It might be fine to teach Zulu and the others as well but one day I thought it would be good for Toris and Bel to gain experience commanding so I''ll leave the slaves to them later. Since it''s an important job for a commander to raise other commanders. "..That''s right. Normally there''s a variety of different types of soldiers and they call these branches of the army but those gather together to make an army. When they gather these branches together and reach a point where they can deal with combat in any situation they call that group a division. A brigade is below that. A regiment is one more step below that. I don''t know much at all about the wars from the era before the warring states era in the past. The only branches I know are cavalry, infantry, and archers. Though among the infantry there were spears-men and such as well. However, Orth has feel like it''s even further in the past. If it was Japan then maybe about Kamakura? Ah, I guess it''s better than that, I see. You sure are knowledgeable." Unexpectedly Miduchi had a bit of knowledge about soldiers in the past. In some meanings she might be the most superior one in the {Slaughterers}. She knew a bunch of things about monsters that we didn''t know as well. "..Which~ is why, putting aside the rough tactics and large strategies most of the tactics I learned aren''t really all that useful on Orth I''m sure. Since the weapons are too different. Ah, Toris, that''s exactly right. It would come somewhat in handy if both sides had guns, explosives, and airplanes. Though if we''re the only ones with them then I''m sure it would be somewhat useful as well but in that case using power to overwhelm is fine. This is the ideal. In the case where both sides only have bows as the projectile weapons then the tactics I learned aren''t all that useful. Since normally tactics are devised by the characteristics and properties of equipment after all." The tactics I learned are used during combat between armies where both sides have modern day equipment. Putting it frankly, when they''re wearing plate-mail and equipped with a spear it''s pretty useless. The speed of advance is too different and I''m not really familiar with the types of terrains horses can pass through, it doesn''t seem like a large scale urban combat would occur, and since there''s no aid from tanks or airplanes after all. Of course it might be possible to apply them in some places but since the condition for them is the existence of firearms with high precision I''m sure there''s not much room to apply them. "..It''s a weird way of putting it but if they have the same type of equipment that the members of the SDF have and equal numbers I''m sure anyone could win against the armies of this world. However, that is under the assumption that they know how to make use of that equipment. They might even be able to win under the commander of an elementary schooler from Japan. But, in the case where they don''t have any knowledge, even if the greatest general from this world commands then they might end up losing to an army commanded by the worst general in this world. If you don''t know that you need to pull the trigger to fire a gun when it''s all you''ve got and it''s nothing better than a club. Even if you do know, if you don''t know things like how to reload the ammo, the valid range, and how much damage it can do then you probably can''t use it any different than a bow. And since fighting your enemy directly and cutting them down with a sword is seen as an honor, they might see fighting from a distance as cowardly as well." I was taught about the tactics of wars on Orth a bit by brother and in order to gain even more information about it I sent Kuro and Mary into the knight group have them learning there. Since they have the common knowledge a Japanese person should know as well, they should be able to calmly analyze the differences between modern day wars as well. Though I also feel like I''m holding my expectations a bit too high for them as well. "Hn? Guns huh, guns are still a bit difficult." If I were to try and make them I''m pretty sure I can. The type that is a lot better than a matchlock even. But, as expected it won''t go that easily. There''s no hope in regards to something like mass production. Even when it comes to bullets if you don''t make enough there''s no meaning and gunpowder is necessary as well. Of course I''m still researching them though. CH 163 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 14 The passenger carriage arrived at the capital around 3 pm. For the time being, in the case there''s some kind of trouble they should either show their faces in my company or leave some sort of message there. We walked on to Bell road towards Greed Company and we noticed the abnormality when we were just about to be able to see the company. There''s four horses connected to the stake in front of the store. Oh~ I wonder if there''s some nobles here? and thought that for a moment but two of those are Miduchi and my own horse. After all they were here. However the remaining two are considerably good war horses as well. One of them seems to be wearing a harness far more expensive and extravagant than my own. And then I noticed it right away. Yotlen and the others are sitting in a daze on the bench against the wall of the store in front of those horses. Something seems to have happened...Since Yotlen and the others don''t seem to be in a panic it doesn''t seem to be anything dangerous. "Since Zenom-sam is together with them as well I''m sure it''s nothing too strange though. Ral..it would be good if she didn''t do anything stupid though.." "Huh, it''s just Reira-san, Anna-chan, and Hanna-chan right? I wonder if Kanna-kun is still inside?" Bel and Miduchi are saying but I somehow don''t get it. The reason I can''t see the Ryogu family must be because they''re in the rubber workshop or maybe they''re in the store but if I normally think about it at this time they''re probably at the workshop. In that case then, Yotlen and the others must have been shut out. "..In any case let''s go." Just as Toris said nothing will start unless we go. When we approached the store, Anna and Hanna noticed us. It seems that the two of them are wearing pretty thin coats but since the sun is still out at this time even though it''s winter they don''t seem to be trembling from the cold. "Ah, president, thank you for your work." "Presichent~ thanch for your wrosch." "Oh~ what''s going on? Why are you all outside..Yotlen, are our members here? Did something happen?" Normally the wooden door in the front of the store is left open to make it easier for customers to enter. But today that door is shut. "Ah, president, thank you for your work. That is..this morning, soon after seeing off the Ryogu family to the workshop, Firefreed-sama and the others brought some guests..Since Firefreed-sama''s daughter said they have something important to talk about so..Did the president not know about it?" The mother of the Yotlen family, Reira replied while looking a bit cold. "Ha? I have no idea. Guests..What kind of people are they?" When I said that and Anna replied from the side. "Two people who seem like knights and one person who seems to be an attendant." What in the world is that? When I looked around at everyone they were making faces like question marks were floating above their heads. "What Gwine together with them?" "Yes, Akdam-sama was together with them and the six of them are talking inside." Yotlen replied to Miduchi''s question. "Was the one who instructed you to close the door Ralpha?" "Yeah, somehow, it seems like they had an important conversation that they didn''t want anyone to hear about so only when a customer comes, we should get permission and then we can enter. She allowed me to let Kanna sleep on the second floor." She replied to Bel''s question without pause. Certainly, I''ve sent out notice that Zenom and the others are employees of Greed Company as well. If I don''t do that then putting aside the sub-Noble Toris and the slaves, the commoners and Free People will be troubled in various ways by taxes. They''re something like senior employees to Yotlen and the others. If they''re given instructions then they probably can''t or it''s difficult to oppose them. "How do things look in regards to the discussion? Are they yelling at each other or anything?" "They don''t seem to be yelling at each other but..occasionally I can hear some loud voices." According to her reply to Toris''s question it seems the situation isn''t very dangerous. Though it might be just a bit serious, there are times when your voice can get loud just from talking normally as well. And it might be a laughing voice as well. "In any case, it would be best to just go inside and ask what''s going on first." After saying that I casually opened the door and stepped foot inside. Zenom and the other two along with three strangers were sitting at the reception set in the center of the store glaring and talking to each other. Around the round table from the left was Zenom, Ralpha, and Gwine, and then from the right side there''s a male human knight looking guy where high class clothes, another Tiger-man who also seems to be a knight in the center, and then on the side a Cat-people man who''s outfit is pretty shabby and looks like an attendant sitting down. Since we suddenly opened the door and came inside 12 pairs of eyes looked at us. ..This is unexpected. I see now. Reincarnated people huh? Furthermore three of them even. Since Zenom is here I guess they couldn''t speak in Japanese, so I''ll forgive them on closing Yotlen and her daughters outside of the store. Though I can''t accept it. When Toris and Bel took a deep breath about to say something behind me, I raised my right hand and stopped that before briskly walking to the side of the reception set with the attention of the six of them on me. Other than Miduchi I can feel the presence of Toris and Bel who''s statements I stopped following behind me. It seems Zulu and Angela are outside the door. I lowered my head to the three I don''t know and after putting in just the words, "Please excuse me in the middle of your conversations." and I looked at Ralpha. If you were to ask why and it''s because Zenom and Gwine''s expressions were saying, (we tried warning her a number of times. I''m sorry it ended up like this.) In addition Ralpha''s expression was (Ah, so he''s already come?) Not to mention she''s avoiding eye contact with me. "Ya~ Ralpha. So you were in a place like this. I was worried about you." and I said with as kind of a tone of voice as possible. Hearing this not just Ralpha but Zenom and Gwine were surprised. I''m sure that''s the case. "However, I''m glad you were safe...Now then, you know what you need to do right?" This time I said it as kindly as I could as well. CH 164 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 14 I was a bit surprised at Basutral who suddenly came out with his desire for employment, right now isn''t the time to being interviewing him. However, I can''t just ignore him without saying anything either. "Please raise your head. Umm, this is just a simple confirmation but what sort of relationship do you have with these two Basutral-san?" Since I want to avoid something like headhunting their attendant. Faruergaz and Hirosukal were looking at Basutral with bitter faces but didn''t say anything. Basutral is hesitating whether it''s okay for him to open his mouth when someone interrupted from the side. It doesn''t need to be said but it was Ralpha. "It seems that person was a slave. Last month these two bought him and after bringing him to the capital they released him into a Free Person." He~ well since they''re reincarnated people I''m sure they had that much leeway, if I were to meet Basutral when he was a slave then I''m sure if I had the money at that time Imighthavedonesomethinglikethataswell. However, whether or not I release him would depend on if he was born a slave, or fell to being a slave as a result of a crime or being unable to pay his taxes, I''m sure I would investigate things like that first. "Is that so..That is really..Well conversation regarding employment we should do again at a later time, if possible I''d like to discuss it." "Pl..Please do!" I calm down Basutral who is frantically lowering his head to me and returned the conversation to where we were. "Well I feel as thought I''m paying compensation that corresponds to our earnings..However, in regards to the amount of that compensation, putting aside the person them self I don''t think you as an outsider have any right to speak on it, is what I think though.." I try to smooth over my expression to appear as earnest as I can while talking. Next to me Toris and Bel are nodding as if to say that''s right, that''s right. "..I see, certainly it seems you''re handing them a reasonable amount of compensation..I can accept that they''re satisfied with the compensation like they were saying." "Is that so? I''m glad that you were able to comprehend it." "However, I still haven''t received an answer I can accept in regards to limiting them on their freedom to quit or obligating them to obey orders other than those that relate to life and death. Furthermore, there''s still a portion that is lacking as well. There''s no arbitration clause. When a dispute occurs between the persons concerned, how do you intend to settle things?" Is this guy an idiot? It''s not like this is Japan, even the country and individual territories don''t have their laws posted out in the open. The only time they have something like a jurisdictional court is the day of judgement but fundamentally they only deal with criminal incidents. Things like civil cases the only way is if a noble was to hire a high ranking noble to judge on it or or a high ranking noble has the King make the judgements. Since I''m barely within the realms of sub-Nobility, if I cry to him then Marquis Webdos might make a judgement. Since I can''t rely on the King right now after all...If I remember correctly the King made a judgement on it, right, your Count Faruregaz family and the Rodairl family or Crocodile family or whatever Marquis families debt problem from 300 years ago right? I can''t do anything but sigh. ..In the first place the one who suggested making employment contracts the source of this problem was Ralpha. It''s something I found out later but something like an employment contract no one in this world uses them. Even when we were talking big about it to the scribe when we passed through Doran on our way to Baldukk they just looked amazed at us and every time I bring them in to the government office of Baldukk the officials look at me with faces like "Is this guy an idiot?" It''s not something I started doing because I wanted. I just got on the boat because I thought I should make use of whatever I could. "..Fu~ ..I see, then I''ll start in order from the places which are easy to respond...First off, in regards to the arbitration clause but have either of you entered into a contract for some kind of dealing with a merchant on Orth before?" "Never." CH 165 No content CH 166 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 14 Once I returned to my inn I got to producing Basutoral''s contract right away. It''s fundamentally the same as everyone else but I also included the following clauses. .Settings for a trial period (of course, as long as I don''t accept it the trial period continues forever) .Specifying the conditions for providing of bonuses (During the trial period it''s 1% of the "magic stones" we obtain and sell to a dealer) .Regulations for quitting (Requires agreement from both sides. In reality it''s no different from before) .Regulations for days off (Only days I recognize in advance) .Retention of secrets (He has an obligation to hide any secrets he finds out on the job) .Regulations for penalties (Putting it simply if there''s any inconveniences caused to me over something) .Good faith clause (just as it sounds) .Adding money to the debt (Though this is a clause just for Basutral) Ah, days off? The paid days off are only for women. If I use healing magic when symptoms of an illness start to appear then they recover easily so there''s no sick days. Of course in urgent situations it''s possible to withdraw from them at any time. Yesterday was a good example. Also, in regards to the penalties but obviously if there''s a delay in wages for the employees then I''ll pay an interest that both parties agree on. Furthermore, the payment date is the same as usual up until now the 1st day of each month but if I notify them advance I can change that to a later date. Since we might be in the dungeon. Well, it''s like a small version of a real employment contract. Honestly speaking, there''s still plenty of things missing but for now this should be fine. Adding to that in regards to the compensation with the trial period concludes but I''ve decided it''s the same as everyone else 2% of the "magic stones" sold to the dealers. Eh? Even then it''s unequal and dirty? I wonder about that? Since it''s not written that I won''t pay anymore than that, if his work is good then I''ll pay additionally. Even with this I''m compromising quite a bit. For example last months bonus was 1,720,000 Z (172 silver coins) but since we didn''t find any magic items, ores, or special treasures so even if he was just sticking with us like a parasite it comes out to him receiving 860,000 Z. No matter how you think about it, it''s paying too much. However, to be honest as I was writing it up I started feel discontent with the other conditions than that as well. In the first place, why do I have to bother writing a contract every time. I''m probably the only one doing something like this in all of Orth. In the end we have to use our blood and magic stones to make the seal as well so it just adds pointless expenses as well..it''s all that stink bug Ralpha''s fault. While I''m doing that, Miduchi is leisurely laying on my bed filing her nails, Toris and Bel are probably flirting like crazy in their room. Ralpha and Gwine should be out accompanying Basutoral on his shopping. Since I let the two slaves return to their inn together with Giberuti I have no clue. I wonder if Zulu is lowering his head to his girlfriend? The two knights who followed along tried to take a room at the same inn "Boil Manor" it seems but since there was only one room open they ended up staying at a different inn nearby. Of course I had Basutoral stay in the opening room. After hearing it was 5,000 Z (50 copper coins) per night Basutoral''s eyes seemed like they would spin and he tried to refuse it but I said that even though he needs to save money I won''t accept a seedy lifestyle and forced him to stay here. With this he''ll be even more desperate I''m sure. Zenom? Since Zenom came to apologize honestly to me for causing us to worry I accepted his apology. Around now he''s probably getting tipsy on the shitty expensive vodka and dried neisun (herring like fish) he bought on the way back. When I finish writing this I plan to train with magic for just a bit and then drink some good alcohol as well. CH 167 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 19 Starting today we''re really challenging the 7th floor in a full group of 10. After taking a shower, I started organizing our combat potential a bit while eating breakfast. The first one, me. Capable of both front line and rear support. It''s safe to consider me the cornerstone of the {Slaughterers}. Since it''s my assessment of myself it might be too generous but I think if I were to be excluded they''re only just a bit better than the other top teams. If Miduchi were to be excluded as well then they probably aren''t a match for the top team. Though I don''t know the true abilities of other top teams so it''s just guesswork through. The second one, Zenom. Since he can''t use magic or projectile weapons he specializes in the front line. However, his true skill is high and other than me he''s the one I can trust the most on the front line. His specialty is to find openings in the opponent and damage them a bit at a time while fighting persistently. The third one, Miduchi. The same as me, she can do both front line and rear support. Well she''s like an inferior version of me. But in terms of synthesized abilities she''s without a doubt the next after me. If she gets used to the missile spells then I think Miduchi alone could compete with the other top teams. Up until then she''s a mana tank with a lot of direct attack power. Even though I say that it''s big that she can using attack spells in rapid succession. The fourth one, Ralpha. For the most part she can use magic but she''s still technically a front line attacker. In terms of close combat on the front line she''s the fourth strongest in the {Slaughterers} but including her Unique Ability if she can just make an opening in her opponent and land a single heavy blow then the situation could make a complete turn around with how much explosive power she has hidden away. The fifth one, Bel. Since she specializes in the bow and magic she''s rear support. Just in case she can also hold her own reasonably well on the front line as well. Since she has more mana than an ultra first-rate sorcerer if you look are synthesized abilities including spells then it''s not incorrect to say she can exceed Zenom. If Miduchi and I were to be excluded the way Bel is used is critical. The sixth one, Toris. Since he started to use the shield he''s become more focused on the front line. Since he can use magic as well of course rear support is possible as well but in that case in relation to his MP he''s just about average for an adventurer magician. If he can just raise his magic spell skill levels a bit higher than along with his diligent personality he should be able to grow quite a bit. The seventh one, Gwine. Rear support. Or rather, she''s situated between the rear and the front in the middle. She''s started to become skilled at making good use of the gaps the front line creates and thrusting her attacks in there. It has no relation to her combat abilities but her Unique Ability might be the most important fro the dungeon. I would like for her to be able to go around the battlefield and keep an eye out for when the enemies are aiming at the rear and keep them in check while reading the circumstances of the whole. If she could do that then she''d change into something completely different. The eighth one, Zulu. Front line. His close combat skills are about the same as Toris. Thanks to holding a shield he''s also gained a defense UP. Since he''s also pretty loyal he was charming but recently...I guess this doesn''t matter at all. The ninth one, Angela. Front line. Her close combat skills are the same as Bel, you could say she''s above Gwine, but one step behind Toris and Zulu. Thanks to holding a shield she''s also gained a defense UP. But it seems like she forgets the existence of her shield often. So we''re including Basutoral into here huh...Since we''re having him use the spear in terms of position I''m sure he''ll protect (?) the middle like Gwine but for the time being he''s probably useless. If I were to think of it in terms of combat potential, even Giberuti might be better right now. But, his level went up by 1 in just the time we cleared through from the 1st to 6th floors and is 4 now. In just three days he gained 3,000 experience points. Starting today, if he can earn 1,400 - 1,500 a day for the next seven days on the 7th floor then I''m sure his level will go up once more. I crunch away at some salad with cabbage as the base while looking at Basutoral''s state as he has a pale face and doesn''t seem to have much of an appetite. Last night the moment we brought him to the camp, it was like his tension was cut and I remember his state laying down from the fatigue that had built up over the last three days. They must have read my worry, Zenom and Miduchi called out to Basutoral. "Saji, eat properly. The real thing starts from today." "That''s right Saji-san. If you don''t properly eat then you won''t be able to move when the time comes." "Ah? Eh? Yeah, I guess so...However, I wonder why? Even though it''s this delicious I don''t have any appetite..My feelings are pretty worked up? After all, we managed to obtain that many magic stones." One our way up until here we made close to 200,000 in value in total. If we sell them to the magic tool shop then it''s close to 1,500,000 Z (150 silver coins) in magic stones. This guys share is 1.5 silver coins. "Starting today we''ll be getting our hands on a lot more magic stones with an even higher value. It''s not the case to be sprawling around. Now, eat a lot and build up some stamina." CH 168 No content CH 169 No content CH 170 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 26 After returning to the inn, Miduchi and I tried thinking about the trick behind the Rindobel couple of {Sun Ray} in regards to the wooden tags, or talismans, well I guess they''re fine as God notes. Idea 1. This is something anyone can easily think up I''m sure. 1. Employ people. It''s fine if they''re poor people or vagrants. The more you can get the better the advantage. To make it easy I''ll say 100 people. 2. Hand all of them 5,000 Z on the day of a full moon and have them buy a God note. 3. By the second full moon 1,000,000 Z in God notes will have been gathered. 4. Have the adventurer take them to the temple and exchange it for a large God note and that''s the end. I''m sure it would be fine to split them up between multiple temples as well. Just, since it''s necessary to hire people I''m sure the expenses would jump quite high. If you think about the time they''re all tied up it would be safe to say it requires over 50% more than the normal cost, depending on the case there might be people who run away with the money as well. Before that there''s also the matter of the same person coming to exchange a large amount of God notes and getting scolded..well I''m sure it''s not something that they''d be praised over but it''s not like they''re doing anything wrong so it''s possible they might accept it without problems as well. Though it might be no good. In either case I don''t think it''s something that would get them hit by lightning over. On reserve. Idea 2 is the advanced form of the above. It''s probably unlikely but if it was me I would do or aim for this. 1. Turn it into an organization. It would be ideal to create a branch in each place. 10 places for convenience sake. 2. Hire people. Once again the more the better. 200 people for convenience sake. 3. Have these 200 people patrol around between the branches in each location (to make it harder to determine their identities). 4. On nights of the full moon have them buy 5,000 Z God notes from the temple nearby. 5. Whenever it''s appropriate have someone gather them and go (this would be the adventurer). 6. Get a large God note. It might be fine to do some kind of business while letting the people carrying luggage along during their travels around. However, if you were to use this many people to start some kind of business I feel like you''d end up profiting more from the side business and that would end becoming the principal occupation. Adding to that it costs an absurd amount of money for the initial investment and maintain contact between the branches would be difficult as well. Unless it was someone on the level of our Toris or Bel in terms of trust being left as the heads of each branch then it''s clear that it would collapse sooner or later. Well, I guess this one''s no good. Idea 3. Is this the frontal attack? 1. Gather money. 2. Bribe a priest of the temple, hand them over 1,000,000 Z and get a large God note. 3. Get hit by lightning together with the priest, the end. It''s no good. Rather~ if it was someone that could be bribed them I''m sure they wouldn''t make it as priests for the temple in the first place. Idea 4. In the case {Sun Ray} really has a secret route. In this case..well isn''t it fine? If they aren''t being hit by lightning then I''m sure there''s no problem and rather I think it''s actually amazing for them to have found it. Thinking about it like this any ideas other than 1 seem pretty unlikely to implement. Even if it''s idea 1 then they must have quite the ability to manage an organization to put it into practice. However, both Miduchi and I are thinking that it''s none of those. If there''s no money, no power, and no mana, there''s no choice other than to use your head to try and strengthen your party. Well, putting it simply it''s fraud. It''s necessary to prepare a number of real God notes and show them. If you have some money then it''s something that can be done I''m sure. In the case that Miduchi and I were in the position of the Rindobel couple then, in any case we''d save up some amount of money, of course we''d buy some ourselves as well but buy out the people lined up at the temple on a full moon. You can say you''ll buy the 5,000 Z God note for depending on the case 10,000 Z. I''m sure there''s some people who will jump at the cahnce. Since they''re a couple of two I''m sure they can act separately. If they repeat it for about six months then it could be possible. They continue to hold on to those without exchanging it for a 10,000 Z God note. There''s no need for it to be 1,000,000 Z worth of them. It''s fine if it''s just an adequate amount. These end up being the display notes. And, then they talk to an adventurer who seems like they''re lacking brains. "With a special underground route we can get our hands on a God note that normally takes 10 years in just 1 year." "Since it''s an underground route we can''t reveal it to anyone. Since the lightning is scary." "Eh? You want one too? It can''t be helped. It''s special for just you." "However, it''ll take over 1,000,000 Z." "That''s only obvious right? Even the other side is overdoing it by giving them to us." "Since you seem pretty intelligent, I''m sure you already understand that it costs a bit in reward right?" "Any way~ that level of money, if it''s our party then we can earn it right away." "Ah, don''t tell anyone about this." "Also, make sure you properly visit the temple. God is always testing your faith." "Alright, you take the one on the right and you take the one on the left." "Ah, so one of them was killed huh..That''s unfortunate." "He never went to visit the temple last week. I''m sure he died because he was lacking in faith." "Alright, you go in from the front, you circle around to the back of it." "No one seems to be looking. Since the opponent is weakened..die!" "Mwu, how unfortunate. If you''re lacking in faith this is what happens." "Umu. Shall we tell you the proper method to visit the temple..first stop with all luxury." "That''s right, your faith is recognized through honorable poverty." "Gebo~!! I..I was somehow saved." "See, if you properly honor God then you''ll be saved on the verge." "Got it. All of the things we find in the dungeon I as the leader will act as representative and make offering to the temple." It''s considerably forced but probably something along those lines. If you pay money then we won''t get them for your right away, but rather we can shorten it down to within one year. Is the key point. As long as the other side can accept it then two years or three years is fine as well. During this time, you just have to work them hard and kill them off somewhere appropriate than that''s fine. If their abilities are too high and the couple alone can''t finish them off then they can just really give them the God note. If they can make some display notes then if they get serious they might really be able to gather enough for one in one year? CH 171 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 28 We finish up making deliveries and it was when we were taking measurements for next time. When I returned from the inner citadel to a room in the outer citadel where the measurements were being done the squires of Bakuddo were politely taking measurements of the sizes of people from the knight group. Reynolds was helping Rozural with the male knights and Jamie was helping Wendy with the female knights measurements. Sean was writing down the sizes Rozural and Wendy spoke out while sister-in-law Shani was smiling and overseeing that. Miduchi seemed bored on her own but from a slight distance away she was restlessly looking around the castle with interest. When I went to Miduchi''s side she started talking to me. "Hey, this place is amazing..It''s even larger than the largest lobby in Lail''s royal palace and the ceiling is reasonably high as well..It really has the feeling of a castle.." What is she saying? While I''m confused since I heard something strange she continued talking. "Really~ Rombert''s castle is amazing. The roof is gilded as well and there was some castle towers as well, this is the "outer citadel" right? It''s really big and the inside is extravagant as well.." "That is, since it seems Rombert has the highest national power around this area after all..I''m sure they would make the castle huge. I don''t know about other countries but I''m sure they aren''t as big as here..Most likely it''s on the level of "Osaka Castle" or "Edo Castle"." "Ah, if you put it like that..if I remember correctly Osaka Castle had gold leaf used for it''s roof tiles at first as well..Did you already know?" "Yeah, I''ve heard about it. I thought the same thing the first time I saw it." It seems the measurements are almost over. The only one remaining for measurements is the Wolf-people of the second knight group, Viscount Rakkusu. I can''t afford to be standing around here. I get Miduchi to help me out as we count the money. I pay sister-in-law Shani the cost of the rubber protectors and then sign the proof of sales before handing it over. We were able to finish up the deliveries without problem and able to take orders for next time as well. After this we just need to return to the company once more and fill the empty carriages with the provisions and military supplies I had prepared in advance and we''re done. ............... "Then, sister-in-law. I''m praying for your fortune on the battlefield." "Thanks. Miduchi-san, please take good care of Al." "..Wa, yes!!" After all the provisions, spare underwear and such, and military supplies were packed away sister-in-law and the other four in total from Bakuddo village''s Dirt Plains dispatch task force departed the capital of Rombertia. After I went to the government office to finish paying the luxury tax and then returned to the company again, I started organizing the stock that sister-in-law and the others carried in last night in the back yard. It seems that Dianne has recovered quite a bit as well and wanted to help me out but I just used the spell {Cure All} on her in exchange for her feelings and chased her back up to the second floor before taking care of the job with Yotlen and Miduchi. CH 172 Year 7444, Month 12, Day 29 After returning to "Boil Manor" I went to Miduchi''s room and asked the state of things with Faruergaz and Hirosukol for today. It seems that they left once around noon and returned in about an hour as well the as Kumiru. It seemed like both of their walking postures seemed more normal again so it''s fine to think they''ve recovered from most of their injuries. If they aren''t idiots then they''ll wait a few days while keeping an eye on things and if possible offer to heal Kumiru and Ruttsu or offer some kind of assistance to them. If they just go straight to the dungeon without doing then I don''t care anymore...It should be fine to just ignore them. Is it okay? No, I guess it''s no good...However, if they''re reckless then I''ll be troubled later on... In any case things are already fine for today. I thought of taking a warm shower before dinner so I went towards the shower room when I just happened to run into Toris as he was coming out. Then I guess Bel is using the other shower room that''s in use. Suddenly I remembered so rather than taking a shower I invited Toris to my room, I decided to give him the honor of being a monitor for the new model of Saya. Well the other day, I already tested it on Miduchi, and I''m sure my older brother and sister-in-law have tested it plenty as well so I can already guess but for me it was the light feelings of trying to help the pitiful Toris out a bit. "Al-san, did you return? Weren''t you going to be at the company in the capital for this holiday.." "Yeah, I intended to be but since I got my hands on a new product this time. I needed to give it to you in a hurry, thinking that I came back in hurry though it''s just for tonight." "Ha~ And, what is it?" I opened the wooden box on the wide of my bed and took out one package and handed that to Toris. "Al-san..This is.." He touched the rubber pack and after confirming the contents Toris said with a bit of restraint, while his eyes went wide and he seemed a bit drawn back from it. "Yeah, it''s a product that is just as you can see. Have you used one before?" "No way, there''s no way that''s the case." He replied in a panic while shaking his head. Fumu, I guess he was just an innocent college student, well I guess you wouldn''t normally use it. And, even including my previous life it was my first time using it not too long ago as well so I can''t say anything about others though. "Well, I guess that''s true. But you know, this should become a great ally to you. Since the problem of molds still hasn''t been solved in regards to that the studs aren''t designed into one. They''ve been added afterwards. That''s why in order to prevent them from escaping and in order to strengthen the main part it''s made a bit thicker than usual." "Is..Is that so..But, did you really just go out of your way to return in order to give me this..." It seems like Toris can''t understand as he''s sending me a dubious glance. "Well the quality just as you know isn''t worth comparing to the cutting edge technology of Japan so it can''t be helped. Although.." CH 173 An Unfortunate Father And Son CH 174 Year 7445, Month 1, Day 19 When we put some fighting spirit into it and teleport into the 7th floor, we teleported into the same place we previously killed the {Larva Purple Worm}. If we were to ignore the paths along the way from here and walk for several hours then I''m sure we''d arrive at that desert-like area. "What should we do? This place, seems to be where the earthworm was." Gwine said while seeming to daze into mid-air. She''s probably looking at the map. "There were several paths beyond that right.." Toris put his hand to his chin as he said. Seeing that Zenom opened his mouth. "Shall we go? Since it seemed like the teleport room to the 8th floor had four entrances, we still only know one of those." "Hn~ I think we should go as well. If the earthworm comes out again then this time for sure.." This time for sure what? Why are you looking at me there? Hmn, though it''s only along the way it seems like it was the correct choice to split up our party. Recently I feel like Ralpha is underestimating the dungeon. According to what I''ve heard from Bel and Miduchi she''s considerably cautious when I''m not around but once I group up with them again it seems she''s letting her guard down. I need her to remain the same regardless of whether I''m around or not from here on out. "..Can you hold it down from the front without running? Well I guess it''s fine. While you''re getting eaten I''ll definitely finish it off. Relax and "rest in peace". If there''s no other opinions then I agree with going as well. I don''t want to see the earthworm but I''m sure everyone hasn''t forgotten that magic stone right?" "But, there''s no guarantee it will be that earthworm again right...I think it''s hasty to assume ahead of time." Oh~ Bel, good retort. That''s exactly true. "Hn, certainly that''s true. We shouldn''t assume what it will be. However, I''ve already decided to proceed like this. Let''s go." I said that and started walking. "Al-san. That''s not the right way. It''s this way." Gwine pointed to the opposite direction I started walking. I''m so uncool. .............. CH 175 Year 7445, Month 1, Day 22 Yesterday we returned from the dungeon. Since we teleported into a passage with a lot of ogres in it yesterday we ended up having to explore until quite late. But, thanks to that were able to set a new record of 34 ogres in one day so while everyone tired myself included we were feeling quite good. Although, after we returned to the surface I ate some food and then went right to sleep. Furthermore, the goblins that appear here and there are just a waste of time so we just ignore their corpses without gathering their magic stones. In any case I guess the fatigue has built up I ended up oversleeping a bit this morning. When I finished my preparations to go running and appeared in front of "Boil Manor" and the sky was already turning red (since there''s still the outer crater the sun isn''t visible yet), and only the two slaves and Basutoral were waiting. Basutoral seemed to be more exhausted than anyone else but it seems he woke up through sheer guts. Soon after everyone appeared so after we went running, I called out Zenom and Giberuti and we all went to a restaurant called "Mensato" for breakfast. They have some delicious diced olives that are pickled in olive oil and salt. If you add a small amount of mayonnaise with that to some bread with vegetables and ham on it and it somehow becomes an extravagant sandwich. These diced olives pickled in oil aren''t sold anywhere. Giberuti has been giving it best to reproduce them but it seems that due to problems with the amount of salt and time pickled he still hasn''t succeeded. Giberuti trying to ask the owner of a restaurant the recipe is something commonly seen for the {Slaughterers} but since it''s how they make their living they aren''t willing to teach it so simply. After all it''s this stores specialty. I guess that means if you want to eat it then you have to come to the restaurant. After eating breakfast and relaxing for a bit we went to sell all of the magic stones we earned in the dungeon this time. Since we didn''t make it back until late last night we ended up eating and falling asleep without selling them. When we sold 62 ogre and 21 sand shark magic stones it exceeded 52,000,000 Z (52 gold coins) by just a bit. All of the members other than Basutoral get 1 gold coin and 4 silver coins, I give Basutoral half that amount 2 gold Shu and 2 silver coins. Since it''s only been a bit over a month since he joined the {Slaughterers} and in just entering the dungeon a mere three times he''s made a bit over 1.5 gold coins in compensation Basutoral was greatly pleased. Since he seems to have been the guitar and vocalist in an indies band in his previous life, the way he''s diligent betrayed my expectations based on that sort of image in a good way. Since we''ve still only been together for about a month I can''t lightly come to a conclusion but at the very least as far as I know he''s using all of his spare time to practice writing and with the spear independently. It seems the details themselves were taught by Gwine but while it''s just the basics he''s repeating the same forms without getting bored. I think it was during a day off just before the day of judgement, I tried asking him. "Hey~ Basutoral. You might be bored from just continuing the same forms but when you''re thrusting you shouldn''t just look at the end of the spear. Even if it''s vaguely you should look at the entirety of your assumed enemy. Wouldn''t it suck if they threw the weapon in their hands at you in desperation?" He was a bit surprised when I suddenly called out to him during training but he quickly turned around to me and after standing his wooden training spear on the ground with his right hand Basutoral said this. "Ah, Al-san. I see now, looking at the entirety of the opponent is it...However, I''m not bored of it. It''s the same as the {guitar}. In the past, I think it was when I was still a middle school student, I went to a guitar class in the music class. The teacher of that class was good at teaching but their reputation wasn''t very good. Why do you think it was?" "No, I have no idea~" "Normally they teach you how to play one or two simple songs after teaching you the most fundamental basics but that teacher was the type that taught the basics thoroughly. The average six string guitar, if you include the difficult ones has 187 types of chords but among those 84 types are said to be the fundamental ones. The teacher wouldn''t let us play any songs until we could remember all of those 84 fundamental types. That sort of thing is boring or isn''t that unreasonable? That''s why that teacher wasn''t very popular. Since there was a different guitar teacher in that class, once one student switched to that teacher and in no time at all almost everyone switched over there." "Hn, well I''m sure that''s true. I can somehow understand their feelings." "Yeah, that''s right. And, I hesitated on what I should but in the end I went to the class intending to change teachers. I went to the class just a bit early intending to tell the office worker that I intended to change classes but it was at that time, it was by chance but I could hear a tremendously skilled guitar. And, I ended up saying to the office worker. I want to learn from the person playing that guitar." "Ah, I''ve read the ending. That extremely skilled person was the unpopular teacher right?" CH 176 Year 7445, Month 2, Day 9 We start entering the dungeon again tomorrow. It was after we finished running and everyone was eating breakfast together. A face I knew appeared in the restaurant. It''s a man in his 30s who is a part of {Sun Ray} and uses the round shield and battle mace in the front line, Harukein.Fumizu. Fumizu slowly looked around inside and while I was protecting my food from Ralpha who already finished hers, he came up to my side and started talking to me. Can''t you tell just from looking~ I''m busy right now. "Umm, Greed-san. Would it be alright if I could speak with you for a bit?" "Ah, Yeah, what is it?" It''s already fine, you can have it...That, since it''s some sort of specialty egg with red yolks that are from something-or-other village in the North of the capital which gives chickens a special kind of feed, I wanted to eat it but it''s too embarrassing to be seen going so far to protect just a single egg in front of strangers so I gave it up to Ralpha. "That is, I''ll get right to the point and ask. I''ve heard that the {Slaughterers} are looking for a combat slave who can use the shield. I''m not a slave but could I be of any use to you?" Since this guys level is 17, it''s possible the spell {Charm.Person} would fail. It''s probably impossible to ask his true intentions. "We''re already fumph" Before I could reply Ralpha replied. What are you doing replying on all your own this stink bug. I smacked Ralpha a good one in the back of her head with my right hand and the egg that was in his mouth flew out. I caught that with my left hand after placing that on the plate in front of her I started to reply. So it wasn''t soft-boiled. I prefer soft-boiled thought. "Umm, you''re a member of {Sun Ray} right? I''d prefer not to get involved in any disputes." The glutton that is Ralpha is putting the half eaten egg back that flew out back into her mouth again. "Ah, please excuse me. I''m Harukein.Fumizu from {Sun Ray}. If you''re willing to make use of me then I''ll notify {Sun Ray} that I''m quitting from today on." These guys {Sun Ray} don''t use rude tones of speech while looking down on us thinking we''re brats. On that end it''s something that can''t be seen very often among the crude people of Orth so I think it''s good point I can honestly praise them over. Well, we did find and save two of their allies and we''re letting them use the shower room on the 5th floor so I''m sure even then they can''t treat us so easily. "You''ll quit..Is that so...However, it would be a problem if we were to be criticized for stealing members so you already understand that we can''t just accept that right?" It''s only obvious but there''s no regulations or penalties for stealing other party members between adventurers in Baldukk. However, while it''s only obvious people still hold interest in it. Particularly when it''s members of the top teams or when members of those end up switching to a different party it''s a topic that is popular among adventurers right away. Forcibly stealing members is technically possible but there''s no way it would look good in terms of reputation. "Of course I already know that. A number of our younger members in {Sun Ray} admire the {Slaughterers}. I can''t exactly be called young but even then I want to enter the dungeon with a party that can earn more. It''s weird saying this myself but I still won''t lose to the average person around there." I''m sure that''s the case. Even though you''re a lot younger than Zenom your level is already at 17. And there''s no way someone lacking in skill would be able to manage the front line of a party in one of the top teams. In the first place, even if {Sun Ray} puts most of their money towards offerings, you''re still receiving a considerably amount of compensation right? "However you know. We''ve already reached the limit with our number of members. Well before even something like that, it''s necessary for Rindobel-san to officially recognize your withdrawal. If that''s not the case then I have no intention of discussing this at all." Everyone has stopped eating and is concentrating on Fumizu and I. Everyone clearly has the expression, "This guy, he''s suspicious" on their face. Yeah, I already get that. I think he''s suspicious as well. CH 177 Yes. This chapter totally required ALL 5 hours it took. Nothing else was spent than on this super long chapter. *goes back to watching Bokurano for the 999x time* Next chapter in 4-8 hours?... Also no need to read the below bold paragraph. Actually, I think I spent the first hour or two looking over the dates of old isekai WNs after seeing a comment on Slave Harem Labyrinth manga over why Truck-sama didn''t start it. I suddenly was curious as to when Truck-sama first started to appear so I scrolled back through dates of WNs on narou. Though the farthest back stuff dates to 2004. Most of what came out in WNs that time was romance/other genres but in terms of fantasy it was some D&D type fantasy and .hack clone/VR based stuff up until around 2006-2008 it seems, I think it was around the time Haruhi or some other novel based anime came out that the general number of WNs shot up insanely. Like multiplied several times in total number on a yearly basis after that, it really jumped up around 2010 and that was also when a lot of isekai series including Overlord started to increase a bit. After that a few good ones came out in 2011 (and one of the ones that has constantly been in the top 10 of narou since then Slave Harem Labyrinth which everyone hates(still rated #9 overall now)), 2012, and in 2013 like 75% of all the commonly known/translated WNs like Shield Hero, Arifureta, Death March, Monster Master, Mushoku Tensei, etc... like all of those came out in 2013 at the same time I think that was when Truck-sama first started appearing 2011-2013... Very curious...I should start up some kind of cult/conspiracy theory based on this. Year 7445, Month 2, Day 14 Today is the birthday of us reincarnated people. We''re {seventeen}. Somehow 17 years old has an unripe fruit kind of feel to it that is both happy and embarrassing. Giberuti cooked the meat from the Matte Turtle he bought the other day in steaks for us. Everyone was saying it was delicious as they chomped down the steaks and finally we had some dessert that was something like boiled and chilled figs with sweet syrup. It seems that Gwine knew the method to make this fig compote and taught Giberuti about it. The weak point is that it uses a considerable amount of sugar so the cost of ingredients was quite high but it was no challenge for our desire to eat some real dessert for the first time in a while. I''ll have him make some again sometime. By the way, when everyone''s age increased other than Gwine we all gained an increase in our Speed. I guess in exchange for that, Gwine''s Endurance increased. That''s quite like a Dwarf. Basutoral is smoothly gaining experience and now he''s at a level 8 that''s close to hitting level 9. In just a mere two months he''s earned close to 70,000 experience and just in terms of level he''s already caught up to Hirosukol. Well, every time more than three ogres come out at once since I''m thinning out the extras in one hit, I''m earning an incomparable amount of experience points thanks to the boost from Gift of Natural Talent and since Miduchi is occasionally entering the dungeon together with Zulu and Angela they''re earning a decent amount of experience points as well. If we keep putting some effort into it like this until the end of this year then..Basutoral''s level should go up even higher and I guess be around the same level as Bel and Toris right now? No, along the way he should be able earn experience easier (the chances for him to do damage to monsters will increase) so he might be able to make it a bit higher...And wait a second! When I was staring at Basutoral''s experience points I noticed it. The place where the numbers are, I can select it. Could it be..After all that was the case. It''s possible to select the experience point numbers for skills as well. I can even open a sub-window for it. While holding my hopes high and opening it and I can browse through the relationship between experience points and level in table form. This is convenient. I wonder why I didn''t notice this until now, and, I was a bit amazed at myself. Well, that is~ I never stared at the number for experience points for this long before after all... Ah, that''s right...After all that was the case. So this was the expansion ability for level MAX of Identify...That''s pretty dull..or not I guess. Since all I could see up until now was the value to the next level so I never thought much beyond that but in some meanings you could say this is obtaining information from the future right... ........... Year 7445, Month 2, Day 15 CH 178 So tired... Next chapter in 8-16 hours when I sleep and wake up again. Still plan to do 3~ more or so after that for this week. As a side note chapter 499 just came out by the author and there was a surprise note, he said another chapter should come out today, Tue, or Wed, and it''s the first SS in close to 100 chapters(weeks). Things are getting pretty close to the timing of that SS23 continuation so that''s looking suspicious...Really has been quite a while since the last SS, since like 35/39 of the reincarnated people have already been shown, the last few should be interesting if it''s not related to SS23. Year 7445, Month 3, Day 2 Tomorrow is March 3rd, Doll festival. During these past two days we''ve obtained just around 37 ogres worth of magic stones so when I said it was a joke Ralpha said she wanted to try lining them up, so I used magic to created a tiered platform for dolls with dirt and she lined them up on that. Starting from the tools brought along for the bridal procession on the seventh platform, the sets of furniture and stuff for the bride on the sixth platform, the fifth platform the three protectors of the emperor and empress, the fourth platform has the two ministers(minister of left and right), the third platform has the five court musicians, the second platform has the three court ladies, and the first platform has the dolls representing the emperor and empress as she lined them all up with their tools. Since it''s all made of stones lined up it''s not very interesting at all. I thought it might enjoyable for women but no one other Ralpha was showing any interest in it. Just one person, only Ralpha was sitting in the corner of the room with a spellbound expression in front of the tiered doll stand she made just looking at the magic stones. In the first place, then there''s torii included at the temples of Orth as well so there was a period I thought these sorts of events might exist as well. However, Bel said that fundamentally these sorts of events were based on imperial court events in Japan. Therefore, there should be no relation between the temples on Orth and the events of Japan. "Hey, Al. What in the world is that? What is Ralpha doing?" Since he started to get worried Zenom tried asking in a whisper but I couldn''t say anything more than "It''s an event that goes on at the temples in our past life. You pray for the health and growth of young girls. It occurs every year on March 3rd. Though in reality you''re supposed to use dolls carefully modeled after noble people and other small props instead of magic stones." When I was looking at Ralpha''s back with her legs crossed in front of the odd doll platform in the corner of the room it somehow looked like she was crying. It seems like she has some sort of feelings on it, so it might just be that she had some sort of special attachment to the doll festival. I put my hand on Gwine''s shoulder when she was about to go towards Ralpha and just shook my head. Just let her be until she''s satisfied at times like that. It''s fine as long as she''s energetic tomorrow. Even when it comes to long-time friends, I''m sure there''s times you just want to be left alone. ................ Year 7445, Month 3, Day 3 We defeated 20 ogres and after obtaining a total of 57+alpha magic stones we decided to leave the dungeon. Our earnings this time was 47,510,000 Z, that''s 950,000 Z (95 silver coins) in bonuses. Basutoral''s bonus was half that amount 475,000 Z. Excluding the fractions I deducing it from his loan in units of 100,000 Z so Basutoral doesn''t have that much cash on him but the amount he''s returned to me has exceeded 3,100,000 Z after entering the dungeon this time. When I told him that and obviously he already understood that and was twitching his cat ears unable to hold back his excitement it seems. "If we keep up like this then shouldn''t the debt be paid off just before Golden Week and you''ll be able to save up a bit?" When I said that to Basutoral who was clenching his fist basking in the joy and he nodded happily but at the same time made a strange face. "Does something like Golden Week actually exist?" "Hn, for the time being we''ve set it up so we have a long holiday during that period. Though it''s just New Year''s holiday and Golden Week. There''s none for O-Bon." "Our income decreases a bit that month but we can go sightseeing in the capital, eat some delicious things, buy clothes, it''s quite nice for a breather." Bel said that and smiled. We left the dungeon and sold the magic stones, then went to eat together with everyone the same as usual. ................ Year 7445, Month 3, Day 4 CH 179 Next chapter in 4-6 hours. Year 7445, Month 4, Day 12 All of us went running excluding Ralpha who''s menstruation started last night and except for her since she said she didn''t feel good it was when we were all eating breakfast together. Bel over the talking voices of a group that seemed to be adventurers while we were eating at the same place. "..Al-san, it seems that {Black Topaz} announced it when they returned this morning but they discovered a magic item on the 1st floor. It was a sword that a moving skeleton was holding in one of the rooms and it seems to have been called {Short-Sword.Of.Blunt}." "On the first floor.." ..However, how should I look at it. Is it a completely blunt sword or a sword that dulls the movements of those it cuts? But, I''m sure there''s no mistake it''s a magical weapon...However, for it to be a skeleton. In the past, I tried thinking about the reason why there''s no skeletons in this world in my own way but I guess that was a mistake. After all they exist. The impression I had from a movie on Sinbad I saw on television when I was a child was strong. A skeleton swordsman huh? Well the one remaining the strongest in my memory is the seven skeleton swordsmen who moved at the same time in the movie with the ship Argo and it''s exploration group though. "For it to have been on the 1st floor that is..Quite good luck indeed." Angela was shocked hearing the conversation. It''s hard to say we struggled for it but just the other day, the two of us defeated a {Frost Lizard} and obtained the magical weapon {Short-Sword.Of.Sturdy} on the 5th floor as well. However, on the 1st floor is..Honestly speaking, I can''t accept it so easily either. Angela''s tail seems to have dropped down and seems to have no energy. Even though she''s finally started to show her emotions..I guess it''s unrelated huh? No, precisely because her emotions are expressed more abundantly is it drooping down? Let''s think that way. I think that''s better for my mental health. "A skeleton..I wonder what was going on with the magic stone?" Gwine said strangely. Oh~ Gwine, you too huh? So you were thinking the same thing as me. I''ll give you one of the zabuton of my heart. "So an undead monster appeared on the 1st floor as well.." Miduchi whispered. Somehow for a skeleton to be an undead monster. Somehow I have more of an image like some kind of villain created and is controlling it using the fang of a dragon through something like magic. The influence of movies is big. However, as expected of Miduchi, she knows everything. When I showed admiration and said that she said, "They appear all the time in games." I played a game once as well but I can''t remember every little thing like that. "I wonder about that? It''s just my guess but it sounds like a special monster on the 1st floor like the Golem in the past, that strange dead person, vampire was it? or the Roper. I don''t know if it was strong or not though." Zenom is putting his fried egg on a piece of bread and putting pepper on that. Oh~ so there''s that way of looking at it as well, as expected of Zenom, the old man''s wisdom is always better than the tortoise shell*. "I see, that might be the case..Ah, is it fine if I can have the pepper?" Zulu took the pepper from Zenom and started pouring his usual amount on his fried eggs. I always think it but that''s using way too much right... It was just then. "I don''t want to! I''ll never let go of it! This is, this sword is something I obtained! It''s mine!" "Vikkusu! Just stop it already!" "Shit! It''s no good! This guy won''t let go of it!" "What the hell..However what in the world does this mean?" We could hear shouts and voices of an argument from outside coming our way. All of the customers inside of the resutraunt including us we''re looking outside at the street. There''s one man and he''s walking as he drags along two or three men and women clinging to his body. There''s also another few people around them. They''re all people I know. Those guys are {Black Topaz}. I can see sis Anderson''s flustered face as well. CH 180 Next chapter between 4-16 hours most likely. I still intended to get 2 more chapters done today but due to several reasons. I''ll continue finishing them and have them up tomorrow. After those 2 the next chapters won''t be until next Saturday again as planned. Year 7445, Month 4, Day 19 While we were all grinning and making evil expressions thinking about ways to stir up the relationship there was a knock on the door. When Basutoral dealt with them, it seems a messenger came from old man Viruhaima of the {Verdure.Brotherhood}. While tilting my head I went down to the lobby together with Miduchi and the Basuraito.Kerutein, nickanme Basu who switched places with Toris in the dungeon way back, was waiting there. "Ya~ Basu-san. What''s going on?" "I''m sorry when you''re on your day off. Our leader Viruhaima seems to want to talk to you. It seems it''s in regards to the matter with {Black.Topaz}. Sorry but do you have any time after this?" The matter of {Black.Topaz}? I wonder what in the world it is. But, it''s only obvious I''m interested. Last week, that sort of thing only just happened after all. However, if he has business then he should be the one coming to me..Well, the other side is still my several times my senior. Even in terms of age I''m quite a bit younger so I guess it can''t be helped. "I understand. I''ll head over and visit after this but right now I''m in the middle of a meeting with my members so I need to go and notify them." "I see, sorry about that." I turned around and went back up to Zenom''s room and after telling everyone I was called out by Viruhaima of {Verdure.Brotherhood} in regards to {Black.Topaz}, Miduchi and left the meeting. In addition, I also told them that I was thinking of leaving the matter in regards to Faruergaz and the others to Toris and Zenom, just, for now I just want them to think up some ideas and let me hear them, so I told them not to move until then. Also, I mentioned that my slaves Zulu and the others already know most of the circumstances so if they''re necessary they can feel free to make use of them as well. We followed after Basu to "Elm Tree Manor" and were let through into a room. Just as expected of the place the King stayed during the day of judgement, it''s the highest grade inn in Baldukk. When I tried asking later it seems that on just the days of judgement they''re asked to stay in a different inn. Well, I guess that''s only obvious. The room in the far back on the first floor of "Elm Tree Manor" was the leader of {Verdure.Brotherhood} Viruhaima''s room. When Basu lead us to the room we followed after him inside when he opened the door without knocking. Inside of the room Viruhaima was sitting on a huge sofa making a difficult expression with smoke coming from a cigar in his hand. Also there was one more, a person I don''t know standing against the wall but judging from their appearance they''re an attendant slave. "Yo, Greed-kun, sorry about calling you out." Viruhaima called out to us from the sofa and pointed to the one in front of him. When I saw down lined up with Miduchi he offered a cigar "Do you want one? They''re made in Reida." Tobacco is an expensive luxury good. It''s proof that you have plenty of money to spend and having a taste for tobacco could be called one form of status. Since we all have our memories about the harms of tobacco in our previous life no one has any interest in them though. In my past life I smoked cigarettes with filters but even though I''ve been reborn in a new body without the addiction. Even if I were to smoke them it will be several decades later, it''s fine after I''m an old man. "Thank you very much. However, we don''t smoke." I politely refused it. He offered an expensive cigar which costs 10,000 Z (1 silver coin). And I''m sure the people of Orth don''t know about the harms of smoking tobacco. There was a tobacco field even in Bakuddo. "I see, then are you fine with tea? Hey, Zofi, make some tea, four of them." The human woman called Zofi carefully made some tea for us and Basu. I guess her age is around 30? "Anderson should be coming pretty soon as well. We''ll start talking after that." CH 181 I guess it''s about time I get started with these~ Since I was busy Sun/Mon and didn''t get the last two out I wanted starting a bit early this weekend. Next chapter in 2 minutes or so. CH 182 I make no guarantees on those lyrics but the titles should accurate enough you can find them in youtube. The can almost definitely say the lyrics Al remembers from when he was in SDF were like an inside joke. Next chapter in 2 minutes~!? CH 183 Next chapter in 2 minutes!? Again!? CH 184 That''s it for now though. Next chapter in 3-6 hours. CH 185 Some of the words in the chant can be vaguely read but they''re most pretty random crap so not translating. Next chapter 3-6 hours. CH 186 Next chapter in 3-6 hours... CH 187 Wait. What? Next chapter in 4-8 hours or maybe tomorrow~ CH 188 That was good sleep. Next chapter 3-6 hours. CH 189 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 2 I talked about some random things that sounded appropriate until we finished our meals. In the end Anderson brought her face close to mine from across the table and whispered "Well, we''re in debt to you after all. I''ll do most of what I can but..I want you to give your best" before standing up from her seat and after elegantly paying the bill she left the store. I was sipping some tea while watching the boy clean up the tableware and a voice called out to me. "Is it fine, over here?" Just as I predicted, it''s the wife of the Rindobel couple, Meiria.Rindobel. Laios. Commoner. 43 years old. Level 17. "Yeah, if it isn''t Rindobel-san. Please do." I''m still sitting but I point to the other side of the table while acting politely. Since she got my permission the Rindobel couple sat down in front of me. The husband is Koritto.Rindobel. The same Laios. Commoner. 45 years old. Level 17. Unlike his wife who can''t use magic, the husband has void, fire, and water magics. The elemental magics are at level 4 and the void magic is at level 5. He can use them at a decent level. You could say he''s a first-rate sorcerer. And then, next to me, the Dog-people Binsukol.Zemyunel sat down. He''s a commoner as well. 27 years old. Level 17. It''s not that the Rindobel couple''s level is low for their age but you could say Zemyunel''s level is high. Though I say that, Viruhaima who''s a bit younger than them is level 19 and close to 20 and the deceased leader of {Bright.Blade} was a bit older than them but was level 18. If you think about the fact that Anderson who was just here a moment ago is level 18 then they''re a bit low. "Greed-san. I''ll ask you straight out. Do you have any interest in joining us {Sun.Ray}?" Koritto made a small smile as he said. I always think it but {Sun.Ray} sure are well-mannered and use polite tones of speech so I get a good feeling from them. "I''ll take it into consideration based on the conditions. If I can profit more than acting as a guide then I would have no complaints." I said it partially as a joke while shrugging my shoulders. It''s a joke that''s often said among the {Slaughterers}. The normal cost of a guide changes between the day and the floor. The market price is 100,000 Z for 1 day on the 1st floor. Other than that there''s also the entry tax for the guide and splitting things up evenly between the number of people that are considered the basic fee. It seems that some of the skilled guides even require calculating themselves as two peoples cut worth of compensation. And then, after they leave the dungeon, while calculating the bill the guide will pay back the amount for the food and consumables they used. Or at least that''s the usual pattern. Although, normal guides fundamentally have their main work places on the 1st floor and rarely~ the 2nd floor. It''s extremely rare for a party that goes beyond the 3rd floor to make use of guides. Since the expenses start to get really high, even if they do make use of it them it''s at best the first time the party steps foot on the 3rd floor in order to be extra careful. If you think about it like that then the amounts {Verdure.Brotherhood} and {Black.Topaz} offered me sound appropriate but if we were supposing I''m the one that''s the guide it''s too cheap. Well, since it''s not like something like a guide with power on the level of the top teams exists, so it can''t be helped. It seems that the top teams take about half a day to clear through the 1st floor, then after resting for several hours, they spend another half a day to clear through the 2nd floor. By that point already it would be annoying trying to calculate the total if I were hired as a guide so it would be necessary to get a guarantee of 300,000 Z for one day. If it comes to taking a full day for the 3rd and 4th floors then 1,000,000 Z for three days. After that, if we spend five days on the 5th floor then my total guaranteed amount would reach 3,500,000 Z. Since the top teams on average only earn about 2,000,000 Z in magic stones each time they enter the dungeon, unless they were to find some valuable {Magic.Item} it would put them in the red. "Ufufu..That''s quite harsh..Though if we were to hire you as a guide I''m sure we''d gain experience more valuable than money. But, rather than a one-time thing like a guide, we were wondering if you would enter as a proper member." After thinking about it for a moment Meiria said with a bitter smile. By the way, it seems that Zemyunel found my joke to be funny and is having trouble holding back from laughing. "Fufu..Well then, please let me hear the conditions. I think you already know but right now I fortunately have been called out on by {Verdure.Brotherhood} and {Black.Topaz}. After I''ve already heard their conditions please let me take into consideration what you offer." CH 190 It was a long journey...Really long..to finish this chapter... Next one in 3-6 hours, I hope. CH 191 Silly Al, you can''t enslave the Hulk. Next chapter in either 4-8 hours or after I sleep again. CH 192 193 and 194 are both partially done but so many blocks of text still~ either way done today/tomorrow morning sometime. Year 7445, Month 7, Day 11 After that, we rested for about two hours in the monster room to recover mana and then I used the spell {Cure Critical} on Rokko again. Though his wound has completely closed I''m sure the pain is still remaining but since I can''t use healing magic consecutively right now it''s something that can''t be helped. It seems that Koritto is using {Cure Light} a number of times on Kevin who hurt his back. Since we were able to hold back the pain to the level where we can start moving again, we decided to continue advancing just like that. After advancing for a short while and we could see the first teleport trap since we teleported into this area on the 6th floor. The rock with the strange patterns carved into it are on both sides of the passage. After glaring at their own map Koritto said "that''s it." and pointed his finger. Everyone is gulping as they swallow. I''m sure they''re afraid. It seems that other than the two I previously saved, no one has tried passing through the side of a teleport trap and the ones who remained that time still can''t forget the fear of their allies suddenly disappearing from in front of their eyes. "..I''ll go ahead first." I took the chance to say that and then walked ahead alone. There''s nothing to it at all. It''s not like you''ll get caught up in the trap just by passing through the side of it. It''s fine to proceed carefully as well but if they''re that afraid of it then we wouldn''t be able to advance anymore. I walk to the trap at a steady pace and then briskly just walked through the side of the teleport trap. Then I turned around and looked at everyone else who was watching me from about 30 meters behind. I remained like that for a short while but they''re just looking at me and no one seems to intend to move. Look, it''s not scary~ I let out a sigh and though about throwing a rock at it or something but it might end up teaching them the precise range the trap activates within so I stopped. I''m sure they''ll figure it out eventually but even we spent quite a bit of time investigating it. If you all want to know then put some work into it. What~ it''s not all that much trouble at all. I made a blatantly obvious large yawn and started scratching my cheek and I guess he thought I was looking down on him, Koritto made a mortified expression before moving. But, rather than approaching the trap he remained against the wall. It''s fine even if you don''t go that far. After Koritto passed through then one more, two more, and the rest of them passed through in order with stiff expressions as well. After everyone had finished passing through to this side, we went back into formation again and started advancing forward. .................... Year 7445, Month 7, Day 12 In the end we finally managed to clear through the 6th floor and arrive at the teleport room on the evening of the next day. Someone else ended up getting injured every time the {Cave Great Boar} and {Quad-handed Apes} appeared in the monster rooms so we took a bit of time for using healing spells and resting to recover mana. The shower, simple kitchen, beds made of dirt, and foot bath of the {Slaughterers} were all still remaining in the teleport room in the same form. In addition I thought Giberuti might be there but no one was around. The members of {Sun.Ray} were dumbfounded seeing how much more comfortable the room was than the one on the 5th floor but for the time being we took turns going to the bathroom and other things before gathering at the side of the teleport crystal in the center of the room. I just placed my bags on the ground and went out to go to the bathroom as well. In addition I also took the time to carve today''s date and time into the wall in Arabic numerals. I''m sure someone will notice it sooner or later. It should remain for about a month. When everyone finished going to the bathroom and naturally our attention gathered on the Rindobel couple. They shook their heads horizontally and said, "As expected we won''t last any longer. Let''s return to the 5th floor." before grabbing the crystal rod. I guess that means they''d rather rest in the room we left our food and bags over here. Everyone was making somewhat relieved expressions as they grabbed the crystal rod. "Return us." In an instant we teleported into the teleport room on the 5th floor and after everyone gathered at {Sun.Rays} camp we lowered our bags and started taking off our equipment before sitting down. For the time being we took a simple meal and during that time it seems we''re going to make some food that takes a bit of work. I was leaning against the wall while slowly biting at the cucumber supplied to me but no one came to talk to me and they were just glancing over here occasionally while whispering about something. CH 193 Hmm... Just midnight do I consider this a 23rd or 24th release? It was technically done like 5 minutes ago I guess...194 is like 60-75% done so soon. (3-6 hours) CH 194 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 15 CH 195 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 24 CH 196 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 197 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 198 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 199 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 200 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 201 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 202 Year 7445, Month 7, Day 25 CH 205 No content CH 206 No content CH 207 Feels like it''s been forever since I last did a main story chapter. Unfortunately, I don''t have any stock so no bulk today/tomorrow. My schedule is changing again so I''ll probably be putting out 1 chapter a day over the next couple of weeks. This chapter was a pain. Curse your Berserk for giving people false expectations of battles during the middle ages! Quick everyone move to the right! *one week later* NO! They''ve dodged everyone to the left now! *two weeks later* Yes! Attack! *two minutes later* The battle has ended! We will now wait vigilantly for six months and then go home! Year 7445, Month 8, Day 8 After hearing a conversation like they''d been doing some sports and thinking about some stupid things the details I heard from sister weren''t all that far off from what I expected. The stage for the battle this time was a village called Myuze on the Eastern part of the Dirt Plains and it seems it was originally a village that was pioneered by Rombert Kingdom around 50 years ago or so. After that, the lord of the village changed around three times and up until a short while ago Devas Kingdom was in control of it. The dispatch this time was an invasion of that Myuze village. The one in charge of the overall command was Viscount Kenudus the third company commander of the first knight group and the core forces this time were the second knight group and Webdos knight group. Other than that there was a number of smaller territories knight groups besides Webdos who''s members didn''t even add up to 300 people and the total forces added up to around 2,300 people or so. The composition of the 2,300 people was around 200 people including retired knights who were permitted to be on horseback(More than half of those are former knights and lords of villages like brother, or even if they''re not knights the relatives of lords and nobles like father), around 1,200 people including archers and infantry, then the remaining number was largely made up combat engineers, supplies, and those sorts of support units needed for setting up a military encampment from the second and fourth knight groups. These supply units as well as escorts and command of the combat engineers also end up needing infantry and commanders to oversee things as well. From the first knight group including Viscount Kendusu who was acting as the commander and sister there was another 20 people dispatched. Half were knights and squires and then the other half were an exclusive supply unit with high mobility. Sister participated as an advisor for someone named Radoru who was a fourth or fifth company commander of the second knight group as they split the entire army into three groups and he was leading the right-wing. The dispatch unit that included Bakuddo village and the Webdos knight group was the core of the left-wing and the leader Sendhel.Webdos was the commander of the left-wing. The various random additions like the knight groups of small territories which are difficult to take command of and the remaining units of the second knight group were all gathered and positioned in the center where Viscount Kendusu, two other true knights of the first knight group, and three squires took command over everything. Around midway through February they arrived in the King''s Direct Territory roughly 90 Km to the north of their objective location of Myuze village in Zango the capital of the Zangotto region which Count Jobu acts as governor of, there most of the army of Rombert Kingdom excluding a portion of units gathered and started training for about a month on the deployment. No matter how late they are by this point the Devas side would have detected the organization of an invasion army from Rombert Kingdom. About one month later the highest levels of Devas should have been conveyed the information. After that, following a week long march, they arrived at the point roughly 10 Km north of Myuze village and setup an encampment in Bekkosu village which was the front line at the time. The army of Rombert Kingdom swallowed up the roughly 200 members of the second knight group that were stationed in Bekkosu village for defense and then finished up the organization of the invasion army. CH 208 So tired... Once I wake up I''ll have time to do chapters consecutively again finally. So probably about 2-4 chapters between today and tomorrow. After that it''s about 1 per day. Looking Into The 8th Floor Year 7445, Month 8, Day 13 We arrived at the teleport room on the 7th floor(I had been calling it the "teleport crystal rod" but while late I noticed other adventurers were calling it the teleport crystal) around evening. We lowered our luggage we had been carrying and were finally able to take a breath. This time we passed through the desert room of the 7th floor but a group of large brown colored lizard monsters called {Kuraguzado} came out. Of course, the instant I thought it was our first time seeing them I froze and killed them without waiting to see what happens. The magic stones were about 30,000 each and while they fall quite a bit behind ogres there were 14 of them so they should be around 3,000,000 Z. They were some good earnings. When I Identified the corpses just as expected they had almost no MP and didn''t have any magic special skills so it seems the ice was the right answer. Starting with the small tableware shelves and placing various miscellaneous goods, spare blankets, soap types, buckets for laundry in their fixed locations, while watching Giberuti start making preparations for dinner I had Angela massage my feet while soaking them in the foot bath. Furthermore, in regards to soap there''s proper soap produced through the oils of plants and animals as well but it''s not of a very good quality. Recently we''ve putting several of these berries from something called the Soap-tree into a net and using that. I feel a bit like it''s returning to the ancient times but since this still seems to be of a better quality as soap recently we''ve completely moved over to this. Whether we''re washing our hair, faces, bodies, tableware or laundry we''re making use of these for all of it. It seems Zenom''s finished his shower. I thank Angela and after adding more hot water to the shower bucket took one myself. It''s fine to directly use magic from my hand to take a shower as well but it''s unpleasant having to concentrate mentally while taking a shower so if we have the facilities then this is better. Following me was Ralpha and then around the time Gwine was finished taking her shower dinner was ready. Everyone had a large serving of leafy vegetable salad along with the main dish of a pork fry and then after Basutoral the slaves started taking showers in order as well before we started discussing things for tomorrow. After confirming all of the usual attention points in the end, "Tomorrow morning, we''ll enter the 8th floor once just to take a look. The main stream exploring is still a ways ahead. Don''t hold your hopes too high." I particularly said it towards Ralpha. After confirming she had obediently nodded we went to bed early. .................... Year 7445, Month 8, Day 14 Just before 5:00 in the morning I awoke to Giberuti preparing breakfast. After leaving my blanket, Basutoral and Angela had already woken up and we''re sitting on the bench..and I guess they were the final lookouts huh? One of them must have woken up Giberuti as well. "Do you want to take a shower?" "Ah, can I request one?" Since they should have been keeping lookout since around 3:00 am, they probably want to take a hot shower and properly wake up pretty soon. Soon after I climbed out of my blanket and went to the shower room while scratching my ass and resisting yawns, went up the stairs in the back of it and filled the bucket with slightly hot water. Basutoral entered the shower room right away and it seems he''s taking off his clothes. I put some cold water in the washing bucket and use that to wash my face. Zenom, Ralpha, and Gwine started to wake up hearing the sounds of washing and showering. Everyone''s started to put their equipment on. After I put my combat boots on I put on the under armor of my rubber protectors which have recently started to get a bit small and fix them in place with bands. As expected it''s started to reach it''s limit~ I made them with quite a bit of room but it''s already gotten pretty tight. It''s about the time to re-make them. Just going off of height it would be a perfect fit for Miduchi or Angela but since they''re women there''s also the problem of figure. Ah, you can''t just not use the body parts of it. Since all of the arm and leg parts are connected to the body parts in some way or form. Toris isn''t all that different from me in height but his legs are longer and Basutoral''s race is considerably slender so it doesn''t match up at all. Giberuti might be able to wear it..Though I don''t intend to let him join the combat so there''s not much meaning huh? If he wants it it''d be fine to give it to him though. CH 209 And so it begins...Next chapter in 3-6 hours. Year 7445, Month 8, Day 15 Again, we teleported into the 8th floor from the morning. The first monster we ended up luring on the 8th floor this morning was a {Giant Mantis}. It died from one hit of Ralpha''s {Flame Arbalest}. Bugs sure are weak to fire. Gwine ended up burning it to death with {Flame Thrower} as well. After their wings catch fire they go up in flames in an interesting way, stop moving right away and die. The smell of burning proteins spreads around the surroundings but I guess the reason it isn''t even the slightest bit appetizing is because it''s from bugs. Since we''ve already found out that burning them to death makes it easier when we go to disassemble them and collect the magic stones, it might be good to center on using fire magic from here on out. Thinking like that since Toris can''t use fire magic he have bad affinity with the 8th floor. And then once again today we repeated teleporting into the 8th floor countless times until close to noon, since there was no change in the types of monsters that come out it was just as we were getting sick of them already. In terms of time it was probably just as were finishing our last monster calling before lunch, it was that sort of time when the fourth type of monster appeared. When I saw it from the distance using Identify vision I doubted my eyes. That is~ isn''t it a {Scavenger Crawler}!? Furthermore there''s even 5 of them! Even if I try identifying if it''s the same thing I''ve seen countless times in the boss room on the 1st floor. However, it seems these {Scavenger Crawlers} have lived quite a while, both their age and level were a bit high. On average they were level 15. The height is 3 meters and their girth has a diameter of around 80 cm, things like that are running over here at about the speed of an adult. Zurorororo!!! and you can hear the sound from them dragging their bodies along. The passage this time turns to the right about 300 meters ahead but during the time I was looking at the identify window they''ve approached by about 50 meters. "Somehow I hear an unpleasant sound.." "This sound..{Scavenger Crawler}?" "After all it seems they were in other places..This scent is that of {Scavenger Crawler}!" "Shit..They''re too far so I can''t see them.." "..Be quiet..It''s not just one! There''s a lot of them! Al, we''re depending on you!" I guess the electricity I used like in the past is good. Since it seems like there''s multiple targets I used the spell {Chain Lightning}. Only the two in the rear were remaining. However, it seems they''ve weakened quite a bit from taking the electricity. Just like that when I tried using Identify on them their HP had cut 70 remaining. "Hmn, it seems they''ve been weakened considerably. Basutoral, finish them off." As they approached us Basutoral stabbed them with his spear just as I ordered and the two remaining died. They have high levels and there''s their special skills as well so as usual the experience points they give is a lot but it feels like the value of the magic stones were higher than usual? or at least a little bit since they were 7,000 or so each. However, for 5 {Scavenger Crawlers} to appear at once..If it was a party with no flexibility in their mana they''d be on the route to getting wiped out. It was the same for the ogres on the 7th floor but it seems it would be best to think there''s no room to relax on the 8th floor either. Since the smell was terrible I left the dissection up to Angela but since she was wincing from the bad odor the {Scavenger Crawlers} give off as well there were tears welling in her eyes. When she handed the five magic stones over to me with a pale face I thanked her for her work and put them into my rubber pouch along with the feelers we collected from all of them. CH 210 This chapter was pretty much the sole reason I had to go back and do the Miduchi reverse chapters first. Next chapter in 3-6 hours. Getting a bit distracted but won''t be stopping for at least another 2-4 chapters. Fat=Lard=Tallow replace it with whatever makes the most sense there to you. The Yellow Fat of Dried Goods is More Delicious Year 7445, Month 8, Day 28 After finishing some simple cooperative training incorporating all three teams and then eating lunch, Miduchi and I were enjoying some tea together slowly. "Come to think of it, it''s almost been exactly a year today since I joined the {Slaughterers}.." Miduchi said after taking a sip of tea and returning the cup to the table. There''s nothing tasteful like saucers or other tableware. "Ah, so it''s already been a year huh..Time passes by quickly." "I still haven''t really gathered much of the ingredients as well..Hey, does it seem like you still won''t be able to use the spell {Cure Disease}?" Miduchi looks at me with an expression like she''s praying. It''s a pathetic story but when it comes to the spell {Cure Disease} I haven''t been able to acquire it so easily like all of the spells I have up until now. Since there''s countless people with illnesses in this Baldukk if I were to become able to use it then I''m already in situation where I could practice it easily though. All of the spells I wanted to learn up until now if I just recognized "they definitely exist" and know the name of them that seems to match up to my image then continue trial and error I''ve been able to master them in at longest a few months. However, when it comes to the spell {Cure Disease} just as you would expect with the source of the information being the Demi-God Lilus, even when I recognize without a doubt "it definitely exists", I can''t master it. I''ve been challenging it with the resolve that it involves quite a bit of difficulty in acquiring and not something that can be done right away but things that aren''t working just won''t work. I think there''s almost no chance that Lilus lied to Miduchi and there''s no meaning in that after all. In the first place, regardless of the information about a spell that can cure diseases from Miduchi I''ve been trying to find a way to do it since long before that. When I had already halfway given up on it, I heard that information from Miduchi and it was around this time last year that I was burning with motivation over it...Even teacher Mila said she doesn''t know about it so it''s not like I could have her show it to me in front of my eyes but since I can''t deny the existence of the spell at all we''re in this predicament. "Sorry...I''ve been trying to make time to work on it but..I can''t get a grasp on it at all in the current situation." "I''m sorry. It''s not like I''m blaming you.." CH 211 Year 7445, Month 9, Day 2 Miduchi and I left the dungeon around the time the date changed and after returning to the inn we left our horses we fell asleep until morning just like that. The two of us are still young and have healthy bodies so staying up one night or so is no problem but obviously it''s not as if we don''t want to sleep. We''re just simply tired and there''s no reason we need to return to Boil Manor in a hurry so it was just troublesome and we fell asleep like that. Just past dawn we woke up and after checking out of the inn we returned to Boil Manor. It was just four hours but we properly got some sleep so it''s no obstacle in being active. When we returned to the inn it seems it was after everyone had gone out for running. Now then, shall we go and run as well? I urge along Miduchi as she makes a slightly bothersome expression and after we put our protectors on and fill our rucksacks with weights we started running. I don''t know if it''s because of the increase in ability values in proportion to my level or just simply because I''ve been running for several years and used to it so my fundamental stamina is different but if I don''t carry along the added weight including Miduchi I quickly put distance between everyone else. After we returned to the inn and the four who were dispatched to the {Butchers} and {Sooner}(Since Zulu and Angela are in a different inn it''s probably before they joined up) were already gathered in front of Boil Manor fully equipped. Gwine and Basutoral who weren''t entering the dungeon didn''t have their equipment on but were on the spot as well. In front of Toris, Bel, and Ralpha Zenom was saying something like, "Let''s do a proper job again today without letting our guards down." There the two of us returned from running and out of breath. "Oh Al, Miduchi. Morning." Zenom noticed and called out to us first. While breathing with a Ze~Ze~ we replied and as we had our hands on our knees catching our breath everyone greeted us. After regaining my breath I went to call out to Basutoral but ended up going into a coughing fit. During that time Miduchi finished up greetings and started talking to Gwine. "How was yesterday?" "No~ They brought out some pretty good alcohol and the meat was delicious as well. After all {Gehenna.Flare} is an interesting party right~" Gwine replied with a smile. Of course I mean you''re pampered like an idol after all. There''s no way they wouldn''t make it fun for you. "Also, Garun-san, he''s kind and cool, I look up to him~" Ah is that so, eventually I feel like I''ll end up receiving a request for saya from you as well.. While looking at those two on the side I called out to Basutoral. "Basutoral, do you have any plans for today?" "No, just the same as usual with not much difference. Together with Cathy and Larry on the meat mincer.." "Ah, that, about the meat mincer. Sorry but you''re out of time. Sorry about that. As long as you have the materials I''ll make the roll today. If it''s necessary then additionally the knife and plate as well. Go and get some brass ore or copper-nickel ore before coming. I''m sure it''s not all that expensive so at least pay for the cost of materials yourself." Brass(Brass*), copper and nickel alloy, and additionally bronze all exist as ores. Furthermore, brass refers to brass* and when it comes to something familiar to Japanese people it''s the material used in the 5 yen coin. It differs from what is commonly referred to as brass ore. It''s also my number one candidate for cartridges in the future. Since the bracelet Myun had was made of brass as well I thought that alloys were being produced. When I went to Keel and tried asking in a blacksmith, I was a bit surprised to hear that it was normally being taken out of ores during the refining process. When I found out about this I thought it made quite a bit of sense. Eh? About how low the techniques are in regards to the production of alloys and metallurgy on Orth. I mean, if a large number of metals already exist in the form of ores then the only thing that will develop is metallurgy for the sake of mining. It was to the point where I thought if I search I might find ores for the special steel that makes up the materials of my sword as well. Well, it doesn''t seem to be major so even if it does exist it''s probably only just a bit though. He must have been at his limit, when I smiled at Basutoral as he was overjoyed, I took a breath and entered the inn while wiping my sweat. CH 212 Year 7445, Month 9, Day 7 Morning, when I left Boil Manor in order to go running, not just Zulu and Angela were waiting in front but Giberuti brought along John and Terry as well. It seems everyone else is still getting ready. "Morning." ""Good morning, master!"" When I greeted them the five slaves all returned my greeting at the same time. "John, Terry. Do a proper job starting today. You might not be used to things at first but listen closely to the things Catherine and Giberuti say and it''s fine if you take your time so carefully think about things." ""Yes!"" They sure are obedient. I really like obedient fellows. "Giberuti, I made some ice and left it in front of my room. In order to make it easy to use I split it up into three different sized buckets so use it as you please. Since the temperature has decreased a bit I don''t think it will melt for a short while. If there''s any left over then throw it away in the back." I made a total of around 100 kg of ice. It''s a considerable amount but even if I leave that much around since right now is the start of September it won''t last until evening. "I understand." I finish up talking over some finer details with Giberuti and soon after Basutoral came out accompanied by Catherine. I left Giberuti and the two slave boys in Catherine''s care and ordered the two children to properly listen to things the adults say and do their jobs. In addition I handed Giberuti a bit of extra money for stocking up they should be doing today just in case. During that time everyone else was gathering outside. "Alright. Then shall we go?" While being seen off by Catherine, Giberuti, John, and Terrry the 9 of us excluding Zenom started our running. ................... We returned from running and after having breakfast we joined up with the {Butchers} and {Sooner} as everyone from the {Slaughterers} did some training until lunch. After lunch when everyone returned to the inn the sausages Catherine and the others were making were of everyone''s interest. In just half a day of work what amount were they able to produce and exactly what level of completion were they at? Today, since morning they''ve been stocking up on the flavoring and meat other than the casings. Of course, soon after we went our for our running this morning they had breakfast and then went to the butcher I''m sure. In regards to the stocking and money I felt like Catherine was still a bit unreliable so I left it to Giberuti. "I wonder how much they were able to make? Around 100 of them?" "100..No matter how you think about it isn''t that too few..." "Hn, I see. Then around 1,000 of them?" "..Ral sure is extreme. Since it''s the first day, wouldn''t 200-300 be plenty?" Ralpha is completely out of the question but Gwine''s estimates weren''t half bad I guess? Since this time is the first day we had planned for them to be producing around 300 of them to sell. Even if they don''t all sell today we''ll be smoking them as well, since we''re boiling them and then cooling them down right away, as long as they properly have ice on their side to leave them in then the quality should be no problem until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The size of the sausages being produced are using the bowel''s of a pig as casings so a thickness of about 3-4 cm, frankfurt size and the length should be around 15 cm so I guess they should be around 100 grams each? Since there''s also other things mixed into them as well in order to make around 100 of them they should have stocked up on about 9 kg of pork. 27 kg for 300 of them. We were questioning putting in close to 10% in other mixed ingredients but while the flavor gets a bit lighter mixing in shaved ice gives it a smother taste and reduces the number of failures. It also reduces the number of rupturing accidents when boiling them. It''s to the point where it would even be fine to add a bit more. When we arrived at the Boil Manor the brat ran up and gave us some complaints. CH 213 Year 7445, Month 9, Day 11 We''ve been entering the dungeon again since three days ago. This time the members of the {Slaughterers} are starting with me, Zenom, Bel, Gwine, Basutoral, and Angela the six of us and we have Giberuti enshrined as the cook in the teleport room on the 7th floor. Toris and Ralpha went to the {Butchers} while Miduchi and Zulu departed to {Sooner}. During the time everyone is in the dungeon, we put the sales of sausages on hold, and they just focus on making further adjustments to the mixing ratios of spices. It takes the shape of leaving it to Catherine, John, and Terry but it''s probably better to leave things in regards to a flavor that matches the tastes of Orth people up to them, since the ones buying them are most likely to be largely from the slave standing and Free Peoples. Basutoral said they could do as they like with it but I agree completely. Today were doing the opposite of what we did last time, we''re killing ogre mages on the 7th floor in the morning for earning magic stones to sell and then in the afternoon were investigating the monsters on the 8th floor while also doing the operation of earning experience points. That''s right, operation. When it comes to the crickets, mantis, millipedes, and basically just enlarged bug monsters we burn them, occasionally when {Scavenger Crawlers} appear we''ll collect the feelers along with the magic stones. We were able to confirm some new monsters but it was basically a sub-type of the cricket and while there were some vague differences in it''s appearance, it''s on the level of a difference in color and pattern. Generally there''s nothing that''s really changed. Even if I use identify it''s just small differences in the details and ability values, also that they have a weak poison or so. If we just make sure not to let our guards down and use attack spells focusing around fire magic then we can kill them without any major problems. The result of discussing it with everyone was that just in case we would spend the rest of this year confirming monsters like this. On the 8th floor in half a day we can lure monsters and engage in combat around 10 times using {Audible Clamor} is how it feels. During one time of entering the dungeon for the latter three days, that''s roughly 30 times. Since we should enter the dungeon around 23 times until the end of the year that adds up to gaining combat experience on the 8th floor around 400 times. The number of times we teleport should exceed 2,000. Since it''s a floor we have almost no information on, I thought if we don''t get at least this many samples then you can''t say we understand the monsters that wander around the floor after all. .................. Year 7445, Month 9, Day 23 After eating breakfast I walked to "Slave Store, Ronslail". It''s been about one month since then. Since we''re entering the dungeon again starting the 26th so if possible I''d like to take over the slaves today. "Ya~ Ronslail-san. How is the disciplining going? If it''s going well then I''d like to take over them pretty soon but.." "Oh, Greed-sama..Nn? Well I guess it should be fine. They''ve become quite obedient after all and I''m sure as adventurers there''s training you need to do as well. I''ll make preparations for you to be able to do the naming ceremony around noon." CH 214 Year 7445, Month 9, Day 25 "We were told to run every morning. Excluding Zenom-san and Larry we run together with everyone." Hn? It''s Okonneru''s voice. Since I purchased the four combat slaves the other day, today and tomorrow the {Slaughterers} including Giberuti are all performing formation training(Since I didn''t know whether I could purchase the slaves until the other day up until yesterday there were quite a few members with plans. Since the last day of the three day break is originally a training day there''s no one who would make plans for it). Not just on the days off, but we force one day in on what is normally the fixed date for entering the dungeon but we''ve been working around it by sliding the days over. I thought someone would complain about it but it was a bit unexpected that no one said any complaints. I guess as members of the {Slaughterers} they''re showing their obedience to me or because our forces have increased from the combat slaves, they might be trying to make into viable fighters even just a bit sooner to raise their own safety, it''s unknown but if no one has any complaints then there''s no problem. Right now were on our noon break as Giberuti distributes frankfurts made into hot dogs to everyone resting in the shade. There was the advice of us reincarnated people so it''s been placed between bread with pickles and sauerkraut. "Hey is that really true? You''ve been ordered to do it by Al?" That voice like it''s amazed is Rokko huh? "Rokko, it seems that isn''t the case. Even though they''re like that it seems not a single person was forced to do it in the {Slaughterers}. I tried asking Zulu so there''s no mistake." And that''s Kevin. "Eh? Is that so? I~ could have sworn it was something necessary to crawl up into the ranks of the {Slaughterers} though...So, on our day off I tried going running with Kamu, Misu, Kimu, and the others." Eh? Is that so? Rokko, how unexpected..No, I guess that''s rude. "He~ so even you use your head. And, how did it go? I''m sure you just ended up getting exhausted right? I think it''s just a waste of effort, the so called profiting from wearing yourself out though." CH 215 Year 7445, Month 9, Day 27 Now then, shall we go... After running together with Miduchi and the four new slaves and finishing breakfast we had plans to meet up with the former members of {Sun.Ray}, the {Butchers} and {Sooner} in the entrance plaza. Right now we were following behind Miduchi leading the {Butchers} into the dungeon and just paid the entry tax of 100,000 Z (10 silver coins) ourselves as we step foot on the stairs leading down. The teleport crystal room into the 1st floor was open. Though it''s only obvious since the time we enter the dungeon is a bit later than other adventurers due to time spent running and other circumstances. Even then there''s a number of adventurer groups that are repeating teleporting into different teleport destinations. The {Butchers} were already lined up at the end of the waiting line to teleport and checking their own equipment. "Garuhashu, Manzokki. There''s no problem with your weapons right? Make sure you properly check them." I call out to the new combat slaves as well and pulled out the long sword on my left hip to confirm it''s condition. Following that is the knife I have in the band on my thigh, the throwing needles on both arms, and then we line up right behind the {Butchers}. Finally I confirmed the map of the 1st floor I had in a container at my right waist while waiting for our turn to teleport. "The {Slaughterers} huh.." "Just look, that''s some amazing equipment." "Yeah, the equipment of a first-rate adventurer is extravagant." "Idiot, that person is Kalstalan-san. It''s only obvious he has some banded-mail." "Hn? There''s some faces I don''t know." "Yeah, it seems they bought some new combat slaves. Supposedly from Ronslail again." "After all that store, are they good?" "We can''t buy something like metal armor but if it''s a slave then..Should we pool our money together to buy one?" "Don''t be stupid, who would though...If you''ll let me have ownership of it then I''ll think about it." "He..The idiot is you...If someone like you was their owner they''d die right away and it''d be a heavy loss." "Hey, we''re next after the next, everyone confirm your equipment." "Got~it!" Even if listen to rumors like that while doing nothing it''s just a waste of time so I decided to have a simple meeting over the formations of using {Arrow Head} while moving and {Reverse Triangle} while in combat. The {Reverse Triangle} formation has two cases one where I''m participating in the combat and one where I''m not. In the past, they should have done it when other members from the {Slaughterers} acted as leaders so excluding my two new slaves they should get a grasp on it quickly. On the 1st floor you could say that just those formations are plenty. CH 216 Year 7445, Month 10, Day 7 It''s finally become the day of judgement. Basutoral and the others anticipated this and started negotiating to stock up on the necessary ingredients for sausages before we entered the dungeon last time. Thanks to that we were all busy yesterday. Basutoral left in the morning alone in order to stock up on the pig''s bowels so he wasn''t around but we ended up with an amount of meat that we couldn''t cover with just one meat mincer. It was close to being convinced with tears but I was essentially threatened by everyone''s begging so I ended up having to make another meat mincer while my nose bleeds out again. When I finally finished making the second meat mincer and went to wipe my bleeding nose while basking in the feelings of satisfaction, I could hear the noises of everyone enjoying themselves from upstairs. Everyone else was having fun making use of the first meat mincer to make minced pork and it seems they''re in the process of sausage making. Under Catherine''s leading they''re trying to fill the casings with minced meat but there''s a bit of a trick to it so it seems they weren''t able to do it well. "I''ll do it next." "Let me do it after that." "Koloil-sama, you put your left hand like this." "Ah, it tore.." "It''s fine if it''s just a bit." "Isn''t it simple!" "Zenom-san sure is skillful!" And just like that, I can everyone''s voices like they''re really having a great time. Even though were right nearby, there should only be one floor difference, but during that I''ve been alone staring at a wall with my hands over some ores while clenching my teeth and bleeding from my nose while concentrating so I feel a bit lonely but I guess this much can''t be helped. While covered in sweat I brought it up to them and they raised cheers over the meat mincer I just made and as Ralpha plundered it from me, everyone else said I was too dirty from the sweat to be around the food products, so I was chased out. This is hard to accept. Even then just filling the casings ended up taking them into the night and after that they had to work through the night smoking and boiling them. Catherine, Terry, and John were used to the operation but because of the problem of stamina they ended up going to sleep early in the night and after that everyone ended up working the night with almost no sleep under the instruction of Giberuti. That labor ended up bearing fruit and in just a single night they made close to 2,000 sausages. If we end up not being able to sell them tomorrow like this it would be hard to make eye contact. The money doesn''t matter at all but all of that trouble being for nothing is mentally painful. Zenom, Giberuti, Zulu, and Angela the pure Orth people said, "It''ll absolutely sell. If it doesn''t then it''s fine if we buy it all with the money we''ve saved." so since they were willing to say it that far we ended up making them. We put an application for a stall in the plaza in front of the government office immediately after the notice was placed up and we even purchased a proper table, extra stove, frying pans, and such. "I remember back to the school festival." "Ah, that, I was thinking the same thing. It was fun right.." Toris and Bel were whispering to each other while setting up but it seems they''re having fun. "Are the school festivals for college fun?" "Since we only know the culture festival of our school after all.." Ralpha and Gwine were asking Miduchi. "The scale of them is different after all. They''re fun!" CH 217 Year 7445, Month 10, Day 7 "Gree..Al-san. Umm, the one who came to the Baldoggie stall at lunch was, hi..his majesty right?" It was when I had sat down to start eating dinner together with the members of {Sooner}, Rodrick who was sitting diagonally across from me tried asking me that timidly. "Hn? Yeah, that''s right." I ended up replying a bit harshly. Ah~ even though it''s not related to Rodrick I wonder if it ended up sounding disagreeable... Really, that old man, he even made me deliver sausages to Dorureon..Why should I have to run to Dorureon while carrying sausages... "Everyone was watching! That his majesty would eat the Baldoggie, isn''t that amazing!" Rodrick said it a bit excited in a loud voice. Why at this point? "Look, it was true right?" "Tha..That was serious..I had gone to take a shit at that time so.." Hearing that Sanno and Ruttsu were whispering to each other in the corner. "Fufu..The leader of the party master is a member of is connected to royalty, no, his majesty the King. Isn''t that amazing!?" "Oh~ as expected of master right. He is the eldest son of Count Faruergaz after all!" Rodrick''s combat slaves Denda and Karimu were both proud. However, aren''t the things you two are saying strange? Isn''t that unrelated to Rodrick... "So that person was his majesty Thomas.Rombert the Third huh.." "Ha~ I don''t know what''s going on anymore.." My combat slaves Garuhashu and Manzokki seemed dumbfounded. Something like that doesn''t matter at all. The problem is Ginger. She''s been pouring vodka down her throat like it''s water since a while ago. Hisu is on her side saying something while trying to hold her back but Ginger just keeps pouring one glass after another as if she''s possessed by something. The judgements ended before lunch today but the enforcement of the punishments happened after lunch in a different plaza while other judgements were still going on. Our Baldoggie stall was in an area right near the judgement plaza so they sold lazy crazy but we ended up leaving Cathy, John, and Terry to look after things while my four new combat slaves help them out and the {Slaughterers} including myself, and a total of 15 of us went to watch the enforcement of the punishments. The Rindobel couple and Zemyunel were made to bite on to a gag as some brawny members of the knight group whipped them over 20 times then decapitated them. The only one who''s head flew in a single hit was Meiria and both Koritto and Zemyunel took two swings of an axe. Their heads are still on display in the plaza in front of the government office. When Haruku was given the punishment of hanging he looked at Ginger but Ginger turned eyes away. Haruku made a sad expression for just a bit moment but it remained in my impression how he laughed when he looked at the heads of the Rindobel couple right nearby. That time I was standing close by Ginger just in case she might do something. After she turned her eyes and looked at the ground to the side it ended with her whispering, "Idiot Gesshu". CH 218 Year 7445, Month 10, Day 9 It was just past noon when the {Butchers} arrived at the teleport crystal room on the 1st floor. Since we entered the dungeon at 8 am that comes out to clearing through the 1st floor in about 4 hours. Being able to do it at this speed without freezing monsters is pretty good. But you know, I can''t approve of them that easily. They suffered a lot of injuries after all. Also it was a big that this time we were lucky to teleport into a location which was close to the shortest route as well. I''d say the rough distance from the location we teleported was around 5 km. "How about it? What time is it now? Misu" "Wait just a moment. It''s 12..16." Rokko questioned Misu who has a clock magic tool. Everyone was listening with great interest. "Hmm..Since we entered at 8 am then, 3 hours and 26 minutes huh?" What do you mean "Hmm", how in the world did you even calculate that...It doesn''t make any sense. Even if he has enough skill I don''t want to let a person like this in the {Slaughterers}. I should have said there was a paper math test as well. "It''s 4 hours and 16 minutes...It''s far from 3 hours right." Kamu said while slumping over a bit. Maybe I''ll give them a bit of a hint. "That, it''s a copy of the map Rodrick bought right? It''s fine for you to trust in it more." I said with my arms crossed while leaning against the wall. They spent too much time being careful of traps. Also, they''re still too careful of monsters. Even though we''ve made them fight that much~ are they still afraid of them? Or else is it the traits of an adventurers that''s been ingrained in them? "Certainly, it still can''t be called perfect. But of the ones that are on the market that''s the closest one to perfect. The {Sun.Ray}''s map of the 2nd floor and beyond was quite some but how was it comparing the {Sun.Ray}''s map of the 1st floor to that one? Think carefully about that." After I said that everyone gathered their heads together and started stating their opinions. "Hey, what did that mean?" "Don''t ask me. There''s no way I would know right?" "Certainly..there''s far more trap locations drawn on this map and you can see that almost every passage has been drawn." "..So it''s even more accurate than the map that Rindobel-san and the others were making?" "The shape of the outer circumference is close to an O. All of the maps from when we were in {Sun.Ray} were oval." "An O..They call them circles." "It''s fine either way. If Al is saying it then it''s probably true that this map is several levels higher." Worry and be troubled, young''ns. Putting that aside, it''s lunch, I''m hungry. Though we were only walking slowly~ "Okonneru, Firenoto. Start preparing the food. I''m hungry." After ordering the two slaves to make meal preparations I sat down on some dirt that someone made along the wall. And then I put one leg on the knee of my other and started scratching the dirt in the nicks on the sole of my boots off with a throwing needle. As expected since I''ve been wearing them for over three years and pretty soon..I replaced the soles once but the rubber that was covered the leather surface has started to peel off all over and while there''s no cracks in the surface of the hardened ebonite at the tips of the toes there''s some parts scraped down. Above all, it''s a problem that it''s started to become a tight fit. The worn-out cloth I had been packing into the ends of it, I had completely stopped with at around this time last year but it seems my body still wants to get even bigger. Though if you were to ask the bigger problem is the width of my feet increasing. "I..If you''ll please, master." 10 Baldoggie were put into a pot that was held in front of me. It''s Firenoto. After I put some hot water that was almost boiling into the pot he lowered his head to me and put the lid on it. Since we aren''t carrying a stove if we just leave them to boil in water that hot for around 4-5 minutes they''re just right. After that if we just put them into some bread with a slice in it along with some leaf vegetables and mustard or mayonnaise then the hotdog is completed. CH 219 Year 7445, Month 10, Day 15 After introducing father and the other squires from Bakuddo to everyone, in the afternoon father and the others started on their trip back to Bakuddo. All of the members of the {Slaughterers} are employees of Greed Company so putting aside the parents of the founder, it''s necessary for them to get familiar with important business clients. In the worst case if something were to happen to me right now brother would end up inheriting Greed Company after all. After that, when the members of the {Butchers}, {Exterminators}, and {Slaughterers} all moved together, I discussed the fact that I had established several gateway tests. "..In regards to the threshold for the marathon, but I think rather than making it one of us it should be an average time." Bel offered her opinion right away. I see now. "What''s average mean?" "Like I would know." "It has the meaning of in the middle." "Is that so?" "..The speed that Rokko-san and Kevin-san can run at is different right. The speed which is just in the middle of between Rokko-san and Kevin-san is average, and that''s how it''s used. If we increase the numbers then we add the speeds of everyone together then divide it by the number of people and we''ll understand the middle speed for everyone." Rodrick was explaining to the members of {Butchers} and {Exterminators}. Sorry for troubling you. "Yeah, and, I intend to do the screening on our next break so with that intention. Just remember the standard is the current members. It''s a test for only those who want to take it. There''s three subjects. A stamina test, a skill test, and a cooperation test. After that, there''s a couple members that absolutely can''t be removed from the {Slaughterers} as well." After I said that far I looked around at everyone. No one is saying anything while waiting for me to speak. "First off, me. And then there''s Gwine who helps out with producing the map. I won''t let these two be moved. Although, I might end up going to both the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} from here on out. The only two who I have absolutely no intention of moving around is just these two. It doesn''t matter who you challenge of the remaining members. However.." I thought I could hear the sound of everyone gulping. "The only ones who can designate a person as a challenger are just those who have passed the stamina test first. The time that will act as a standard we''ll measure today after this right now so the members of the {Slaughterers} should remain here. Ah, it''s fine for Zenom and Gwine to skip out. Anyone who passes the stamina test gains the right to designate someone to challenge. The person who''s been challenged can''t run from it. And, then. What I''ll have you do there isn''t a practice match." Everyone made slightly confused expressions. Just a moment ago I said practice "battle" after all. But, a practice match is no good. In the end you can''t get serious against another person and can''t use magic at full power. "I''m going to have you fight against ogres on the 7th floor. The next time we enter the dungeon we''ll take the challengers along to the 7th floor. Listen well, it''s still a part of the test on our way there. I''ll be watching your cooperation and such. And then I''ll have the challenger and the challenged fight three one on one matches against ogres on the 7th floor. Fundamentally the one who takes less total time wins. I think it''ll take a reasonable amount of time to find just the right one to fight, but well, if we have two days that should be plenty." Several people were already making expressions as if they had given up. No wait, isn''t that only obvious? We''re aiming for the 8th floor and beyond. How are you going to manage if you can''t even deal with an ogre? "If you can use magic then obviously it''s fine if you use it and it''s fine for you to use any weapons as well. However, poison is not allowed. If you need help I''ll intervene right away so you can relax. Though you''ll fail at that point. Well~ as long as you don''t die instantly I''ll save you." There was just a bit of laughing. "Also, one more thing. If you have a partner then it''s fine for you to team up with them as well. For example if other than yourself, there''s one more person you by all means want to join together with, if that person agrees as well then it''s fine to challenge as a two person or three person group as well. In that case, the ones being challenged will be a two person group as well though. If you want to think it would be best to form a group of front line attacker and rear support, then feel free to do that. Ah, and after that, for the time being I don''t think there''s much meaning to it, but {Sooner}, rather, if there''s someone who wants to go from the {Exterminators} to the {Butchers} then that''s fine as well. I''ll change the assessment method a bit so if there''s anyone who wants to do that just let me know." After saying that I told everyone they could break up. However, no one was leaving and they were just talking with other members in the area. If they have time then maybe I should get them to help out with observing the measurements? It would help to prove that there was no unfairness as well. "Zulu, Angela. Before you go to Boil Manor return to your inn and get some towels and a change of clothes." .................. It was the right answer to remove Zenom and Gwine from the marathon. In the first place dwarves are slow at running. Even then I think Gwine who''s continued with the running is considerably better but she''s still no comparison to the Elf Toris and Rabbit-person Bel. Recently even Basutoral has been faster than her. Also, I decided to avoid running as well. I mean if I were to seriously run it would have quite a bit of influence on the average time after all. Obviously there''s no culturally convenient tool like a stopwatch that exists so it''s just measuring the rough time with a clock magic tool. The course is our usual running course. We''ll depart from Boil Manor, run up to the summit of the outer crater from the West, then descend from the Eastern road down the outer crater and return to the Boil Manor again like that. The overall distance should be around 20 km I guess? There''s no way to accurately measure the distance. I think it''s roughly around a half-marathon? On the days I can I''m always running this course. Recently I think I can cover it in about 2 hours or so? According to Miduchi, there''s a steep incline ascending up the hills of about 12% or so along the way and the condition of the roads are bad as well. Even our shoes are badly made rubber sandals. I think it''s plenty to think that far. "It''s fine to collapse when you return. Run as fast as you can to at least that extent. Since this time will end up being the barrier after all. Make sure you raise the hurdle higher." We return to Boil Manor and in front of the members of the {Slaughterers} who are wearing sandals and light clothing when I arrogantly gave that lecture Rokko said, "Is Al not intending to run?" I have him and Kamu, the two of them checking the times. Though I say that it''s a simple job of just patting Kamu on the shoulder whenever someone reaches the goal point to check the clock magic tool. Everyone else has long since split up to various locations along the ascent, the summit, and in the middle of the town on the way back. We should be able to start in another 10 minutes or so. "..That''s right. Al you should run as well." Ralpha said with her arms crossed while stretching herself. She''s grinning. "No way! Ah, but it might be good to do that." While stretching Bel said that with a smile of deeper meaning on her face...Mu, they aren''t jiggling much. Come to think of it didn''t Miduchi say they found a store that sells something like a sports bra. "..It can''t be helped~ But it''s fine not to include my time in the calculation. It''s a record just for reference." Ralpha and Bel made slightly disappointed faces. I''ve already seen through you. If you want to prevent being forced to switch parties then run like your lives depend on it. Well, it might be interesting for me to try running at my full speed with none of my usual weights on in a light condition as well. CH 220 Year 7445, Month 12, Day 21 In order to progress to the end of the year I decided to make from the 19th until the 27th, this 9 day period the last time we enter the dungeon this year, then from the 28th until January 6th of next year those 9 days would be the New Year holiday. And then, this time we entered the dungeon with the full members of the {Slaughterers} different from the past few months. I gave the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} a slightly early and long New Years holiday. Of course, I said if they want to enter the dungeon during the holiday they''re free to do so, I also said they have no need to pay a share to me for that time. However, I told them absolutely not to step foot past the 2nd floor and since they''re entering the dungeon under my command they''ll have to pay for the entry tax and food expenses on their own money. Also, it''s only obvious but I don''t intend to loan out my four combat slaves either. After saying that far and honestly speaking I don''t think anyone will try to enter the dungeon during the holiday. Though I say that, I thought someone would complain because their earnings were reduced and had thought up an excuse but no one said any complaints and rather raised cheers of joy. Since I found it a bit strange I tried asking Kamu about it and it seems including her everyone was a bit worn out. Ever since the party changing test about two months ago, there''s some members who have started running here and there so I was smiling over the delightful trend. However, not only does doing that consume quite a bit of stamina but there''s also the consecutive battles on the 1st floor of the dungeon. They return to the surface completely exhausted, force the food down and are unable to dink any alcohol, then return to their inn to sleep like the dead. The next morning after waking up they do some running right away and then it''s back to combat in the dungeon again. In regards to income while they aren''t obtaining any expensive magic items or precious gems or ores but from the roughly three times a month they entering the dungeon, their income is about 800,000 - 900,000 Z so they didn''t have any complaints. Rather it''s increased since their time in {Sun.Ray}. The number of days they''re entering the dungeon itself has increased but for the time being it''s all day trips and counting in terms of months it''s around 20 days. During their time in {Sun.Ray} they entered roughly twice, for a total of around 18 days so it''s only increased by just a bit. In regards to the safety of it while they''re experiencing consecutive battles where they have almost no time to let their guards down, since there''s the reliable leaders dispatched from the {Slaughterers} their feelings are able to relax a bit knowing that there''s no worry even if they get a bit injured. That''s the reason and everyone was just thinking about enjoying their own holiday and dedicating it to get some rest. It seems they heard from the members of {Slaughterers} that were dispatched up until now that there''s "always a long holiday at the end of the year" so they were secretly looking forward to it. Both running and entering the dungeon during breaks aren''t an obligation or anything else so if they don''t want to do them there''s no reason to do it. Though if you were to ask me, doing it increases our overall combat forces so I''m happier if they do it but as long as they do a proper job on the days that were for entering the dungeon then after that it''s fine for everyone to do whatever they please. In the first place I''m sure there was people who dedicated their days off to training and people who never did. Since people naturally lean towards the more comfortable direction, anyone who won''t do it unless forced I''ll just treat like that, and that''s all there is to it. For example Rokko already knows he sucks at arithmetic(it''s not particularly unusual. However, it''s unusual for an adventurer who has a lot of occasions they need to calculate money) but it seems he has no intention of studying and no intention of changing I''m sure. It''s the same for Jeru as well who can''t read or write. In comparison, recently it seems Zulu, Angela, and Giberuti are being taught to read and write by Basutoral and it seems starting with Catherine, John, Terry, and even Zulu''s woman join in as well. I don''t know who started it up but it''s a good trend. If it''s necessary I taught Zulu and Angela numbers and some Kanji characters in Japanese as well as some Arabic numerals but that''s it. I''m sure looking from their end they wanted to ask about more commonly used numbers and letters. I knew they were looking like they wanted to be taught but I guess they were showing restraint towards me, they never said anything so I didn''t teach them either. After learning that Okonneru and Garuhashu as well as Firenoto and Manzokki were being taught some basic addition and calculation as well. However, it seems that in addition to teaching them to read, write, and do arithmetic Basutoral is also teaching them some simple science and he was even teaching some basic agriculture as well. Since the four of them seemed to have some interest they''ll probably join in as well eventually. The start of the problem was that sometimes Zenom would join in there as well. Just it seems he was just joining in to listen (since Zenom was originally a commoner on top of the long period he was an adventurer it''s only obvious Zenom can read, write, and do fundamental arithmetic) but he was having a hard struggle with division, fractions, and decimals. CH 221 Year 7445, Month 12, Day 27 The sound of slurping an insects internal organs echoes around and a bad smell covers the area. ""Return"" An order from Miduchi''s {Party-ization} was sent out. I guess she''s saying we should all return back to a safe place before discussing things once again. Just as you can expect from an opponent that looks stronger than ogres, it''s important to confirm the sequence and things. Let alone when it''s against an opponent with a skill like {Super.Regeneration Type III} that makes no sense. It''s also a monster that we''re seeing for the first time so there''s no loss in being careful here. "Most likely, that''s a Troll." After returning about 200 meters to a passage with good visibility, we all gathered along the wall as teacher Miduchi''s lecture time started. "Troll.." "Somehow, I feel like I''ve heard the name before." "..The Troll I know of is a lot fatter.." "So that''s a, Troll huh.." "Troll?" Just now Toris and Zulu said things like they know about it. "Zulu do you know about it? Probably, I think there''s no mistake that it''s a Troll or a related species. Even if you injure them they recover from it right away and they''re a troublesome monster where even if you cut off their limbs, the limbs move and they continue to attack." Miduchi glanced at my face for a moment while explaining it. Yeah. That''s the right answer. I told her with my eyes. Certainly it was a Troll. But she really does know anything. Incidentally Toris said something like he knew it as well but it seems it was a character that appears in a certain famous computer game. Even I''ve heard the name of it before. Well, in my case if you were to say {Troll} the first image that comes to mind is a {Trawl}. Though I think the spelling is probably different. Because the body of the fish is easy to hurt, in exchange for the value of it depreciating rapidly, it catches bottom dwelling fish (it catches the type of living along the ocean bed. Obviously shrimp and crabs are included) and quite literally catches everything it can so it''s huge on unloading. "I''ve never seen one before. In the Southern parts of Devas of the Weshuppu region I''ve heard that a monster called the {Swamp.Troll} appears in the marshlands there. It seems it''s extremely powerful on top of being brutal, it has enough stamina as if it doesn''t ever get tired, and it moves at quick speeds which don''t match up to it''s large body so it''s a frightening monster and just as Miduchi-sama just said even if you injure they recover right away, I''ve heard it has a very troublesome regeneration ability. However, that is.." Something like that is in Devas! It''s hard to tell while it''s crouching down, but that, if it were stand up I feel like it''ll be taller than an ogre. "Th..That sort of enemy how are we supposed to fight it!?" Gwine said with a slightly frightened expression. Yeah, it''s not unreasonable to say something like that. "There''s several methods but the representative is to burn it''s wounds with oil and fire or acid. Also, it''s a method that takes force but you accumulate damage on it to where the regeneration can''t keep up to defeat it and then set it on fire again to kill it." CH 222 Year 7445, Month 12, Day 28 Last night, the number of magic stones we sold was 35 each of both trolls and ogres, 84 crickets, 40 huge praying mantis, 53 huge centipedes, and 11 scavenger crawlers. In total it came out to 78,000,000 Z (78 gold coins). It was our first huge earnings in a while. Excluding the slaves I paid everyone a bonus of 1,560,000 Z, and my net income was just over 67,000,000 Z. If we could manage this every time then I''d be able to pay everyone close to 5,000,000 in bonuses every month but...This time it was a bit longer than usual, so I guess that''s unreasonable huh? Also, Ralpha and Gwine seem like they would waste all their money on things that make no sense after all..Though that''s fine. I handed them 1 gold coin, 2 gold Shu, and 6 silver coins while saying "Put some into savings." It seems that everyone is borrowing a shared locker at the temple together with Zenom as the representative. I thought Miduchi would sponge off of my locker but it seems she''s using the same locker as everyone else. Everyone put their gold coins into a small bag with their name on it and left it to him. I told her, "I don''t particularly mind if you use mine as well you know." but she said that she''s participating in order to help reduce the monthly management fee of 300,000 Z so that made sense. It seems just Toris and Zenom are paying a bit more. I went straight to the temple to deposit the 67 gold coins and put the bag into my locker. There''s 2 bags with 1,000(1,000,000,000 Z) gold coins each, 2 bags with 500(500,000,000 Z) each, 7 small bags with 100(100,000,000 Z) each. I have about 10 times the amount I did two years ago around the same period but it''s still nowhere near enough. Since the lockers are considerably big so there''s enough capacity for you to fit around 20 bags with 1,000 gold coins in each. Thinking about various things and I want at least enough gold coins to fill this locker full. If I get greedy then at least two lockers full. The spear being used by Gwine, the sword being used by Bel, and there Water making bracelet. I don''t know what kind of money we''d make if we sell them but I don''t think it would be bad to hope for amounts in the hundreds of millions for the weapons. It''s been three and a half years since we came to this Baldukk, though about half of it is profits from my business but a large portion of the remainder is earnings since we reached the 7th floor and if we continue at this rate then it shouldn''t even take 10 years for me to accumulate 100,000,000,000 Z or so. However, around here all at once, I want some kind of big profit. I won''t say something luxurious like several hundred billions. It''s fine if it''s just ten billion or so...I guess that''s still luxurious huh? Well, I''ll hold my hopes high for the 8th floor. Last night after that, I joined up with my four combat slaves I had left behind and we all went to eat dinner together. During the time we were exploring the dungeon, it seems my combat slaves were training and making sausages. After listening to their conversation and Catherine is giving her best. Today and tomorrow other than running it''s almost entire days off, the day after tomorrow I intend to go to the capital together with Miduchi, Basutoral, and Catherine to look at several candidates for a factory. In any case let''s get some good rest today and tomorrow. I ended up enjoying it slowly and laid back while taste testing sausages at lunchtime. .................. Year 7446, Month 1, Day 1 The capital of Rombertia in front of Greed Company, Miduchi and I are standing on Bell Street together with the employees waiting for the parade of the first knight group to pass by. Since it''s in the middle of winter it''s considerably cold but everyone was in a reasonably warm outfit and we bought some hot stew from a stall so our preparations against the cold are perfect. Every since we replenished our stock of products the other day, our customers have been returning to the company so today on New Years it''s the first day off for everyone in a while. In order to let Anna see well I''m letting her ride my shoulders. Hanna is riding on the husband who married into Dianne''s family Luke''s shoulders, and Kanna is riding on Rozral''s shoulders who he''s attached to on the level of becoming a grandfather. I guess Anna was copying a line Leila uses when apologizing, "I''m sorry, president." and she said that but something like a young Cat-person girl is completely light. Also, I can easily tell from their lively voices. Hanna and Kanna were both enjoying themselves as well. ""Oh!"" "Ah!"" The officials that are leading them sing a song in a loud voice as they approach. The voices of the officials seem to already be getting a bit hoarse and it''s completely unknown what they''re singing. The cheers of the citizens lined up along the road echo through the capital. The parade should already be just past that corner. CH 223 Next chapter in 3-6 years. Hoping to do 4 more before I sleep next. . . Year 7446, Month 1, Day 4 Today we plundered 10 ogre magic stones on the 7th floor so it''s been a decent profit. I was able to return to the surface while feeling reasonably good and ate a pot of oysters. After all oysters are delicious right. If I just had some miso and ponzu then I''d have nothing more to say but things that I don''t have can''t be helped. Even boiling them together with cabbage and pork delicious things are delicious. If I could had some rice to cook it with to make oyster then it would be great though..I notice there''s no meaning to continuing with things I don''t have. But, it can''t be helped thinking about it right. However, after all I guess you could say, I had already predicted it ahead of time but Henry and Mekku who were acting as tanks at the front line{Vanguard} suffered quite a few injuries. My combat slaves managed to take down one ogre(of course, it was on top of us adjusting the numbers though) with their own abilities. I had them a fight a total of three times but the first two times left pretty miserable results. The first time, at first Miduchi hit it with a throwing noddle smeared with paralysis poison. However, before the paralysis poison could take effect Mekku took a hit from a club and broke his right arm, additionally some of his ribs broke as well. Seeing Mekku defeated and send flying in a single blow, Rubi and Jesu''s morale was on the verge of collapse. Miduchi was about to jump in right away but I held on to her arm to hold her back. It''s because Henry who somehow was able to endure started reprimanding and encouraging them. Although, when that Henry was stepped on with it''s right foot and had his movements sealed, he ended up taking a blow, his shoulder of the arm he was holding his weapons suffered a pulverizing break and he wasn''t able to move anymore. At that point I intervened and easily parried the attacks of the ogre who the paralysis poison had started taking effect on while Rubi and Jesu continued to attack and kill it. The two front line members who were injured and fallen we took our time healing after finishing off the ogre. The second time we used the paralysis poison as well. However, before the paralysis poison could take effect Mekku''s long sword was suddenly knocked out of his hand. Well, it was fine how he didn''t adhere to the weapon that fell to the ground and immediately pulled out a knife(in order to gather magic stones I''ve given everyone a knife), but after that was bad. Mekku tried to attack with that small knife. I can recognize his guts but obviously even if you land a hit with it there''s almost no meaning. If he was used to combat against ogres to where he could aim for the tendons in it''s arms or legs then it wouldn''t be as big of a problem but Mekku doesn''t have that sort of experience. The opponent was a brawny giant with a height of over 2.5 meters that easily swings around a massive club. Even if he''s swinging around a knife with a blade of at most 15 cm the ogre wouldn''t recognize Mekku as any sort of threat. It''s like an elementary schooler wielding a box cutter to try and restrain a brainless adult swinging a metal bat around. If it was a member of the {Slaughterers} on the contrary they''d make use of it not paying attention to them and use someone else as a decoy while they cut the tendons in it''s arms or legs. Even if they can''t actually manage that just trying to do that would be enough to pull the ogres attention back to themselves. Since Henry ended up essentially one on one against the ogre he tried to take an attack with all of it''s strength using his shield and his posture crumbled, then took a kick to the flank during that time being sent flying 3 meters where he passed out in agony. Mekku wasn''t able to pick up his own weapon and unable to decently keep it in check with the knife he wasn''t used to as he was driven into full defense. Even then if he managed to make good use of his remaining shield to endure something could have been done but since he wasn''t used to combat against ogres, it was just a matter of time before he couldn''t endure anymore. Obviously hoping that the opponent would go off guard just by enduring is an empty dream. He wasn''t able to create any openings for Rubi and Jesu to attack with the spears. Miduchi intervened and after cutting the ogres right arm that was holding it''s club off from the shoulder to earn some time, I picked up Mekku''s long sword and handed it to him. As expected the ogre who had suffered serious injuries on top of having the paralysis poison circulate had it''s movements dull so keeping an ogre without it''s main arm in check wasn''t a problem. Rubi and Jesu obstructed the ogre from trying to pick up it''s club with it''s remaining left arm and that made it possible for Mekku to parry it''s attacks as well. It took Rubi and Jesu close to 20 minutes to finish off the ogre but well that''s fine. During that time I had plenty of leeway to use a healing spell on Henry. The third time, the last time just the same the two front line members ended up suffering bruises to their left hands holding the shield but I guess they were getting used to it they were able to avoid any fatal blows during the rest of the combat. There was some spectacles that made me nervous watching as well but Henry and Mekku somehow managed to endure and create an opening, then hearing Mekku and Henry''s command Rubi and Jesu attacked it precisely. It took four people over 20 minutes to finish off just a single one of them, and near the end both the ogre and the two tanks were basically in a mud slinging match with how worn out they were but in the end they were able to finish off an ogre without Miduchi or I intervening. As expected the two of them were true knights, they were skillfully able to overcome their fear and their instructions to Rubi and Jesu were good as well. Well, I don''t feel like I lost out buying them I guess. Particularly the events that happened today, the combat on the 7th floor, the four of them were made to report it to Zulu and Angela. And then they received a harsh rejection. It''s fine to do the report but you know, if you don''t eat soon we''re going to eat all of the oysters. John and Terry are still growing after all. Since they''re delicious you should eat them before they cool down. It''s a waste of magic stones for the restaurants of Orth so they can''t continue heating up the pot on the stove forever. Look, you all stop preaching for so long. When we''re eating meals let''s at least eat with a good feeling. ................. CH 224 Year 7446, Month 2, Day 29 Last week when we left the dungeon a letter had arrived from my brother in Bakuddo. It seems the next time they''ll come is near the end of next month. The confusion from dispatching last year has already calmed and it seems they''re bringing another huge load again. Since he has various fine jobs he has to take care of as the lord, the one coming this time is sister-in-law Shani-san. It seems that mother can''t take her hands off training Zetto and Becky with magic. Come to think of it Zetto and Becky should already be six years old? Seven years old? I want to see them. Maybe when sister-in-law Shani-san returns I''ll accompany her and return once as well. There''s also the matter with Kuro and Mary. It seems they''re still squires. Though I say that, they started off as Free People who didn''t have any sort of combat training. Even if they''re reincarnated people blessed with a high degree of growth, there''s no way they''d make it as knights in just four years. Even the child of a commoner that''s received combat training since they were young takes an average of four years. Doing it in less than that is impossible. Not to mention, they weren''t enlisted after being properly recognized for their abilities. Ah, putting that aside, as expected we weren''t able to get our hands on any treasure in the dungeon this time. But, there is one thing that''s bothering me. There''s clearly some changes that can be seen in the teleport room on the 5th floor. One of the corners is the place where we {Slaughterers} have been using since the year before last but it was prepared with a reasonable level of kitchen, foot bath, and other facilities. Of course there''s a shower room as well. The corner diagonally from that was where the facilities the former {Sun.Ray} used that was left just like that. Occasionally we''re cleaning it as well. When we first absorbed {Sun.Ray} we discussed moving these facilities to the teleport room on the 7th floor but since they were all worn-out and cheap everyone was against bringing those to the front line. Above all else Giberuti said, "If it''s this then I can''t make anything very delicious." which decided it. We thought that eventually a reasonable number of people might stay in the 5th floor so we decided to just leave it as it is. The change that we noticed this time was that of the remaining corners left one of those was suddenly furnished with another cheap portable stove comparable to the one {Sun.Ray} had and there was also some boxes which we have no idea what''s inside of them packed together. It''s probably large pots, kettles, and stuff though. Additionally there was around 10 peoples worth of blankets and bedding. The floor was dry and we couldn''t see any traces that it was being used but inside of the shower room bucket there was a single magic stone from a boss on the 2nd floor, the Owlbear. They probably intended it as payment for using it. The Identify value was about 6,000 so if we sell it that''ll come out to over 40,000 Z. The {Verdure.Brotherhood} and {Black.Topaz} huh? Otherwise maybe {Gehenna.Flare}. At the very least some place has completely cleared the 5th floor and it''s evidence that they''re clearly aiming for the 6th floor as a hunting ground. Eh? Zenom? He''s super strong as usual. That magic axe can be used even if you don''t throw it. It seems Ralpha borrowed it from Zenom and tried using it as well but said, "This is a waste for me to have." and accepted it. Putting that aside, today is the first day of a three day break. Currently we''re in the middle of a rest break from doing cooperation training a bit outside of the outer crater, having tea time. "Is it fine to talk for a bit?" Kamu came over to where I was accompanied by Rokko. "It''s about the dungeon but I think it would be about a good time for us to go to the 2nd and 3rd floor as well though.." Rokko said while chewing on the stem of a long piece of grass. What era delinquent are you from? This guy, even though he''s an elf and his build is completely different. CH 225 Year 7446, Month 3, Day 25 Sister-in-law Shani-san arrived in the afternoon. Since the still was still early they said that after a short break they would go to the company in the capital and then make deliveries and take measurements for the knight group tomorrow. Also, in regards to my returning home but the I discussed it together with the {Slaughterers} the day before yesterday and yesterday and decided on it. Since there''s also the two reincarnated people, Kuro and Mary, in the end I decided to return to Bakuddo once. There''s also the matter of greeting my parents so Miduchi is coming along as well. Also, Gwine is accompanying us. The reason is simple. It''s for producing the map along the way. Gwine is a Free Person but we''ll be accompanying as well and above all else she''s also an employee of Greed Company so there''s no problem with moving between different territories. I already knew that when it comes to the registered employees of Greed Company which has a Type-2 First Variety license I can easily get proof of passage issued for them. After that is one more, I''m having Angela accompany us to take care of everyday tasks. Putting aside Miduchi and Angela, when I said I would be returning along with Gwine, it''s only obvious there''s someone who butt into the conversation. "Eh~ if you''re bringing Gwine along then bring me as well." "Just a moment Ral, think about it a bit." "Eh~ I mean, isn''t it unfair for just Gwine. Bel, don''t you really want to go along too?" "Eh? Th..That is, of course I want to go a bit as well but..I''ve never gone out to any place other than the capital after all.." "What are you saying you idiot. It''s not like we''re going to play." We are going to play though. "I want to go too, I want to go, I~ want~~ to go~~!" Chi..It can''t be helped. "Hey Ralpha, listen carefully to what I say." I put my hands on both shoulders of the idiot and made an expression that I thought seemed pretty serious while properly staring into her eyes. Stop turning red..somehow it makes my ass itch. "You already understand that I can''t bring along everyone right? ..Yeah, that''s right. Putting aside that I''m leaving behind my slaves, right now is the ideal time to train the {Butchers} and {Exterminators}. Isn''t that something you said as well? It''s necessary for someone to properly look after them. Then when it comes to that you know, think about who''s staying behind. Zenom is reliable but if his most beloved person isn''t beside him..for a number of months don''t you think he''ll started to get worried. Toris has recently started to use his head but if it''s just Bel acting as advisor to him she''s still got a ways to go. Someone needs to lend them their wisdom. Bel is level-headed but she has a tendency to get too far ahead of herself. Toris still can''t properly hold the reins on her. Don''t you get that it''s necessary for someone to hold things in check? Basutoral is still a newlywed and Zulu is my head slave. There''s no way for them to move. You already get it right? Listen well, you''re the one who''s been together with me for the longest. While I''m not around, out of everyone who in the world do you think it is that I can trust to leave things to the most? Are you going to make me say everything?" "Eh...Yeah..If that''s how it is then..me..I guess? That''s right isn''t it. It''s just as Al said. A ha ha..I still wasn''t thinking enough about it... ..Yeah. Alright! While you''re not around, I''ll properly keep an eye on things!" And she''s saying something like that. I''m saved she''s as easy as usual. In the first place in regards to the {Slaughterers} I haven''t left anything to you. Everyone who heard it was looking at the lone idiot get roused up with lukewarm eyes. CH 226 One more painfully long and uneventful chapter left... Next chapter in either 4-12 hours or otherwise like 24-30. Year 7446, Month 4, Day 28 In front of the fence that surrounds the house there''s a large stable and on the other side of there''s plaza that also acts as the training place for the squires. Even further in on the other side of the plaza is three storehouses that have been there since before I was born. From a position where we can see the plaza on the left side of the stable is the main building of the house that hasn''t changed at all. In the back of the main building there should be the small storage room that I lived in for a period connected to it. Beyond that in between the storehouses and storage room is a bit of a plaza and that acts as the training place for the squire children under 10 years old to swing their swords. How nostalgic. "What the, if you''re going to come home you should say something. We haven''t prepared anything." Brother said that while smiling and welcoming me. It seems when he was patrolling around in the village he caught sight of us and came running back on his horse. He detoured around the gate of the house and waited for us. "Sorry, brother. But, I wanted to return once now while I still could. There''s something I want to talk to father and mother about as well." I exchanged greetings with brother while putting my horse into the stables. People came out of the house as well. It''s father and mother. The two of them were smiling. I left Angela to take off the harness while I approached my parents with big steps accompanied by Miduchi and Gwine. "I''ve heard from everyone. You''re Chizumagurol-san right?" Mother smiled seeing Miduchi. It was the same that time with sister-in-law Shani-san, she shouldn''t become an unpleasant mother-in-law. "Yes. It''s nice to meet you, my name is Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol. Sorry for the rudeness of not changing." Miduchi unfastened her helmet with her left hand and held it under her arm as she stretched her right hand out to mother, it seems she was able to properly talk without biting her tongue. She''s grown a bit as well I see. "Has this child been causing any trouble for you?" "No way! I''ve always been in his care. Also, the other day Shanleid-sama and Milhaia-sama even prepared armor for me.." "It looks good on you..{Status Open}." Mother took Miduchi''s hand and smiled while checking her status. I thought there wouldn''t be any problems but this is a relief. "Who''s that?" After greeting Miduchi, mother asked while looking at Gwine. I guess it''s no longer necessary, to introduce her. "U..Umm, M..My name is Gullinel.Akdam. I''m always in the care of Al-san~" ..Why are you biting your tongue. While we were exchanging harmonious greetings, an ear-splitting high voice echoed around ruining the atmosphere. "Becky-sama!!!" It''s the voice of a boy. "Uwaa~n!! Big brother hit me seriously again~! I''ll tell father on you!!" "It''s training so it can''t be helped right!! Here stand!!" So Zetto and Becky were in the middle of training... "Those kids~! Sorry, I''m going for a bit. Al, sorry but look after my horse!!" After saying that brother pushes the reins of his horse over to me and ran off between the stables and the house. I made a bitter smile while asking my parents, "Just now was that Zetto and Becky?" "The first voice was Al. Those kids, no matter how many times we tell them they start doing make-believe practice matches all on their own. Unlike you kids they''re hopeless prankster brats. No, I guess Mill was like that as well huh?" CH 227 Year 7446, Month 4, Day 29 "Did we make you wait?" Myun said a bit apologetically. "No, since we didn''t specify a time. We were the ones who came early just in case so don''t worry about it." I use the spell {Light} on the rock I had in my hand lighting up the area before taking another look at Myun. It seems because of her age her physique has rounded out a bit but her charming features are the same as in the past, she was looking at me with a gentle expression. "Myun, I''ll introduce you once again. This is Miduchi. Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol. She''s my woman. Miduchi, she''s Myun. Myunelin.Tobas. My benefactor. I was taught various things..Oh that''s right, she''s the one who taught me how to use the throwing needles." "Once again it''s nice to meet you. I''m Myunelin.Tobas. I worked as a maid at their mansion when Al-sama was little. Al-sama is my benefactor. Please take good care of Al-sama. Please support him." "Stop that, Myun. If you''re going to say that then the number of times I''ve been saved is far greater." Myun just smiled. "It''s nice to meet you again too. I''m Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol. Please call me Miduchi. And also, I''ve heard quite a bit about you. This person..that is, thank you very much for taking good care of him." After Miduchi offered greetings to Myun, she crouched down while smiling matching her eye level to Ailado''s who was hiding behind Myun holding on to the end of her skirt. Though there is some light, being smiled at by a dark elf in the middle of the night is..I wonder about that? Ailado seems to be a bit afraid of Miduchi. This kid as well huh..Though it can''t be helped, I''m sure Miduchi feels pretty depressed. Miduchi''s eyebrows raised to a frown as she got a bit depressed. There''s several elves in Bakuddo. However, it''s only obvious but there''s not a single dark elf. Most likely there''s not even any in Marquis Webdos''s territory either. Let alone, Miduchi''s skin color isn''t even similar to the average dark elf which is close to black. Just as expected of an elf the features of her face itself are in the category of a beauty but her hair is dyed white, her light purple skin, her face which has a large scar across it that stands out, about the only place on her that seems to have blood flowing to it is her pink lips. I''m sure she''s scary to children. "Come now..Al! I''m very sorry. I''ll harshly scold him later, so please forgive him." Seeing that state Myun apologized to Miduchi and I with an amazing momentum. I predicted things would become like this the moment I saw Ailado here..it can''t be helped. However, there wasn''t anything when we met him this afternoon right...Particularly because I know Miduchi was a bit happy after that~ "Please don''t worry about it. It''s something that can''t be helped." Miduchi stood up and took a step back while saying with a slightly discouraged face. She''s probably trying to hide behind me. "..I''m sorry." Myun apologized with a voice a quiet as a mosquito. Ailado has only just turned 6 years old. I think it really can''t be helped. "By the way, why Al?" In order to change the topic and I tried asking the reason why she brought Ailado. "Umm, this afternoon, it seems you showed this child how to use the short spear and...I''m truly very sorry. Since it was only vaguely remaining my memories, I could only teach him simple things to is so..Thank you very much...Here" "I''m sorry for being afraid." Myun thanked me as she pulled Ailado out from hiding behind her and he lowered his head apologizing to Miduchi. "It''s alright, don''t worry about it." Miduchi lowered her eye level to Ailado''s again and said that while brushing his head. It seems Ailado accepted Miduchi without being afraid this time. After Ailado had his head brushed by Miduchi he looked at me while opening his mouth. CH 228 Year 7446, Month 5, Day 6 Mary''s face as she walked over here had completely lost it''s softness and tightened up. It seems she''s gotten a bit of a suntan as well. Oh~ all of us still had our helmets on. I lifted my chin up while untying the string on my helmet to take it off. I''m sure my hair that''s been dyed bright red stands out. Seeing my dyed hair, Mary made a slightly surprised face but even then she continued walking without breaking her pace. "You seem healthy, Mary." "Thanks to you. I''ve prepared a room. These people are?" Mary smiled a bit and said while looking at Miduchi and the other two. "They''re all my party members. I''ll introduce you later. Where''s Kuro?" "Right now is our break time between shifts so he went out shopping for a bit. He should return soon. Please come this way" "Wait just a minute. Is it fine to tie up our horses to the stake here?" "Yeah, that''s no problem. It''s fine for you to keep your weapons as well." Hearing that Angela quickly fastened the horses. We were let through into the room which I had an interview with commander Sendhel once upon a time. After entering the building we crossed paths with several people but Mary always retreated to the side of the halls and waited for the other party to pass by. It couldn''t be helped so we copied her as well. "I''m sorry. Since I''m a squire..In the knight group the visitors who stop by receive the same treatment." Obviously~ I already knew that they wouldn''t become something like a true knight in just four years. It can''t be helped. "Now then, shall we at least do introduction before Kuro returns? Yeah. Everyone, she is Mary, Marissa.Binsil. She''s supposedly still a squire so a Free Person I guess?" "Yeah, that''s right. It''s nice to meet you. I''m Marissa.Binsil a squire of the Marquis Webdos Knight Group." Mary stood up with a firm posture and introduced herself like a soldier. "I said it before but she might look like this but formerly she was an old lady just a bit younger than I was. Don''t forget your respect for the elderly." I said it like a joke but Mary glared at me with terrifying expression. "Something like our previous ages don''t matter at all! Since I''m 18 years old now. Rather than that quickly introduce us." "Yeah, looking from your left is Miduchi. Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol." "It''s nice to meet you, Mary-san. I''m Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol. Just as you can see I''m a dark elf. I''ve dyed my hair but if I remove the dyes it''s completely black. Since it seems this person has been in your care, thank you very much." Miduchi said that while taking a step forward and stretching her right hand out to Mary. Mary grabbed that hand and shook it but it seems she was a bit overawed by Miduchi''s skin color. "..It..It''s nice to meet you...I''m sorry. It''s my first time meeting a dark elf and..That is...Also, this person?.." "Yeah, there was a bit of a relation in the pa"I''m his wife."we still aren''t married." Hearing our words Mary made a slightly cheerful face saying, "You too.." and smiled while looking at Miduchi''s face. CH 229 Year 7446, Month 5, Day 11 We arrived at the town of Ramudokku before the day ended. Northeast from the town of Ramudokku Mount Board towers over at an elevation of about 1,300 meters and acts as something like a gate into the Jindaru peninsula along with the Pitosu mountain range. We intend to take a detour even further to the East around this Board mountain and then go North towards the capital. We entered a random inn and ate at a restaurant. We really wanted to gather some information on what kind of place Viscount Yoraizu''s territory, that''s just 10 km or so to the East right before our eyes is like, but we were only able to hear common things and unable to gather any useful information. The reason for this is largely because there were no caravans belonging to Type-2 companies. When they''re around I''m sure they''re around but I guess we had bad luck. In any case it seems that along the 20 km road to the first village after we enter Viscount Yoraizu''s territory, the roads will change to mountain roads. Since it acts as the boundary between territories there''s a considerable distance opened up. Since tomorrow is going to be on a different level from 20 km through the plains it would be best to get some rest early today. ....................... Year 7446, Month 5, Day 12 In the early morning we departed the town of Ramudokku. On the northern road a bit closer to Mount Board that''s right along the border to Viscount Yoraizu''s territory, we passed through the villages scattered along the Board mountains. On our journey to Bakuddo we had heard that orks appear on this road, since it would be troublesome to get ambushed, we decided to completely detour around Mount Board as we advanced down the road going North through the western part of Viscount Yoraizu''s territory. There are some highs and lows of the mountain road but the elevation isn''t all that different. The saddlebags on our two war horses are stuffed full with everyone''s boots, the leather armor Gwine and Angela were wearing on the journey out, as well as blankets and such. While swaying on horseback as Miduchi and I sit in the rear position we were holding the rucksacks with change of clothes and such in them. Just from a glance it''s not as if we don''t look like a small scale peddler but if they see four people wearing what appears to be metal armor and heavily armed, there''s no way we would be attacked by thieves so easily. We arrived at Winro village in the evening but other than seeing some goblins in the distance the same as usual along the way there wasn''t any particular problem. The population of the village is about 600 and it''s like one size bigger than Bakuddo. Obviously there''s no inn. We put in a word with the lord and got permission to setup camp in the vacant lot near his house. "It''s not as if monsters don''t appear in this area but if you''re inside of the village then it''s pretty much safe." The son of the lord said that trying to give us peace of mind. Just in case we kept lookout in shifts, or rather it was just to make sure the campfire didn''t go out. After we left this WInro village, there were several forks in the road but fundamentally if we follow along the left side (north side) while trying not to get too close to Mount Board then in 100 km or so we should leave Viscount Yoraizu''s territory, and it''ll supposedly take us to the center of the Kandeiru area where there''s a group of small territories and royal territory in the south of Rombert Kingdom along the northern Dirt Plains. ................. CH 230 Year 7446, Month 3, Day 25 Sister-in-law Shani-san arrived in the afternoon. Since the still was still early they said that after a short break they would go to the company in the capital and then make deliveries and take measurements for the knight group tomorrow. Also, in regards to my returning home but the I discussed it together with the {Slaughterers} the day before yesterday and yesterday and decided on it. Since there¡¯s also the two reincarnated people, Kuro and Mary, in the end I decided to return to Bakuddo once. There¡¯s also the matter of greeting my parents so Miduchi is coming along as well. Also, Gwine is accompanying us. After that is one more, I¡¯m having Angela accompany us to take care of everyday tasks. Putting aside Miduchi and Angela, when I said I would be returning along with Gwine, it¡¯s only obvious there¡¯s someone who butt into the conversation. ¡°Eh~ if you¡¯re bringing Gwine along then bring me as well.¡± ¡°Eh~ I mean, isn¡¯t it unfair for just Gwine. Bel, don¡¯t you really want to go along too?¡± ..Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s necessary for someone to properly look after them. Then when it comes to that you know, think about who¡¯s staying behind. Toris has recently started to use his head but if it¡¯s just Bel acting as advisor to him she¡¯s still got a ways to go. Someone needs to lend them their wisdom. Basutoral is still a newlywed and Zulu is my head slave. There¡¯s no way for them to move. Listen well, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s been together with me for the longest. While I¡¯m not around, out of everyone who in the world do you think it is that I can trust to leave things to the most? Are you going to make me say everything?¡± ¡°Eh¡­Yeah..If that¡¯s how it is then..me..I guess? A ha ha..I still wasn¡¯t thinking enough about it¡­ I¡¯m saved she¡¯s as easy as usual. Everyone who heard it was looking at the lone idiot get roused up with lukewarm eyes. Also it¡¯s only obvious but along with my returning home, exploring the 8th floor is put on hold. Everyone who remains will be looking after the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} but as long as they don¡¯t do anything unreasonable since a lot of them were originally veterans it should be fine. Rather than that, by the time I return they might have gained the ticket to go to an even lower floor. Zenom said, ¡°Leave it to us, also their abilities were originally high. By the time you return we¡¯ll show you can we can pull them up to the 5th floor.¡± while smiling. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem with leaving the {Slaughterers} to Toris and Zenom. If it¡¯s them then even without Miduchi and I they should be fine up to the 7th floor. If they leave some leeway and only go up to the 5th floor ro so while I¡¯m not around then there shouldn¡¯t be any real problem. As long as they remain completely careful of the powerful enemies that rarely appear and avoid them then they have Gwine¡¯s map so it should be like riding a big boat. I gave out some detailed instructions but Toris said, ¡°Leave things to me.¡±, just in case I also gave 50,000,000 Z in cash to Zenom. And then, each of us got on our war horses to be included in the caravan that sister-in-law Shani-san was commanding. Because of problems with their physique, Gwine was riding with me and Angela was riding with Miduchi, also in part to act as horse riding training for each of us. Putting aside Gwine who¡¯s gone to play in the capital and made up excuses to ride my horse under the guise of horse riding training all the time, Angela said, ¡°For a mere slave to ride a horse..¡± and was showing restraint but I¡¯ve heard that even the fourth knight group has combat slaves that ride horses and act as commanders. Even if combat is impossible at least become able to ride it while it walks. We quickly finished up the deliveries in the capital and I told Rozural and the others that I would be gone for about 2.5 months returning to Bakuddo for a bit this time. I also told them that if any problems occur during that time to report it to Toris or Zenom, additionally since it¡¯s about that time I told them to start organizing their belongings. It¡¯s almost been about two years since they came to the capital. The next time there¡¯s deliveries another squire family should come to Rombertia to switch with them. Going off of the period it should probably be around summer. Since there¡¯s also the matter of teaching them their jobs, we should look at the change taking around 1-2 weeks in time. There¡¯s also the amount of furniture that¡¯s increased in the capital so it¡¯s necessary for them to at least organize it so it can fit into two carts. Even when they go to return to Bakuddo I¡¯m sure that they won¡¯t return with a completely empty load. They¡¯ll probably do business in Keel and Doritto, so they should normally be stocking up for the sake of that. In order to thank the Saguretto Company of Doritto for coming to Bakuddo every month at a fixed time to sell us daily necessities we also bring back unusual goods(It¡¯s generally mirrors that don¡¯t reflect very well, small bottles with perfume, expensive accessories, or cloth dyed a beautiful color. Depending the case they carry magic stones for other companies as well) from the city and that¡¯s an important job. Of course it¡¯s not for a free. The journey to Bakuddo was advancing smoothly. We followed along the coast from Baldukk towards the Southwest direction about 100 km over 3 days and arrived at a location that Gwine didn¡¯t know about. Starting from here the amount she was talking decreased and she was often looking restlessly around the surroundings. I guess a map of the areas along the road are properly being carved into her memory. Along the way, since we didn¡¯t do anything like staying several days other than just lodging, in around two weeks we were able to make it to around the mountain road I met Zenom and Ralpha in the past. That time we were staying several days to play in a number of towns here and there along the way, so it took around three weeks from here to Baldukk. I was curious about everything I saw. I was a brat after all. Though I guess that¡¯s still the case now huh? Just like that another week passed and we entered Viscount Penlaid¡¯s territory as we left the royal territory. We entered a random inn in Karumu the capital of the Viscount¡¯s territory and everyone ate dinner together. Since the restaurant the four of us entered was a bit packed we all ended up eating at a table a bit away from everyone from Bakuddo. Angela was quietly eating her food without joining the conversation but since we¡¯re all brats, not to mention excluding me they¡¯re women, I guess she was being cautious someone might try to pick a fight with us as she scanned the surroundings. Even though it¡¯s fine for her not to be that highly strung..Even though she was given detailed instructions it¡¯s quite hoesnt of her. With that loyal dog on our side we were, ¡°Come to think of it, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for there to be a ¡°reincarnated person¡± around here right.¡± ¡°Right~ Mary-san, was it? If their house is a business like hers and it¡¯s going well there¡¯s not much need for them to move around after all..If that sort of thing hadn¡¯t happened then even I think I would be a peddler around now.¡± ¡°Thinking like that and Toris-san had things quite difficult right..¡± The skill of their escorts must have been good as well. However, it seems they weren¡¯t able to kill the orks that attacked them. Even though they were able to do a reasonable amount of damage, since the attacking side retreated before taking any damage they must have a considerably careful and intelligent leader. Different from Baldukk dungeon, I guess that means that the orks wandering the border of Viscount Yoraizu¡¯s territory are quite something. It seems a bit of that conversation entered Gwine¡¯s ears as she lowered her eyes and bit her lip. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ The fact that they weren¡¯t trying to suck up to me is proof that discipline is properly being maintained. Being devoted to your duties is a good thing and Marquis Webdos Territory with a knight group like that is a good territory. No, that¡¯s being a poor loser. In the first place there¡¯s no benefit to them trying to earn points with me. It can¡¯t be helped. It should be fine if we meet them on our way back from Bakuddo. I thought about showing my face in Mary¡¯s house at Binsil¡¯s restaurant but stopped. It¡¯s fine on our way back. We returned to Binsu Manor and Miduchi handed me a knife with an expression like she had determined her resolve. ¡°Erase the scars on my forehead and cheek.¡± ¡°Is that fine? The chances of it not healing are higher..¡± The scar on Miduchi¡¯s face is one from quite a bit in the past, she suffered it when she was still a child. She said that the injury was serious and even {Cure All} couldn¡¯t completely heal it. That is~ I¡¯m sure. If you don¡¯t use healing spells soon after you suffer injuries sometimes the scars remain. Even teacher Mila said the ¡°scar itself has become the normal state¡± for the body already so even if you try gouging out the wound and using the spell {Regenerate} there¡¯s not much hope for it to cleanly heal back over. Even if the new wound heals right away, she said the old scar will end up being regenerated together with it. If it won¡¯t be fixed then going to the trouble of suffering such pain will just end in a loss, in the first place it¡¯s not so easy to gather the courage to gouge out your face. Certainly scars on the face are a point that¡¯s said to be unattractive and it can be thought that it¡¯s become a complex for Miduchi. I can understand her feelings of wanting to heal them. ¡°Yeah..But, I feel like if I don¡¯t test it out now then I¡¯ll never be able to gather my courage for the rest of my life¡­As expected I can¡¯t gather the courage to gouge my face out on my own so I¡¯d like you to do it for me.¡± In order to not get them dirty she took off the clothes on her upper body and sat down on a chair as I looked into Miduchi¡¯s eyes. It seems her intention is strong. ¡°You¡­But, if that¡¯s what you want then I¡¯ll do it.¡± Just in case I thought and gouged out my left arm. Then quickly used the spell {Regenerate}..since I haven¡¯t practiced it very much it took close to 1 minute. No, even like this I practiced it around 50 times. Along with the activation of the spell the flesh from the wound on my left arm swelled up as we watched and returned to completely clean skin. Though it¡¯s dirty with blood. Oh~ ouch. I immediately used {Cure All} on myself consecutively for the sake of stopping the pain. Seeing my left arm Miduchi smiled just a bit and nodded. ¡­ CH 231 Year 7446, Month 4, Day 28 In front of the fence that surrounds the house there¡¯s a large stable and on the other side of there¡¯s plaza that also acts as the training place for the squires. Even further in on the other side of the plaza is three storehouses that have been there since before I was born. From a position where we can see the plaza on the left side of the stable is the main building of the house that hasn¡¯t changed at all. In the back of the main building there should be the small storage room that I lived in for a period connected to it. Beyond that in between the storehouses and storage room is a bit of a plaza and that acts as the training place for the squire children under 10 years old to swing their swords. How nostalgic. ¡°What the, if you¡¯re going to come home you should say something. We haven¡¯t prepared anything.¡± Brother said that while smiling and welcoming me. It seems when he was patrolling around in the village he caught sight of us and came running back on his horse. He detoured around the gate of the house and waited for us. ¡°Sorry, brother. But, I wanted to return once now while I still could. There¡¯s something I want to talk to father and mother about as well.¡± I exchanged greetings with brother while putting my horse into the stables. People came out of the house as well. It¡¯s father and mother. The two of them were smiling. I left Angela to take off the harness while I approached my parents with big steps accompanied by Miduchi and Gwine. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from everyone. You¡¯re Chizumagurol-san right?¡± Mother smiled seeing Miduchi. She¡¯s grown a bit as well I see. ¡°Has this child been causing any trouble for you?¡± ¡°No way! I¡¯ve always been in his care. Also, the other day Shanleid-sama and Milhaia-sama even prepared armor for me..¡± ¡°It looks good on you..{Status Open}.¡± Mother took Miduchi¡¯s hand and smiled while checking her status. I guess it¡¯s no longer necessary, to introduce her. ¡°U..Umm, M..My name is Gullinel.Akdam. I¡¯m always in the care of Al-san~¡± ..Why are you biting your tongue. While we were exchanging harmonious greetings, an ear-splitting high voice echoed around ruining the atmosphere. ¡°Becky-sama!!!¡± It¡¯s the voice of a boy. ¡°Uwaa~n!! Big brother hit me seriously again~! I¡¯ll tell father on you!!¡± I made a bitter smile while asking my parents, ¡°Just now was that Zetto and Becky?¡± ¡°The first voice was Al. Those kids, no matter how many times we tell them they start doing make-believe practice matches all on their own. Unlike you kids they¡¯re hopeless prankster brats. No, I guess Mill was like that as well huh?¡± Father said while shrugging his shoulders. Al? Al is..Ailad huh! Come to think of it he was the same age as Zetto and Becky. Though I say that they should still be 6 years old. Have they already started training with the sword? Ah, No, in the past, since I said great-grandfather gave advice around when Mill was 5 years old, so I guess they¡¯re still continuing that¡­Isn¡¯t that my fault. ¡°Sister was intense but I think she properly obeyed the things she was told.¡± Remembering my respected older sister¡¯s pitiful chest I felt just a bit bad so I defended her. ¡°Father-in-law, mother-in-law, I¡¯m truly very sorry..¡± Sister-in-law Shani was making an apologetic expression while lowering her head deeply. She must be feeling responsibility. Come to think of it I remember hearing that when sister-in-law Shani was in the knight group she was quite arrogant as well. That, isn¡¯t it sister-in-law¡¯s genes? I can hear the breathing from the horses that were pulling the carriage. We were forgetting about the congestion of the three carriages we left near gate. We keep the carriages parked in the area between the stable and the fence. The squires were making bitter smiles. After lowering her sister-in-law starting leading the horses and carriages. Since the carriages were almost completely empty, while we were standing around right near the entrance of the gate the squires were untying the carriages from the horses. A carriage that¡¯s close to empty can be pulled with just human power. Asking the squires that started putting the horses in the stable, Angela who finished putting away the harnesses came forward and knelt in front of my parents to greet them. ¡°It has been a while, great master.¡± Father calmly nodded as Angela turned to mother to greet her as well. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, great madam. I¡¯m my master Alan Greed-sama¡¯s combat slave, Maruso.Angela. Pleased, to meet you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t humble yourself that much in our household. I¡¯m Shirley. Shirley.Greed. Call me Shal.¡± However, Angela just said, ¡°I understand.¡± without changing her posture and then stood up as politely as possible before taking one step behind me while keeping her head lowered without making eye contact. Umu, that¡¯s good, Angela. It¡¯s a greeting that shows you¡¯ve properly been disciplined. Mother is saying something like that but it¡¯s not that sort of problem. As expected of her having spent several years by my side. Mother might just be a madam that lives in a remote region now but in the past she was in a position where she was the grandchild of Duke Sandak in the capital. She should be used to seeing slaves that were properly disciplined. Father is nodding to himself as well. ¡°..Nn? I guess it¡¯s just a bit big huh¡­Well, I guess that¡¯s just right for now..¡± Father whispered while looking at me. Excluding the fact that the new model of rubber protectors that sister-in-law Shani brought were just a bit big, they fit perfectly on my body. Just in case I also brought along my old suit as well. Since my old protectors were a just right match to the physique of Jesu (Jesutasu.Manzokki), I took his sizes intending to request some small adjustments. ¡°That¡¯s right! Thanks, father. This armor, I really like it.¡± I forgot to say thanks to father for treating me to the protectors I received. Even though it should have been the first thing I said. ¡°Nn..It looks good on you. By the way, what¡¯s going on today? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Ha ha, it¡¯s not like anything has happened but it was just stopping by for a bit when I came to fulfill a promise¡­Also, some boots, I thought I¡¯d like to make some proper ones for all of my allies and slaves¡­That¡¯s right, it¡¯s about this though. Ah, Yeah, I¡¯ll convey the improvements for them and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll take a reasonable amount of labor but I think they could be sold for a high price as a new type of military boots. A shoe maker, you hired one right¡­Also, I saw Kerry¡¯s wife¡¯s armor last year but I thought that model might be good for adventurers as well. I thought if I used this Angela, since she¡¯s a Dog-person, she might be just right for making adjustments to the model.¡± ..I can¡¯t trick them with this sort of excuse. ¡°..Right now, we¡¯re stepping foot on the 8th floor on the dungeon in Baldukk¡­And, we¡¯ve got good prospects for making it to the 9th floor. However, whether or not we can make it, whether we can surpass his majesty George Rombert the First or not, I don¡¯t know. It feels like it¡¯s just~ a bit dangerous as well. I intend to take responsibility and protect my allies and slaves with all of my power. I won¡¯t let even a single person die. Of course, I have no intention of dying even more so. But..But, I just wanted to see everyone¡¯s faces once more now when I could.¡± Mother¡¯s hand twitched as if she was going to embrace me. But, she pulled it back right away. ¡°Rebekkana..Hey~ why are you that strange color?¡± This brat~! Don¡¯t say things like that to my woman, she¡¯ll get depressed! Faster than I could reflexively glare at Becky sister-in-law who was in between the two kids slapped Becky. As expected of a Webdos Knight. That was beyond just having fast hands. ¡°Hey!! What kind of things are you saying this child!! Apologize to Miduchi-san!!¡± ¡°Bugyaaa~!! I..I¡¯m schhai~ii~! I¡¯mmsshowwry! U~uu¡­hikku¡± ¡°No..No way! It¡¯s fine! I don¡¯t mind it! It can¡¯t be helped..I¡¯m sure you were surprised right? I¡¯m sorry for surprising you, Rebekkana-chan.¡± Miduchi was the one who got a lot more flustered and she quickly ran over to Becky to wipe her tears as with a handkerchief as she cried in a loud voice. Father, mother, and brother all apologized to Miduchi as well. Even Sonia who prepared the food and was bringing it ended up doing her job with an apologetic face. Zetto was peeking out from behind sister-in-law Shani¡¯s back to get a better look as it was his first time seeing a dark elf. I couldn¡¯t do anything but make a bitter smile on my own but honestly speaking, I felt a bit sorry as well. After the uproar calmed down, we properly exchanged greetings and everyone sat down at the table. After all it seems that Zetto and Becky were curious about the dark elf as they were glancing at Miduch occasionally. Every time Miduchi noticed she would smile. Sorry about that. At the very least I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t a good feeling. While having dinner(obviously it wasn¡¯t anything luxurious but it seems the menu was improved quite a bit) we talked about various things. About sister, our adventures in the dungeon, and then baldoggie. It seems that the baldoggie father ate when he came last year was conveyed with quite a bit of exaggeration added to it. This time, we had sister-in-law eat it as well but she made just a slightly complicated face, even then she said it was good but I still felt something was a bit strange, so that¡¯s what it was. It seems Zetto and Becky got used to Miduchi while we were having dinner and they started badgering her for stories about the dungeon and Baldukk. By the time we realized it the time had passed 6 pm. It seems that today is the day for women to enter the bath so sister-in-law Shani told the kids(In Bakuddo up until they formally started training with the sword or farm work at 7 years old, both boys and girls are put into the baths every day) to go and get ready to enter the baths and invited mother and Miduchi as well. Miduchi was looking forward to the baths as well so obviously there¡¯s no way she¡¯d turn it down. Becky seemed to want to go to the baths while holding Miduchi¡¯s hand so Miduchi happily held her hand as they left. Probably Gwine and Angela should be going to the baths about now as well. There¡¯s no way Gwine would miss her chance at the baths and I already told them that in Bakuddo even slaves enter the baths so Angela shouldn¡¯t hold back either. After father, brother, and I took showers in order, we were drinking some alcohol. ¡°Are Zetto and Becky properly using magic?¡± Close 1.5 years has passed since the two of them started magic training. Zetto¡¯s MP is 318 and Becky¡¯s MP is 330 with just a small difference but judging from the fact that they have a considerable amount I can already tell they¡¯re training properly. It seems Zetto can use earth and water while Becky can use fire, water, and wind. Their skill levels have already reached 3. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re doing well. They have a high amount of mana after all. Their growth is fast as well.¡± Brother said that while nodding. ¡°It¡¯s good that the two of them seem to be blessed with talent. We¡¯re properly having them train with the sword as well. If it¡¯s possible then we¡¯d like for both of them enter the first knight group.¡± Father said that in a good mood while tilting his alcohol cup filled with premium vodka I bought in the capital. CH 232 Year 7446, Month 4, Day 29 ¡°Did we make you wait?¡± Myun said a bit apologetically. ¡°No, since we didn¡¯t specify a time. We were the ones who came early just in case so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I use the spell {Light} on the rock I had in my hand lighting up the area before taking another look at Myun. Myun is smiling with both of her hands on Ailado¡¯s shoulders. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. In the day he has to do patrols and look after the training of the squires after all..I guess he can only find time late at night like this. Year 7446, Month 4, Day 30 The next morning, soon after having breakfast mother threw Zetto and Becky into the lord¡¯s office room on the second floor in order to start magic training. It seems she wanted hear various stories from Miduchi and I but I said we can talk about that sort of stuff as much as she likes afterwards and had her do the magic training. During that time we went out to do some running and when we returned we showed sister-in-law Shani the spells {Predict.Weather} and {Detect.Life}, and brother the spell {Divination}. Sister-in-law Shani has aptitude with all elements of magic and her mana is just a bit higher than normal. Her skill levels including void magic were all level 4 and not very high(Since they¡¯re on the level of a full-fledged magician taking her age into consideration you could say they¡¯re decently high). In regards to brother he has more mana than Miduchi. Even at longest if he practices for a few days he should be able to sue it. However, I told him he should make this into a trump card. Additionally I captured a random frog and showed off the spells {Flesh.To.Stone} and {Remove.Petrification} as well. Incidentally, leaving brother and I who took showers to the side, Gwine and Angela came in the morning to invite Miduchi to the baths. In order to get off the sweat a shower is plenty but once you¡¯ve entered a bath. Today the squires that work on manufacturing rubber products are participating as well. The commoners and slaves who don¡¯t have a role as squires continue manufacturing the rubber products¡­Huh? Was the training of Bakuddo¡¯s squires always this easy? In the past I had the image of it being insanely harsh but¡­ ¡°It seems you¡¯re unsatisfied.¡± Brother made a bitter smile while talking to me. ¡°No, not particularly, that sort of thing is..¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just you. If I look at everyone¡¯s faces I can tell. Don¡¯t put us together with first-rate adventurers who are challenging the dungeon everyday.¡± Brother shrugged his shoulders and raised his voice putting some fighting spirit into the squires. ¡°Hey, Whitney! You¡¯re posture no good! Al is laughing! In the past, didn¡¯t you teach Al the sword!¡± I¡¯m not laughing¡­ Even Gwine and angela who were the weaker members of the {Slaughterers} almost always gained complete victory against the squires. Of course, in terms of technique in using the spear or sword it self the squires are better. However, when it comes to the sharpness of thrusts and the control of body weight when switching from sweeps into attacks Gwine¡¯s tactics seem to have increased. Angela was being Angela as well, if she just goes on the defensive she¡¯s absurdly strong. Also, she¡¯s skilled at cooperating with the partner she teams up with and can skillfully break the opponents posture making it easier for that partner to attack. While holding a wooden sword on guard I called out to brother. After all brother was strong. Recently, even when in practice matches I rarely take any attacks. Very rarely it¡¯s at the level of being hit by Zenom¡¯s axe and even that¡¯s when there¡¯s more opponents and when the setting is that I¡¯m alone protecting the rear. Even though that¡¯s the case, in this short period of time brother¡¯s wooden sword directly hit me. Even though it was one on one¡­Of course, almost all of mine, the attacks I made in which I was trying to hit landed but brother¡¯s level is only 11. I¡¯ve continued with my running as much as possible and I haven¡¯t neglected live combat either. Confessing it and one on one as long as the opponent isn¡¯t a monster, I even think I wouldn¡¯t take a direct hit so easily. Of course, I wasn¡¯t letting my guard down from self-conceit either. There¡¯s no way I could let my guard down with that brother as the opponent. As proof of that other than that one hit I was able to either evade or parry them. Of course, not just Miduchi who was observing on the side, but Gwine and Angela were surprised as well. Around three years ago, the only one who saw the practice match against the first knight group was Angela but it seems even she thought I wouldn¡¯t take any attacks from brother with my growth. Most likely, brother is making use of all of his ability levels. In addition to a natural talent with body balance and great effort that has never stopped he¡¯s making every bit of his bodies potential ability his own. Through training, I wonder if he¡¯s reached the realm of being able to freely remove the brains limiter on his power through willpower? No, Well, if you look at it objectively you still can¡¯t say anything but that it was overwhelmingly my victory. However, at the same time I understood that I still have plenty of room to grow greatly as well. It¡¯s proof that starting with {Hyumu}¡¯s the people of Orth, through talent, and depending on how they do it willpower and concentration, can pull out the potential of their bodies to their very limits. Year 7446, Month 5, Day 1 In the morning the base of everyone¡¯s boots was completed. Just as expected of someone dragged out by brother, the shoe maker Baru was quite fast at doing his job, a skilled artisan. Gwine and Angela¡¯s protectors are almost completely already and just have several adjustments remaining. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to depart the village tomorrow. When it comes to the rubber armor itself it¡¯s fine if we just wear it and the only real baggage we have is the boots. If we just hang a big bag from the saddlebag it should be fine. Even then if it gets difficult then it¡¯s just a matter of us taking turns getting off the horse and running. At the very least if we make it back to Doritto then the roads get quite a bit better after all. CH 233 It couldn¡¯t be helped so we copied her as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Since I¡¯m a squire..In the knight group the visitors who stop by receive the same treatment.¡± Obviously~ I already knew that they wouldn¡¯t become something like a true knight in just four years. It can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Now then, shall we at least do introduction before Kuro returns? Yeah. Everyone, she is Mary, Marissa.Binsil. She¡¯s supposedly still a squire so a Free Person I guess?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Marissa.Binsil a squire of the Marquis Webdos Knight Group.¡± Mary stood up with a firm posture and introduced herself like a soldier. ¡°I said it before but she might look like this but formerly she was an old lady just a bit younger than I was. Don¡¯t forget your respect for the elderly.¡± I said it like a joke but Mary glared at me with terrifying expression. ¡°Something like our previous ages don¡¯t matter at all! Since I¡¯m 18 years old now. Rather than that quickly introduce us.¡± ¡°Yeah, looking from your left is Miduchi. Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mary-san. I¡¯m Midu~ritto.Chizumagurol. Just as you can see I¡¯m a dark elf. I¡¯ve dyed my hair but if I remove the dyes it¡¯s completely black. Since it seems this person has been in your care, thank you very much.¡± Miduchi said that while taking a step forward and stretching her right hand out to Mary. Mary grabbed that hand and shook it but it seems she was a bit overawed by Miduchi¡¯s skin color. ¡°..It..It¡¯s nice to meet you¡­I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my first time meeting a dark elf and..That is¡­Also, this person?..¡± ¡°Yeah, there was a bit of a relation in the pa¡±I¡¯m his wife.¡±we still aren¡¯t married.¡± Hearing our words Mary made a slightly cheerful face saying, ¡°You too..¡± and smiled while looking at Miduchi¡¯s face. ¡°After that the dwarf in the middle is Gwine. Gullinel.Akdam.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mary-san. I¡¯ve heard stories about you from Al-san. I¡¯m Gullinel.Akdam. I¡¯m the same as Al-san and Mary-san as well.¡± ¡°I thought that might be the case. That¡¯s a lovely beard.¡± Mary brought Gwine¡¯s beard into the topic. Since she¡¯s popular right now you shouldn¡¯t touch on that topic. I sat down on the sofa and opened my mouth. ¡°Mary. Sorry about suddenly coming to ask for you. It¡¯s been four years since then. I wanted to hear your response. Since I also had some business returning to my parent¡¯s house, I stopped by on the occasion.¡± ¡°..¡± Mary was just looking intently at me with her mouth shut. ¡°I said it before but no matter what the conclusion you¡¯ve come to, I won¡¯t resent you.¡± I wonder if it¡¯s a reply that¡¯s difficult to say? and thinking that I made it easier for her to say. In the worst case, if she doesn¡¯t want to join us then it¡¯s unfortunate but can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll just have to think that our connection was weak and there¡¯s no choice but to give up ¡°for now¡±. Of course it¡¯s nothing to get angry over either. ¡°It seems you¡¯re said to be the number one adventurer in Baldukk right now. In just a mere four years, it¡¯s quite something.¡± After all is she going to turn it down? First off I guess I¡¯ll quietly listen huh? ¡°Until the other day we went to subjugate a {Horned Bear} in Buraizu. It happens about once a year right. These sorts of things. We went once last year as well but that time no one died. But, this time even two people died..¡± It might just be my imagination but I felt like the tone of Mary¡¯s voice dropped a bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t see one of them but the other one died right in front of my eyes. Their head was sent flying from a single hit of the {Horned Bear}. It was a child that was still 17 years old.¡± Everyone was quietly listening to Mary¡¯s voice. ¡°People die so easily right. I¡¯m sure you already know but last year we went to the war as well. Kuro and I were both sent around to guard the provisions so it¡¯s not like we directly crossed blades with the army of Devas, but even from our knight group there were a number of casualties. There were people who were saved even with serious injuries but three people died. I thought it was scary.¡± But, you didn¡¯t quit right? I remembered Mary¡¯s face when she said, ¡°I¡¯ll show you I can make use of this chance.¡± ¡°In our knight group you know, it¡¯s turned into a legend.¡± Ah? ¡°Your older brother. Lord Farnestan.Greed. He entered at 14 years old and received investiture as a true knight at 16 years old then went to his first battle. There he made some great achievements. He¡¯s a hero who after that he threw away advancement and everything else to marry the commander¡¯s daughter as if he was kidnapping her and returned to his home town. The Black Eagle of Webdos. The commander brags about him all the time as well.¡± Hmm. ¡°Your older sister Milhaia.Greed joined the first knight group just before 15 years old. She became a true knight in a mere three years. Obviously even in our knight group she¡¯s an amazingly famous person. It seems her skill with the sword is quite something as well but what¡¯s frightening is her high skill level as a magician. The Black Witch. Even in the war just a while back it¡¯s to the point where she participated in the war deliberation as the young age of 21 years old. The commander was bragging about her as well.¡± What is it? ¡°And then you. Alan.Greed. In just four years you¡¯ve become the number one adventurer of Baldukk. It seems there¡¯s no one who doesn¡¯t know you in that area. Simultaneously you¡¯re the founder and company president of Greed Company. It seems you¡¯re doing well getting along with Webdos Company without fighting them right.¡± Hearing Mary start listing out us siblings personal history in a quiet tone of voice, it was a way of speaking as if she was only pointing out the facts, but it was somewhat unamusing. ¡°You know. We gave it our best as well. When we entered the knight group, putting aside you, since everyone already knew about your brother and sister after all. Ah, I see. I thought that Al was the little brother of some amazing people. Even though I had actually seen your magic and sword right. I realized it once again.¡± Before I noticed it Mary was facing down sniffling. ¡°Putting aside Kuro, I didn¡¯t know a single thing about how to hold the spear. I was always getting hurt somewhere. But, Kuro and I encouraged eahc other. At first we were saying we¡¯d become true knights in two years like that..Before we realized that became three years, and four years, and stretched out..¡± It was then that we heard the sound of a knock on the door. Mary asked, ¡°Kuro?¡± while asking the identity of the person at the door at the same time as it opened, and a man with shortly cut hair and darkened skin burnt from the sun entered the room. It¡¯s Kuro. ¡°Sorry about that. I was out for a bit. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while.¡± After finishing up introductions again Kuro sat down next to Mary. ¡°How far had you talked?¡± Kuro asked. I changed the answer by just shrugging my shoulders. ¡°Mary you know. Is just a bit {nervous} right now. Have you heard about the incident last week?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems that a squire passed away right in front of her eyes?¡± ¡°Nn..Just that huh? That squire who passed away right in front of her eyes, was a junior that she was taking good care of. And because of that she was a bit shocked..¡± Hmn, so that¡¯s how it was? ¡°Please excuse me. I¡¯ll take over the discussion. Saying it simply. It¡¯s saying something selfish, but another two, no, please wait one more year. We had intended to have given our best quite a bit but after all for the daughter of a restaurant and a failed adventurer that is..during the first year we were basically not able to do anything. It took two and a half years just to be able to have a proper practice match against the other squires. After all the types of people who entered the knight group were those who had trained since they were little..we were no match for them.¡± I¡¯m not in a hurry so that¡¯s particularly fine but¡­ ¡°Is it fine to take that as meaning you¡¯re going to join me as adventurers one year later?¡± ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right. I said I¡¯d definitely return the favor right?¡± Kuro smiled while saying that. Kuro and Mary just turned a bit red. How amazing my reading~ ¡°No, as expected a ring is..I just went out to buy something we needed.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s suspicious how the two of you turned red~ look, look~¡± Gwine was looking at his hand as well. ¡°No, that is, isn¡¯t it fine. It¡¯s something I received from Al in the past. There¡¯s quite a few stores that sell them in Keel after all.¡± So it was condoms. Gyafun. CH 234 Year 7446, Month 5, Day 11 We arrived at the town of Ramudokku before the day ended. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. On the northern road a bit closer to Mount Board that¡¯s right along the border to Viscount Yoraizu¡¯s territory, we passed through the villages scattered along the Board mountains. On our journey to Bakuddo we had heard that orks appear on this road, since it would be troublesome to get ambushed, we decided to completely detour around Mount Board as we advanced down the road going North through the western part of Viscount Yoraizu¡¯s territory. There are some highs and lows of the mountain road but the elevation isn¡¯t all that different. The saddlebags on our two war horses are stuffed full with everyone¡¯s boots, the leather armor Gwine and Angela were wearing on the journey out, as well as blankets and such. While swaying on horseback as Miduchi and I sit in the rear position we were holding the rucksacks with change of clothes and such in them. Just from a glance it¡¯s not as if we don¡¯t look like a small scale peddler but if they see four people wearing what appears to be metal armor and heavily armed, there¡¯s no way we would be attacked by thieves so easily. We arrived at Winro village in the evening but other than seeing some goblins in the distance the same as usual along the way there wasn¡¯t any particular problem. The population of the village is about 600 and it¡¯s like one size bigger than Bakuddo. Obviously there¡¯s no inn. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. In the middle, ¡°To Samisshu, Kaburokku Village, 7 hours.¡± In terms of size there was plenty for four people eat their fill. However, thinking about the portion for tomorrow morning and it¡¯s not quite enough. ¡°That¡¯s a considerable price..The firewood and fodder was 2,000 as well.¡± Miduchi made a bitter smile while giving Gwine the copper coins she paid in advance. ¡°By the way, can we talk for a bit? I heard something that bothered me a bit but¡± Gwine lowered her voice as she started talking. ¡°It seems there was a Saint named Peggy-sama in this area. Somehow it seems she¡¯s able to heal diseases and injuries through the miracles of the God of the Ground, Nigiwa. I thought it was just healing magic anyways and tried asking that but supposedly it¡¯s different..it gives off light when she¡¯s healing it seems but it wasn¡¯t the blue spell light, but a white light.¡± ¡°What..¡± There¡¯s no culture for idol worship on Orth. The sole thing close to that is the temple, but even that is closer to the places local deities of Japan are said to be enshrined and customarily not something you pray to. Let alone, there¡¯s nothing like a small shrine in each household that you pray towards while speaking some chant or prayer either. In reality there might actually be something like that somewhere but I¡¯ve never heard of anything like it even once up to now. ¡°That is~ certainly a Japanese person I¡¯m sure¡­However, a cross and Nanmaida~ indeed. It¡¯s probably the words Namuamidabutu mispronounced though, I wish they would have came up with something a little bit better right. Putting that aside I¡¯m going to go and listen to the story as well.¡± I wonder if that Peggy-sammy or Magaretto-sama or whatever is trying to make a religion? Through magic and Unique Abilities it¡¯s probably not difficult to show something like the miracles of God. Particularly when it comes to that shining hand or whatever if it¡¯s not the usual blue spell light then there might be a lot of people deceived by it. If someone actually had their disease or injury healed there then I think an overwhelming number of people might believe in it. While think about things like that I picked a random, even then a decently constructed house that seems like that of a commoners and asked if the family would sell some kind of food to me. I was allowed on to the dirt floor so it seems that means wait there. I could hear a praying voice with a weird accent saying ¡°Nanmaida~ Nanmaida~¡± from further in the house. I wonder if it¡¯s because it¡¯s dinnertime, it seems they¡¯re praying before meals as well. When the madam returned with some bread, I tried asking ¡°What in the world was that voice?¡± and she easily replied, ¡°It¡¯s a prayer of gratitude towards Peggy-sama.¡± I handed her the copper coins she requested while asking about Peggy-sama and she told me the same sort of things I heard from Gwine. ¡°She was a very sacred being. She travels this land, a very grateful being who brings the miracles of God to the surface.¡± is what she said. It seems they¡¯re doing a good job at tricking them. I never even considered trying to become the founder or apostle or whatever for a religion. There¡¯s some pretty quick witted people in the world. Somehow I felt like I might be able to get along with them. In some cases religion exhibits immense power inciting the common people. If it¡¯s really someone excellent then depending on negotiations it might even be good enclosing them in the future. If there¡¯s a doctrine or whatever then I can¡¯t say anything until I investigate that but if it¡¯s an advantage to the political side or seems like it can be changed to be an advantage then it might be worthwhile to adopt it as the state religion of my country. Though I say that, it seems that Saint-sama appeared in the past few years and not to mention at the time there were suddenly some rumors going around but after that things calmed down. Around the time they were forgotten, it seems she came to the village stating she was the reincarnation of the Divine Mother of the Land Nigiwana and a Saint. And then gratefully distributed crosses purified by that Saint-sama herself for just the cost it seems. I said I would definitely love to see it and had her show it to me, ¡¾Oak Wood, Magic Stone¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date: 4/12/7444¡¿ ¡¾Endurance: 7¡¿ ¡¾Effect: None¡¿ and that¡¯s what came out. I had expected, ¡°I¡¯m sure just the name of the materials will appear or at best it¡¯ll be displayed as a cross.¡± but I was so surprised I thought I might fall over. It has a name attached to it!? That means it underwent the naming ceremony at a temple. In that case the price of 30,000 Z is too cheap though. And, in other words I can think of several possibilities. 1. They really got it named at the temple and they¡¯re selling those cheap. In that case they would be suffering some considerable losses on every one of them so no matter what the case this is unlikely. Though I say that, there is the possibility that through some reason they have a price reduction on the naming ceremony at a temple. It¡¯s difficult to imagine though. 2. There¡¯s a different Japanese person among the attendants and that person used their Unique Ability to do naming or made it. In terms of possibilities I think it¡¯s the highest one? Though I feel like it might be different from naming. 3. They know of a special way of making things with these sorts of status. They founded a religion in order to make effective use of that. Well I can¡¯t deny it. A magic stone is used in it after all. It¡¯s probably one of those. Or it might be a combination. For example there¡¯s the possibility it¡¯s a combination of 1 and 3 as well. If they already knew the special construction first then they can pay less for the naming ceremony charge or something, it¡¯s also possible they know something that I don¡¯t as well. Probably not though. Whatever the case on this Orth where no religion-like religion exists, it¡¯s quite the intelligent method. I¡¯m sure right now they aren¡¯t profiting much at all but if they continue to spread out their influence and even the lords of villages and towns join it, then they might even be able to expand their influence by taking in the Viscount Yoraizu family. If they can skillfully control them and make them into a puppet on the outside they could seem like a normal small country, and in essence, it ¡°might¡± be possible to found a religious state. Even if they can¡¯t make the Viscount into a puppet, with the brain of a former Japanese person they should be able to succeed at profiting a decent amount from it with a reasonably success rate if they take their time with it. ..However, it seems that right now they¡¯re planting the seeds. If I try searching for them it might stand out in a bad way and cause trouble for that Saint-sama. Even in my case while I have a reasonable amount of leeway in time on the journey this time, I don¡¯t have enough to spare wandering around Viscount Yoraizu¡¯s territory searching for someone who¡¯s whereabouts I have no idea on. If I at least had some definite information on their whereabouts then it wouldn¡¯t have been bad to and try to at least get a look at their face now while I can though¡­ I discussed it with Miduchi but just as I expected, she said that even if we meet now there probably wouldn¡¯t be much of a plus to it. If they¡¯ve already continued these sorts of plain propagation for several years then the chances of them abandoning that to join us as adventurers are low and on the contrary it might give the other party the suggestion that they have a future rival as well. We came to the conclusion that at the very least until I have my own territory to look after there isn¡¯t any harm in leaving them be. If we¡¯re going to meet it would be best after I have a decent amount of authority. If it¡¯s possible then suddenly appearing in front of them after that and taking them in without giving them a choice would be best. If they intend to oppose us then we¡¯ll get to that when we get there. Hmn, if that¡¯s the case then I¡¯ll need to be even more careful than ever with what territory I purchase~ On the Dirt Plains the areas that are adjacent to Devas has four territories lined up and they¡¯re all Royal Territories. There four Count¡¯s are stationed as governors and manage them. Excluding the one farthest to the East, the other three all seem to be obeying the King of Rombert. The one farthest to the East has their territory connected to the something or other Marquis or Duke, an influential noble in Devas, so it seems to be at a considerable disadvantage. As proof of that several years back they lost in quite the flashy way and it seems their area of influence has been reducing since. I was told that as long as I pay the money any of the remaining three are fine, but of the three the one in the center is excluded from the candidates from the start. If we were looking from how fertile the land is then it¡¯s the two in the center and on the East but thanks to that there¡¯s a lot disputes. Assuming there¡¯s disputes 10 times, 5 of those will be concentrated on the center one it seems. As expected even if I make that sort of land a candidate it would be pretty harsh so the King didn¡¯t really recommend it either. I¡¯m sure from the King¡¯s standpoint he¡¯d like me to give it my best for at least 10 years or so. Well, things around there I¡¯ll think about later~ and probably mention as well. In any case, I should be satisfied with the fact that we were able to gain information on the reincarnated person named Peggy that is calling them self a Saint. Investigation is fine later on. I¡¯m sure this Saint-sama will continue to grow after this after all. If I think about the money and labor requires for the investigation then the current information is just a bit better than nothing. Though if I have the chance to directly meet them and use Identify I¡¯ll aim for it. No~thing. Year 7446, Month 6, Day 4 We quickly passed through Viscount Yoraizu¡¯s territory and started going North through the various small Royal Territories governed by emerging and high ranking nobles before arriving at Baldukk. It was a big harvest that we were able to gain information on what appears to be a reincarnated person and the biggest harvest was that we were to get precise mapping information on the roads. I feel a renewed motivation as the outer crater enters my sight. CH 235 ..Even I didn''t know half of those consoles..and I owned the other half. Next chapter in 4-8 hours. CH 236 Center of the 8th Floor Year 7446, Month 6, Day 4 This time I''m accompany the {Exterminators}. We entered the dungeon on June 9th and left today but they precisely showed me they could clear the 3rd floor on the first day. Just as I had heard starting from the next day there were some struggles that could be seen on the 4th floor but I think there''s largely no problem. Just as was reported excluding Ginger and Hisu since a lot of their members don''t have much experience in the dungeon I guess, they were indifferent to the traps in the good meaning and that''s believed to have lead to a speed up on their end. Though in exchange for that, they were considerably careful and cautious with the combat. The reason for that is believed to be that there were no magic users other than Rodrick and Mekku excluding the leader. In other words, the number times they can use healing spells is low, is what it means. Well, when I first split up the teams, I already talked a lot about this point with Kamu. Since it leads to a stronger tendency for the combat to drag out, as a result of that the number of people with injuries increases, so you could say that it''s easier for them to spend more time healing is a problem. However it''s believed that they''ve built up a bit more strength than the second-rates of Baldukk and at about the same level as half first-rate. Even though almost all of the members haven''t spent much time in the dungeon, you could say that these results are considerably ahead. As proof of that when I''m standing at the front leading, this time since the number of injuries in combat was decreased we were able to clear through the 4th floor in four hours and it was one day but we were able to step foot on the 5th floor as well. However, after all individual strength is a big problem. The experienced Ginger and Hisu have few chances to stand at the front bearing the full brunt of the monsters. They have no choice but to center things around Rodrick, Sanno, and Mekku who use shields but because they''re lacking in strength there were many close calls with the stronger monsters on the 5th floor. Especially when it comes to the monster rooms, even on the 4th floor if there isn''t a leader from the {Slaughterers} it''s probably too frightening to just watch. Yeah, for the time being they should accumulate experience on the 4th floor. .................. Year 7446, Month 6, Day 23 This time it''s the {Butchers}. Different from the {Exterminators} last time, I guess since excluding my combat slaves they have comparably more veterans, they have a strong tendency to fear traps. However, in regards to combat I can watch it with some peace of mind. The number of magicians itself is only two people and the same but their experience is different. Even when it comes to magic rather than focusing entirely on healing, they properly get in some attack spells when they see good chances to attack. It''s big that Misu can use spells from the rear and above all else the skills of Rokko the tank {Shield.Holder} are extremely high, you could say that the characteristic of this party is that they''re reliable. He''s using a shield but in terms of overall defensive techniques it might be better to say he''s on the same level as Zenom. That he''s not running is his own freedom so it doesn''t matter at all but I thought in some meanings this guy might be a prodigy. Though I say that, it might not be all that strange for guys like this to be all over the place in the top teams. If Rodrick or Sanno are able to reach this level then I think I could relax and watch the {Exterminators} a bit more though. Well, overall between the balance of caution and daring it would be good if it tilted a bit more towards daring. If the whoever comes from the {Slaughterers} isn''t Zulu or Angela then I''m sure they can even take on the {Frost Lizard} if they prepare to take some injuries. Probably unless they get considerably full of themselves I doubt it would reach the point of casualties. I want to think that the countless months of experience they''ve earned on the 1st floor would be useful here. A number of people leveled up as well. If it''s the {Butchers} then at a time in the not so distant future..if they properly gain experience for another year or so then the 6th floor might be good as well. If you were to ask which the objective of this is more for my combat slaves to gain experience. You could say they''re weighing them down after all. Though I say that even they''re still useful at the front line and as an attacker so at this point in time I have no intention of switching them out with Ginger and Hisu using holding them back as a reason. If they were to switch place I''m sure they could manage on the 6th floor as well but as expected I can''t permit the number of strings I have attached to them to be reduced in number. Even now I''m sure they could make it to the teleport crystal on the 5th floor. As expected clearing through both the 4th and 5th floors in one day is unreasonable but it''s plenty possible for them to carry supplies to the 5th floor. I was able to confirm them and I''ve already declared it as well. Now then, shall we start clearing the 8th floor. CH 237 Year 7446, Month 6, Day 30 CH 238 Next chapter in 3-6 hours probably. Year 7446, Month 6, Day 30 With my right hand still on the grip, trying not to make as much sound as possible, even then maintaining a reasonable speed I was sneaking up to the Minotaur. First off I should try to get into a position where it wouldn''t be able to see me and I''m an advantage but there''s already nowhere left to hide in this plaza that''s as bright as day. In terms of positions there''s the dirt walls of the 50 meter or so pillar and at the entrance to what is most likely the center teleport crystal, then what is probably a Minotaur monster should have it''s back to that entrance guarding it from about 3 meters away. I looked for a chance when it was looking around holding it''s battle axe and faced the other direction to throw the rock as far away from the entrance as possible. Hearing something hit the ground a bit of distance away the mino quickly turned back to the front and took a few steps that direction. As expected it was impossible to get it''s back completely facing over here but I can sneak up from it''s left back side. It''s stature is easily a head above 2 meters and it''s physique resembles the Hollywood action star from years back, Arnold.Schwarzenegger, with it''s bulging and brawny muscles that show off it''s strength. If it''s head was the same as Schwarzenegger like this, then it would be a double of his successful work, King of Barbarians. Still, even I can boast a reasonable body right now. Though in terms of height I''m barely at 180 cm. However, normally I think it''s intended to be surrounded with an entire party and beaten but unfortunately right now I''ve been split up from my party so I have to do something about this alone. My spell {Invisibility} already shouldn''t last that much longer. Right now about the only advantage I have is that up until just before I attack my body can''t be seen. In order to make the best use of that I''d like to ambush it from behind. I hurry as fast as I can using stealthy footsteps. If possible I''d like to get directly behind it and deal one stab through it''s heart(since it''s a humanoid I''m assuming it''s around the left chest but goblins and hobgoblins have hearts in the right side of their chest you know). Even if that''s not where it''s heart is I should be able to seriously injure it. If getting directly behind it is impossible then it''s fine as long as the first attack hits a blood vessel. Especially one that''s as thick as possible. It''d be ideal if I could slit it''s neck, groin, or sides but that''s a bit unreasonable. Another 10 meters. The mino is still observing the area where the rock fell. That''s good. Just like that don''t move. I''ll stab you in the left flank and gouge it out. If I have good luck it''ll be the kidney. Another 5 meters. The mino that was holding it''s battle axe on guard with both hands, let go with it''s left hand and stood straight up. So it intends to return to it''s original position? This is bad. If you''re going to turn around and return then face the direction with your back to me! But there''s another 3 meters. I line up the bayonet on my waist and enter the stance for a thrust before taking the last step forward. With a snap my body returned to normal from the invisibility. My hand that was holding the bayonet and feet that I couldn''t see until now entered my sight. Ei! To hell with it! Eat this!! Unfortunately the mino seems to be turning this direction to return to it''s original position. It ended up taking the shape of me charging into it from the front. However, the blade of my bayonet is already right in front of the mino''s stomach. I stabbed the blade into the base, twisted and gouged it before pulling it out. The mino''s eyes went wide at the sudden and unexpected attack. But, it''s face quickly twisted in rage as it let out a battle cry like "Vumooo~!!!" and lifted the battle axe with one hand before compactly swinging it. I jumped back with all of my power and avoided that attack. If I was even a moment late the axe probably would have wedged into my body straight through my left arm. My left arm would have been detached from the upper arm and my heart would have been destroyed I''m sure. I can feel a cold sweat run down my back. CH 239 Year 7446, Month 6, Day 30 CH 240 N.e.x.t.i.n.?..?..?.. CH 241 Next 4-8 hours. CH 242 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 1 Lured by the scent of their allies corpses being cooked around 30 Red Battle Crabs in total appeared. After using various spells to overcome the three wave attacks we all let out sighs in front of the mountain of stupidly huge crabs piled on top of each other. "We can''t bring them all back with us right.." Ralpha said as if she was disappointed from the bottom of her heart. Honestly speaking, I feel completely the same. It''s my first time eating a crab so huge that even one claw or leg was beyond what just one person could handle. It''s not so often that you can enjoy the luxury of eating your stomach full of genuine crab meat. Incidentally, the spell that was the most efficient at clearing through them was {Acid Cloud} but since the meat corrodes along with the shell our long awaited pray ends up becoming inedible so we rejected using it. The other Cloud type spells weren''t very effective and in the end didn''t even work for slowing them down. And then, even freezing them wasn''t very effective. It''s big that we can stop their movements but even if they''re completely frozen they stay alive for a considerably long time afterwards. Aren''t they not even barely breathing? Since it seemed like it would just take time we gave up on it. Even when we just froze their legs they started cutting off their legs partway through. Thinking it was fine I tried approaching one and was surprised when it suddenly cut it''s own legs and started moving. It''s dangerous right. The spell that showed it''s power among those was {Web}. After being caught up in a highly adhesive string when their movements dull Gwine and Basutoral would stab with their spears destroying their brains. In my past life, I made good use of my experience fishing for black porgy using small shore crabs like tank crabs or aburakani. The position of their brains was almost the same. The sole problem that could be called a problem is that the same as Cloud types the only ones who can currently use it are Miduchi and I but eventually Toris should be able to use it. The Red Battle Crabs we defeated using {Web} weren''t cooked or had their shells cracked or damages, so other than the hole in between their eyes where the spear stabs in they''re clean. If we carefully disassemble them then we should be able to get about three buckets worth of kani miso and everything in the world is great. If we cut off the claws or legs from the body and tie them all together then one person should be able to carry about one crabs worth of them. The body is too big so there''s no way to bring it along just like that. We decided to boil the kani miso before carefully taking out the contents and filling it into the shell of a claw that we took the insides out of before bringing it back with us. If we put some salt on it later and heat it up then we can deliciously eat it. It might be good to boil it a bit and reduce the water content by half before putting it into a bottle as well. If we leave it be for a few days then it''ll be ready to eat. It''s kani miso shiokara. I want some squid to go with it. Toris who was blinded by the kani miso forcefully took everyone''s flasks and packed those full of kani miso as well. I just wanted that while rolling the magic stones from the crabs in my hands while combining them into just one. After all, the value isn''t anything great. They''re only around 3,000 each. It''s still better than Gnolls or Goblin Zombies but it''s less than Orks or Hobgoblins. Now then, Toris should already be satisfied. "Alright, then let''s head back. Be careful since we have a lot of baggage." When I said that calling out to everyone, unusually Gwine raised her voice with an opposite opinion. "Since we''ve gone through the trouble of coming to the 9th floor, how about returning after taking a quick look inside of a monster room.." Oh? This beard-san sure is proactive today. In regards to our bags for the time being we could leave them in the surroundings of the teleport crystal and grab them when we return so there''s no problem on that end though. "Yeah, it wouldn''t hurt to just do that much right!" Ralpha jumped on that idea. With this I''ve made my decision. Let''s go back. CH 243 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 3 CH 244 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 3 CH 245 A couple more average chapters and then some interesting ones coming up soon. CH 246 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 6 A short while after we descended from the outer crater of Baldukk we took a break for lunch. Around 10 minutes after putting Baldoggie into boiling water. After they''ve gotten plenty hot we put them on some rolled bread with a slice in the middle along with mayonnaise, mustard, and sauerkraut, before handing one to each person. All of the newly purchased slaves ate as if they were devouring them. "Hey, don''t hurry and slowly eat it. There''s still some left." "If you''re hungry then there''s still seconds." "Oh, was the mustard too strong? Sorry about that. I''ll give you a new one." "You''re legs have started to hurt..here, it''s gotten a bit better right?" Zulu, Angela, Cathy, and Miduchi were heroically looking after the trouble of the children. John and Terry have already built up enough stamina that this level of march is nothing and they''re wearing rubber sandals so they were helping Giberuti make hotdogs and preparing the beans for tea. We make a deep bean tea and then after floating a lot of ice inside of it the ice tea is made, it''s the obvious choice for drinking in the summer. I was discussing with Basutoral the arrangement of the meat mincers in the factory. He must have given it his best to carefully draw it. He was showing me a layout plan of the factory while saying "I thought cleaning would be troublesome if we were to place them here or here." and I was nodding while listening before just saying, "That''s fine". We spent 5 hours crossing the roughly 10 km route with breaks in between and when we finally arrived at Greed Company in the capital it was past 3 pm. We already guessed that moving would take some time that''s why I was thinking of having everyone ride the passenger carriage but including Zulu all of my slaves said, "The start is crucial" so we did it this way. I see, if you all are going to say that then it can''t be helped, and making them walk was the mistake. All of the brats are worn out. Though John and Terry are fine. I guess because it''s hot out during this season, there was no one outside of the store. We stopped our horses and tied them up before entering the always open door. "Ah, president! Welcome!" Anna cheerfully greeted us while Hanna called out as well. Soon after Luke and Leila appeared to greet us. Both of them were covered in sweat and their hands were dirty as well. They must have been counting the inventory. It''s about time for the move so I told them to properly grasp the amount of inventory and make of list of it. "Luke, I prepared the slaves that will be working at the factory. Have you already found a good inn?" CH 247 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 8 In the morning, when I was having breakfast together with the Ryogu family and Basutoral couple we discussed things for the time being. First off, after I finish eating I''m returning to Baldukk right away. Next up we''re leaving Cathy towards the test operation of the factory next week. And then, at the end of this week we''ll just send back Giberuti from the dungeon and have him act as advisor to Cathy. "Starting tomorrow I''ll be in the dungeon for at least 10 days. Once I leave I''ll come by once to check on things." We''ll enter the dungeon again starting tomorrow(if the remaining members paid attention and have already finished buying the materials then it''ll be when we return today after taking a break around noon though) and it''s necessary to finish up making the 8th floor into base. "After that we''ll be going back into the dungeon again right away though. And then, around the time we leave..Umm, around three weeks later brother should come as well. Then since there''s a lot of things to do I think I''ll be staying over here for about one week." I told them my general plan. Furthermore, I gave out instructions to provide the slaves with rubber sandals and while discussing other fine details breakfast ended in no time at all. After that we returned to the store and after waiting for Zulu and the others who were eating with the slaves to come back we returned. When we went to depart and split ways Basutoral and Cathy kissed. How nice, being young. It feels bittersweet. "What are..you doing?" I said to Miduchi. Stop biting your finger. It''s shameful. The four other than Miduchi and I are riding the carriage we borrowed in Baldukk. With the Ryogu family and Cathy waving as they saw us off we left Rombertia. .................... Quickly returning we arrived at Baldukk just before 10 am. After returning the carriage and going to Boil Manor it was just as Zenom and Toris came back carrying a lot of bags. Oh~ they sure are helpful. "Welcome back, Al-san. We''ve already prepared all of the materials. If we just purchase the food then it''s all done. Bel and the others went to buy that stuff." "Nn..I see. Then I''m heading off to Murowa to discuss the matter with the cart. After everyone has gathered prepare the equipment and wait at the entrance plaza...Ah that''s right, Giberuti, take my armor from Miduchi and hand it to Zulu. Just have Zulu wait in the entrance plaza with it." After leaving my horse in the stables I gave instructions to Giberuti for just Zulu to remain while they all go ahead. "Everyone go ahead in the dungeon. There''s no need to wait for me along the way. We''ll meet at the teleport room on the 3rd floor." Hearing that Zenom and Toris immediately went to their rooms and started preparing their equipment. I need to give all of my equipment to Giberuti as well. I went to my room. "What are you..doing?" After entering my room when I was about to start gathering my equipment Miduchi followed me inside. "You''re going together with everyone as well. Quickly start getting your armor and whatever ready and go. Today we have a lot of luggage to carry after all. We''ll be starting late so it''s going to be a forced march." CH 248 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 8 Zulu and I, the two of us continue walking down the halls of the 2nd floor. "Recently, there''s been an increase in people like that right." "Yeah, ever since we went to the 8th floor..Right~" "They probably just want to get close to master for the fame but there''s no need to deal with them all so politely." "Hn..Well, I guess that''s true." "In the first place, that group from back there were just pretending to show interest in the armor like that.." "Yeah, they were saying "young mistress" or whatever." "Since their equipment was considerably good, I''m sure they have plenty of money. They were completely transparent." Though that can be said, even though that sir Nokkufyuri received investiture as a true knight of one of the kingdom''s knight groups, he was talking considerably politely towards someone with unknown background(it didn''t seem like he realized I was the president of Greed Company Alan.Greed after all) like myself. In some meanings it''s only obvious for a noble child who was properly raised from infancy, received plenty of education, and is aware of common sense but it felt a bit unusual for what could be considered a commoner that managed to win their rank. Judging from identify and the conversation it seems he received investiture from either the third or fourth knight groups. He was too young for the first knight group and it''s unlikely that he wouldn''t know about me. He said something like even the second knight group would be difficult so it must have been either the third or fourth knight groups. Since he''s at the level where he''s come to the dungeon he might be from the fourth knight group which has a large scale infantry and combat engineer squad. If it''s there then it''s not very strange for there to be a knight that retires at the age of 20. Ah, No, there are a lot of knights who originated as commoners in the fourth knight group but there''s also a lot that originated as slaves as well. It might have actually been the third knight group which is almost like a territory''s knight group made even larger scale, a lot of their duties involve in security and patrolling around in territories like police. Whatever the case, he was a Duke Rombert''s Knight. That title is something that only the knights in a knight group of a territory directly ruled by the King, Duke Rombert can receive. In other words, only the first to fourth knight groups with headquarters in the capital Rombertia or the knight group of Baldukk. Obviously the only knights of the Baldukk knight group(there''s at most around 100 true knights) that don''t know me would be newcomers so this is fine to exclude from the start. The Royal territories are largely divided into the territory of Duke Rombert which surrounds the Capital, the territory of Duke Ronbarudo in the North, the territory of Duke Baguweru in the Southeast, the territory of Duke Rondoru in the Southwest, and then there''s several other small ones. In essence the King owns of all of those noble Duke titles and while acting as the King just "loans" those titles of Duke to his children or close relatives of the royal family. Well, something like governors. He leaves the governing to those governors to govern(it''s a weird way of putting it though). And in each of the high ranking noble territories it''s only obvious but they have their own knight group. Obviously, since they''re only being "loaned" the territory and peerage so those knight groups belong to the King as well. The regional knight groups of Duke Rombert''s territory are close to a portion of the third and fourth knight groups as well as close to the knight group of Baldukk and the remaining knight groups are closer to a formal permanent army. Putting it simply the territory knight groups are like the National Reserve of the American Army and the four armies of Land, Sea, and Air as well as marines(excluding coastal defense units) are basically the first, second, third, and fourth knight groups. Though there''s nothing but a land army. The following is digressing a bit but other than the Royalty there''s about 5 Duke titles that exist. However, only 2 of those are "true Dukes" with a proper territory of their own and the rest are just nobles who have th qualifications and peerage but not territory, the so-called political nobles. My mother was a part of the branch family, the fourth daughter of the third son of Duke Sandak one of those political nobles. Just even if I say they "don''t have a territory" it''s normal for them to at least have one village or town. The representatives of the Northeastern area of the Royal territory are the territories of Marquis Goruttsu and Marquis Berittsu(obviously these two Marquis rankings are both owned by the King as well and just the same he has various Count and Viscount territories all over the place as well) but around half of the villages and towns under their affiliation are said to have been loaned to political nobles and the political nobles send a governor out to manage their own small territory. They live on the salary paid based on their duties or an annuity from the King as well as the taxes they gain as income from these territories they rule. CH 249 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 17 We killed the 9th Minotaur in total at almost the exact time we predicted of 9:00 in the morning. After all it was correct that they revive on an average cycle of 17 hours. To be more correct I think it''s just a bit longer than 17 hours. Ever since I returned Basutoral to the surface on the 13th about half of our spare time has been spent doing running around this room while also exploring it but we never encountered anything suspicious or any monsters. Just once shortly after defeating the Minotaur we teleported into the 9th floor and hunted some Red Battle Crabs but after that just in case we''ve always been keeping an eye on things as much as possible. Also, up until this day we discovered what could be called a place for the second shower room. In a place about 200 meters away from the pillar there was a rock that was nicely shaped like the character for ko and the center of that was close to flat so we were able to confirm that it could be used as a shower room right away after opening a hole there and bringing a bucket. Though it''s the second one, since the ventilation of the teleport room is bad, we''ll probably be using this one as our main shower. The reason we didn''t completely relocate was nothing more than a result of our experiments. If we move the pillars for the shower around 100 meters away from the teleport room then within one night the ropes we used to tie it start to loosen and come undone all on their own before collapsing. However, strangely enough for some reason the binding on the buckets doesn''t come off. Those will probably come off over a longer period of time. Also, it feels like when it comes to weapons or things with a lot of metal the amount of time until they break feels longer. They probably wouldn''t break for at least a few decades up to several hundred years. Through grasping those sorts of characteristics of the dungeon it could be said that the areas surrounding the pillar of the teleport room on the 8th floor are the ideal place for experimentation. Up until now we''ve always just relied on our intuition and it''s possible we could have assumed things based on the wrong impression. In testing we just tried making a simple rope with a knot it in and leaving outside and in just one night it had loosened quite a bit after all. The Durability of the rope itself through Identify hadn''t decreased. I guess that''s only obvious huh? Well, if we just close our eyes to the slight inconvenience of it we can have a shower in a bright and open place so it can''t be helped worrying too much about it. It''s that sort of thing and I''m sure there''s no choice but to accept it. Although, things like that we had established through observations since quite a while back so it was nothing more than reconfirming the results of those observations. However, we can''t just keep observing things in the dangerous halls so you could say it''s nothing more than being able to more accurately measure the time and change relationship over here. In any case, it was a big harvest just that we were able to get an almost perfect grasp on the revival cycle of the Minotaur and our base in the teleport room of the 8th floor has turned into something reasonably satisfying. Now then, first we''ll return Giberuti ahead of us and then after earning some from hunting ogres on the 7th floor shall we return as well? We''ll get dull from just running and doing the radio exercises that we could only vaguely remember. Training is necessary. .................... Year 7446, Month 7, Day 18 Now then, we''ve purchased a large amount of food so for the next week from here on out we''ll explore centering around the 9th floor. We didn''t earn much of anything last week (though even then we still made around 30,000,000 Z from the ogre magic stones), and we didn''t do much work at all so even if we go without days off this time it was welcome with arms in the air. However just Basutoral won''t be accompanying us this time and when we returned last night I had Giberuti follow after him towards the factory in the capital. We arrived at the 8th floor at our usual pace. We rested for one night and had breakfast, then went for a good two hour run with everyone. In regards to showering we used the second show room outside of the teleport room as well. And then for raising morale we beat down the Minotaur that revived at around 9:00 in the morning before grabbing the teleport crystal into the 9th floor. Now then, we''re going to start walking around the same as usual after this aiming to clear through the 9th floor! ......................... CH 250 Year 7446, Month 7, Day 24 After we discovered {Flame.Tongue} we also found {Big.Freezer} and large-size chandelier(it wasn''t very luxurious but it was considerably efficient as a lightning tool) magic tools. Putting aside the chandelier I hesitated a bit on what to do with the freezer. "But you know~ If we encounter another group of {Roze} again couldn''t we freeze the meat and store it." The glutton of the {Slaughterers} said that but "Did you forget how much the previous freezer sold for?" And that was said by her adoptive father. That''s right. It wasn''t even a large size one, just a normal 100 liter or so freezer sold for 200,000,000 Z. Even after paying the taxes and everyone''s bonuses it still left 130,000,000 Z remaining in my hands. It''s not like we have anything that we need to preserve for long periods in the months and we already have a large ice storage room in the sausage factory so we don''t particularly need it right. It''s only obvious we''re selling it. You can even buy ice in the tons for about 5,000 Z from any ice dealer after all. Tomorrow when brother and the others come it would probably be best to take advantage of that opportunity and carry it to the capital and take it into the mainstream company Duke Sandak manages to get rid of it. That evening we returned from the dungeon and after selling our magic stones I gave Gwine a two week holiday. The other members pulled lots on who would accompany the {Butchers} and {Exterminators}. Miduchi and Ralpha pulled the winning lots. The other members besides them get a holiday along with Gwine. The combat slaves are coming along with me to the capital around tomorrow when brother''s caravan should arrive. Ralpha was complaining about not getting a holiday but it was the fair result of pulling lots and in the first place it''s not like the combat slaves or I get a holiday either. After Toris and Bel pointed that out and Zenom smacked her in the head she finally was quiet about it. ..................... Year 7446, Month 7, Day 25 Just as planned brother arrived with three carriages along with Rasseg and the people of the Donneoru family. The current members of the Donneoru family are primarily Rasseg as the head, along with his wife Mili, and their 12 year old son Harris. Along with them the former head of the family, old man Rafitto, the four of them were moving here. Below Harris he had two siblings but his little brother died as a baby several days after birth and his little sister Sara is still 7 years old and young so they left her in care of Rasseg''s little brother Bosshu and Myun. That would mean she''s living together with her older cousin, their son Ailado. From my impression Sara was a considerably quiet and well-mannered child so while it''s just for two years it hurts my heart a bit splitting her apart from her parents. They arrived in Baldukk just around noon so we had some lunch together and then went to the capital just like that. If they had any space in the carriages I had intended to load various things on it but there was no space so I ended up having to borrow another carriage. It seems Zenom and Gwine intend to ride the carriage together with us to do some shopping in the capital. After arriving at the capital the Ryogu family were already well prepared and had made reservations at an inn for brother, the Donneoru family, and the others from Bakuddo. We took a short break and after confirming that the Donneoru family had started lowering their furniture I brought along my combat slaves as we went to sell the magic tool we found in the dungeon this time and then on our way back we stopped by the castle and I told a person of the first knight group that we would be making deliveries tomorrow and that I would report the fact that we cleared the 8th floor on that occasion. I''m sure the King doesn''t have that much free time so I doubt he would come out every time for something like this but if he has time to take a walk for a change of pace and I run into him it wouldn''t be bad to directly tell him about it. Well, I think he probably already knows though. Personally I just want to avoid the possibility of being questioned later on "Why didn''t you say anything". After that I also came along to show my face and see how things were going with the sausage factory. Since I let Basutoral and Giberuti return from the dungeon early they should be about finished with trial operations. The sensitivity the slaves have towards the work and what kind of reputation it has from just the trial run and what amount of stock we need up until next month, it''s important for Basutoral and Cathy to meet and discuss the details like that. It''s also necessary to talk to Rasseg and the others of the Donneoru family about what kind of troubles can be predicted in relation to the factory and the capital that might be necessary for that. We need to cover everything from getting their faces known, greetings, and handing over work duties in two weeks. I''m sure it''ll be a busy two weeks. CH 251 I could think of some other names but since it was Miduchi''s horse that one probably makes the most sense for those characters. The abbreviated name would probably just be "Tama". While Feeling Rejected Year 7446, Month 7, Day 26 Accompanied by his highness the Prince of Ronbarudo, Richard I returned to the room in the third citadel that was being used as a ground for taking body measurements but the inside of my head was busily working. The information I obtained from the King and Queen this time was considerably valuable. First off, that there''s(was) a guardian on each floor on the dungeon has been confirmed it seems. Next is the fact that after defeating the guardians a number of times they eventually stop reappearing. Is it with a feel like running out of stock? And then finally, all of the guardians have some sort of {Magic.Item}. However, this isn''t definite. It would be more correct to say that at least from the 6th to 8th floors the guardians had them. It seems that the 1st to 5th floors were defeated in the era before the founding King so that information is unknown and I can''t say anything about it. After that, it seems that the so-called wazamono equipment from the first guardian you defeat..is even named. In the case that it''s not a living thing, in regards to the temples naming of inorganic objects, first off you have to request an estimate on the cost from the priest or minister or whatever. After that if you accept it then you leave it with the temple for one night and the next day they''ll tell you the formal cost of naming it. It seems when it''s cheap it only costs several tens of thousands of Z but when it comes to expensive things they even end up charging tens of millions or several hundreds of millions as well. It seems that the closer the naming of the item gets to only in self-interest the more expensive it gets. Incidentally, the thresher I made when I was child had the name {Thresher} from the moment it was completed and when I tested out putting in a request for an estimate on the meat mincer which was coming up as {Brass.Craft} in Identify and Status Open to be named to {Mince.Maker} they requested 700,000 Z. I didn''t pay the money so it wasn''t named. Even if they don''t do anything just to get them to return the mincer cost a 5% handling charge of 35,000 Z. During the first stages of the estimation when I stated that I wanted it to be named to {Mince.Maker}, the priest looked at the status with a difficult face while spinning the handle and gave me an estimate of, "I don''t think it will cost more than 1,000,000 Z." Thinking it was worth testing when I tried having them do an estimate for having my handmade(though it''s not mine but Arnold''s I guess?) sword named to {Greed''s Sword}, without even looking at the status they said, "Almost without a doubt I can say it will easily be in the hundreds of millions and depending on the case it wouldn''t be strange for it to go over one or two billion." so I just ended up excusing myself with a cold sweat after just listening to the estimate I got for free. Incidentally when it comes to living creatures there''s no difference from the case when getting married and when it comes to the normal naming ceremony, they''re fixed at 150,000 Z. It''s a decently large amount of money so that''s also a hotbed for nameless people. Occasionally wealthy people name their horses and cattle as well. I did too though. If a time ever comes when I talk about the name of my horse I''ll tell you. Ah, Miduchi calls her horse Ball Dragon but she hasn''t had it named. Incidentally the horses the King''s ride are traditionally named based on their hereditary disposition like, "Segaifa", "Black.Kotezan", and "Ashuri". Putting aside the latter two, isn''t the first one mispronounced? Furthermore, if you steal someones horse or livestock as long as it''s not within one year it seems you can get it named without a problem. If it''s within one year? Then it''s the lightning. The battle axe we obtained from the Mino was displayed as {Double-Edge Battle Axe} on the status. It didn''t have any proper nouns in the name like the {Blade.Cusinart} that said to be made by the legendary master blacksmith Cusinart so including myself we all ended up overlooking it. Among the things that the so-called master craftsman produce it seems there''s rarely items that take on the name of the artisan. Also, there''s times when the name would be attached it before anyone realizes it. For example, if there''s a {Granite} rock used as a landmark in some region that''s called the "pointed rock" it seems that one day it would suddenly be named {Pointed.Rock}. Really though thanks for your trouble. "It seems you cleared the 8th floor right. Congratulations, Greed-kun." His highness Richard who was lined up beside me made a light smile while congratulating me. Come to think of it they were saying something like I was brought up as a topic between him and the King. "Thank you very much. However, it''s because I was blessed with good luck and had the help of my allies that I was able to do it." I''ll keep my replies admirable. "Don''t be modest. It''s something extraordinarily splendid. I think it''s an achievement you can be proud of." Mu, come to think of it I surpassed the achievement of his ancestor. If I say something admirable or show too much modesty then it might be taken as if the achievements of the founding King weren''t anything big. "..Certainly. We struggled a considerable amount and were obstructed by countless powerful monsters. I feel quite proud of it as well. Most likely among the adventurers currently in Baldukk it''s impossible for anyone other than us." "Umu. It''s an achievement you should be proud of like that. Wouldn''t Lord Greed be delighted as if it was her own as well? I guess if it''s that genius witch then this younger brother is also possible." ..I was the one who raised Al, and I can..''t see her boasting like that. My sister wouldn''t say something like that. Just in regards to me. In the first place she didn''t raise me. "I would be happy if that''s the case. But, I still can''t raise my head to my sister." "Hahhahha..She''s quite the hard worker after all..Though it seems it''ll still be quite a while before she gets married." CH 252 Year 7446, Month 8, Day 3 "And, why were you rejected?" I''ve repeated the same question to sister a number of times while she''s drunk and more likely to talk. "..I''m grateful for your feelings and I have good feelings towards you as well but I''ve already decided that Kurea is my only wife, or said something like that..I already know..that sort of thing.." And then sister answered with the same reply again as well. At first she praised me for clearing the 8th floor like "As expected of someone I trained" but I''m already tired of hearing it. I held a consolation party for sister after I was finally able to invite her to dinner on a day off. We entered this reasonably high rank restaurant called Maruhasu at about 3 pm. Right now it should already be past 8 pm. Brother is together with Rozural, Wendy, and Dianne supervising the transfer of duties for the various times of rubber products and repairs at the workshop and around now should be finishing up dinner together with everyone. It''s already been over 5 hours since sister and I took up our spots at a table in the back of the restaurant. Before I realized it there''s a huge bottle(about 1.8 liters) of wheat vodka emptied out. Though I drank about 80% of it. It seems sister is weak to alcohol. While remembering the Chuhai from my past life I split the wheat vodka by about 1/10th with juice to make it easier to drink but in no time at all she was drunk. I''ll tell Miduchi about it later. If it''s alcohol then she can''t definitely win against sister. "Ah, use {Neutralize.Poison} one more time! This is delicious!" "Yeah~Yeah" I use the spell {Neutralize.Poison} on sister(since sister is drunk she can''t concentrate to use any spells) for who knows how many times it''s been while sighing to myself. I ordered some more juice from oranges and honey and additionally had them refill the ice pale with ice as well. Of course I can do it myself as well but it''s a restaurant so I should properly order and pay for it. Rather since I''m essentially returning someone to normal every time they get drunk and letting them drink even more alcohol the restaurant should be thanking me. "Ngu..Ngu!! You sure know a good way to drink it. I give you my praise!" "Yeah, thank you my lord." I return a half-assed reply while poking at my sazae cooked in the shell with just salt and no soy sauce. They use fire to take the body from the shell and serve it on the plate where you cut it with a knife and fork but there''s no refinement or anything else to it. Since I have the chance I''d like to eat it with chopsticks~ It''s unfortunate I forgot to bring along my chopsticks. CH 253 Year 7446, Month 8, Day 8 Since there''s also the convenience of the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} days off, with one day in between that starting this morning we {Slaughterers} have stepped foot into the dungeon again. This time when entering the dungeon we''ve sent Zenom to the {Butchers} and Zulu to the {Exterminators}. Including myself the remaining 9 of us are the unit exploring the 9th floor but up until now I''ve just had the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} continue training in the dungeon and not let them do anything like exploration. Starting this time other than the time spent clearing the floors I''ve also given them a different mission. Explaining starting with the {Exterminators} that has the simpler one and I have them delivering consumables centered around dried meat to the 4th floor. I have them piston transporting the supplies over the one and a half day one-way trip to the teleport crystal on the 4th floor. The only parties that have arrived at the teleport room on the 4th floor and setup camp there excluding us {Slaughterers} is currently just those that have gone past the 5th floor, {Verdure.Brotherhood}, {Black.Topaz}, {Gehenna.Flare}, just those three. They leave one person there to watch over it and then after the remaining 9 of them lower the supplies they teleport back to the surface right away and then enter the dungeon after preparing more supplies once more. Next up is the {Butchers}. I have them primarily doing the job of {porters}. They end up transporting the supplies that have gathered in the teleport room on the 4th floor once more to the teleport room on the 6th floor. What you need to be careful of here is that I changed the organization of members in the {Butchers} and {Exterminators}. I moved Ginger and Hisu out from the {Exterminators} to the {Butchers} and in exchange for them I moved my combat slaves Henry and Rubi from the {Butchers} to the {Exterminators}. Since the {Butchers} ended up organized with almost completely the members of the former {Sun.Ray} I left things there in the care of Zenom who everyone including them look up to. Even from their end Zenom is a leader they can relax with and they don''t have any doubts at all about his abilities. As bait I also said, "Zenom will keep an eye on things during the journey down and if he gives his okay then it''s fine if you beat down some ogres on the 7th floor to a reasonable extent." Thanks to that this time the morale of the {Butchers} is strangely high. The members who it took the shape of being left behind in the {Exterminators} were upset but they know the best that their abilities are low from the combined training we do. If I were to speak my real feelings I''d have preferred if even just Rodrick moved over to the {Butchers} since it would be easier for him to earn experience points. In regards to this I discussed it with Kamu and Ginger the night of the day before yesterday and for the time being they accepted it as well. Above all else the fact that he can use magic is big. Putting aside healing spells, attack spells are indispensable in combat further in the dungeon. Particularly Kamu who''s previously experienced combat on the 7th floor. Since it''s almost right to say attack spells are a requirement to taking on ogres she was actually progressively pushing for it. If Zenom is accompanying them then there''s also the expectation that Zenom will almost definitely take down one ogre himself so there was no point in even taking into consideration the death of a member including Rodrick. Even I don''t think there would be any problem with taking on the few in number ogres that appear in the areas where you first teleport into the 7th floor as long as they have Zenom. In addition to that there''s also the reason that Rodrick is the eldest son of Count Faruergaz who has both political and financial power. It would result in a gold lining for Rodrick and hearing of his efforts the Faruergaz family might send combat slaves or some kind of aid it seems. If that''s true then it''s certainly something good and I''ve also heard of similar stories before so it would be a happy occasion if we could put into practice. If the number of combat slaves increases then it would be possible to rotate the members out as well. The amount of experience each individual gains would decrease but it would raise the average for the lower level people. It''s not like everyone has to reach the realm of a first-rate adventurer after all. Even if they don''t make full use of their increased ability values, if they can just level up and the time is right there''s also the benefit of an increase to HP after all. In any case after I managed to get the two of them to agree I called out Rodrick and tried sounding it out with him but he turned it down. The primary reason was, "Moving itself is appealing but I have combat slaves that I need to take responsibility looking after." Hearing that Kamu and Ginger were enraged. "If you''re going to say that then what about Al who has combat slaves in both the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} and depending on the case even sends over Zulu and Angela? Are you saying that Al isn''t taking responsibility for his combat slaves?" was their viewpoint on it. Hearing that while I thought it made sense, I fully intend to be taking responsibility for their lives but I felt like it was a bit different from what Rodrick wanted to say so I approved of his wishes. And just a bit I empathized with Rodrick''s way of thinking. Somewhere I still haven''t completely accepted the concept of slaves. I have the feeling as if I''m employing cheap labor. I was born and raised in Bakuddo village which wasn''t very wealthy and somewhat carefree so a big part of it is that I was able to grow up without touching the tragic side of slavery almost at all. Adding to that almost all of the slaves I was in contact with were serfs and they were focused around manual labor. After starting the rubber business there was another source of labor needed centering around the squires and their family. However, just the same as before agriculture was still the largest key industry. We can''t treat the laborers who support that agriculture unreasonably. The slaves who work from morning to night for low wages without any real holidays are important assets but there was never any pitiful situation where we had to tear apart families going against their individual will. Rather, in some meanings my parents used slaves in more of a systematic way. They didn''t just give duties out based on what the individual was suited towards but I think they put in work so they wouldn''t lose their important assets that easily. CH 254 Year 7446, Month 8, Day 12 Originally we had intended to spend another day for a total of one week in the dungeon but I told Cathy to return to Baldukk this evening. The {Exterminators} should have carried the supplies to the 4th floor twice and since the {Butchers} have Zenom with them they should have carried all of that to the 6th floor as well. And I guess we''ll know on our way back. When we teleported back to the 6th floor the {Butchers} were all chatting around Zenom in the teleport room. It seems they were waiting and intended on returning with us. "Greed-kun! Zenom-san is amazing!" "Yeah! The skill with which he cleaned up that ogre in no time at all, that was~ magnificent!" Kevin and Jeru were both talking on and on in their excitement. Eh? Zenom cleaned things up in no time at all? "Firefreed-san, after all he''s reliable." "That''s right, thanks to that we were able to concentrate on the remaining ogre with all of us.." "It was easy to use magic as well." It seems Misu, Kamu, and Binsu were helped quite a bit. "Yeah, he''s on a different level~" "Yeah, as expected.." "After all, when it comes to the sharpness, accuracy, power, and timing of his attacks they''re all splendid!" Ginger, Kimu, and Hisu commented in admiration as well. Including myself all of the members of the {Slaughterers} were making faces like it''s only obvious but Ralpha was grinning. It feels just a bit charming. Up until now Zenom has taken lead over over the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} a number of times. However, he''s never fought a opponent on the level of an ogre together with them. They''ve only seen just a small fraction of the time when I was rampaging. It''s not like it''s anything to hide but I guess he made perfect use of that axe? Thinking that I tried asking but it doesn''t seem like he completely showed off the ability of his magic axe either. Well, even if you just normally use that {Cold Axe.Of.Returning} it''s abilities were considerably high though. Hn? Come to think of it Rokko is quiet and just hanging his head down. Judging from the state of things it seems they took down a number of ogres so shouldn''t he have profited big time? He''s the one who it usually feels like is making the most noise... "Rokko. The only one who was injured was you. Isn''t it that you''re lacking in training? How about you running as well?" Misu started preaching to Rokko with his head down. He was injured? "Just stop already, Misu. Rokko did his best. The timing of his first step in had all of his strength behind it and was better than everyone including myself. Certainly he ended up taking a hit in passing but if it hadn''t been an ogre then Rokko would have been able to endure it just fine. It''s true that ogres are idiots but their skill with using the club is that of a first-rate veteran. They''re extremely strong as well. Rokko was quite something just being able to take that head on and only suffer a broken armor from the shield he was holding." Zenom quietly stopped that Misu and lifted up Rokko. I see, Rokko must have messed up somewhere and in order to cover for that Zenom probably had to instantly kill off an ogre. Zenom normally would never push himself and doesn''t fight in a flashy way but if the party falls into a crisis he completely changes going super offensive with his blows. According to Zenom they defeated groups of two ogres twice. Rokko ended up being seriously injured near the latter part of that combat. It seems it was just a bit more than two hours ago. On the basis that we should be teleporting through pretty soon Zenom ordered Misu and Binsu to use the spell {Cure} once each pouring their low remaining mana into it taking them lower than the amount required for recovering it naturally. This is something that I normally say. In the worst case even if it''s the spell {Cure} which only uses 4 MP, in most cases, even if a magician who''s acting normal can''t naturally recover their MP after that they should have enough leeway use it one more time. There''s a lot of food here and in the worst case there''s even a rope for tying people up in the survival kit on Zenom''s waist. Fortunately it seems that both of them were fine without exhausting their mana. Also, Zenom said it was precisely because of Rokko stepping in with such good momentum that they were able to stop the charging ogres in the wasteland with good footing as well. It seems that if Rokko was just a bit later they would have ended up having to fight in the bushes where the footing was a bit bad. Just, Zenom said, "Even if the footing is a bit bad if it''s just that level of situation there''s anything that can be done. I don''t really get him." and laughed. Even if he has the power to make decisions, he doesn''t have the power to make judgements..I guess? I use the spell {Cure All} on Rokko and just in case had Miduchi use {Cure All} as well before whispering, "Actions are things someone is always watching." into Rokko''s ear and leaving it at that. There was over 70 kg in supplies gathered in the teleport room on this 6th floor focused around soap, extra arrows, wheat and soba flour, hen''s eggs, olives, and other preserved foods and consumables that last for a while, and it''ll largely come in handy on the next time we explore the dungeon I''m sure. We returned to the surface and after heading towards the Baldoggie cart that Murowa took over from us, the {Exterminators} were already there biting into Baldoggie. Zulu was pleasantly talking with the Laios sis that was acting as the sales clerk about something in a corner of the plaza. Well, it''s fine though. I bit into one of the spicy gems that is the type with chili in it as I contributed to Murowa''s sales. Different from the {Slaughterers} cart which only had children Murowa''s cart was serving beer as well. After all you''ve gotta have some beer with sausage right. Though it''s not chilled. It might just be my imagination but I feel like the Murowa cart has a lot of customers. Ah, I guess it''s because there''s 30 of us? ................... Year 7446, Month 8, Day 16 After taking a three day break, we''re entering the dungeon once again. Since we have the support of an abundance of supplies this time and we can get a replenishment of fresh food if we just return to the 6th floor so we''ve planned to stay inside for two and a half weeks(half a month). We won''t come out until the end of the month. It means we''ll be spending two consecutive weeks on the 9th floor. Furthermore, on just the final day August 30th, we''ll finish things up in the morning and during the break after that I''ve already said that Miduchi and I would be going to the company in the capital. Miduchi reluctantly accompanied the {Butchers} while Angela obediently accompanied the {Exterminators} as they support the exploration of the {Slaughterers}. I told Cathy to properly take a three day break one week later(Of course she doesn''t need to go to the trouble of returning to Baldukk), and tore her and Basutoral apart who were clinging all over each other to the end. "Then, everyone, let''s go." .................... Year 7446, Month 8, Day 17 We''ve arrived at the teleport room on the 6th floor. I was just a bit worried about it but all of our precious supplies were fine without any abnormalities. Tomorrow we''ll go up to the teleport crystal on the 8th floor and after beating the Mino and leaving our bags we''ll return back to here again. And then after carrying some more bags again it''s necessary to take them to the 8th floor. If possible I''d like to catch the Mino off guard so we need to return within 17 hours. For that sake, we''ll move under the assumption that we''re going to arrive deep in the 8th floor before tomorrow evening and return right away. And then, without resting we''ll clear through the 7th floor in the middle of the night and then get some rest in the teleport room on the 7th floor. If it''s possible then I ideally intend on moving to the teleport room on the 8th floor without resting and then taking a slow break after that. Even if we end up losing some time in the worst case I don''t even mind if we waste one day though. ....................... Year 7446, Month 8, Day 18 We departed for the 7th floor at 5 in the morning. Because we had good teleport luck, we managed to arrive at the teleport room on the 7th floor at 8 in the morning. CH 255 Year 7446, Month 8, Day 30 A bit sooner than planned, we were climbing the stairs to the surface just before 11:00 am. Zulu is the one with the most bulk and furthermore he''s carrying the refrigerator so I''m sure it''s difficult but we can''t let an important {Magic.Item} be carried by just a simple {porter} and cook like Giberuti right. It might be possible it''s the most valuable item we found this time after all. Well, there''s also 5 gold bars in the bag Giberuti is carrying though. Though it''s late summer since it''s close to midday we can feel the heated air from the strong sunlight and a different kind of sweat starts to gather on our foreheads from up until now. It''s always that feeling you get when you come up the stairs from the cool underground dungeon to the hot entrance plaza. In this shitty heat it''s only obvious but we cut through the quiet entrance plaza and quickly moved into the magic tool shop managed by the usual dwarf old man to finish selling off our magic stones. And then the same as usual we went to the cart run by Murowa with just a few customers to buy some Baldoggie and beer for lunch. Maybe we should throw a magic stone into the refrigerator to chill them? Zulu was going to the shade together with the sales clerk sister who was unloading bags near the cart. How about just getting married already? It''s fine to let her work at the sausage factory like Cathy. If that''ll raise your morale then it''s fine. While we were doing that the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} came back. It gives an impression like the number of people suddenly increased. "How was it?" Miduchi asked about the results of battle but there''s no way of hiding the refrigerator so she''s smiling. "Yeah, we made quite a bit." I smile from feeling pretty good as well. "We found a gold ore on the 6th floor as well!" Ho! That''s good news. ""It''s an ore with a good feel to it."" "Won''t it cost about half a month to refine?" "It won''t take that long right." The members of the {Butchers} are making a racket as they boast about it. I guess it''s in that bag Jeru is carrying? Judging from the size it''s probably not much different from the one we previously found on the 6th floor. It looks considerably big. If the purity is about the same then after refining it should come out to around 20 kg. It seems the young Kimu and Hisu split up Jeru''s belongings to carry. "What about on the {Slaughterers} end..{Status Open}..a refrigerator! That''s amazing. Isn''t it a high class magic tool!" CH 256 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 1 "Oh? Al~ I thought you died together with Miduchi." When I called out for Karl under the large tree in the center of the island the one who reacted was Karl''s older sister, teacher Mila. "Ah, if it isn''t teacher Mila. I''m very sorry we weren''t able to come for one year." It''s unusual for teacher Mila to come out first. "We brought along a lot of dried fish again today." Miduchi threw was showing courtesy towards teacher Mila as well. "Ooh, that''s~ quite appreciated. We can''t resist fish from the ocean after all~" Teacher Mila replied as her expression softened. I pulled out the stove magic tool that was put away in a hole in the tree and then put one of the magic stones was picked up on the way inside before trying to turn on the flame. The stove magic tool spit out a blue flame without a problem. After turning off the flame I took the dried fish out of my rucksack and the fairies flying around started cheering, there was even fairies that started somersaulting in the air from how pleased they were. Alright, wait just a minute. I''ll quickly grill them up for you. I took out a dried Meineiji and after setting the grill on top of the stove first heated the grill up. After it was plenty hot I placed the the dried fish on top. By doing this it''s more difficult for the body or skin of the dried fish to stick to the grill. CH 257 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 1 "There''s no whatever or anything else, I really don''t know much of anything at all." Teacher Mila made a troubled face as she said it. It seems it''s not like she''s trying to hide it but she really doesn''t know much of anything about it. "..It''s not like I''m hiding anything though. What I know is..I guess..Only about the origins of how the dungeon was made." Wh..What was that!? "Oh! Would you please tell me about that!?" Origins huh? That''s something I''d absolutely like to hear about. "And, even if I say that. The one who made this dungeon was the Demi-God Besshu-sama. But, I don''t know what the reason for making it was, though I don''t have any interest in that either so it doesn''t matter at all." I see Besshu-sama...Demi-God huh? It seems there''s the influence of a considerable number of Gods on Orth. However, things like Gods I don''t really have much interest in for right now. Miki, no Lilus, if her name came out then it would be different though. "I see. So, a Demi-God was the one who made it. Come to think of it, previously you said there was a condition to come to this area from the 3rd floor right. Right now, when we use the teleport crystal on the 3rd floor we aren''t chanting the incantation that floats on the surface of it. We''re teleporting using the method we heard from Lilus but what was the method that teacher mentioned at that time?" "That time..Ah, the second or third time you two came here..What kind of method did you hear about from Lilus-sama? Well, it''s probably the same though." Teacher Mila already knows about Unique Abilities. I guess it''s already fine. It seems there''s nothing good that will come from hiding it from the fairies. I explained that we got here by singing song from the world Miduchi and I previously lived in and were born to this one from and that phrases in it were the key to the teleport from the 3rd floor. Since I felt it was necessary to explain it at the same time, I gave a simple explanation that most likely George.Rombert the First may have been from a different time period, he was a "human" from the same country, and then, also said that Lilus was born in the same world as well. Additionally I was about to say that Lilus was my wife as well but before I could say that, hearing everything up to there teacher Mila wasn''t surprised at all as she casually replied. CH 258 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 1 Around the time we returned to the surface it was just before the date was about to change. Both of us were exhausted(Though in degrees of exhaustion I was beyond Miduchi) from trying to learn {Water Breathing}, and from the overwhelming fatigue I just wanted to fall over into bed a moment sooner. However, I also felt a strong hunger at the same time so for the time being we decided to eat something and then sleep. Though I say that there''s almost no restaurants open at this time. It''s not as if there''s none at all but they''re all taverns and if we just casually showed our faces and by chance we encounter someone from the {Slaughterers} I''m sure they would let us go for a while. It couldn''t be helped so we returned to the inn we left the carriage as Miduchi and I ended up eating the emergency use preserved foods which aren''t tasty at all. Of course, I could have told the guy standing at the front reception to take out the smoked Neisun that''s a gift for Zenom from the refrigerator but as expected I would feel bad doing that. We put the dried meat into hot water soaking it and then at the same time put the biscuit or cookie-like hard baked crackers into the hot water to soak before slowly biting into them along with the water. Thinking it was better than nothing I had everyone hold on to some but it''s really just barely better than nothing and you can''t even compliment it as being okay or easy to eat. Since it''s a waste I''m having it consumed once every two months before they go back but because I don''t want to eat it I''ve always forced it on to the combat slaves to eat. But, obviously it''s reputation isn''t very good. Since it couldn''t be helped, it''s still better than throwing it away so I started selling it to a restaurant in the back slum areas for a price that''s close to free. That restaurant sells dried meat and biscuits boiled in water along with the husks of oats {oatmeal}, as {Premium.Porridge} for a cheap price to those with a low income. "So Cal*rie.Mate really was good tasting.." "Wait, it''s still too soon to eat right.." "I''m in the hard noddle eating faction, you know that right?" "It''s not ramen." "I mean, because I''m hungry~" "Ah, really, I''ll eat it too!" ".." ".." "Hard..." "Ha~ I feel like my teeth are going to break." "Yeah, it''s no good if we don''t soak it for longer." "It was too soon." "Right." ".." ".." "..Ah, the meat is already almost.." "Oh, it works!" "Yeah, it''s good. It''s properly become soup." "Yeah, if it''s just this much then you can bite through it." "Though it''s a bit hard I''m sure this is about right." "After all it''s meat right, meat. Meat and fish. Proteins from animals are important." "You actually feel like you''re eating right." ".." ".." "I ate~ I ate~" "We ate quite a bit right.." In the end in just this one meal we ate over one full day of preserved food. Well, preserved food is limited to just being non-daily use and one meals worth of amount of preserved food is really only the bare minimum amount of calories so putting that aside(Even that isn''t anything great. It''s not like it''s highly nutritious food. It''s just that it fills your stomach well in comparisons to it''s volume and since it''s hard and you have to slowly eat it you feel like you''ve eaten a reasonable amount), the amount itself for 4 meals worth is only about 1.5 normal meals I''m sure. Ah~ eating something like this I remember the past. What you say? Hard biscuits, candy, orange spread, and sausage cans. When doing practice exercises for the JGSDF* it''s one of the menus we eat combat provision type I. The fundamentals that are the hard biscuits and candy haven''t changed since the Meiji era and are historically correct with the menu number I. Compared to these biscuits that aren''t good at all and feel like your teeth are going to crack it was almost as delicious as a full course French meal. Particularly the orange spread and canned sausage that were added since it became the SDF are superb and even the hard biscuits and candy weren''t bad to eat while outside. Among the veteran members there were even some who liked the hard biscuits more than canned meals because you can eat them while moving or during short breaks and they''re not just easy to eat but taste good, there was even some who ate them out of interest and said they never get tired of them. The main ingredient for the hard biscuits was wheat flour and then after that is salt, sugar, and sesame seeds and the rest is the same as bread, the candy could be replaced with rock candy as well. CH 259 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 2 On the evening and time designated I showed up at the Elm Tree Manor. With plenty of sarcasm I had Giberuti accompany me. It''s only obvious right? Even I''m considerably angry. Even though they aren''t a noble they forcefully held down Giberuti and checked his status. If it''s a noble then Giberuti has the obligation to obey them so even without holding him down if they were to just say the words "Confirm his status" then he can''t refuse it and it''s one of the natural rights of a noble so I wouldn''t think anything of it at all either but even if it''s someone related to a knight group just a mere commoner forcefully looked at Giberuti''s status. No matter how you look at it my slave that looks harmless to man and beast alike was treated like a suspect for a crime. Unforgivable. I won''t feel any better until that owner something or other lady of theirs apologizes. Certainly I''m from a remote region but even I have pride as a noble and my self-confidence from leading the {Slaughterers} the top adventurers in Baldukk. Like I''d accept being underestimated by a mere sub-Noble from a Baron family from some place. Let alone when they''re supposedly still a squire in the knight group. Putting aside if they were in the first knight group, it''s the same for the third knight group. The third and fourth knight groups are no different from any regional knight group just on a bigger scale and if it''s someone from a Baron family then if they just trained normally anyone can get into them. That''s right. I''m angry over it. It''s certainly irritating in regards to things relating to Giberuti''s status as well but this time the other party called out to Giberuti with their aims set on me. Knowing that I was behind Giberuti they still forcefully looked at his status. In other words, it''s the same as if they were picking a fight with me. There were plenty of things I wanted to like training the magic I just learned or lecturing the reincarnated people that I often do. However, I canceled all of it and the reason I complied with this sudden and impolite invitation is because I want an apology for them underestimating me. After all there was what seemed like an active third knight group knight there and there was also those who seemed like his followers as well. If I don''t resolve this right away then you never know what kind of rumors they might start spreading around about me in the knight groups of the capital. It would be troublesome if they start calling me someone with no pride as a noble. It''s on a completely different scale from last year when I intentionally showed off that I was lacking in the ability to manage my members as preparation to absorb {Sun.Ray}. That time there was countless ways I could make up for it after(in actual fact, we found out about the suspicious fraud like behavior of the {Sun.Ray}''s leadership and started making movements to trap them, so the fact that we completely took in a large force as our own was a good rumor for adventurers), and it wasn''t related to the nobility at all. Certainly Sir Nokkufyuri apologized right away but while he''s a true knight there''s almost no value to a commoner lowering their head. In terms of Japan it''d be like a police officer(though it might be closer to calling it a police officer from a foreign country) that holds the position of responsibility but is in a completely different jurisdiction or the leadership of some places SDF. In this top unless it''s an adventurer with a considerable reputation(there''s a lot of the so-called hoodlums and it''s only obvious that they''re rude but in the first place this town is one that profits from the treasures adventurers come to find so they''re often looked at in a lenient light in that regard), or a Baldukk Knight who is investigating a crime then it would be a different matter but of course that''s not the case either. Something like an underling is worthless. Bring out someone higher up. I wore my highest class clothes with my sword still worn on my waist and so I wouldn''t be looked down on, they''re pre-made but I had Giberuti wearing decent looking clothes as well, and I slapped both of my cheeks putting some spirit into it before coming along to Elm Tree Manor. Of course, it depends on the actions of the other party but while I was invited I don''t want to be treated(depending on the case I intend on throwing gold coins at them to embarrass them) so I didn''t forget to bring along my wallet with gold coins in it. Sure enough starting with Sir Nokkufyuri the others were waiting for my arrival in front of the Elm Tree Manor. "Your excellency sub-Noble Greed, even though today was a sudden invitation, thank you very much for coming." The first thing he said was that and he had everyone from this afternoon apologize. I''ve already received an apology from you all long ago, it''s not like I want you to lower your heads countless times. I just lightly nodded and waited for them to lead me inside. For a short while the silence continued. "That is..It''s very difficult to say but Yorire-sama wishes to have a one-on-one meeting with your excellency and..a slave, that is.." The man from this afternoon said that. It''s my first time hearing, something like that. "Is that so? Well then please excuse me. I thought I would be receiving an apology from that lady or whatever of Baryon Refaisu in regards to the incident this afternoon but..How disappointing. Well then, I''ll take my leave here." I said that and accompanied by Giberuti started to return back down to the street North. Obviously they tried to keep me from going in a panic as one of them ran into the inn. They went to ask the lady of theirs or whatever about it. Hurry up and go, slow-ass. It seems they finally noticed that I''m considerably angry from my expression and appearance, they lowered their head again. However, something like that doesn''t matter at all. The one who went into the inn isn''t coming back out for a while, so getting impatient I started talking about suspending the meeting. Of course I''m not serious though. "It seems that Baron Refaisu''s family doesn''t think anything of forcefully checking the status of slave that hasn''t commit a crime or anything else. Normally I think it would be proper for your side to come to me to make the apology but it seems that our values differ on that end. If it''s like then even if were to discuss things"Your excellency! Please wait! That is..the fault is all with us, the lady is.." CH 260 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 2 This bastard(she''s a woman though), I''m amazed she can say that so shamelessly... ¡¾Refaisu Family: Baron of Rombert Kingdom. Investiture date was Year 7314, Month 5, Day 24.¡¿ ¡¾Rise to power: William.Rombert the Third went independent and founded it.¡¿ ¡¾The current head of the family is Vizonsu.Refaisu, the sixth generation.¡¿ Hmph. I''m not rejecting the aspect of nobles forming relationships through marriage itself. It''s somewhat effective after all. However, just those who are related to the King of Rombert are no good. If it comes to that then it will really just end up as a vassal Kingdom and if things go badly based on the blood relationship background it can be thought they might try to take control of politics or the internal details of my Kingdom. No, it''s not particularly like I''m against being a vassal Kingdom. Of course I don''t want that to be the case though. But, starting a country that can maintain it''s independence in this state of affairs is putting it frankly impossible. If I can make a portion of the Dirt Plains into my territory then in regards to food(just the staples wheat and meat though) I think we''ll be fine with self-sufficiency. That''s if we can cultivate a bit of it though. In regards to an army I have confidence I can do something about it as well. If I''m there, and I make things like guns or gunpowder then putting aside a foreign campaign, I think there will most likely be no problem with defense. If I just have enough time to make several tens of guns, anti-personnel mines, and pseudo claymores(though it''s just planned but I plan to have a certain amount ready before hand) then even if an army of several thousand lead by the first knight group with sister included were to attack five or ten times, I think it''ll be possible to deal hard blows to them every time and still drive them into retreat. Though I''m sure the cleanup would be difficult. The problem is if in secret something like a commando unit of a small number of super elites invade and perform combat sporadically almost like a guerilla warfare and perform things like terrorism towards non-combatants but whether it''s Rombert Kingdom or Guranan Empire , I''m sure any place would be troubled by that so it''s the same. Rather than the problem is the various types of manufactured goods other than food and an army. Even if it''s not perfect if we can at least produce all of it inside of my territory then we should be able to mange anything. Whether it''s the founder of the Nosebleed Arts or whatever else it''s fine if I just make the machines for producing it. However, the problem is in regards to mineral and plant resources. No matter what it''s necessary to import them. There''s few mountains in the area around the Dirt Plains so I''m sure it''ll be necessary to rely on imports for most of those sorts of things. Certainly there''s also territories that have mountains included in them as well but those areas have few forests along the border of Devas Kingdom and there''s a lot of combat. There''s merits and demerits right. It''s because of reasons like that in regards to a vassal Kingdom, particularly for the first assistance period where it''s necessary I think it can''t be helped. However, I personally am hoping to form those sorts of relationships through marriage with a noble that has a territory in the surrounding areas. If it''s possible then ideally a territory that''s right next to mine in contact with it. Even when it comes to receiving aid, going back and forth to the next territory over is easy. Additionally if it ever comes down to it, it makes it easier to conquer as well. No, I don''t think I will though. Yeah. Probably. In any case, I want to form blood relatives with some place which won''t make any sort of unreasonable demands. In this case, the demands towards my country wouldn''t be the delivery of money or resources but I can guess it would be offering military strength. Even if you just look at me individually it would be a large force and in regards to guns even if we desperately try to hide them the moment they''re used in live combat of a reasonable scale once there''s no way left to hide them anymore. It''s necessary to find a different route than offering them military strength until then. If we can skillfully cultivate the land in the Dirt Plains and defend it then it''s possible that eventually we could deliver food in exchange. This would be better. It can also be thought that something might be demanded using sister as a hostage but as long as sister is in the first knight group of the Kingdom, that''s something we already knew could happen. Since my brother and parents are citizens of Marquis Webdos''s territory as long as I don''t let my relationship with Marquis Webdos deteriorate then even if it''s the King he shouldn''t be able to do anything unreasonable. To be more precise it''s possible for him to request things of the Marquis but I can''t imagine that the Marquis would accept it. In those sorts of meanings Miduchi''s Lail Kingdom has considerably good conditions. It''s a moderate distance away and a small country that''s maintained complete independence. It seems they perform some foreign trade but their population is extremely small and they rely on imports for a considerable portion of their daily necessities. The primary things they export are drugs and the various types of mushrooms that are the ingredients for those and secondary they also sell magic stones. After that is..they have something that can''t even be called a military but is quite literally a commando unit of a very small number of assassins. Though it''s thanks to Miduchi as well but just in case I have the pipe with the healer Baidu~nsu.Tukerin in the capital and I''m also making use of it to purchase some industrial waste from their country. In between operation time of the sausage factory I have two of each flavor being deliveries to his healing office everyday. Baldoggie are a favorite of his and he''s supposedly extremely pleased over them. I think it might be good to sell Baldoggie and wheat to Lail Kingdom through him as well. Adding to that as well and if I just return Miduchi to Lail Kingdom once, the fact that it seems we can simply form an alliance is the greatest. Although, in this case there''s not very many short-term merits other than preventing me from becoming the target of assassination and making obtaining the various types of drugs easier. CH 261 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 4 Now then, various things happened during the days off but let''s get back into the spirit starting today we''re entering the dungeon again. Let''s switch and go. However, thanks to that young lady we were given a good amount to think about yesterday as well. But in the end we weren''t able to settle on anything. We ended up largely splitting into two plans for the near future. Plan 1 was in any case for everyone to work together and reach the farthest depths of the 13th floor(probably) and bring an end to things in regards to the dungeon of Baldukk. In comparison plan 2 was that there''s no doubt reaching the 9th floor we''re at now is an unprecedented achievement so we''ll hurry and finish up the map of the 9th floor and after that earn time. After the 9th floor map is somewhat completed Gwine, along with a noble like Toris or Rodrick and if necessary Ralpha and the {Butchers} or {Exterminators}, otherwise I would buy new combat slaves to act as guards, and have them go to start producing a map of the neighboring areas around the Dirt Plains. Depending on the case it''s fine to have Miduchi go as well. Plan 1 itself is simple. If we give it our best to reach the depths of the dungeon then the plan is that we''ll naturally gather treasure as well and in the end make the capital needed by selling those off. Honestly it''s not any different from up until now. The merit is the point that it''s simple and clear so anyone can understand it. Also if we can obtain something that acts as proof of reaching the depths of the 13th floor then it will add a certain amount of gold lining to my actions. This is something worth taking into consideration because there''s a high probability of obtaining it regardless of the treasure which has a strong luck factor. Also, it can''t be overlooked that it makes it possible from start to finish for all of us to continue to act together. And then, the thing that needs to be taken into consideration the most but through engaging in combat against monsters in the dungeon we can hope for physically leveling up of all of the {Slaughterers} as well. The demerit is that reaching the 13th floor is the same as challenging an unknown danger and depending on the case it''s possible we could have some casualties. And then we can''t even imagine how much time it will take but just in regards to this point it''s at most two or three years, no matter how long it''s expected not take more than four years. The reason is because we were able to clear through the 8th floor and step foot on the 9th floor in the four years since I came to Baldukk. From here on out, it''s fine to take into consideration an increase in the difficulty of clearing as well but we think even at best it would take about double the amount of time. Well, even if it takes four years the age of us reincarnated people would be 22 years old. We''re still plenty young. If you ask me I was originally thinking that I wanted to find a means to earn the capital before I turned 30 so it''s true that our current pace is largely exceeding that. If we continue like this then it might not necessarily be a bad choice. And then plan 2. You could say that this is in some meanings a change of plans. Rather than a change of plans though it''s more of just accelerating a portion of the actions I had planned. It''s not like I didn''t have the plans at all up until now. This time, we weren''t able to accurately identify if the objective was a political maneuver but an illegitimate child of the King came to my place asking me to marry them. It''s an plan that surfaced thinking about people like that young lady increasing from here on out. Putting aside an illegitimate child who to the end just came to meet me on their own will, if a formal princess or some noble''s daughter(whether they''re illegitimate or otherwise) comes seeking a meeting properly through their parents then it''s not so easy to turn down. Even when it comes to dragging out the meeting and earning time it probably wouldn''t even last half a month. In other words, on the spot in the meeting, whether it be strange conditions including asking me about what area of the Dirt Plains would be good as a future territory, (the chances are low though) but if they''re seeking an immediate reply then it''s the difference between Heaven and Earth if I''ve already gathered information ahead of time or not. This isn''t a matter of letting my hopes pass or not but the important point is, "Whether or not I can respond with the optimum answer in that situation". I''m sure there''s a large meaning in going around the border and directly seeing the conditions of the conflict with your own eyes as well. Rodrick has actually entered in live combat before so he knew the situation to some extent but it seems he was in an excited state during his first campaign as well so it was lacking in accuracy and he could only remember the things right in front of his eyes. I had intended on getting a grasp of the general outline through the details I''ve heard from sister as well but in the end, "If it''s you then I''m sure you can manage anything.", she settled it with that sort of reply that makes no sense at all. I can''t shake off the possibility she was intentionally hiding it as well. In regards to that it''s something that can''t be helped. Even if I were to have touched on defense secrets when I was in the SDF I wouldn''t have talked about them even if it was my parents or siblings. Though I never touched any significant secrets. Though there were a considerably number of small secrets that can''t be called secrets like the management of weapons and ammunition and such. Things like the effective range or the shooting intervals of close range guns in the same company are things you can''t mention even if your mouth is split. It seems that those who work on military vessels in the ocean aren''t even allowed to talk about where they went on duty, among them when it comes to those with duty on submarines putting aside the primary abilities, arrangement of crew, or the conditions of the duty which are only obvious but they''re not even informed of the planned departure and return dates. Putting aside the digression, there''s a large merit to gathering information on the territory candidates and their surroundings in the early stages. However, we would only be able to make an accurate map of the dungeon partway though. This demerit is also something big enough that we can''t ignore it. Though I say that, if we change the viewpoint then if we stop advancing any deeper, then it''s also possible just explore focusing on the altar rooms of the 9th floor which we have a good grasp on. While using an almost perfect map of the 9th floor, it''s fine if we just keep fighting the monsters we can somewhat safely win against. Of course I''m sure there''s still monsters we haven''t found yet on the 9th floor as well but even then I think it''s far safer than the chances of encountering more on a new floor. Also, as a further demerit it contradicts Miduchi''s theory that "The value of treasures increases the deeper inside you go." Though I say that, the price on the treasure we''ve found on the 9th floor is pretty high either way. Looking at things overall you could say plan 2 pushes forward certain parts of plan 1. It would mean taking action separately for a somewhat long period(one year or so I guess?) of time but there''s a high possibility that we''ll obtain something worth that time. However at the same time that we''ll end up needing more time to earn money which makes the information a bit stale as well. I''m sure there wouldn''t be any major changes to the population, industries, and area of arable land in each town and village that exceeds our expectations but it''s very possible to think that there would be changes in the borderlines and is a problem that needs to be taken into consideration. In either case it''s not something we need to worry about right away. Even if we went with plan 2 it would take at least half a year for some level of information to make it''s way back to me. Taking into consideration the risk that letters could be lost on the way then we would need an exclusive contact agent included as Gwine''s escort as well. It''s easy to guess that it would take a considerable amount of time to prepare. In any case, I''ll decide things in regards to that by the time we finish up exploring the dungeon this time. Plan 2 is certainly the one that would expand my ability to deal with things but it''s difficult to give up on continuing like this with plan 1 as well. Something like tungsten we''ve only found for the first time since going to the 9th floor. If Miduchi''s theory is correct then if we explore even deeper even Orichalcum...Also we might end up obtaining even more valuable {Magic.Items} as well. CH 262 But where was 1? Oh that''s right 150+ chapters ago. Get used to the title because you''ll be seeing it a lot soon. Year 7446, Month 9, Day 6 All of us who had started taking a break in the rocky area just before the room the ogre mages nest on the 7th floor continued to watch the backs of {Black.Topaz} as they disappeared into the forest. At longest I guess it was about 15 minutes or so? What was? Of course before {Black.Topaz} entered combat. The presence detection abilities of ogre mages reach 100 meters even in a dense forest with bad visibility. The diameter of the room is roughly 500 meters so if anyone from the outside intrudes into the room they''ll notice from the center where the ogre mage group usually is when they reach about 150 meters inside. The speed of advancing in this sort of forest for the first time I guess would be around 10 meters per minute or so. They''ll advance just a bit while hiding themselves behind bushes to check if it''s safe in the surroundings. Obviously, I doubt they''ll aim straight towards the center from the start. It seems they scattered soon after entering the room as well. That''s why they''re heading towards the center at a speed of 10 meters/minute. That''s about it. For those progressing deep into the dungeon of Baldukk this ogre mage room is certainly a large wall. But recently even we''ve been able to claim victory with some leeway without even using paralysis poison or freezing them so if they can make it to the 7th floor on their own abilities then I''m sure they won''t be wiped out. Or maybe they will? If things get severe or if Anderson thinks things will get severe then I''m absolutely sure she''d call out to us. In that area, I think she''s the type who would always choose her allies over her own pride in the end. However, just like an adventurer she also knows full well when to show some backbone as well. Previously, like the combat we saw between them with the {Frost Lizard} on the 5th floor, that was completely her showing her backbone. Well it seemed like they knew the general outline of the {Frost Lizard}''s abilities so in the end I''m sure she guessed they could have won though. I think it would have been different for old man Viruhaima. That old man, he''s amazing at seeing through the places where he can push things and where he can''t after all. All their members are completely veterans and just like that one time we encountered them on the 6th floor in the end they would manage without backup. The reason why they bought healing potions from me was nothing more than insurance. That old man if it was a situation like this, I guarantee he''d urge us go ahead first. After that, he''d investigate the corpses of the monsters we defeated. I think he might even investigate the footprints on the ground and the directions they''re facing. First he would check what kind of formation they''re in the room, whether the intervals between steps are the same as the ogres you encounter in the halls, what things are different with the corpses, and whether anyone notices anything, he''d thoroughly investigate it. And then, after returning to the surface he''d make assumptions as much as he can on the various variations of attacks and start training to deal with those. I used to steal glances at the training of {Verdure.Brotherhood} a number of times in the past but those details were definitely this. From a glance it just looks pointless so the first time I saw it I didn''t notice. However, after realizing it a considerable portion of it was good reference so I incorporated a lot of it into the {Slaughterers} training as well. Honestly, my only basis is the sight of them training but for some reason I''m confident on it. .................................. It''s almost been about 10 minutes. I wonder if {Black.Topaz} has progressed about 100 meters yet? I tried using the spell {Detect.Life} to confirm it. Yeah, after all it''s about that. The group of ogre mages that are believed to be in the center are too far so I can''t detect them. It seems that {Black.Topaz} is moving in the formation {Double.Echelon}. Everyone''s long since finished drinking their tea. They''re all glancing at the forest here and there and are somewhat fidgety. Putting aside Miduchi, they''re about to leave the range that Ralpha and Bel can detect with {Detect.Life}. after all. Well, it''s certainly true that sis Anderson has some part of her that makes her liked by people. She looks after people well after all. Also, whether it''s Basu of {Verdure.Brotherhood} or Kaku of this {Black.Topaz}, their sub-leaders all feel like worldly-wise men so I can''t come to hate them. It can''t be helped~ CH 263 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 6 The remaining monsters were wounded so they were already no opponent for us. Half of the monsters the 6 ogre mages were all defeated by the hands of the {Slaughterers} and of the remaining half of 6 ogres, just the same half of those 3 of them we {Slaughterers} helped to defeat. In terms of battle results we did 75%. 3/4th. Well, of the ogres a considerable number of them were wounded by {Black.Topaz} so I don''t intend to brag about it being 3/4th. It was just a mere 3 of them that {Black.Topaz} was able to defeat with there own power. And then, there''s one casualty. Of course, it''s not from the {Slaughterers}. It''s the {Shield.Holder} from {Black.Topaz} Rotto(Rosutoru.Mirusutoron). It seems he died instantly after taking a blow from an ogres club to his head crushing his helmet along with his head inside of it. "{Status Open}..Shit!!" ""Rotto.."" ""This many ogres are.."" Everyone from the {Slaughterers} is wiping off their weapons while keep an eye on the state of {Black.Topaz} checking Rotto''s status. I''m the only one who didn''t use my weapon. "Ah..That''s right..The support, we''re grateful for it..Thank you. We were saved." Anderson recovered ahead of the rest before saying that and politely lower her head to us. I guess they were dragged back to reality from their leader thanking us but the other members of {Black.Topaz} started thanking us as well. "You''re welcome. We''ll be taking the magic stones of the ogres we finished off. Zulu, Angela. Gather up our portion. Gwine and Basutoral for the ones around there, put a mark on this area. Ah, I don''t mind if you gather it from them either. Miduchi, sorry but go and call over Giberuti." I intentionally said it in a business-like way and then looked at Anderson. You have no complaints right? Obviously there were no complaints. It seems there''s members of {Black.Topaz} who suffered light injuries but it seems they still have mana so it''s, wipe your~ ass yourself~ right. As expected I''m sure losing a member who was both from the front line and could use magic is a hard blow to them as well. It seems they''re giving up exploring anymore than this and heading back. "Should we go with you back to your original teleport crystal location?" I suggested it trying not to sound very disagreeable. However, it was refused with, "It''s just returning back down the route we came so it''s alright. Sorry for the trouble." Honestly speaking if it''s from here the teleport crystal to the 8th floor in the center of the floor isn''t all that far away so that''s better for us. We''ve also left Zenom waiting on the 8th floor as well. Even with 6 ogres rampaging in front of them {Black.Topaz} has the ability to finish off 3 of them. The maximum number of ogres you can encounter in the halls is 5. Unless they have considerably bad luck they should be fine. It seems Baru is going to carry Rotto''s corpse. The splint-mail he was wearing was split up and is being carried by all of them. "We ended up in your debt again...I''ll definitely thank you for this.." Anderson said that before leading {Black.Topaz} on their way back. CH 264 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 8 Hn? Zulu and Angela seem to be having trouble with the fallen Mad Treant. It''s only obvious. It''s a tree after all. That''s right isn''t it? That was thoughtless of me. It''s impossible to cut through it with a knife or sword I''m sure. "Zenom, Ralpha. Would you help them with taking out the magic stone?" "Hn? Ah, I guess so." "Got it." During that time Miduchi-sensei''s lecture continued. "It''s mentioned in a variety of games but Treant are largely split into three categories. The ones that were originally just simple spirits or something close to that. Like the spirit of the tree, speaking in terms of Japan it would be something like Kodama or Tsukumogami and they''re often beings that have a good feeling as they try to help you. Next is the type that comes out in Tolkien''s famous books and it''s a race called the Ent and obviously they''re divided based on gender as well. It might have been created based on legends from around the world about the tree spirits I just mentioned. The next one is fine to say it''s the same but for some reason that ended up becoming ferocious and in most cases whether it be games or otherwise they come out as opponents and monsters like this." Ho~ho~ Toris, Bel, Gwine, and Basutoral were all nodding to themselves as they listened. "This time was the worst third type of them. It was in an underground labyrinth, a dungeon after all. It should be fine to conclude that. But, it''s considerably lucky. The lumber material you can get from Treants often have magical properties and if you produce bows or shields from them and..we ended up burning it quite a bit.." Ah..Do..Don''t look at me with those eyes. I didn''t know about it. Look, everyone other you is making faces like it couldn''t be helped right? In the first place putting aside the equipment of a monster, you wouldn''t normally think of making a part of their body into materials right? If it was fur or a huge fang then it''s not as if I wouldn''t understand though. Eh? You''ve mentioned it before? Did I hear about something like that? Ah, I heard about the ingredients and such for the medicine. Ah, but you know, don''t things taste better when burnt? That''s unrelated? Ah, I see. Sorry. CH 265 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 9 "And, what kind of business do you have?" I completely reserved Murowa. I took a bit of a nap so my head feels refreshed as well. There''s several tables in the restaurant but we placed a four-person table in the center and had Viruhaima and Basu sit there, while Kamu(Kamain.Mishausu) and I sit across from them. Surrounding all of the members of the {Slaughterers} have assembled including the combat slaves. Obviously I want everyone to put some psychological pressure on them but I harshly told them not to speak badly or move around a lot. Since I''m a noble who doesn''t prefer unrefined behavior I didn''t forget to tell everyone to give them a good glare on either Kamu or my sign. Disrupting that chance partway through would be absurd. In the first place these two would even quiet a crying child just seeing them, they''re {Verdure.Brotherhoods} leader and sub-leader. Just like cheap threats don''t have any effect on me it won''t have any effect on them either. I''m sure what would be most effective is just completely ignoring them. Particularly, since they''re aiming to catch up and overtake us {Slaughterers} if we just act like "we don''t particularly care" and remain uninterested. That''s why I said to everyone, "Talk about some random stupid stories at a volume that we can just barely hear. It''s no problem even if you laugh just a bit. However, don''t take an attitude like you''re openly making fun of them. Don''t focus your interest over here. Just think we''re air." Also, just in case I have Miduchi sitting in the corner while trying not to stand out as I asked her to use {Detect.Lie}. Her surroundings are fortified with Angela and the two former knight slaves. "Gwine, why are you drinking tea? Eh? Hisu too?" "Nn~ somehow or other. Ral why don''t you stick with tea as well? Miduchi-san, please put in some ice." "Ice tea with ice in it is delicious too right." "Denda, Karimu. You did a good job once again this time. It''s fine if you eat something with Chire in it." ""Thank you very much. Master."" "..It''s about {Black.Topaz}." Viruhaima said. "Could you please tell us the date and situation of the last time you met them?" Basu supplemented him. It''s not like it''s anything to hide so I honestly explained it without covering up anything. In the afternoon three days ago, that we encountered them in front of a monster room on the 7th floor. And then, soon after the combat started, because Rotto(Rosutoru.Mirusutoron) suddenly collapsed they fell into a crisis so we decided to go to their aid as we were keeping an eye on things, and I carefully explained that. "And, what is that {Mad Treant}..What in the world is that. It even was using magic?" "If Al-san didn''t continue restraining it with {Flame Thrower} then I think it would have been difficult." "I, hit it with a {Flame Javelin}." "The northern monster room on the 7th floor huh..Shit, if we can''t clear the 7th floor once and then go back from reverse then..Shit!!" "So Rotto had died.." Basu made a sad expression as he said it. Viruhaima started cursing while making a bitter expression. By the way aren''t you going to eat anything? And then, I talked about how they turned down our offer to accompany them to the teleport crystal they used to get into the 7th floor. That''s right, if they had just let us accompany them then I could have taken the express guide fee right. 7th floor*7 people*100,000Z(Guide fee)*5(Express charge). Roughly 25,000,000 Z is the bare minimum line. It''s equivalent to 1~2 days of our earnings on the 7th floor. It''s not particularly expensive. I''m sure they can afford it. Mu, thinking about it like this and I feel like that fee setting is considerably balanced for things around the 7th floor as well. "Jeru, do you want to go to Rukuso later?" "No, I''d rather not..Also, a cheap place liek Rukuso, it''s almost like going to get a disease." "Ah, after all that''s the case? Last month I requested a long sword from Fuggusu Sword Merchant so I''m a bit low on funds." "Then honestly just don''t go..Ah, Misu, after this, want to go drinking for a bit?" "Was there anyone else injured?" Basu made a concerned expression again. "Kaku-san and Baru-san had some light injuries, Roru-san(Roreiru.Naruzomerin) seemed to have some light bruises. It wasn''t anything significant." While I was talking, Kamu was biting into a Baldoggie with an unconcerned face and washing it down with some bean tea. I bit into a Kazotto with lots of msutard on it and drank some bean tea as well. Delicious. "Come to think of it where did Ruttsu go?" "Isn''t it to the toilet?" "He sure has to piss a lot right. Even today on the 4th floor~" "Really, stop with that during a meal." "What about Rotto''s corpse? N..Nn!!..Did they just take out the magic stone?" Viruhaima said. It seems he''s a bit irritated. He started obviously coughing out loud as well. CH 266 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 10 However you know, all said and done we were able to make it to here at favorable pace. I think it''s quite the good pace considering Giberuti ended up going down along the way and we had to carry him while moving. It''s big that Zulu is wearing the leather armor he used to use in the past as well. As expected if it was the banded-mail we took from {Bright.Blade} this speed would have been impossible. And then, just before 9:00 am we arrived at the 6th floor. This time we managed to teleport into a location that''s roughly 7 km from the teleport crystal. It''s considerably good luck to pull this spot on the first try. If it''s here then it''s very possible for us to enter the 7th floor this morning. Zenom and Miduch lead the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} as they just cleared through this 6th floor a number of times the other day. I thought they would already have been over some of their aversion to the teleport traps but it seems the previously psychological burden isn''t going to disappear so easily. Certainly if I were to see my allies disappear right in front of my eyes to some unknown location then I might end up with a trauma similar to them as well. Teleport traps are frightening but if you were to ask me I''m more afraid of the monsters that make use of those suddenly attack almost like an ambush. We have no choice but to remain on guard. Consequently on this floor rather than "running through" we just proceeded by speed walking. Though Miduchi said, "It''s certainly a bit slow but we''re still clearing through at a considerably high speed."... I can''t even remember when it was anymore when we would pass through slowly one at a time and spend a total of several minutes just to get by. I''ll accept that we''ve make tremendous progress compared to them though. Normally we move slower as they nervously stick to the wall and follow behind but this time we weren''t lowering our speed for that Ginger, Jeru, and the others at all. Gwine just acts like she''s looking at the map for a bit and says, "The part sticking out of the wall over there has a teleport trap about 3 meters ahead of it" and then we all walk casually past it along the wall without lowering our pace. For the sake of caution I wanted to turn around but (Particularly on the side of a trap in the worst case a boar appears there and someone gets knocked into the trap it would be difficult) I even endured that. If I don''t do this then they''ll eternally maintain the trauma and every time they have to pass a teleport trap they''ll turn pale while barely unable to advance. I thought if they could conquer it here then it might have some influence on the other members with the same type of trauma. While Ginger and Jeru are probably pale and barely advancing, without even turning around I faced forced with my pace the same while saying, "Anyone who''s slow will be left behind. If it''s impossible then return. If it''s from here then you can quickly return back to the 5th floor and there''s no monsters. If you run it won''t even take 5 minutes." before walking off. Kamu, Misu, and Rodrick were trying to say something but I didn''t pay it any mind. And then, the Ginger and Jeru they were worried about followed after us just a bit late. We''re walking as well and they know that if you walk along the edge of the hall you can pass by without getting caught in the trap so it''s only obvious though. However, compared to the time when I had entered {Sun.Ray} it''s tremendous progress. It''s quite something. Well that''s great. Starting next time I can properly remain cautious after all. However, we were only able to advance smoothly for the first 30 minutes or so and after that along the way we suddenly were attached by {Cave Boars}. The first time the {Cave Boar} appeared from the front so Zulu and I finished it off with Miduchi''s magic as support. However, the second time was from the rear. That time the ones who were in the back was Jeru and Misu but it seems they had just a bit of good luck as well. The moment the {Cave Boar} appeared it was just as Giberuti had turned around to hand them some Baldoggie as a snack. He was surprised but thanks to Giberuti calmly sticking the wall while shouting "Behind!!" and Jeru dealing with the charge of the boar covering for Misu we were able to make it this far without anyone suffering any injuries. Without any large trouble, and the power enemy {Quad-handed Apes} never appearing as the boss of a room, we arrived at the teleport crystal in the center room at about 11:00 am. The {Cave Great Boar} in the room along the way Miduchi and I used {Detect.Life} to figure out the number and their location before using attack spells the moment we had visibility to injure their legs and deal with them all. It seems Kamu and the others think that Miduchi and I have frighteningly sharp intuition. Adding to that, it seems the fact that were overlooking boss class magic stones(they can be sold for roughly 150,000~250,00 Z each) from the 6th floor is a regret as well. Obviously I regrets over it as well. I want to gather them all. They would all add up to over 1,000,000 Z I''m sure... "Take a 30 minute break. It''s the last break so properly rest. Giberuti prepare just the Baldoggie. Ah, it''s fine to just line them up in the frying pan." Everyone''s quietly resting their bodies. Giberuti''s taking his wooden rack that he left to Zulu back and started adjusting the belt on it as well. This time we''re expecting several injured people so he''s coming along to the 7th floor as well. Though it''s not limited to just injured people that we''ll have to carry. Of course I guess you could say, the camp site of {Black.Topaz} was left in the same condition as that morning. It seems we haven''t just missed them. ............................... "It''s here. We''re finally in the correct location." On our 17th time teleporting in we finally managed to get to a location that leads to the northern monster room. There''s roughly 6 km to the northern monster room. In order to get to the place where we came from the other day we have to clear through the northern monster room once but it''s possible to pass through the ogre mage room without fighting by just moving along the wall. CH 267 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 10 I couldn''t clearly hear sis Anderson''s voice but I felt like I heard the voice of a female so a smile naturally appeared on my face. "I''m coming right now!!" After shouting that I adjusted my direction a bit while running towards the area I detected life force just a moment ago. The trees from the forest are flying by as I go. I jumped over a small rock the size of my chest and started running again the moment I landed. In the gaps of the trees, about 70~80 meters or so ahead I guess? I felt like I saw a glance of the back of a monster that seemed like an ogre. The overgrowth of the trees is still dense so I can''t get a grasp on the location of the group yet. Faster. No matter how favorable of a light I think about it {Black.Topaz} is on the losing side. Faster! Normally it''s bad to even trip over a small rock in the undergrowth so I should lower my speed a bit. However, right now I should leave my luck to the heavens and recklessly run ahead as if there''s no undergrowth or rocks! "Aaaa!?" I can hear a woman screaming. "Guge~!!!" Almost simultaneously the voice that seems to be from an ogre. It sounds somewhat triumphant. Faster, faster! Shit!! Sweat entered my eyes! I''ve been constantly moving since last night so I''m covered in quite a bit of sweat. I guess I replenished too much water? I wipe the running sweat with my left hand and run without lowering my speed. Faster, faster, faster!!! "Gyappu! Goazo!" "Goge!! Guggugbutto!" If it''s not then I''m sure you can see me when I''m desperate. I can see them!! About 20 meters ahead, there''s a place which the trees are somewhat open. CH 268 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 10 In any case, you can say we''ve succeeded with our objective this time of rescuing the leader of {Black.Topaz}, Reddo.Anderson. They''ve recovered quite a bit thanks to the healing spells of the {Slaughterers} as well. Of course it''s close the bare minimum and there''s probably still quite a bit of pain remaining. However, if you exclude that then you could say it''s reached the level where there''s no obstructions to their ability to walk. "Now then..First, I offer my condolences for the members who passed away. I''m sorry we didn''t arrive in time for their rescue. It''s really unfortunate for everyone. But, please don''t let it get you down." Certainly I think it was unfortunate. It''s not like they were people I didn''t know at all after all. But, in the end they''re just people from another party. Even more so when they''re employees of a different place that are jeopardizing the business region we pioneered. Even then social courtesies are necessary. "However, whatever the case I''m relieved that you were still alive, Anderson-san. By the way we''ll be taking the ogre magic stones from here." "Of course. It''s the results of your battle." I replied by shrugging my shoulders and grinning and ordered everyone gather the magic stones. Miduchi and Kamu were on standby on both of my sides. Kamu seemed like she wanted to say something, but what she wants to say, I already understand those feelings. I lightly raised my left hand stopped Kamu. No matter what I won''t accept that. We entered the dungeon this time after taking a job from the {Verdure.Brotherhood} but it''s only obvious that it''s not a job where you can precisely promise it''s been accomplished. 15,000,000 advance payment, and 30,000,000 when we''ve met the condition for accomplishing it, that''s all there is to it. It''s a considerable fee but even when you get lost in the mountains of Japan and people go looking for you you''ll end up being charged a considerable amount from the Hunting Friends Association or the local group of young men. It''s possible that {Black.Topaz} themselves will offer a new job to "please save us" but this is something we shouldn''t accept. Something like "if you don''t want to die pay up" is something you shouldn''t say if you really don''t intend to kill them. It''ll end up as double-charging after all. Even in regards to Kamu and the others, I promised them 5% of the fee as compensation this time, it''s only obvious to put in effort to increase the amount but the only ones who bend the truth to do that are trash adventurers and yakuza. Although, honestly speaking it''s not amusing having the 7th floor invaded either. In regards to earning money there''s no floor greater than this after all. Though there''s no altars so you can''t find any treasure. Oh~ it might just be that I don''t know and I can''t deny the possibility you can find some huh? We''ve never tried mining or anything after all. She must have known that it''s not something that can really be praised even from the common sense on Orth. Kamu obediently gave up as well. "Could I ask you to remain on standby for a bit until we finish collecting the magic stones? Also, is anyone hungry? It''s just a bit but we have preserved food. Ah, of course, I''ll be charging for it. Just one ogre magic stone is fine. How about it?" After all it seems their food conditions must have deteriorated quite a bit. I could hear the sound of the throats gulping from {Black.Topaz} members behind Anderson. I''m sure~ unless you were quite literally at the very limit you wouldn''t want to eat the flesh of a humanoid monster or your allies. I''m sorry for saying it a number of times but I don''t want you to misunderstand there''s no culture on Orth for cannibalism or eating humanoids. Rather it''s avoided. They would at least tan the hides but never eat them. Even if they were a culture that eats them, no matter how used to Orth I get as long as there''s other food I would never eat ogres, orks, or goblins, those sorts of humanoid monsters and completely reject them. In the first place when farmers of the world grow things based around grains such as wheat I can''t help but think someone who would think a monkey or humanoid monster is crazy. Putting aside an emergency situation, it would be quite the reversion back to the hunters of the primeval ages. I took out that shitty disgusting preserved food from Miduchi, Kamu, and my survival kits. Additionally, I filled a flask with boiling water before putting dried meat in and making soup. "I think you can already imagine but we came to save you all after directly receiving a job from the {Verdure.Brotherhood}." "I thought that might be the case...Please bring us to the teleport crystal to the 6th floor. Also, this" Anderson sighed before taking out one magic stone from the bag on her hip. I check the status to confirm it''s one from an ogre. Since I''m receiving money I''ll properly do my job. "I understand. Please leave it to us." CH 269 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 12 It seems the {Verdure.Brotherhood} returned late last night. Even then they were about half a day slower than the {Slaughterers} normal speed so it seems they were pushing themselves to clear through the dungeon quite a bit. I guess they''re living up to their dignity as the former number one. After finishing up breakfast, when we were about to go out to the other side of the outer crater for combined training I was told a messenger had come for the {Verdure.Brotherhood}. It seems Viruhaima that old man was feeling quite impatient. Well, I found out the information that she''s the first child of the King who he pays some attention to so it''s not unreasonable. The information that Anderson is a illegitimate child or whatever is pretty meaningless at this point so it doesn''t matter at all to me. At best it''s only worth knowing about as a seed for a fight to start between the King and his wives in the future(though it''s really late at this point so if it would even lead to that is suspicious). Also, I don''t know what kind of conversations the King and Viruhaima have and there''s no direct relation so I''m not interested. If I just get our compensation then they''re strangers after all. In any case, in orders to get the remaining compensation and cash in the magic stones I went to the Elm Tree Manor. "Here''s the rest of the payment. Check the amount." Basu said that before placing 15 gold coins on the table. Of course I properly confirmed the status of each one after taking them. However, these sure are old and dirty gold coins. If you''re paying someone money pay in clean coins. You''re upbringing will be found out. And I guess that''s just my prejudice huh? "Certainly. Also, in regards to that one matter I haven''t mentioned it to Anderson-san so please don''t worry about it." Of course, that one matter is the fact that she''s the first child of the King. "I wouldn''t worry about something like that over every little thing. I''m sure you aren''t an idiot after all. Rather than that, what in the world kind of magic trick did you use?" Viruhaima said with his arms crossed while glaring at me. It sure does have some intensity behind it with that deep voice of his. "Eh?" Magic trick? What''s he saying? Look, even the Basu next to you..And you too? Both of you stop looking at me with such a scary expression. "one night..No, it''s unbelievable that you made it to the 7th floor in less than one day. I''m sure you have a good map of the 7th floor but even thinking about the time it took you to find {Black.Topaz}..If you had considerably good luck..No even in that case it''s way too fast right...Do you have some kind of method for moving to the lower floors other than the teleport crystal in the center of the floor?" Viruhaima stared at my eyes while saying. Basu was focused on me as if he wasn''t going to overlook any lies as well. Is there something like that? If there was I''d long since have been using it. There''s bags under their eyes and it might just be my imagination but their cheeks look a bit thin as well. Yesterday after we returned from the dungeon we were making similar faces so thinking about how this old man was frantically hurrying through the dungeon just like us and I felt a bit of familiarity swell up. However, it''s not like there''s any particular trick or method or anything to it..Hmph. "Well then, I can''t say anything there. However, if there really was a magic like that then no matter how much money it costs I''d like you to tell me about it." CH 270 Year 7446, Month 9, Day 14 This time when we enter the dungeon Angela is accompanying the {Butchers} and Toris is going with the {Exterminators}. Excluding them the remaining 9 of us in the {Slaughterers} will be exploring the 9th floor. Midway through next month we''ll be performing a test for switching out members for those who want to try it and if it seems like a member will be able to change then after that we''ll bring them into the dungeon once then if there''s no problem on the next time we enter the dungeon we''ll try to clear the 9th floor. If there''s no members who get switched out then shortly after the member change battle when we enter the dungeon again just the same we''ll head towards the center area of the 9th floor and try to clear it. Hearing this everyone''s motivation seems to have gone up but just as expected of the former {Sun.Ray} members, there was no one among the veterans getting restless. However, Sanno and Ruttsu who hope to enter the {Slaughterers}, and also, Rodrick''s combat slaves Denda and Karimu who want to get promoted along with their master, the four of them seem to be quite motivated to the point there''s a bit too sharp of a gleam in their eyes. Sanno and Ruttsu are just the individuals so putting them aside, why in the world are Denda and Karimu is what I was thinking but it seems, "A slaves earnings are the masters earnings. If the amount the master is earning increases then naturally our earnings will increase as well" was the reason. I see, I thought there was various ways of thinking about it. Rodrick has the role of calming them down. Of course, Rodrick himself wants to enter the {Slaughterers} as well but among the tension he seems to be moderately relaxed. Just as expected from someone who''s received investiture as a knight of the Faruergaz Knight Group he''s calm. After all those who properly trained here and there seem to have some composure. They might understand that this composure will reduce the chances of a mistake. ................................... Year 7446, Month 9, Day 19 After returning to the surface I heard a slightly unexpected story. It seems that all of the remaining survivors of {Black.Topaz} cleared out of their inn and returned to their home town. Since I was a bit interested I tried gathering the rumors but it wasn''t anything at all though. It was just that they were returning to return the magic stones of the members who passed away to their families. Supposedly Viscount Anderson''s territory is in the Northern Royal Territories so it will take them a considerable amount of time to go and return so they just cleared out of their inn for the time being. Although, my relationship with them is nothing more than friends so it doesn''t particularly matter even if they don''t come back just like that. It seems the reason they didn''t go back right away after that was because they were looking for a caravan escort job that''s going towards their home town. It seems that as expected they didn''t have enough horses for everyone. What''s important is that the other top team that was cooperating with the {Verdure.Brotherhood} is going to be gone for the time being(?). It''s the perfect chance the open the gap even wider. Particularly if we could carry back treasure from the 9th or 10th floors and lead them into getting impatient then there''s nothing more to say but as expected I''m sure that''s impossible. Thanks to the incident this time with {Black.Topaz} both them and the {Verdure.Brotherhood} managed to recover their original caution and tension. In any case, {Black.Topaz} won''t be returning for another couple of months. Hearing this there were some fellows who''s bindings started to loosen as they said, "How about if you quickly go to the 10th floor? If it''s Greed-kun then can''t you make it?" or something like that as well. Certainly it''s not as if you can''t call it good news to us but that doesn''t mean that the level of danger in the dungeon gets any lower. I''m not changing our plans so we''ll keep exploring at our current pace, and I said that ending the discussion. Also, it seems that the price of the {Refrigerator} I carried into Sandak Company in the capital a while back settled down and sold at 160,000,000 Z. However, there''s still no news in regards to the {Ring.Of.Protection}. I was just about to go to the capital during the break this day time. However, regardless of the fact that Toris and Angela are gone on our time entering the dungeon this time, it was clear that everyone was only just as cautious as usual so I need to properly train them. In terms of items we {Slaughterers} ended up with zero results this time other than the map but the {Butchers} found an ore on the 5th floor, though it was silver, and the {Exterminators} discovered a party that was wiped out on the 3rd floor so they wrangled away their equipment. It''s no ones responsibility that we weren''t able to obtain any treasure but isn''t this a bit lonely. CH 271 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 6 We returned from the dungeon. Miduchi is wearing the {Elven.Chainmail} and Giberuti is carrying the rubber armor she was wearing up until now in one of his open bags. There''s several reasons she''s wearing it. The first is because it stands out too much. The {Elven.Chainmail} is a strange {Magic.Item} and if an elf or anyone else is fine but if they equip it then changes into what appears to be slightly worn-out normal chainmail. Of course, if they take it off again it changes back to having a radiance as if it was brand new chainmail. However, if the user isn''t an elf, when they enter the sight of other elves and they can instantly recognize that it''s a very powerful and familiar {Magic.Item}. At the same time they''ll feel a strong sense that something is about the one equipping or holding the {Elven.Chainmail}. However, in the case the one equipping it is an elf(or dark elf) then there''s nothing like that. It''s the same in the case that no one is equipping it but in Miduchi''s words, the moment she recognizes that the one in possession of it is Toris and those sort of off feelings weakened(it seems they don''t completely disappear). Also, as long as it doesn''t enter their sight..for example, if it''s put into a bag or something so it can''t be seen..then there''s no problem. Then we should just put it into a bag, and some might think it would be fine if we throw it into one of Giberuti''s bags, but with that a different problem came to light. It''s no problem at first but if you try to carry or hold it like that and it feels like weight gradually increases. In the case you aren''t wearing it, it normally has a weight of just about 15 kg but after carrying it for about 1 hour the weight will feel double that to the one carrying it. In that case it would be better for Toris or Miduchi to wear it. If Toris wears it then we''d have to take apart his bandedmail and carry that so in that case Miduchi''s rubber protectors were overwhelmingly lighter so they''re easy to carry. For those sorts of reasons we have Miduchi wearing it to carry it for the time being. Also, in regards to the size but since it''s a size so even a person with a large build can wear it, whether Toris or Miduchi put it on it''s still baggy, so it''s necessary to fix the size. As a matter of fact fixing the size of chainmail isn''t all that difficult. If they just have some guts then it''s possible even for an amateur. This is just a matter of it not taking any special technique to fix the size. If you just have a dedicated tool like radio pliers and patiently do the labor then it''s possible for anyone to do it. When I was still little I saw while maintenance was being done on chainmail belonging to the squires of Bakuddo a number of times and when the head of household is handed over I saw them change the size for the new head a number of times as well. Slaves were made to do the work but putting aside the maintenance it took 2~3 weeks to change the size. When the rubber armor was first introduced they were released from that sort of labor and more useful in a different more productive labor. By the way, in regards to this size changing as well, when Miduchi and Toris wear it themselves, it seems they understand where the line of chains needs to be taken off to fit them as well. Everyone else including myself had no clue. That''s why rather than just leaving it to slaves, it''s probably more efficient to have Toris the user join in on the work as well. Of course the majority of the work will still be done by slaves though. I''ll try showing my face in Ronslail''s store later on. The delivery of the 20 slaves for the sausage factory is already finished but it should be fine even if it increases by another couple of people right. Zulu and Angela have training as well and resting their bodies is a part of their job. Giberuti has jobs like developing new menu items with Basutoral and recently I''ve been sending him on errands to my company in the capital when he goes to inspect the cleaning job of the factory so he doesn''t have that sort of time. We ended up returning just a bit early so the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} don''t seem to have returned yet. We decided to go ahead in cashing in the magic stones and return to our inn, then come back to the entrance plaza after that. ...................................... CH 272 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 13 On the 9th floor of the dungeon, I was hoping that the halls we were walking down lead to the large space in the center of the floor while using the teleport crystal in the dead end of the halls a number of times. This time Miduchi and Angela are away from the {Slaughterers}. "Hey~Hey~, the next a troll or something big appears in a room I''m going to use the bracelet. I can use it once every day so let me use it for today''s portion." Ever since the first day we entered the dungeon Ralpha has been wanting to use the {Bracelet.Of.Dead Body.To.Water}. There''s no helping it so I''m enduring but honestly speaking seeing a corpse turn to water in an instant and I certainly can''t ignore how useful it can be. Ah~ certainly this is useful~ If I have Miduchi use it in the future then it''s ideal for assassinating an enemy. In the first place Miduchi''s received plenty of training as an assassin and if we choose the target then I''m sure the success rate is high as well. And then without even leaving the greatest evidence that is the corpse, it''s possible to dispose of it without taking any time. It''s because I think like this that I didn''t want to bring it. However, depending on how I think about it, leaving it with Ralpha might have been the correct answer. If it''s her she''s stingy so once she''s gotten her hands on something once even if I tell her return it I don''t think she''ll let go of it so easily. Additionally she''s an idiot so it wouldn''t be strange for her to think it''s something she received from me. Though I say that, the way she asks me every single time she wants to use the bracelet''s ability means she might be aware of the fact that I was just lending it to her. "I guess so. Then the next time a big one comes out you can use it." After I said that giving her permission and her nostrils started flaring as she was breathing heavily. ................................... "Here~ I go~! Nurehiki!" Ralpha was touching the 4 {Cave Beetle} corpses pile on top of each other after we took the magic stones out and chanting the command word. The troll corpse that was together with them on the side changed to water in an instant and with a bash~n splashed all around. "Ho!! Awawaha!!" I wonder what in the world is that fun? The instant it changes to water she jumps back as far as she can in order to not get wet, and in the end still gets wet taking water all over her lower body. I''m sure no water gets inside of her combat boots but her pants are soaked. "Sorry." Zenom said that apologetically but Ralpha is already at a good age, so there''s no need for the parent to feel that much responsibility. I think it''s a problem with the individual. Yeah. CH 273 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 19 The teleport room of the 3rd floor. Among several parties that were camping out, there was luckily one spot open along the walls. There''s a reasonable number of people so you can hear voices coming from here and there. It''s been quite a while since the majority of the people had already become acquaintances. "How is it? Are you tired?" Gwine hands the tea Miduchi made over to Kamu and Kimu while asking them. "Thanks. Hn~ not that much I guess? The pace isn''t all that different from the {Butchers} after all." Kimu smiled while saying. Well, I''m sure. Now not just the {Butchers} but even the {Exterminators} are clearing through to this teleport room on the 3rd floor on the first day and camping out here after all.It''s just the pace that differs a bit and it shouldn''t be all that different. Ah, I haven''t dispatched Gwine before so they might not be able to get a feel for it~ They might just be making comparisons to how slow other parties than the {Slaughterers} clear through the dungeon. Other than that, Zenom and others were resting their tired bodies while talking and waiting impatiently for the dinner Giberuti was making. However, Basutoral and Angela weren''t participating in that, they''re still enthusiastically whispering about things along the edge of the wall. Somehow, the challengers Kamu and Kimu seem to have more composure. The side that should be taking them on isn''t holding back at all in making preparations almost like the challenger, and thinking that it was a bit amusing. It''s fine, if you just calm down and do it the same as usual you won''t lose so easily. On the contrary if you get impatient and try to implement some strange strategy you don''t usually do, it''s more frightening when that falls through. Well, it''s nothing for me to comment on right now. Do whatever you please. ..................................... Year 7446, Month 10, Day 20 We smoothly cleared through the 4th and 5th floors and arrived at the teleport room on the 5th floor so we''re taking a short break. The campsite that {Black.Topaz} used is covered in dust but it''s been expanded quite a bit. The amount of bags in the spot the {Verdure.Brotherhood} uses has increased quite a bit as well. And then, it''s not a corner of the room but there''s a considerable amount of bags in the spot {Gehenna.Flare} uses as they seem to be smoothly developing it as well. On our route through the 5th floor this time we didn''t end up with a course that passes through any altar rooms. Our pace at clearing through the 5th floor is obviously faster than the {Butchers}. Or rather, you could say it just doesn''t differ much from our pace yesterday though. I guess since Kamu already experienced a faster pace during the incident with {Black.Topaz} the other day, she wasn''t having any problems in particular. But, as expected she isn''t used to this pace either so her expression was a bit more serious. On the end of Kimu she hasn''t moved at this pace past the 4th floor so the amount of talking she was doing had clearly decreased and her expression was dark. I''m sure it''s not exhaustion from lack of stamina for the two of them but mental fatigue. It''s good to see that they''ve properly increased their abilities. After that is just experience. Once again today Basutoral and Angela were discussing things every time we took a break and there wasn''t any particular change. Just like that, I was watching as Kamu explained things about the traps on the 6th floor to Kimu so they don''t have any problems tomorrow. "In regards to those teleport traps. The {Slaughterers} have already made an almost perfect map from walking around the 6th floor. If we pass through the edge of the hall in order then it''s easy to get by them. That''s why it seems fine if you don''t think about it so carefully." "..I''ve heard that a number of times already. But.." "It''s alright. I thought the same until the other day. But, it''s already fine. It''s not like it''s the first time for you either, you''ve already passed through them a number of times right?" "That''s right but..Even if you tell me the range where you''ll fall into the trap...No one knows if it''s the same for all of the traps on the 5th floor after all..When I think that I might disappear.." "If we enter the {Slaughterers} then I don''t think that will be allowed. We can''t always be taking our time around there forever after all." "If sister says so then.." If sister says so huh? It seems there''s still not enough trust, in me as well. Though it can''t be helped since the length of time they''ve been together is no comparison though. After finishing our break, we teleported into the 6th floor. CH 274 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 21 Just as expected from veteran adventurers Kamu and Kimu made almost no sound. They''re approaching the ogre with the sound hidden as the still strange sound of the wind inside dungeon rustles against the grass. If it''s from here then there''s no way to accurately determine their location as they approach while crouched down. "Hmn, after all putting aside Kimu-san, as expected of sis Kamu.." Miduchi whispered. You can tell!? She sure is amazing~ "Right now around where are the two of them?" He must have heard Miduchi''s whisper. Basutoral whispered as he asked Miduchi. "Kimu-san is about 30..27~28 meters from the ogre on this side. Sis Kamu is on the right side..about 20 meters away I guess..It''s easier to tell Kimu-san." Are you serious. Zenom looked at Toris''s face while still holding the clock magic tool but Toris just shook his head. Right~ Well, whatever. ... Oh. I see now. If it''s mentioned while looking then even I can somehow tell. Over there and there. Kimu is just about 15 meters from the ogre. Kamu is just a bit closer to Kimu on the right side about 15 meters away. It seems everyone else has noticed as well as they aren''t making a sound just focused on them. They''re letting their guards down in watching the surroundings but the only thing ahead is the ogre and them and we just passed through the rear. There''s probably not much meaning in using {Detect.Life} or keeping watch with our eyes for a short while longer. Kamu stood up and just as only her head appeared for a moment and a bow came up soon after as well. And then an arrow was fired. Since it was from a bit to the rear-side of the ogre it didn''t notice until it hit the back of it''s head. "Giooo~!!" The moment the arrow stabbed into it the ogre jumped up as if it was hit and stood up while turning around at the same time. However, after removing the irritating arrow it crouched down again. It''s probably picking up it''s weapon. Kimu wasn''t so slow as to miss that opening. While still keeping her body held low she charged at it almost like a short-distance Olympic runner. The only difference is that she''s holding a long spear. Also, she has a long round tail which is the same gold and black stripe color as her hair. Kimu charged at it without making a sound going in a straight line with her spear. The moment the crouching ogre noticed Kimu I think there was already almost no distance. CH 275 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 21 We managed to discover just the right ogres. There was 2 ogres messing around with each other in the middle of some plains with 50 cm or so grass. They''re a distance of about 100 meters from the forest we''re hiding. "Basutoral, Angela. Have you finished your discussion?" The two of them have already been talking over things for close to 5 minutes. How about at least replying to me. Look, just now, even though that was the perfect timing... And hey! What are you doing!? The two of them were tying something long and thin to the end of Basutoral''s spear. Ah..Yeah..that is... ¡¾Arrow.of.Blindness¡¿ ¡¾Sawtooth Oak.Iron¡¿ ¡¾Condition: Normal¡¿ ¡¾Manufacture Date: 24/8/7446¡¿ ¡¾Value: 20000¡¿ ¡¾Durability: 40¡¿ ¡¾Ability: The ability of the launching device plus 15-65¡¿ ¡¾Effect: The living creature which this arrow stabs into regardless of the size of the wound or where it is located, as long as the arrowhead pierces through to the point of being completely hidden the target will fall into a state of completely blindness. In the case that it takes effect, the duration of the effect will continue for at least 5 minutes. However, once the blindness has gone into effect once even if the arrow is recovered afterwards and used once again, the blindness effect will have been lost. On that occasion it will just be a high performance magic arrow.¡¿ Are you serious... I can''t say it''s not allowed at this point... But. "I see now.." "So that''s what they had planned." Zenom and Toris watched their work with a bit of admiration. "What are they doing?" "An arrow?" Kamu and Kimu tried asking Gwine who was nearby, Gwine said, "It seems to be an arrow..Ah...Nfufu. Just watch and you''ll see." while grinning. "..Isn''t it surprising? I had heard about it. When Bel discussed it with me I said that it''s fine for Bel to do whatever she wants with them. I was wondering when they were going to use it. I was starting to worry if maybe Bel didn''t give it to them." ..Fufu. I can''t help but smiling. Basutoral and Angela both must have been desperate. Miduchi knows as well that you can only use that arrow once. According to Miduchi she already said to Bel, "Most magic arrows lose their effects after being used once". Even then Bel gave it to them. CH 276 Starting solid updates again, probably 1 chapter per day, more if I feel like it. Towards the 10th Floor 1 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 21 I talked about current matters while eating and drinking at Dorureon. "This time, it was unfortunate for Kamu and Kimu, but I think they really gave it their best to the limit. Basutoral, Angela, you two might be in danger next time." It seems they''ve had a bit of alcohol but it''s still not a time to get drunk yet. "I''m still fine for the time being. I don''t intend to hand it over that easily." It seems that today Basutoral gained a bit of confidence. "It''s the same for me as well. No matter who the opponent is I won''t lose when it comes to defeating ogres." Angela raised her spirit in good condition as well. "I have something I need to discuss in that regard. It''s about {Magic.Items} like the sword and spear. Starting the next time I intend to ban the usage of all {Magic.Items}. Since it seems that if I leave it be it would become the standard after all." Everyone nodded hearing this. Yeah. Since Miduchi''s scimitar and Gwine''s spear showed actual results this time I''m sure they would be the first ones targeted. There''s also Toris''s {Flame.Tongue} and depending on the case Zenom''s {Cold Axe.Of.Returning} as well, at the very least they''re known within the {Slaughterers} so I think they''re easy to target. Since it''s not just about clearing through the exam, but after that they''ll need to fight against not only ogres without {Magical.Weapons} like that but trolls and such as well. "What will be prohibited is poisons as well as {Magic.Items}. After that it''s fine no matter what you do." Hearing that there were those making disappointed faces and those with relieved faces, a variety of different reactions. It can''t be helped right. It''s a slightly strange way of putting it but it''s almost like cramming at the last-minute for an exam and it''s hard to consider it as the user''s real ability. It might end up in simple fights and negotiations with the owners(borrowers) over the order they can borrow them. It''s not good manners, yeah. After everyone seems to understand on to the next topic. "Tomorrow morning we''re having comprehensive training. There''s no training in the morning the day after tomorrow or the day after that but the day after tomorrow there''s individual training for each of the teams as well." Everyone stopped talking while listening to what I say. "On the next day after that. I mentioned it before but when we {Slaughterers} enter the dungeon starting the 25th we''ll be aiming for the 10th floor. This time just like when we cleared the 8th floor we won''t be dispatching anyone from the {Slaughterers}. It''s a bit of trouble for everyone for another week but I hope you won''t overdo things during that time. Kamu you lead the {Butchers} and Ginger you lead the {Exterminators}." It''s a reconfirmation just in case. It took the shape of me designating the leaders but even if I just leave them to pick I''m sure it would have ended up like this, so it should be fine. "We''ll arrive at the teleport crystal of the 8th floor on the 27th. On the 28th, the next day when we teleport into the 9th floor we''ll choose our destination to some extent. If we can teleport into a place that leads to that central plaza like area before the afternoon then we''ll aim to clear through just like that." Hmm. I had already predicted it but not a single person seems to be worried. "If we can smoothly clear it then after that we''ll keep an eye on things. If there aren''t any problems in particular then we''ll return to the teleport crystal on the 8th floor again and then bring Giberuti along to the teleport crystal on the 9th floor. We''ll take a look into the 10th floor after that." Since there weren''t any questions in particular everyone started enjoying the food and alcohol again. CH 277 Towards the 10th Floor 2 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 28 The Minotaur in front of me raises it''s hand axe up, then just as I think it''s about to swing down it hides behind the small buckler on it''s left arm and changes the trajectory midway to mow me down. Since I was learning from all of the combat up until now I was barely able to succeed in avoiding the axe. However, thanks to that my stane collapsed and I ended up taking a kick from the Minotaur to my side. It wasn''t a kick with any momentum behind it so I was somehow able to endure it. I haven''t taken any attacks from it''s weapon yet but I''ve been hit by that small buckler twice and this is the second time I''ve taken a kick. My body is creaking warning me of the danger. However, at the same time as I took the kick from the Minotaur I succeeded in stabbing a throwing needle into it''s thigh. Just now was the third throwing needle I''ve been able to stab into the mino. Of course, my throwing needles have the numbing poison smeared on them. Different from the cheap product used for ogres, it''s the highest quality poison made at the high-end adventurer medicine shop Misshizu. It''s an extremely powerful poison which if I were to get hit by it my entire body would be paralyzed in less than 30 seconds. However, even then the movements of the mino aren''t getting any weaker. Up until now I''ve been able to land four attacks on the mino. One thrust to the right flank with my bayonet, just the same a slash with my bayonet to it''s right forearm. And then the two stabs from throwing needles I''ve thrown at it. This time is the third stab. With this it''s the fifth hit. All of the attacks other than that were blocked or parried by it''s small buckler or evaded. However, it''s my first time facing off against an opponent that was completely composed even after taking a total of five attacks. It''s only obvious for the Minotaur that protects the 8th floor but whether it''s ogres, trolls, or even the horned bear, if I landed a good hit on them their movements weakened a bit. If I were to land two clean hits then it was normal for their movements to visibly weaken from the pain. This fellow is completely miraculous. It''s frightening to even imagine exactly how much HP it has. This time, I had all of the members of the {Slaughterers} smear high-quality numbing poison on their weapons before we charged into combat. Just from what I was able to observe even when I''m shitty busy, other than this Minotaur that it''s in front of me, the numbing poison doesn''t seem to be having any effect on the one wielding a trident that Angela and Gwine are up against as well. Putting aside the large 3 that we blinded at the start, it seems to be reasonably effective against the rest. The mino is swinging down it''s axe again. This time before it could make any sort of cheap tricks, it was only several tens of centimeters but I was able to put some distance between us and it''s completely hit air. Making use of that opening I tried I thrust at it with the tip of my bayonet but was blocked by the small buckler. I had already read that. I predicted that it would block me with it''s small buckler. This time, I had my left hand just before the magazine area of the bayonet around the trigger(if it were the normal model, then it would be around the hand guard curve or top part of that), but at the same time as I thrust it I moved it along the curve of the magazine. It''s faster to push it forward from the trigger than to pull it back from the hand guard and easier to put in more strength. The moment I was blocked by it''s small shield, in the form of pushing up from the magazine area I twisted the bayonet vertically and at the same time body slammed into the buckler with my left shoulder. CH 278 Just as a disclaimer, I''m not familiar with part names even in English, let alone the Japanese characters for them so can''t always guarantee the accuracy of the names I use. I look them up but it might be wrong either way. These things will come up often from here on out so I''m expecting mistakes somewhere along the line. Towards The 10th Floor 3 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 28 Hmm, {Bloody.Hand Axe}, huh? It''s quite the {Magical.Weapon}. It might be just right for Ralpha. For as long as the battle continues it increases in effectiveness, it''s perfect for that idiot. If it continues like this then the only one who has a chance of continuing to go to the front lines even into their 20s, 30s, and maybe even 40s is Ralpha after all. For the time being I decided to twist and turn the hand axe while observing it and then held the handle while swinging it. "Yeah, well I''m sure it''s fine. It seems like there''s no problem with Ralpha either, it has a violent name but I''m sure it doesn''t have anything like a curse or spell on it." I said that before finally grabbing on to the handle letting Miduchi relax. While Miduchi was asking Ralpha, "Are you alright?", after seeing me hold the handle she didn''t question it anymore than that. "Hmn. After all it doesn''t suit me. Hey Ralpha, I''m going to leave this in your care. It seems to have magic cast on it, and it''s a hand axe, so it should be just right." "Eh? But, this axe.." I thought that Ralpha would be excited but somehow that doesn''t seem to be the case. Why? and just as I was thinking that I thought of something. The tomahawk she''s using now is one that Zenom used for many years before giving to her. It was originally of considerably good quality so it''s lasted quite a long time. Several years back, when I turned the vampire into dust I ended up doing it along with the hand axe Ralpha was using at the time as well. That time, after she ended up losing her weapon Zenom let her use his hand axe and then switched to using a sword we picked up. After we returned I bought a pretty good axe as an apology. After that Zenom used the brand new axe and Ralpha started using the axe that Zenom had used up until then. After that, even after I handed the magic axe to Zenom, Ralpha has continued to use the old axe without changing weapons. Come to think of it I don''t remember when it was but Ralpha mentioned it while she was drunk. "You know, I wanted this axe. Since I was small Zenom would always protect me with this axe, it''s also because I''m familiar with it but to me it''s the most reliable thing." It''s nothing more than simple sentimentality but if she''s fine with that then I felt it wasn''t my place to say anything more so I just let it be like that. Since she''s always seen it used from nearby over many years I thought she would have used it a number of times and because I thought it would be the easiest one for her to be comfortable using. Being used to the small differences in the balance and weight of a weapon can be a big difference in fighting power but it was also because the foundation of my thinking is that, "if it''s the same type of weapon then there''s no big difference no matter what you''re using". Of course, I don''t think there''s all that much of difference between something that''s high-quality and a wazamono as well. If I were to use an extreme argument then I don''t think there''s much of a difference between something with magic on it as well. It''s only obvious that the higher weapon quality is better but no matter how dull of a weapon it is it''ll hurt to be hit by and if you''re stabbed through with it there''s no difference that it''ll be a fatal blow. If you were to ask me the minute differences in damage that show up using {Identify} are nothing more than a charm or consolation. Personally the value that I find to be the most important is Durability and whether or not the shape of the weapon is just right for being used or not. Though Miduchi laughed when I said this. She may have thought I was joking or something. Though, I haven''t forgotten what she told me at that time, "there may be enemies out there that can''t be damaged unless it''s a weapon with magic cast on it". There''s a huge world out there so I''m sure there''s monsters like that as well. Like Dragons or something. In any case, there''s not much of a difference when it comes to a weapon that can only show it''s effect on the user. It''s nothing more than a luxurious personal-use weapon that an adventurer or low-class soldier would treasure. Of course, I won''t deny the meaning in fortifying your equipment with those sorts of high efficiency items. It''s only obvious to try and equip yourself with even just a bit better quality equipment and even I want them. It''s just that I don''t have as much concern with it as everyone else. CH 279 Pretty sure I incorrectly translated one part of the gun last chapter as like barrel or trigger/mechanism last time but it was actually probably referring to the receiver. The hell is a receiver? Anyways, I still make no guarantees on gun parts. Hard enough trying to figure them out in English let alone their Japanese counter-parts. Next chapter in 4-6 hours. Towards the 10th Floor 4 Year 7446, Month 10, Day 29 In the end we decided to stay in the teleport crystal room of the 9th floor and take look in the 10th floor before defeating the Minotaurs by attacking them from behind when they respawned. I thought all 9 of them would respawn at the same time but that wasn''t the case, first off 7 of them respawned with only a few minutes difference between, and then when the remaining 2 finally started to respawn the fog just started whirling around where they would have been and there''s no sign of them appearing. For over 30 minutes it continued in that state just like that so we attacked the 7 that did respawn from behind and finished them off instantly. After I tried Identifying the corpses all of their levels were 8 or 9 in the single digits. They weren''t quite to the level of wazamono, but even then we obtained another 7 high quality weapons and it was before the mana recovered in Ralpha''s bracelet so we couldn''t help but drag the corpses behind the pillar and pile them up there. Here I ended up having to go into thought again. The first skilled Minotaurs that Angela the others and I fought against, mine was level 32, and Angela and the others was level 30. In all of the monster groups that we''ve fought against up until now there''s never been a level difference this big. Even when it comes to the respawn of monsters the only ones I''ve directly observed were a few types of room bosses on the 1st floor. Whether it was slimes or giant spiders, in a group or otherwise, the levels were all either the same or only 1 level difference. Certainly while the sign of them respawning, the fog appears at the same time, there was a vague difference in the time they actually appear but it was at best several seconds to at greatest a few minutes so I just thought it was a measurement error or that amount. What I can think of here is that maybe the levels of the monsters have relation to the respawn. I guess it would be proper to think that the higher the level is the longer it takes for them to respawn. Though in order to verify the theory it would require a maddening number of samples of them respawning. It''s necessary to keep the theory at nothing more than a theory and guideline. Also, in regards to the 10th floor we took a look at but just from a glance it doesn''t seem any different from the 8th and 9th floors. Since the 2 remaining Minotaurs still haven''t respawned we decided to just take a peek and then immediately went back. ........................... Year 7446, Month 10, Day 30 Already, we''re reaching the limit of our stock in emergency use preserved food. Let''s head back today. The same as usual the fog that appears when the Minotaurs are respawning is still whirling around. On the side of that the other 7 Minotaurs respawned again. It can''t be helped worrying about it. There''s no accomplishment to it but we ended up finishing them off by attacking them from behind again. Along with the corpses from yesterday Ralpha changed 14 Minotaur corpses into water and then we decided to take another look at the 10th floor. I wonder if more crabs and crickets and what-not will come out? It''s fine to use the spell {Audible Clamor} to lure over monsters but sometimes it might be good to move around a bit. Since we''ve just been sitting in the teleport crystal room waiting for the Minotaurs to respawn walking around should be fine. I return my feelings to the initial resolution and we carefully advance forward. CH 280 Hmm 15-20 minutes over... Maybe another one in 4-8 hours. Development With No End Year 7446, Month 12, Day 26 Bang! The sound of a gunpowder explosion rings out in the central plaza of the 8th floor. "I guess it''s fine to think that it won''t "misfire" anymore.." I couldn''t but talk to myself while test firing the gun. Incidentally, if you''re wondering why I''m not doing it in the central plaza of the front line on the 9th floor and it''s because we can''t use magic there. Since then we''ve gone there a number of times and defeated the Minotaurs as they respawn but the first 2 powerful ones that Angela the others and I fought against still haven''t respawned so we''ve just been killing the other 7. It''s inconvenient being unable to use magic so I intend to kill the hell out of the minos until they run out of stock(?). Incidentally, I guess the mino on the 8th floor ran out of stock midway through last month, because it''s stopped respawning. Well, thanks to that not just the net gun but I''ve started trying to make a gun that can fire proper bullets. I intended to do it eventually and it''s just on the occasion so it''s fine. "Just now was exactly the 1,200th shot." Bel said. I can hear her muffled voice through the earplugs. Incidentally while were test firing the gun everyone within 50 meters is wearing ear plugs. No one was wearing them at first but the explosion sound largely exceeded our expectations and echoed way too loud through the dungeon. Even though it''s a large room with a diameter of 1 km, it''s probably related to the fact that the ceiling is only about 30 meters high. Though they had roughly heard about the firing sound from us, since Zenom, Zulu, and Angela couldn''t even imagine the precise volume of it they were a bit afraid after first hearing the large explosion so I made some ear plugs. The rabbit ears on top of Bel''s head are a slightly different shape from those of hyumu, elf, and dwarves so I ended up making ear plugs with a slightly different shape for her along with Zulu, Angela, and Basutoral. CH 281 Next chapter in 4-6 hours. Year 7446, Month 12, Day 28 After traveling to the capital the other day, everyone split up to do their own things, the faster ones even left last night. One night passed into this morning, after breakfast Miduchi and I went to the sausage factory and then she left go shopping saying, "I''m going to Tukerin-san''s place for greetings with a bit of a "year-end gift"." I said I would pay a visit to Tukerin''s clinic after I finished my business as well so we''ll meet up there. First off is going to the castle with brother and the others to make rubber deliveries. With this we''ve almost completely finished taking orders from the first knight group. Starting next time we have orders for four suits of armor from the first knight group and the remaining seven suits are all from the second knight group. Though I say that, it''s not as if this is the end of our relationship with the first knight group. Only about 60% of the knights and squires have purchased the rubber armor our family makes. I''m sure the remaining 40% will order a suit even if their current armor is still usable once the period comes where they can get the subsidy from the knight group and there''s some people who are already using it that will probably buy a new suit again in seven years when they can receive the subsidy again. In comparison to the leather and metal armor that they''ve used up until now it''s a flaw that rubber armor runs out of durability in fewer years. However, the merits are that it''s cheaper than metal armor, light, and the defense isn''t all that lower, furthermore the cost of repairs are so cheap it''s not even worth comparing them. It''s really great that it''s thanks to that we were able to form and maintain this business relationship for so long. It''s unfortunate that it''s not as flashy as platemail and full plate armor, so it''s not very good for appearances. Probably just in that regard no matter how effort we put into it I don''t think we can win. Well, ebonite plate has a pretty good gloss to it as well. Though the color is just a bit..It''s too plain. That''s why for the above-mentioned reason there will definitely remain a need for metal armors. Certainly I''m sure that by being pressured by our rubber armor the number of orders they''ll get will fall considerably compared to before but they''ll never run out completely. Adding to that as well, after all the defensive capability of metal armor is still higher. Though it''s heavy. Of course, there was also the idea to just add a thin layer of metal to the surface of the plate portions as well. However, if we end up going that far...I already discussed this with brother and father before but we came to the conclusion it wouldn''t be very profitable. It''s better to just gradually spend a number of years continuing to push the name of the {Bakuddo Brand}. In regards to the production amount as well, even if we increase it it''s thought that around double the current amount, or at greatest 2.5 times more would be the limit. Even then in the next 10 or 20 years we should be the largest armor maker in the country. I wanted to wedge into a corner of the oligopoly of the market and control it to some extent but it''s not like I want to buy resentment from monopolizing it. In any case, starting next time we''ll primarily be doing business with the second knight group. Unlike the first knight group which can receive a subsidy payment every seven years for half the price of their individual equipment, the second knight group only gets a 30% subsidy everyone seven years so it''s expected that the percentage of members who make orders will be far less than the first knight group. However, the total number of members is a completely different set of digits. In the second knight group there''s five times the amount of cavalry knights than the first knight group at 500 people. Even when it comes to the infantry squires they have 20 times the number at 1,000 people. If it were to come to the third or fourth knight groups then the number of people increases even further. Supposedly there''s no subsidy for personal equipment for the third and fourth knight groups but even then when it comes time for them to replace their armor I think that eventually about 10% would purchase our armor. If we take the order cycle into consideration then I don''t think there would be any major effects on the market even if we raise the number of orders we take by a few suits next year. After all, it seems that a workshop that makes platemail from start to finish is at it''s limit with just two suits per year. Even when it comes to the specialized workshops at best they can manage five suits. That''s why it''s extremely expensive. It''s far too expensive so there''s countless knights who can''t afford it and end up just enduring with splintmail, bandedmail, scalemale, or even in the worst case just chainmail. The people who were aiming to deal with are those sorts of people or those who dislike metal armor because of the weight. Even in the first knight group, I''m sure there''s probably people that won''t purchase our armor because it''s too plain. But, almost all of the people that don''t use rubber armor say they''re envious of light armor. Though I''d be happy if the number of customers increase. ................................ CH 282 Damn that 4-6 hours took a whole 9.5 hours. Accursed gun text. Year 7447, Month 1, Day 8 It''s the third day since we entered the dungeon. In the spacious center room of the 8th floor we arrived at before the evening I''m making bullets for the sake of test firing the same as usual. A considerable distance away from the central pillar, in a slightly open area the production of smokeless gunpowder is being done centering around me. Inside of the glass and ceramic containers that I purchased in mass I use magic to separate the raw materials, or rather it''s the acids I made through nitrification of the raw cotton. Though the primary objective is nitrification and denitrification but on that occasion I''m always keeping an eye on it. If the reaction isn''t fixed then I immediately stir the mixed acids and accelerate the reaction of the late portions. The stirring can be done safely using my excessive mana. The next washing process is normally the part that would take the longest amount of time but as a matter of fact it doesn''t take that long at all. I''ll mention the reason later but my magic(or rather my massive amount of mana I guess?) plays a major role in it. When it comes to boil washing it, I just use a stupidly huge cylindrical pot for it and it''s fine to periodically heat it up with fire magic. Of course, if you have the fuel then it''s fine to place it over fire as well. The washing after that is really nothing more than a bonus. I make a huge bath buckets using ice and after filling that with water carry out the washing. Though rather than a bath bucket it might be more appropriate to call it a pool. In regards to the current of the water as long as they can use water and void magic anyone can do it. The majority of the water is something I created but if they just add the water they made themselves to there they can move it by using void magic to move that water. Though the efficiency will drop quite a bit because the amount is small in comparison to the rest but in the end my water will start rotating around in the pool so it''s still far better than mixing it with a pole. Also, it''s using magic with a clear objective to it''s more efficient for earning experience points than just randomly using elemental magic. Though I say that, the reason for the boil washing and washing with water here is to remove the remaining acid, fat parts, and trash from the raw cotton that underwent nitrification so I don''t mind even if they''re both done halfhearted. In the end if I just use the spell {Selection} then po~of it''ll all be perfect separated from the impurities all at once after all. The only reason I don''t do it from the start is so I can take it even just a bit easier. Through using the spell {Selection} it leaves almost no impurities so it reduces any accidents to close to none. Most likely, I don''t think it would be wrong to say that just this most important part is done at an even greater level than the technology on Earth. After that, while it''s wet from the water Toris separates it all at once. Even here it''s possible for us to do precise separation that''s almost perfectly uniform so it raises the level of safety when being used even higher. I use {Selection} on the separated materials once again and then use magic again to dry it all at once, or rather if I just pass it through an {Anti-Magic Field} all of the water created with magic completely disappears. If I store in a bottle together with alcohol separated from vodka then it won''t deteriorate for a short while. As a matter of fact right now I''m confirming the mixture ratio for the stabilizer to help the quality last even longer. Sodium bicarbonate is used for laundry and cooking so it was easy to obtain and oxidized magnesium is the main ingredient in the leftovers of a type of magnesium called {flash metal} which was pleasantly easy to obtain as well. No matter which stage it is water magic is a necessity so it''s almost always been Zenom, Ralpha, Zulu, and Angela that have been dispatched to the other teams. Since just Gwine has the important job of producing the map and confirming our current location when teleporting she''s still acting together with the {Slaughterers} as usual. Recently she''s been on firing duty when we test fire the gun. Though it''s just pulling the string tied to the trigger on Bel''s signal. Since it''s already the new year, this time I intend to go one step further and start making a new gun. Of course, it''s still not one for use in the real thing. One that still doesn''t leave the realm of a test gun but this time rather than one that is shot while resting on a bench, I intend to make one that someone can hold in their hand and fire. Just in case I brought along some walnut wood for making the gun-stock. ...................................... Year 7447, Month 1, Day 9 CH 283 Year 7447, Month 1, Day 21 Following the last time we entered the dungeon I''m still developing guns in the plaza on the 8th floor as usual. Crushing the small problems and making small improvements to be tested during the next time we enter the dungeon. If there''s no problem at that time then I think we''ll try using it in the halls and room bosses. If that goes well then the next time after that I intend on finally going to the 9th floor and trying to fire the net gun against the group of Minotaur. If it''s effective against trolls and the such then it should be fine to expect it to be useful against the mino. And, putting aside the dungeon which has been going somewhat smooth(though it''s not completely smooth), as a matter of fact right now Miduchi and I are on way towards the capital. While we were in the dungeon this time there was a reply from Marquis Dasurain that he wanted to meet and talk with me as soon as possible. The meeting place is the Department of the Royal House area inside of the government office in the capital. I could have sworn that even if other places were different the department of the royal house(has the role of acting as secretary to the King and manages the royal court and such) and the department of castle forces(deals with military affairs) would be located inside of the royal castle. Even the imperial household agency of Japan is located in the imperial palace right. Well, when I tried asking about it later, not just both of the departments, but the other departments also have an area in the castle as well but the castle itself is nothing more than the location of the organization and something like the headquarters are all packed into an area of the government office building. And, if the King has business with the minister, politician, or bureaucrat or whatever and wants to talk with them he calls them all the way from the government office to the castle. This, the higher your position is wouldn''t it just become that much more troublesome getting called out by the King all the time? It would have been fine if the royal castle was at least right next door to the government office. Of course, even I understand that it would be unpleasant to have a ton of politicians(or you could call them high rank nobles) and officials coming to work in the royal castle which also acts as the house of the royal family everyday, so I can understand the reason for splitting them up. But, even then I have to wonder about how it''s over 1 km in distance away. I''ll have to make sure I don''t make the same mistake. I wrote it down in the notes of my heart. Since we''re meeting a minister, Miduchi and I are wearing high class clothes like the ones on the days of judgement. They open in the front resembling kimono from our past life. Though even if I say kimono there''s no difference in the sleeves for men and women. Also, there''s no hakama on Orth so I can''t help but feel like it''s off with the appearance. In exchange we''re wearing somewhat comfortable pants and the same combat boots as usual. Incidentally, I don''t have any official position and I''m a low ranking noble so the color of my obi is deep green. Miduchi''s is a vivid pink color. First off we stopped by Sandak company which was acting as the intermediary and greeted the company president before going to the department of the royal house together with him. After coming to one of the government office buildings that was assigned to the department of the royal house and the company president conveyed to the squire or knight from the third knight group that was acting as gatekeeper about our appointment with Marquis Dasurain. However, we had a chat about the buildings around here and recent affairs with a different knight from the one that went inside for about 15 minutes while waiting so we weren''t bored. After that we were let through into a reception room like place. After sitting down on the sofa and sipping at the tea we were given I heard a shouting voice saying, "Hn? The room of Makkaze? I said to take them to the room of Kamukura right!". Miduchi and I exchanged glances. How noisy right. "He''s on his way." The company president of Sandak company who''s wearing the same green-type obi as me said. So that voice was him huh? And then, a single old man entered the room. It was a skinny old man a sharp glare. He has a gray reverse triangle beard growing from his chin and his slightly long and plentiful hair of the same color for his age was carefully combed towards the back of his head. You can tell from a glance that what he''s wearing is high quality and while it has a similar design to the kimono Miduchi and I were wearing but I''m sure it cost several times more. The color of his obi is..wow, red. It sure is different when it comes to a minister and Marquis. Ah, the King''s is purple, the queens, princes, and dukes are blue. If my father were to "formally" have an audience then his would be black. Marquis Webdos is yellow and the commander of the first knight group, Baron Logan is red. When it comes to company commander level I think it would be white or so? The color of these obi displays they''re nobles and even among them are graded by ranking to some extent. No matter how important they are commoners and free people can''t use any colors except brown, light blue colors, or otherwise pink and different colors like Miduchi. This old man must be Marquis Dasurain. "Your excellency Marquis, thank you for the other day. And then, these two over here are the ones.." CH 284 The title is ÈˤΞé¤Ê¤é¤º a part of the saying "Mercy/Pity is not for the sake of the people." There''s also a saying near the end òœ¤ì¤ëÕߤϾä·¤«¤é¤º¤ä¡¢Ê¢Õß±ØË¥¤«¡£, I honestly have no clue how to translate that something about arrogance and prosperity from some book, but it''s meaning is supposedly similar to "all worldly things are transient". Year 7447, Month 2, Day 7 The fifth day since we entered the dungeon. We''re testing out firing the net gun against the bosses of monster rooms on the 8th and 9th floors. It''s the boring job of going over and solving the small problems that surfaced after actually trying to use it. In regards to the gaps between the nets just as initially expected at 25 cm, quite a bit larger than a soccer goal, it was plenty in terms of size. However, we also learned that it would be best to increase the number of fish-hook like needles attached to there as well. Also, there was a bit of a trick needed in how the net was folded. We ended up failing a good number of times. And then, in regards to the gun itself the largest problem we predicted was the weight of it but after all that ended up being a problem. After all the weight of a single piece is close to 10kg. It''s a gun which I essentially forced a two piece gun into one piece and I ended up making the chamber pretty thick as well so it can''t be helped. I thought of having Bel use it but even with her high Strength value it was difficult to maintain a shooting posture for long periods. Though I say that, there was no problem for short periods of time so there''s no other choice than for her to endure it. When it comes to transportation we have Zulu when he''s around and if he''s not then it''s just a matter of Toris gasping for air. However, after all it''s difficult to place any trust in the various status values that can be seen with {Identify} themselves. Of course they''re useful as somewhat of an indicator and just as is shown(It doesn''t even need to be mentioned that her proportions are good just like the average female Bunnyman race but compared to the time when we first met her she''s developed some decent muscles. Every time I touch her limbs and body to heal wounds I end up vaguely conflicted over the muscles I can feel under the fat layer. Even Miduchi has ripped abs.) Bel is reasonably strong in terms of power. Other than running she also does strength training a bit. Also, it doesn''t even need to be said but she''s an adventurer, she doesn''t slack off in training with the bow or sword so let alone a normal girl, she can move considerably fast even among adventurers. I''m just repeating myself but even her strength is quite superior. Even if it''s not as high as the value shows..Even if it''s doesn''t reach the point of the Strength value, it''s fine to say she''s built up quite a bit of power. If she were to arm wrestle against a random mob that hasn''t done any decent training I don''t think she would lose. However, I still think father from when I was a child has more power than Bel and Miduchi. Bel''s current {Strength} is 24. It''s about the same value as father''s Strength when I was a kid but no matter how favorably I look at it, I can''t help but think that father''s strength was greater. Just the same because of the problem of level while Giberuti has the lowest Strength value out of all of us but I guess because he''s always carrying things, he can display the greatest strength among the {Slaughterers} when it comes to carrying heavy things. Though that''s excluding me. Most likely, the various status values that can be seen with {Identify} are the upper limit of "you can train up to this value". Well, it can''t be helped since it was bothering me but there''s no point in thinking about status values anymore than this, and above all else right now we''re in the middle of testing the gun. "I''ve already more or less gotten a feel for it. I''m pretty sure I can definitely entangle 5 or so of the Minotaur from the group at a distance of about 30-40 meters. Shall we go?" The average size of the boss rooms are about 50 meters per wall in a square shape so it''s difficult to do tests based on the assumed distance. It''s not completely impossible if we fire it from the hall outside of the room but there''s no guarantee that the monsters will all be grouped together after all. Well, it''s possible to confirm how the net spreads out as it flies so that''s still plenty for the test. "Alright, let''s go and try it. It''s already late afternoon today so let''s just do some decent earning for today and go to the center tomorrow." After resolving on that and making my declaration I went back to guarding one of the halls while Ralpha, Gwine, and Basutral gathered the magic stones in the edge of my sight. This time Zulu and Angela are each leading the {Butchers} and {Exterminators}. There''s only 8 of us but as long as those strong minos aren''t mixed in there''s no problem. Even if they are mixed in I''m sure we''ll be fine as long as we can restrain their actions and even if they don''t get caught in the net as long as we can all team up against it I''m sure we can win. CH 285 Year 7447, Month 2, Day 9 Invited by Anderson the two of us entered a random restaurant. We sat down across from each other at a table in the back of the place and the two of us ordered some tea. Until our drinks came out we killed time be discussing things that happened in Baldukku when she wasn''t around. "And then, what was it about your little sisters?" After taking a sip of bean tea I asked Anderson. This "little sister" isn''t a little sister of the Viscount Anderson family. I''m sure it''s the little sister from a different mother with just the same father. Yorire-sama, the daughter of Baron Refaisu flashed through my mind. Come to think of it, they may sort of resemble each other. "You already know my real father right? Then that''s fine. Then you should already know that I have 13 younger brothers and sisters over 8 years younger than me." 8 legitimate children. Richard of the Prince Ronbarudo territory who''s 25 years old and the eldest son of her highness Molail is at the top and at the bottom is the youngest son her highness Marinen gave birth to who should have just turned 8 years old last summer. I knew about it since I heard from Rodrick. If I remember correctly excluding the ones that started to appear in mass a few years back that child should be the youngest. Other than that, there''s 5 illegitimate children that are known. These ones are just the comparatively older children. Misseru.Beirun who was executed two years back should have been somewhere in the middle. If he was still alive then it''d be 6 of them. After confirming that I nodded Anderson continued talking. "Among them there''s only one child that I was acquainted with. Ah, the other children shouldn''t know about my existence. Eh? I can''t say that. But, I''ll just tell you this." After taking a sip of tea to wet her throat Anderson continued in a lower voice. "Though I just found out about it last year. It seems they''ve already started moving so there should have been movements on your end as well right Greed-kun? That child never told me the reason either so I don''t know everything but of the illegitimate children just the females, three of them were made to enter the knight group several years ago." Ah, I''ve heard about that before... "It seems they''re being worked hard by the knight group but what''s strange is it even exceeds the hedges of the knight group and they''re even being taught by the eldest son. It seems the content is limited to combat training against small groups." He~ I guess that means his highness Richard is also a bit involved in it. Ah, the thing the King and them were talking about last summer, so it was this? He confirmed if the training was being done properly... However, it seems it''d be best to avoid mentioning any names. "That face says you knew about it. Then I''ll stop the talk here already. It doesn''t seem it''s necessary to say everything after all...A considerable bait may have been thrown before my three little sisters..whether that''s the case or not as expected I don''t know but whatever the case it seems they''re being trained pretty hard." That does seem to be the case. Though the only one who directly showed their face to me was the middle one Yorire-ojosama. Of Anderson''s little sisters that are illegitimate children, from the oldest there''s Noirura.Jibekuto, 22 years old. The middle child Yorire.Refaisu, 19 years old. And the youngest daughter Mimairu.Fokein, 16 years old. They''re each 3 years apart in age. Even when it comes to the oldest one Noirura, she''s only 4, no, 3 years different from me in another few days so you could say there''s no problem in terms of age difference. However, they''re being pushed pretty hard, huh? After all... Last summer, after talking with Yorire-ojosama I tried investigating it a bit but I couldn''t find out that much. I could only investigate the things on the surface. Though I was able to guess it to some extent, the only basis I had was the short conversation from that time. Well, I guess I''ll try asking a bit huh? CH 286 Probably the most uneventful chapter in the series... Just another 10-15 chapters before the good stuff starts... Not bad stuff in another 5~ Year 7447, Month 2, Day 30 When we passed through the teleport rooms of the 6th and 4th floors the ones from the {Slaughterers} who were watching luggage in the campsites were Kimu and Denda. Zenom and Ralpha must have no intention of leaving my low level combat slaves to have a rest and watch the luggage. I left them with the message, "We''ll be returning to the surface once but after getting some rest today and tomorrow, we''ll be returning to the dungeon again the morning of the day after tomorrow." There won''t be any change in members. Since the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} don''t have an exclusive porter like Giberuti the amount of luggage they can carry at once is limited. That''s why, other than when watching the bags they shouldn''t have been able to get much rest coming to the dungeon this time. This time, it''s just for a short while but we''re returning to the surface so I''m sure Zenom and Ralpha can both put in an appropriate rest at that timing. Returning to the surface we saw the sunset sky for the first time in a while and then went to cash in the magic stones. We decided to just eat dinner at the usual Murowa and then everyone split up to return to Boil Manor and Shuni. In front of Boil Manor Basutoral nervously started talking to me. "Umm, excuse me, but if it''s now I can still make it for the last carriage to the capital. Is it fine if I return tomorrow night?" Ah, I see. Basutral told Cathy that there were no plans for days off so it''s not necessary for her to return to Baldukk. "Nn, got it. Go ahead." After hearing my reply Basutoral quickly ran into Boil Manor in front of us. "Che~ Saji-san, how nice..." Gwine said while climbing the stairs to her room. "Gwine how are things with that person?" Bel asked her. That person..There''s no way of knowing like that. Just as far as I know she''s been screaming over a number of guys recently. "Nn, somehow, I''ve already gotten bored of him." You get it!? Not to mention, "already bored"... "The other day I had to carry that person back to Pegizu. People who are weak to alcohol are just a bit..uncool after all." So..So cruel~ There''s also the matter of constitution, something like alcohol even Zenom is weak against it...Is it a value of dwarves? Zenom is weak against alcohol but still seems to have the respect of all the dwarves in Baldukk though...In the first place does being strong or weak against alcohol have anything to do with being cool? Well, it''s not as if I don''t understand though... "Now it''s that person right? Look, from {Gehenna.Flare}.." Toris is saying it like he knows but it''s Garun from {Gehenna.Flare} right, I''m sure. It seems like she liked him from quite a while back after all. CH 287 Another 9~ more mediocre chapters then things start to move forward pretty fast. Chapter sizes are shooting up in length again. At least this is one of the last few gun focused chapters... Year 7447, Month 3, Day 4 Late last night after we arrived in the teleport room of the 8th floor we took a full 8 hours of sleep per person and recovered our stamina before stepping foot on the 9th floor. Of course starting with the net gun we left on the 8th floor we brought along as much Treant lumber as we had the leeway to hold. And then just past noon after defeating the mino guardians of the 9th floor we had a slightly late lunch. "Today after this are we going to the 10th floor?" Bel asked me. The last time we took a bit of a look around the 10th floor on the first day. However, without hesitation I said,"No, let''s not today. I want to do it when we can spend a full day starting tomorrow.", before pulling out the iron ores from the bottom of Giberuti''s bags. "Ah, starting with the guns huh?" "Yeah. Thinking about those {Lesser Yowie} and I thought I should make a proper gun first." "You were going to make a gun that can fire consecutively right?" "That''s right. I want to get a good outlook of the gunpowder and bullets today." I brought along some brass and copper ores. Of course, I haven''t forgotten the cotton and I''ve already resupplied on yellow dye. Also I intend on trying to use the Treant lumber to make the gunstock and hand-guard this time. Last time I made the gunstock out of walnut wood but I think it was a pretty decent job for the first time. Although, I''ve made a number of wooden guns in the past so I can''t say it''s completely the first one. First off is producing the gunpowder and bullets I guess. Since we''re already pretty used to these we can proceed up to the washing process right away. Since we''ve already reached the point where there''s almost no problem with the amount of gunpowder in the bullets there shouldn''t be any problem with making the thickness of the barrel a bit thinner. During the start when there was too much gunpowder the cartridges couldn''t withstand the explosion within the cylinder and would expand(there was also expansion from the temperature of the explosion but it was mainly expansion from the blast wave), then I couldn''t get the empty cartridges out and in worst case there was no choice other than to break it. Since I didn''t add something like an ejector rod after all. I made this possible by somewhat increasing the thickness of that portion of the cartridges to increase the strength. Though because of that the cartridges ended up a bit longer. If possible I didn''t want to sacrifice the power. It''s no good if we don''t replenish the bullet-heads and shell cases as well. The primer too. Recently the cartridges we''ve made have a proper thickness and are reusable so I guess it''s fine to make a bit less huh? Now then, while they''re washing the acids out from the cotton, it''s finally time to work on producing the gun during the spare time. This time what I''m going to make is a bolt action rifle..is what I''d like to say but as expected that''s getting too complex all of a sudden. I intend on making a revolving rifle which is like a revolver made into a rifle. While I''m at it I also abandoned the {top break} form and made it a {solid frame}. Different from the average modern day revolver the revolving cylinder doesn''t {sling out}. It''s necessary to take out the empty cartridges from the loading gates on the sides one at a time before loading new bullets but for that portion the structure can be made a lot simpler. Additionally for the portion it''s made simpler I can raise the durability. I made the firing mechanism only {single action} as well. Of course it''s because I can make the form of the parts simpler. The number of parts I have isn''t many. After all, it''s only two springs, the trigger, the hammer, the hand which rotates the cartirdges pulling the hammer back, and the latch which holds the cartridges in place when they stop rotating. {Double action} is something similar but the structure gets a bit more complex and the number increases by one or two. That''s up next. Pin? Ah, it''s fine as long as you directly hit the primer so it shouldn''t necessary for the time being. Of course there''s no way there would be something like a {gas sealer} so when a bullet is being fired the firing flames leak out through the guns in the cylinder and barrel which makes a long glove required for your left hand. Though if you''re fine with being burnt there''s no need for even that. I made the parts for the first gun in about 1 hour. Once again this time I made the rifling within the barrel using chrome. I''ll use the tungsten after I''ve built up a bit of confidence and got the proper form down. I carved down the treant lumber while roughly estimating the gunstock and barrel and putting them into place. If I match them up other than the receiver and revolving cylinder it should have the shape of a rifle from a while back. I used an exclusive jig to hold the barrel in place while carving out the pipe and shaved it down to almost the same shape as outer circumference of the barrel. "Shave down the fine places and adjust it for yourself." I said that while handing over the skin of a fish similar to kawahagi that works as sandpaper. It should be about time for the bullets to enter the selection process. I need to head over. Just like this our first day on the 9th floor ended. Tomorrow a short while after we eat breakfast we''ll defeat the respawned mino and then continue off from today. The 10th floor is put off until after the day after tomorrow. ................................... CH 288 Isekai: Hah. Owned. Year 7447, Month 4, Day 1 After having breakfast, Miduchi and I started on our way towards the headquarters of the company in the capital. After going over the paperwork and giving out any necessary instructions we''ll check out the sausage factory as well. Since Basutoral came last night obviously it won''t be in operation today. By that time it was already close to lunch but John or Terry one of the watch guards should be there. ""Ah, master, madam. Welcome."" When we arrived at the factory John was disassembling and cleaning the meat mincer while Terry was cleaning up inside of the factory. Umu. The hygienic "feeling" is important since we deal in food products. It''s completely impossible to reach modern day Japanese standards of hygiene, a level that will never be reached, but just because other places are dirty doesn''t mean we should follow suit. It means that my efforts in harshly directing them paid off. Since we had the occasion I had them make some tea and have a short break. "Is everyone getting along well without fighting?" Miduchi asked the two of them while handing them a bag of candy she bought along the way. We''ve already read the report from Cathy but there might be some places she doesn''t notice. It''s possible for fights and bullying to occur anywhere in the world of children. It even occurs between adults at times. "There were two fights since the year started. Myusshi and Bagu, Maru and Rinbi. But, in both cases it wasn''t over anything important." Terry put a piece of candy in his mouth and smiled while saying. If you can resolve it all on your own then fight as much as you please. Incidentally, Myusshi and Bagu are both boys at the same age as John and Terry. This is fine. However, Maru and Rinbi are the eldest boy and girl who reach adulthood this year. Get along well with each other... "Also, there wasn''t any cases of bullying anyone. Cathy-san has always harshly spoken out against it since then and..umm, everyone is afraid of being scolded by master." John said while sucking on some candy as well. Come to think of it, I guess it was around the end of last year? Something like this happened. I heard from Cathy that Byogu the smallest child was almost neglected for not moving fast enough. In anger after hearing that without even taking my armor off when it was close to night when we came out of the dungeon I hopped on my horse and rushed into the factory. Rushing my horse from Boil Manor in Baldukk to the factory I arrived in 30 minutes. After arriving at the factory I told John and Terry who came out to greet me to gather all of the slaves. That day it was already in the a.m. after everyone returned to their inn but I had them all gather within 1 hour. And then I hit John and Terry. It''s only obvious for a small child to have slow movements. Take your time and patiently teach them. Furthermore, using that as a reason to neglect them is absurd. In the first place if you can''t resolve it then why didn''t you tell me about it? Ah, it doesn''t matter either way whether or not you all were involved in neglecting them. After all for the time being future candidates for management positions. For that sort of reason I yelled and hit them each once in front of everyone. Of course, I properly took off my gauntlet with brass knuckles embedded into it. Also, I held back quite a bit so healing spells weren''t necessary. Obviously I paid no mind whether or not John and Terry had any complaints about it. Though I think they probably didn''t have any. I heard from Cathy that there''s a number of children older than John and Terry and with the passage of time there was an age based hierarchy being formed. Well it''s only natural so I have nothing to say about that. If the oldest one in the group is superior then that person would do just as expected from their age after all. If it was Japan then I think that would have been plenty. However, the seniors John and Terry learned to read and write from the Basutoral couple and along with that were a bit more intelligent. They''re both 13 years old this year. The level of their studies should be around the middle to late years of elementary. After all it seems they can do the addition and subtraction of fractions now. In comparison there''s other child among the slaves who reach 15 years old and adulthood this year but supposedly they''re at best around the lower to middle grades of elementary school. It''s because it''s gotten difficult for Basutoral to take the time to directly teach them and the incomplete teaching that Cathy can do through hearsay. Even in regards to Cathy her calculation abilities and various knowledge are at best around the first year of middle school. In fact this level is already more than enough to consider it high level. Particularly if you think about how she was born at the slave ranking and you could even call it a miracle. Even on Earth until just a few dozen years ago there were a lot of people that couldn''t read or do calculations. Those sorts of people weren''t educated with the foundations to make logical thoughts or come up with abstract ideas. Because of that they were said to not have enough imaginations in regards to things outside of their sphere of life. It''s just my personal opinion but I even think that a low literacy rate may be an necessary requirement to maintain a system based on social status. I think this is just because the past Japan is abnormal and that isn''t the case for the trends of the entire world. Whatever the case, even if it''s not all of them a reasonable number of the slaves who are working in my sausage factory right now have a chance of taking on decent jobs in my country in the future. That''s why a certain level of education is necessary. For ruling class purposes. That''s the reason why I told John and Terry who were one stage higher from the start for obediently learning things to keep an eye on everyone. I gave them individual rooms for the night watch in the factory and even told all of the others to listen to what they say as seniors, showing the difference between them and the others. And then I''ve heard from Cathy''s reports that no other child has appeared yet that can exceed John and Terry. That''s why the only ones I can scold in front of everyone is just those two. Well, the only time I''ve scolded them was just that once. Thanks to that John and Terry had the dishonor of being directly scolded by me but at the same time it had the result of putting more emphasis on the fact that they''re "left in charge of things" by me after being by the number one adventurer in Baldukk. Just as planned. Putting that aside, I ended up receiving complaints from the third knight group that act as guards of the capital for running my horse through the town in the middle of the night and had to stupidly pay a fine of 30 silver coins. CH 289 Equin Caja~ Year 7447, Month 4, Day 6 "Al, what have you been doing since just now?" Zenom called out to me when I was observing the head of the Troll.Kin in order to cover up the fact that I was focused on thinking. I''m sure it''s necessary to explain and it''s not like I''ll come to a conclusion even if I think anymore than this. I guess it''s just right. "Nn, I was investigating the wound. Look at this. Here is where the bullet from the gun hit." "Hmm." "And just like that it passed through the skull and the back of the head and now it''s probably stuck in the wall somewhere over there." "The wound on the back sure is big. Even though the wound on the front is smaller than an arrow wound." "Yeah, when it passed through the skull from the face the angle must have shifted slightly. Because of that when it passed through the skull in the back of the head it wasn''t from the front but a bit above that. It''s fine if you just think of it as the bullet getting a bit bigger without losing any momentum." "Hohou, I see, no clue at all." As expected even if I were to tell him about the movement of energy or shock waves he wouldn''t understand it. I said it as simply as possible without touching on those but it seems it was still outside the category of comprehension for Zenom. Though, I don''t think Gwine or Ralpha would understand either so there''s no problem at all. "Is it necessary to modify the bullet?" Bel came to participate in the conversation. Although, in her case I''m sure it has a completely different meaning than Zenom. "Nn. I don''t know if it''s necessary or not yet. It would be good if we can use several types based on the opponent but as expected that is..(Eh..)" When I turned around while replying looking at Bel I almost raised my voice and took a step back. Th..This girl, what kind of expression is she making... There was a blazing light in Bel''s eyes and her face was a bit red. She was making a cruel and bewitching smile while her breath seemed a bit rough. Ah, this girl..Is it that? Is she a dangerous person? But, rather than that there''s a problem. "Bel! Don''t lower the muzzle! Remove your fingers from the trigger!! Rather than quickly call over Giberuti and hand him the gun." CH 290 Year 7447, Month 4, Day 8 Now then, once again today I''ve been thoroughly teaching them about the handling of guns just the same as the day before yesterday but after all thinking about things from here on out and I can''t help but feel complicated about not using them for very long. There''s no helping the matter of not earning any experience points but there''s no mistake that it''s a useful weapon. The advantage of anyone being able to use a long distance attack with a fixed attack power is still great even excluding the experience points. On the occasions when we''re up against Mino, Trolls, and Ogres, monsters with strength, I after all want to one with us as insurance. Those sorts of powerful monsters even if they don''t land a hit on the ivtals like the head all it takes is being grazed to suffer serious injuries. Particularly if we could let the porter Giberuti use it then it would be a big trump card. While Giberuti was preparing breakfast I was thinking about various things while checking my equipment in a corner of the room. "Hey, Al. I discussed it with Saji when we were keeping lookout yesterday but.." Before I realized it Ralpha was nearby whispering to me in a low voice. It seems she just finished taking a shower and her hair is still wet as she has a towel wrapped around her head. We can''t use magic here so I can''t dry it for her. "Did Bel really point the muzzle of the gun at Al that time?" Ralpha with a suspicious expression on her face started saying things that make no sense in an even lower voice as her face approached mine. She was certainly pointing the muzzle in my direction and her finger was still on the trigger. If that wasn''t the case there''s no way I would have panicked that much. Even Zenom saw it by my side you know. "What''s the mean?" "Hmn, as a matter of fact.." Supposedly Basutoral and Ralpha discussed Bel''s actions that were the reason for banning the usage of guns while keeping lookout last night. And then the two of them couldn''t help but feel doubtful about Bel, who''s knowledgeable about projectile weapons and normally using them damage monsters, handling one carelessly. "If you put it like that then that''s certainly true.." Though I replied like that, I''ve already understood the reason why after talking to Bel that night. She said she couldn''t hold back her excitement over the gun that was several times more powerful than a bow. She was intoxicated by the fact that it could even render a mino or troll powerless in a single shot. After all, when it comes to the bow let alone a mino or troll, unless you can hit them in the eye from the front you can''t even stop an ork or hobgoblin with a single hit. "For that Bel to handle a gun carelessly is.." Ralpha was trying to say that Bel''s actions were too unnatural coming from her. Certainly if it''s put like that then it''s hard to imagine Bel ignoring something so basic even though I''ve been nagging them normally over the handling of guns for so long. Fundamentally Bel''s never gone against the things I say. Of course, she occasionally objects and comments on things so she''s not just a simple yes-man but she''s never done something so shameful as going back against something that''s already been decided. Even though she''s like that for her to be negligent with safety in that sort of situation... Certainly it doesn''t make sense. However, didn''t we just enthusiastically go over learning gun command yesterday... "Hey, what do you think about it?" "Hmm. If it''s put like that then..Certainly I''ve started to feel that it was a bit strange. Call over Baustoral, no, I''ll directly ask Bel about it." "Yeah, do that. But I''m sure Bel has some sort of thoughts about it. If possible you should do it when you''re alone with her and not get angry." That''s only obvious. Of course I understand. The next one to leave the teleport crystal room for morning beauty(though there''s no shampoo) after Ralpha was Bel. She''s the only one outside of the room..right. Everyone else is in the room. I told Giberuti to wait a bit longer on breakfast and left the room. I''m not going to peep so don''t misunderstand. I decided to wait for Bel to return in the middle area between the rocks we use as a shower and the teleport crystal room. CH 291 Year 7447, Month 4, Day 9 For a full 2 days or so after I talked to Bel I continued to pound things about guns into everyone properly. During that time I''d always say, "I have something to think about" and spend it thinking to myself. After that we returned from the dungeon and just as we were returning to the entrance plaza after cashing in our magic stones it was just as everyone else was returning to the surface. Just the same as usual we moved over to Murowa''s food cart and exchanged information about our battle gains this time before everyone started discussing the upcoming member change matches. Yeah, just as expected. "This month we''ll enter the dungeon once more and then have the member change matches on the days off after that. That''s why it''ll be after the 18th. Also about the method but I''m making it a more simple and easier to understand method." I thought about the conditions for the member change match while we were exploring the dungeon this time. Last time was far too overprotective. Everyone''s paying attention to what I''ll say next. "Obviously the stamina test is the same as up until now. We''ll have this on the next day after we come out of the dungeon, though I guess that''s too harsh so we''ll do it on the 19th. After you pass through that we''ll confirm who each of the pairs wants to challenge. Alright, everything up to here is the same." Everyone''s got a light smile on their faces as if they have some confidence. Yeah, since it seems like they''ve been putting in quite a bit of effort after all. It might be possible that a number of people or groups will pass other than Kamu and Kimu. "Things are different starting here. Last time we were measuring time and searching around for just the right ogres it was all too troublesome. From here on out we''ll make the method I''m about to explain the standard." After saying that far I looked around at everyone''s faces and it was as if they were saying, "Just hurry up and say it already" Yes~yes. "There''s no change in that you''ll be up against ogres on the 7th floor but this time it''ll be a single round match, the details are simple. The test will last almost a full day. It''s fine no matter how you use that day. It''s over who can bring back the highest value in magic stones from the 7th floor in that day. Of course it''s fine even if it''s 1 or a lot of them is fine as well. Obviously only magic stones obtained from the 7th floor will count. The one with the highest value after cashing them in at the magic stone shop Danhiru will win. Right? Isn''t it simple?" Nfu~ and I can hear the sound of sighing. There''s some small suppressed laughs as well. They must have quite a bit of confidence. Putting aside the {Exterminators}, the {Butchers} have gained quite a bit of experience fighting against ogres after all. Of course, I''ll be handing each of the groups a map of the 7th floor. Also, I''ll have several people go with them as guards and observers to prevent cheating. However, the guards will always remain at least several tens of meters away. They''ll confirm the course taken and combat methods but they won''t say anything about the methods the challengers decide on and even if they''re asked for opinions they won''t reply. We''ll only tell them just their starting point where we teleported into on the map. Also, it''ll act as the safety measure role to prevent them from charging into too dangerous of a place like the monster rooms. I''ll be careful in picking these guards so there''s no cheating that occurs. For example, if I let Basutoral or Angela who will definitely be challenged to act as guards, I''ll add in at least one other person from the challenger side to act as guard together with them. Depending on the case the person being challenged might be moved to the last in the order and it''s fine to fill the guards with nothing but the challengers. If Miduchi or I mix in with them just in case then it shouldn''t be all that dangerous. "Obviously, you should use the weapons and equipment you normally use. Borrowing from someone else is prohibited. It''s no good if you can''t continue to use it after the test after all. Also, the first ones to pass the stamina test will be given priority in the order for naming someone. If multiple challengers all challenger the same person and everyone wins it would be troublesome in various ways." Here a number of people started making grim expressions. They must not have though that far. The strongest contenders among the challengers at this point are Kamu and Kimu who won the right last time. If they can''t surpass them in the stamina test it doesn''t seem like they''ll be able to challenge Basutoral and Angela after all. However, since it was still something only obvious it seems they accepted it soon after. "Obviously you''re free to use the full day however you want. It''s fine if you return to the 6th floor partway through to take a break or get some sleep, and it''s fine if you don''t return as well. Well I don''t really recommend not returning though." After that I went through a Q&A over the fine details and finished the discussion. ........................ Year 7447, Month 4, Day 12 CH 292 More eventually. /undeadtranslator Year 7447, Month 4, Day 12 After that it took quite a bit of effort to comfort the depressed Rodrick. We discussed how to handle the spell of {Identification} but just as Miduchi pointed out, we came to the conclusion that it''s only really useful for drawing a final conclusion in identifying if someone''s a reincarnated person. Other than that is just using it as a reference point for the current abilities of the members in the {Slaughterers} and it''s not like it''s necessary to use it for that very often either. Other than that there''s the method of use that Miduchi and I expected from the start, using Identify on weapons, {Magic.Items}, and the various pieces of equipment. It''s a simple way of putting it but we were thinking of using it for investigating the abilities. However, it seems that Rodrick and Zenom were too overwhelmed by learning about personal identification and finding out levels so they still haven''t realized the possibility of using it to Identify items yet. I''m keeping HP, MP, and the ability values hidden so I have no intention of revealing the durability or ability fields. There''s still more things that I don''t understand about them after all. However, putting aside the manufacture date it''s big that I can point out the {Effect} fields. By the way, both Rodrick and Zenom said together that I should avoid revealing the fact that I''ve acquired the {Identification} spell for the present time. "Even if you tell them it would be best if you keep it to just the reincarnated people I''m sure." "I agree with Rodrick''s opinion as well." "I think it would be best if we tell everyone about it but..would you tell me the reason?" Miduchi asked. She''s intentionally speaking the opposite opinion to hear their thoughts. "Hmph, it would probably be best if I say the reason." "That''s true. Zenom-san, I''ll leave it to you." "Previously, I''ve heard about it from Ralpha so I know it well and I don''t really think anything much of it at this point but.." According to Zenom the concept of body levels would be considerably difficult for pure Orth people that didn''t reincarnate to accept. Also, judging from the case of Rodrick just a moment ago. There will be a gap between the body levels of the original members of the {Slaughterers} and those in the {Butchers} and {Exterminators}. There''s no way anyone would say things like it''s unfair or complain about it at this point but it could invite subconscious impatience and lead to some unexpected dangers was the reason. "We dispatch leaders in order to prevent that sort of reckless impatience you know?" Miduchi said but that''s exactly the case. If it''s just something like that then they should properly hold it back. Even before that, while I''m sure everyone will be shocked just like Rodrick at first but I revealed it because I''m already confident that no one would get impatient over something like this if we just give them some time. Even they''re first-rate adventurers you know? They should already know there''s a single good thing about getting impatient in the dungeon. "Of course I''m sure Toris, Bel, Zulu, and Maruso can hold them back..but.." "Ral-san is.." Ralpha huh... If it''s her then she might rile everyone up and suggest earning experience points to level up..No, that''s not the case. She''s already known about experience points and leveling up since several years back. It''s just a matter of not knowing the number up until now but she already had that sort of knowledge. After I pointed that out both Zenom and Rodrick started looking at my face in doubt. "She''s now able to learn the number of something she wasn''t able to up until now. Just the same as magic skills she''ll start desperately trying to increase it.." "It''s alright. The two of you should place a bit more faith in Ralpha..Though I guess that''s a weird way of putting it. Even when it comes to magic she''s doing a decent amount of training but it''s not like she''s putting all her efforts in just to raise the level of her skills. She''s just putting in the efforts because that makes everyone safer." Zenom you''re the parent who raised her so don''t say such mean things... "I understand her the best. On top of that I''m saying it but there''s no way that''s the case. She''s simply doing it because she was told by Al and because she wants to use new spells, nothing more." Zenom shrugged his shoulders while asserting. If her parent Zenom who declares he understands her the best says that then I can''t say anything more. "Zenom-san. Have you properly talked with Ral recently? Even if she''s like she thinks about things quite a bit." Miduchi provided some backup fire. I agree with Miduchi''s view as well. Even if she''s like that I think she puts a good amount of thought into things. However, for Miduchi to defend Ralpha... CH 293 Dat cliff. *disappears for another month* Year 7447, Month 4, Day 15 In the end in regards to the guardian of the 9th floor the mino we decided to continue using the net gun only when we fight against it ahead on when going back in. We haven''t done the replacement matches yet. Those minos with superior skill probably aren''t mixed in but after all I''m still a bit worried. Miduchi, Zenom, and Toris didn''t say anything either. After that we spent our time going into the 10th floor and attacking the minos on the 9th floor from behind to defeat them. The matter of interest everyone has their mind on is the next Monday after we leave the dungeon, the replacement matches that start on the 19th. "Saji, Zulu. What about you two? Are you confident?" Toris asked Basutoral and Zulu. This time I dispatched Angela to the {Exterminators} so these two are the target of discussion. "What are you saying, Toris-san. Isn''t it only obvious that everything''s fine? Didn''t you see how I just finished off that {Great Troll}!?" "Even if I were to be challenged it''s just a matter of properly doing everything I can. There''s no need for worry." Basutoral said full of confidence and Zulu replied with indifference. Certainly Basutoral''s gotten more used to fighting against ogres and trolls since the replacement match last time and can be seen with the same feelings as the other members. He''s no longer on edge all the time like in the past and not as excessively cautious either. Zulu''s just the same as always in only focusing on putting his all into accomplishing his job. Those who properly do what they need to do aren''t disturbed so easily and you can tell while he might find it regretful if he loses, he''ll just think it can''t be helped and work even harder to flip things over again next time. Even from my point of view they don''t seem like they''ll be defeated all that easily right now. I think it''s become a pretty big wall. "Putting that aside, Al, you still properly have some mana remaining right? Hurry up and look at it." Ralpha asked me. Really this fellow... "Yeah, you''re level 2." "Eeh!!? No way!!? .......level..2..that.. can''t be.." Her eyes are wide open as she seems to be considerably shocked. "There''s no way that''s the case right, idiot. In the first place he replied immediately. It''s not like he can activate it in this short of a time." Toris said with a bitter smile while shaking his head. Both Zenom and Gwine were making slightly amazed expressions as if wondering why Ralpha didn''t realize it right away. Up until yesterday I spent more than 20 minutes each time I used it. In order to really activate the spell {Shine.Light.Eyes} instantaneously it''s probably impossible unless I use it another 1,000 times or so. Even if I were to put in the effort and exhaust all of my mana several times on a daily basis like I did in the past it would take several months. "Ku..you.." It seems she only realized it after she was told. She seems considerably embarrassed but she''s just glaring at me with a mortified expression. "Just stop teasing her already. Isn''t she pitiful?" CH 294 The next 3 chapters are a bit of a pain in the ass but after that pretty much all of the chapters left in volume 2 are interesting. Year 7447, Month 4, Day 27 Basutoral first took out the magic stones from goblins. The number was 8. Since they''re low-value magic stones from goblins it''s almost like a measurement error so they aren''t a big problem. And then next he took out the magic stones from the ogres. After that first day of the test there hasn''t been anything different about either Basutoral or Angela. That''s why they should have obtained a decent number of them. One. Two. Three... With an uneasy expression still on his face he carefully took out one at a time, the total amount was 7 of them. ..This is also..Somewhat difficult... If I remember right Kamu and Kimu''s record was 5,902,200 Z. So the match is decided by the magic stones from goblins huh... In any case, the purchase price that the old man from Danhiru puts on them is everything. If it''s with my {Identify} then I can quickly calculate the results and as a matter of fact I immediately did the mental math so I already know the result. However, while it''s only slight there''s some measurement error using the magic tool scale. Even that measurement error is a part of the match. ... ...... The old man of Danhiru was using a wide abacus to do the math. To me it''s something that''s not very easy to use even if you''re used to it. That''s why I made a Japanese-style abacus and normally use that one. It''s a compact one with only 12 rows but after all the Japanese-style one is easy to use right. Since I didn''t have any bamboo it was somewhat difficult making it. In my past life, it was a technique that I learned when I was still a brat but I guess it''s something you remember with your body. In the 50s of the Showa period(TL: 1970-1980) it wasn''t strange for a brat to attend sentence structure and abacus classes at all. Out of a class of over 40 elementary schoolers roughly half of them attended one or the other. The old man of Danhiru moved the various stones up and down before finishing his calculations. "7 ogre magic stones and 8 goblin magic stones huh...In total that''ll be 5,902,200 Z." Voice of Oh~ were raised everywhere. It''s exactly the same amount. The magic stone from an ogre that Basutoral brought out was only a bit higher than the ones Kamu brought out. It was enough that the magic stones from goblins were able to make up for it. "The same.." I unintentionally whispered out loud as well. I can tell that the attention of everyone who was peeking at the counter of magic tool shop Danhiru switched over to me. As expected the same amount was beyond my imagination. In the case that Basutoral and Angela won or in the case that Kamu and Kimu won. CH 295 Year 7447, Month 4, Day 28 Seeing almost all of the {Slaughterers} gathered together Zenom took a step forward as Sean and I were surprised. "Well, since we have the chance. Bring along these fellows when you make deliveries at the castle this time. Outside of the {Saviors} the only who''s entered the castle before is Rodrick after all. There''s a bit too many people but they should at least let us past the middle moat right? Let them see the castle. I want to see it for the first time in a while too." Certainly there''s quite a few people..including me there''s about 20 people from just the {Slaughterers} here. If we include the caravan from Bakuddo and Ressegu the head clerk then it''ll be close to 30 people. Even then it''s just said Zenom said, everyone is registered as employees of Greed Company so I don''t think there''s any problem. Probably they should be fine making it past the outer moat into the third outer citadel. In order to enter the second outer citadel you have to go past the middle moat but whether they''re armed or not it''s questionable if they''d be let it..I don''t know. There''s some slightly deformed parts to it but the castle is more or less in the hirajiro(TL: built on flat land) Japanese style with a layered structure. Putting it simply it means that there''s several circular rings of land of different sizes and moats in-between. The outer moat runs around the very edges of it and then there''s three citadels inside of that covering a considerable area. There''s bridges across the outer moat in several places but they aren''t drawbridges but very sturdy fixed bridges. There''s large gates at every end of the bridges on the side of the third outer citadel and that acts as both a guard station and lookout tower. If you were to have a weapon on you then you''d leave it there when going inside. In the third outer citadel there''s the stables and lodging for the stationed guards and there''s also lookout towers in a number of places other than just the gates. I guess it''s taking into consideration the possibility of a siege but the considerably vast vacant land stands out. It''s simplistic compared to the castle tower but what I guess you could call the castle of the third outer citadel acts as a more serious fortress and lookout tower as it continues past the middle moat into the second citadel, it''s placed to protect the sole drawbridge that leads inside. If you pass that drawbridge and go over the middle moat then you''ll be inside of the second outer citadel. Here other than the defensive lookout towers there''s a bit of a garden and such. Just the same as the third outer citadel it''s got three layers of lookout towers to protect the drawbridge leading further inside. The various ministries castle branch buildings are located in this area and each of the knight groups from the first to the fourth have their headquarters here as well. The leader, vice-leader, and headquarters personnel of the knight groups all come to work here. Sister is a member of the first knight group but the actual station grounds of each of the knight groups including the first are in a different location from the castle so she isn''t normally here. Normally, the delivery of armor takes place in a room in one of the lookout towers of either these second or third outer citadels. If you were to ask which, it takes place in the third outer citadel more often. At first we even took care of the deliveries and orders in a vacant lot of the third outer citadel but in the past 2~3 years it''s had a feel like going to the second outer citadel when a convenient room isn''t open close to the castle in the third outer citadel. In other words I''ve only gone in a number of times that can be counted on one hand myself. And, finally there''s an inner moat and that leads to the inner citadel. Obviously the castle tower looms over that area. Obviously I''ve never entered there either and I''ve only seen it from the outside so I don''t know what''s going on inside. "Just a bit, we thought we''d take a look at our future objective." Ginger took a step forward beside Zenom while saying. Fu.. I don''t know who brought it up but I guess it was that sort of thing. "..Well, that''s fine. But, I think they''ll only let you in up to the "third outer cit"..up to the outer perimeter?" "That''s no problem. I just want to take a look at even a portion of the castle that I''ve heard about." Sanno said while shrugging his shoulders. Ah, that''s right. I need to say this. "Also, Miduchi, Zenom, Toris, Bel, and Rodrick you guys stay behind this time. You''ve all seen it before and as expected there''s way too many people." "Eeh~~"" ...................... Leaving behind the five who were grumbling that they went to the trouble of coming, even then we took along a total of over 20 people to the castle and took care of the deliveries. We were able to enter the third outer citadel without problem but after all we weren''t allowed into the second citadel. Even then everyone seemed to be impressed by the delicate and splendorous ornaments around the building and the magnificently mowed lawn in the vacant land. I was a bit nervous that Rokko or Jeru might start making too much noise but as expected even they were impressed as they just looked around occasionally saying, "Ha~" in a whisper. Supposedly this Rombert castle was completed for the time being and started to function as a castle 50 years ago from now. Including the ornaments and such the building was only completely finished 40 years after that, a short 10 years ago. Prior to that, Rombert castle used to stand a bit to the North from here in what''s currently considered the low-ranking noble district. The grandfather of the current King who was the King at that time had just finished an 80-year project to complete the new Rombert castle 10 years after he took the throne so he spent another 20 years moving castles and tearing down the old one. I smoothly gave everyone an explanation of that sort of hearsay. We left the castle after finishing up the delivery and sightseeing and I talked with Kamu on the way back to the company. The one who proposed sightseeing at the castle with everyone this time was Toris. Supposedly Toris told everyone he wanted them to understand my objective to make a new country after this even a bit better. Hearing that they thought it would be good to see the castle at least once. Of course, it seems like there was also the reason of wanting to see the interior of the castle together with everyone at once as well. On our way of slowly returning to the company headquarters I listened to what everyone was saying. "Really~ it was amazing right~" "Yeah, I''ve only heard about something like that in stories." "Sean-san you''ve gone in a number of times right? Have you ever gone even further inside?" CH 296 Year 7447, Month 4, Day 29 Maru and Rinbo both brazenly said they want to become combat slaves so in order to get them to give up I was having Zulu and Angela knock them down until Sanno, Ruttsu, Rodrick, Denda, and Karimu appeared. The five of them appeared covered in sweat as expected from just finishing their running this morning and it seems they came along to get John and Terry to make some baldoggie for breakfast. "Morning, Greed-kun. What are you guys doing?" "Yo~ so you were already finished with your running? Zulu, Maruso. What''s going on?" Sanno and Ruttsu called out to us. You''re loud~ Don''t interfere. "If it''s about baldoggie then Mekku and the others are cleaning inside so just say something." I replied with just that before turning my attention back to Maru and Rinbi. It seems that Sanno and the others quietly went into the factory. The two of them are still looking at me bitterly as usual. Even if you look at me with eyes like that those who are useless are still useless. In the first place something like wanting to be combat slaves, you screwed up in how you suddenly brought it up with me first. If it''s to report bullying then that''s fine but it''s not even that urgent of a matter right. First off you should have consulted with the head slave Zulu and passed it through him and then only finally came to make the request with me after you''ve convinced him, even Cathy would have been fine. If it''s with her then I''m sure she''s easy to talk to as well. In the first place what have John and Terry been doing. Completely skipping over the head slave Zulu and making a direct appeal to me is ridiculous. Do they not understand that it completely ignores Zulu''s position? Though they must have done such because they didn''t know. Ronslail-san~ you never properly finished training them... Zulu''s still making a strict expression. Well, it''s not like you''re normally together with them after all. It would be barking up the wrong tree to criticize Zulu over something like this so don''t make that face. Though it''s a face that doesn''t seem to be worrying about himself. "Hey, the two of you. You want to die?" "No, I don''t want to die." After a short pause Maru nervously replied. "What about you?" I asked Rinbi once again. "U..Umm, I don''t want to die either." Her voice started to crack up a bit. "That''s only obvious right. Even I don''t want to die." I throw the remainder of the baldoggie skewer I had in my hand into my mouth and play around with the remaining skewer. "You two, are you saying that fully understanding what kind of thing combat slaves are?" ""..."" You never know when you might be ordered to be my shield you know? You never know when I might abandon you in order to earn time to escape? There''s no way I''d bring along someone who wouldn''t even be able to properly earn any time if it comes to that! If the number of people increases then so does the food we have to carry. For as long as the number of people that can teleport at once is limited we can''t waste any spots. Now both Zulu and Angela are combat slaves whose names are known pretty well. It''s to the point where if a random newbie with no achievements meets them on the street or somewhere they''d have to quickly move out of the way and bow down in respect. Ever since we cleared the 8th floor they''ve even made it into a reasonable number of rumors over here in the capital I''m sure. I wonder if that''s why... It would be stranger if these two hadn''t heard about things like that. "How about trying to bring them into the dungeon once?" Rodrick started talking to me after coming out from the store. It''s got no relation with you right. Let alone that, even if I were to make these two into combat slaves then... "Rodrick, sorry but if you aren''t willing to take responsibility can you show a bit of discretion? Also, if I were to use these two as combat slaves they''d end up being put into the {Exterminators} you know?" There''s already your Denda and Karimu, along with my Mekku and Jesu a total of four combat slaves. If there''s anymore it might end up as a party with nothing but combat slaves. Of course, it''s not as if becoming someone like the elf slave user Rozuwera is prohibited either. Taking into account that his slaves haven''t rebelled while inside of the dungeon and you can tell Rozuwera''s got a firm grasp on the hearts of his slaves and is proof that he''s treating them properly. Whether it''s from a rebellion or he''s killed by monsters, for combat slaves who have lost their master you never know where they may end up through inheritance of relatives so you could say Rozuwera''s properly earned the loyalty of his slaves. Furthermore, it''s obviously okay to fortify an entire party of 10 with slaves but even if you were to make such a party I can''t imagine it functioning properly. I''m sure they''d take advantage of the fact that there''s no overseer and just spend all of their slacking off in the teleport room of the 1st floor. CH 297 Year 7447, Month 5, Day 5 After returning to Baldukk I called for Kamu and Kimu. It''s in order to change their contracts to a new one for the {Saviors}. The largest modification is to the compensation. 1% of the sale price of anything "other" than magic stones that we obtain while in the dungeon is provided as a bonus. Along with that I need to change the details in Basutoral''s contract as well. The version of the contract document has gone up to 4. Or rather I guess you could say the {Saviors}-use contract? No, I guess it''s just a contract revision with changes to professional duties. That''s not it. It''s something important. "Think about it once more before you sign the contract. Kamu and Kimu, I want you to think that with this you''re completely throwing your lot in with us. The obligation of silence written in the clauses isn''t just for show." "What are you saying at this point" Kamu casually signed it with a face as if saying she''s long since known everything. "Me too. It''s only obvious for there to be secrets. Even {Sun.Ray} had some secrets, did you already forget? In the first place, whether they''re small or big every party has some secrets." Kimu signed after taking the pen from Kamu and then took a pin to poke her finger before squeezing some blood out. I guess it means they aren''t just blinded by the high compensation. The other day I heard from Bel that Kamu and Kimu aren''t just in it for that. Didn''t I just hear about the actions of all the {Slaughterers}? ..It seems it would be best if I stop using this exhausting viewpoint pretty soon. ........................... Year 7447, Month 5, Day 6 About this holiday but I don''t I really like I got much rest. Miduchi and I aren''t allowed the luxury of taking a restful break. It was the same days as usual of running around to butchers requesting any increase in the amount of pork and to sell us beef as well as teaching Ressg and Mili about the slightly advanced techniques for adjusting the accounts. The small amount of spare time we had was used for practicing spells, meals and the bathroom, other than taking showers in the inn I feel like I was always doing something. About the only good time I had was when I happened to see sister walking around all dressed up while walking around Rombertia negotiating with the butchers. Of course, it wasn''t the formal front opening clothes like a kimono but the so-called Western-style clothing on Earth and she was even wearing a skirt. I guess she''s made some big progress just that she was wearing slightly better clothes than her under armor or the ones she wore when we went drinking at a bar last time. And while wondering where she''s going or who she''s meeting, thinking it''s in bad taste I tried following after her but there wasn''t anything to it at all. She went inside of one of our rubber work sheds. She had a bag in her hand so she must be repairing sandals or something. It all became idiotic so I stopped following her. Something like that she should just tell a squire to do it. On a holiday you should be trying to catch a good guy and go out on some dates. But, I felt a bit sad for my sister who''s still got no sex appeal as usual. Just like this the holidays quickly passed by. CH 298 Glad to finally be over with all of those... next on to the good stuff. Year 7447, Month 5, Day 9 We arrived at the monster room which ogre mages are believed to be in on the 7th floor. Today Kamu and Kimu are with us so our pace is a bit slow. The current time is around 10:00 in the morning. It took us 4 hours to get up to here in the usually fast pace 7th floor after all. Furthermore, we discussed even more of the fine details with the two of them last night. A meeting is necessary before we charge into the monster room. Though I say that the content is just a single sentence. "I''ll go and finish them off so wait here. Let''s take a short break." Just that. Ah, I also put some hot water into the flask Giberuti handed me and ordered him to make some tea. It''s just the right sort of place for a rest point after all. After that I carefully sneak up to the center of the room and after discovering the ogre and ogre mage group freeze them in ice using level 8 water and fire magic then it''s just a matter of waiting. In reality though it would have been fine to fight them in close combat like usual but this time Kamu and Kimu are here, well~ I thought I should show them a somewhat good show. Now I already know that I can finish them off with ice made using just level 8. It''s not necessary to use it 8 times over like the first time I tried it. That''s right, though a single usage of level 7 is a bit tough. At the very least double is needed. If you can at least use 3~4 times the amount then even if the aim is a bit off from the center of the group it''ll definitely end the lives of the ogres. When it comes to level 8 you create an amount of ice that is more than enough to not have to worry about things like that so the consumed MP is plenty at just two types of level 8 magic for a total of 16. It''s still plenty even if I don''t use all of it and decrease the amount. Additionally it''s easier when it comes time to erase it. I froze them inside of ice that''s 5 meters high and 30 meters or so in diameter. Even this is barely 1/30th of the amount of ice I can make with level 8 magic. Though it''s still roughly 3.5 times the amount of level 7. The reason I''m so bent on using ice is because even if I were to bury them in the same amount of dirt with Earth Magic at least 1 of them would be able to escape. If you use Earth Magic to create dirt it either appears from your hands or falls from the space above where you''re aiming so it''s necessary to create more than the amount you actually need. Obviously there''s a time lag before they''re completely buried so they can move out the way. Although, it requires less MP so you can create all that much more for that amount but if there''s that much more it becomes a pain when you''re erasing it with {Anti-Magic Field} to find the corpses and gather the magic stones. After freezing them in ice I briskly walked back to the place where everyone was waiting. A short break while sipping at the tea Giberuti prepared for me. "Umm, Greed-kun. What about the ogre mages..." Kamu who''s sitting in our circle so we can keep an eye on the situation behind each others backs asked while taking some tea from Giberuti. "Hn? Yeah, I went and took care of them. They should die pretty soon." After entering the circle I immediately started sipping at my tea after taking it. It seems like Kamu and Kimu don''t understand what I''m saying at all. They exchanged shocked looks with each other before preparing to say something. "How many were there?" Ralpha asked while sitting cross-legged and sipping some disgusting tea so the two who were about to say something stopped. No matter how you look at it Ralpha appears to have no sense of danger at all. However, it''s certainly not very good even though it''s made with hot water~ I understand what you''re thinking but couldn''t you make a bit better of a face, isn''t this fellow too honest? "The same as usual. Around 10 or so I guess? I didn''t properly count them so no clue. Oh~ give me some roasted beans." I take some roasted beans as a tea snack from Gwine and start crunching away at them. Beans are delicious. CH 299 Terror of the Underground Year 7447, Month 6, Day 29 Just before entering the 2 km in diameter large room where the guardian of the 10th floor is believed to be waiting for challengers we decided to have a meeting along with lunch. In the end we brought along both the rifle and the net shooter. Since we''re fighting against the guardian of the 10th floor for the first time I thought it was necessary to be as careful as possible. We''ve even predicted that the guardian this time might be a lot more of those absurdly strong minos. Therefore, including Miduchi not a single person was against bringing along the guns. "I wonder if it''ll be Minotaurs again.." Gwine said while burying a bone from the chicken leg she just ate in the ground. "Won''t that be the case?" Toris replied while licking the oil off his fingers. It sure seems convenient when the end of your tongue is forked. "The 8th and 9th floors are fine since we know them but I wonder if there were really Minotaurs on the 5th, 6th, and 7th floors?" And then said as if confirming with me. "Yeah, that''s what I heard from the King. Though supposedly there''s no records remaining of the 1st to the 4th floors but I think it''s most likely fine to think they were Minotaurs." I sip at the dried meat soup that was made in my flask while replying. "What method are we going to use when going in?" Zenom asked while wiping his dirty beard with a towel. "What method? Isn''t the same as usual fine? Bel entangles them with the net. Then Maruso shoots the ones that aren''t caught up in the net. Isn''t that fine?" Ralpha replied as if wanting to say what other methods are there? while already peeling the skin off the dessert orange. Though that''s fine as the procedure for charging into battle. But, what Zenom is asking about is the details of the formation, the distance between each person, the order for Angela to shoot in and simultaneously the order for Miduchi to provide backup fire, he wants to discuss things like that ahead of time. "Isn''t the same basic line we used against the Minotaurs on the 9th floor fine?" Bel said that but there''s no way of coming up with any other strategy than that. The things we should be discussing right now are re-confirming our tactical patterns when up against the group of Minotaurs on the 9th floor and how to deal with unexpected circumstances. In other words, first off is the problem of whether or not there''s another {Anti-Skill Area}. We should assume there "is" I''m sure. I''m sure we''ll be able to figure it out immediately if Miduchi''s {Party-ization} gets cut off and in the case it remains in effect then it''s just a lucky situation because I can freeze them or use attack spells to finish things up. Next up is problems in regards to the terrain where the battle takes place. Just from a glance and this ridiculously large room doesn''t seem any different from the room in the center of the 8th and 9th floors. If we were assume that it''s the same sort of room then in the center would be a large pillar with the teleport crystal room in it and the Minotaurs should be guarding the entrance to there. Roughly 50 meters surrounding the pillar there''s no rocks that can be used to hide behind, it''s believed to be a dull and dry area with just dirt ground spread out. The problem is in the case that there''s rocks which could act as obstructions or to hide behind and depending on the case maybe even trees and bushes like on the 7th floor. Depending on the size and density of those it might even be difficult to use effectively use the net shooter. We needed to discuss what to in a case like that. "..I guess it''s about time to go." We finished up our discussion and after burying the the chicken bones and other food in a hole we did a final check of our equipment. Bayonet, good. Knife, good. Survival kit, good. The various bands including the tie for my helmet, good. CH 300 Next chapter isn''t super long but didn''t feel like doing it right now. Maybe tomorrow. Otherwise the next 4 chapters after that will be bulk Wed-Fri, or maybe all 5 of them will be. Year 7447, Month 6, Day 29 I could still somehow tell up to the point where Ralpha raised her voice and cowered over in fear. However soon after the scenery reflected in front of my eyes gradually became unfixed and began to melt together almost like paint tossed all over a canvas, the scenery twisted around into a mix of rich colors. My hands, feet, and body all lost their fixed shape and crumbled fusing together with the things nearby transforming into a portion of some avant-garde art painting or something. Simultaneously, "Uwa~~~~n" a sound almost like a swarm of winged insects, "bang~bang" a sound almost like a hammer banging into concrete, "swish~swish" a light sound, "Ban~" a sound almost like suddenly hitting various keys of a piano, "Biyo~~n" a sound almost like one from stringed instruments, and then the sound almost like an engine from an automobile revving up... There was a wide variety of sounds that I can''t even express them all flowing through my head. I feel seriously nauseous. I momentarily remembered my sense of crisis. In any case I need to be able to give out at lest the bare minimum orders. First I need to do something about Ralpha who''s condition seems strange. "Ralpha 9~nine!" There''s so much strange noise interfering that I can''t even hear my own voice. However, I definitely felt the sensation of my voice passing through my throat. Suddenly a pure white concentric circular pattern spread out in front of my eyes almost like blooming flowers. While it was spreading out and moving far away it gradually got even more transparent and in no time at all scattered and disappeared. I thought that the scenery had crumbled into an unfixed form but before I noticed it had changed to pitch black almost like outer space. All over the place inside of that there were small gatherings of rich color almost like a small coin being born, moving, and disappearing. Even though there''s so many various noises flowing through my head it''s strange because I can ascertain the direction and volume of each one of them. However, whenever I try to look in the direction that the giant stag beetle was in the loud sound of an insect swarm rapidly moves in front of me. Simultaneously a violent stream of sounds and colors that I''ve never experienced before mercilessly passed through my ears and eyes making it even more disgusting and strengthening the nausea. Shit!! I don''t know what''s what but I can still clearly feel the sensation of the bayonet held in my right hand. Several overlapping bright red circles moved by my side and then after passing me, scattered, and disappeared again. All over the place there''s yellow, green, and blue circles overlapping as they move around at high pace expanding and then soon after becoming transparent and disappearing. If I were to say that the direction they''re heading stretches almost like several rubber bands piled on top of each other would you understand? Otherwise, ripples that spread out into the sky while advancing? Though I feel like it might be a bit different something like that doesn''t matter at all. In the low direction where I believe the ground should have been there''s some light brown circles appearing but these ones disappear without advancing all that far away. I feel almost like I''ve taken some kind of dangerous drugs. However, the back of my mind is rapidly growing cold. Though such an absurd situation suddenly started up I can still somehow think about things. I don''t feel the so-called happiness that supposedly comes when drugs take effect at all. Though I can''t tell for sure since I''ve never tried drugs. Now that I''ve ordered Ralpha to withdraw from the battlefield in any case what I need to do is somehow hold back the giant in front of me. I''d really like for her to take some distance from the giant once and then take another look at the situation but Ralpha had just yelled out in a strange voice as her appearance turned strange. I need to backup those who come to help Ralpha withdraw! However, the noise is too loud it''s way beyond the level of just distracting. All that''s reflected in front of my eyes is the brightly colored balls that make no sense at all. It''s really confusing to the point where I don''t know what the hell is going on. I wonder if Ralpha ended like this as well? In front of my eyes various brown-colored bubbles almost like carbonation from soda started to surge out. Simultaneously what seems to be the origin for the sound of the swarm of insects around there seemed to have moved a bit. The giant should have been just around that area. At the same time as the clear "kin~" sound of metal hitting something echoed through my ears a large rainbow-colored shining circle suddenly spread all over the place before disappearing. What in the world is going on! The nauseous is still seriously bad. Almost at the same time the sound like a piano suddenly appeared to my left side and then moved ahead of me just like that. However, just before it moved in front of me a number of small red circles stretched out from the source of the sound and the sound of the piano pushed me away along with them, at the same time large red circles spread out around where my chest should be. It felt almost like I was pushed away by someone as they passed by. Suddenly the loud sound of a swarm of insects passed by around where I was until just now. I ended up falling to just my right knee and somehow managed to endure falling over. I wonder if it was good luck that I managed to avoid completely tripping over, or... !? Ah, damn it! So that''s what it was!! The red color and piano sound from just now was Miduchi! The sound of an insect swarm is the giant! CH 301 Stuff came up again. Aiming for next bulk release of 6 chapters Fri~Sun. Year 7447, Month 6, Day 29 After returning the horseshoes to the leather bag and tying the mouth shut I left them to Zulu. However, it hurts that I wasn''t able to properly identify things in regards ot the giant stag beetles. Whether that confusion attack is a spell or special skill. According to Miduchi, most likely it has the special skill {Confusion} but supposedly the one she knew about was just a normal(?) {Amber.Goliath} without the {Great} attached so it''s fine to think that Ralpha was hit with the same special skill but she can''t say anything at all in my case. Though that''s the case, I ended up like that because I saw the those complex and shining compound eyes so it''s easy to guess that wasn''t a spell but a special skill. I remembered that experience while trying to explain what kind of situation it was and started to feel sick again. That was seriously an unpleasant experience. It seems like it''ll take a reasonable amount of time for the net entangled with the corpse covered in yellow body fluids and green blood but I can tell quite a bit of it can still be used so we''ll obviously recover it. The corpse itself has other uses before Ralpha changes it to water to get rid of it. We''ll test out hitting the corpse with attack spells. Particularly confirming the strength of the sturdy looking parts of it''s carapace and figuring out where the weaknesses are in it''s joints is necessary. We all tried out various things in line with Miduchi''s explanation. It''s supposedly an uncommon monster which you never know if you''ll see it once in every ten years at her hometown. Therefore, she''s only ever heard stories about it but didn''t have any experience directly fighting against one. There''s a lot of points that need to be confirmed. The result of that was we determined that while the sturdy looking surface of the carapace was impossible but if you land a direct hit on the joints then even Arbalest class attack spells can deal plenty of damage. Even when it comes to the carapace portion if you use Ballista class then it pierces through pretty well so we found out that we can expect a reasonable amount of power from it. However, in regards to the back, elbows, and knees that looked the hardest at the very least power over the heavy catapult class is necessary. Furthermore, when it came to the rifle other than the hardest portions it was able to pierce through the carapace no matter where it hit. That means we can expect the penetration power of the {Stone Heavy Catapult} class from the rifles. Although, it''s something that I realized after using it up until now but if the rifle hits a bad spot the damage it deals is pretty low. It''s not particularly limited ot just the {Amber.Goliath} but even against ogres and trolls the larger their bodies are the lower the damage is when it hits a place other than their vital points. Though the same goes for bows as well. The only exception is when you land a direct hit with a sword. Only at times like that does the damage not decrease but actually increases. Whenever Zulu swings down the bastard sword that he normally uses with one-hand with both of his hands the damage increases by quite a bit. Of course even if he uses it with one-hand if he lands a direct hit the damage increases by a bit. This goes the same for Toris''s sword and my long sword when I take out of the bayonet as well. However, in the case that I use it while it''s still a part of the bayonet or in the case of spears and halberds it seems to do the same damage as when up against normally sized monsters up to the same size as people. Also, even if they''re both swords when it comes to Bel''s shortsword or Zenom and Ralpha''s magic axes even if they land a direct hit the damage seems a bit lower. Also, what could considered the most abnormal is Miduchi''s scimitar, as long as she lands a direct hit that isn''t at a half-assed angle on the neck or limbs then regardless of the damage it will cleanly cut it off. It seems the special effect {Energy.Drain} is working at those times. Other than that, both the magic stones from the {Great.Underground.Vodyanoy} had an identify value of close to 800,000. If we sell both of them then it should be over 11,000,000 Z. Something like selling them for 5,500,000 Z a piece, I''m sure magic tool shop Danhiru can''t afford to deal in them. If we want to sell them then I''ll probably have to take them into the magic tool shop Splendor in the capital. Well, I have no intention of selling them for the time being though. By the way, we weren''t able to find any high quality equipment like the ones the Minotaurs use. However, I noticed that the leather in the leather bag that the horseshoes were in was double-layered. After flipping it inside out and there was a complex pattern carved on the inside of similar to the ones on all of the equipment we''ve found up until now, if we were to think of this side as the surface then it could be considered quite the high quality leather bag. In order to imprint this intricate and complex of a pattern into such a thin piece of leather it should require quite a high level of technique. After using {Identify} it came up as {Double.Tool.Bag}. The materials are supposedly sheepskin(judging from the sensation it should be the original exterior) and {Abyssal.Ogre.Leather}(the side with the pattern on it). And then right now we''re finally taking a break in the teleport crystal room of the 10th floor. Now then, I wonder what we should do next. We decided to discuss our plans from here on out. The conclusion we came to was that the next time when we encounter the {Amber.Goliath} from the outside, when it either discovers or recognizes us and the the room brightens up along with the cage of lightning bolts appearing there''s no other choice than to try using some kind of magic. If it''s possible to use magic just like this time then we can blow the giant stag beetles away and kill them with attack spells before they even get close to us. It would be fine to just aim carefully with the rifle as well. It seems fine as long as you don''t look at both of it''s compound eyes from a considerably close distance at the same time after all. CH 302 Year 7447, Month 7, Day 2 It was evening when we returned to the surface. It seems like we''ll somehow be able to manage the guardian of the 10th floor. But, the 11th floor... Completely different from up until now it''s a vast world that spans an entire floor. It''s believed to be around 10 km in diameter so the total area should be about as wide as the Oota district and Shinagawa district in Japan combined. Though I only vaguely remember the top and bottom 5 districts in terms of area so I''m not too confident. We met up with Cathy and the other members of the {Slaughterers} who were gathered together at the entrance plaza. I already told them that we were going to try and break through the 10th floor of the dungeon this time so Kamu reserved Murowa for us. For the time being we returned to our inn to change and then all of the {Slaughterers} gathered together. After confirming that everyone was gathered I gave a report on how we succeeded in breaking through the 10th floor. Hearing my report everyone started cheering and congratulating us. I took out the magic stones from the 2 {Great.Underground.Vodyanoy} and showed them. Since the giant stag beetles this time weren''t close enough to being human to call them humanoid we weren''t able to obtain any weapons or equipment from them but I explained how we found magic horseshoes and the frightening abilities of they had before moving on to the sights we saw on the 11th floor. Everyone who wasn''t able to see that sight made expressions of admiration and a bit of yearning as if they were greatly interested in it. It seems like they don''t have much interest in the magic horseshoes. I said I don''t have any intention of selling them so I guess it''s because there won''t be any bonuses? Though it would be fine if they just immediately realized how useful of an item they''ll be in the future and thought they weren''t anything worth making a racket over right now. And~ Miduchi and Toris are talking about them. Well, I guess that''s fine. But, putting aside those giant stag beetles, everyone might eventually be able to see the 11th floor. After all supposedly the {Exterminators} were able to arrive at the teleport room on the 5th floor by 4:00 pm on the second day this time. Even though they lost two members and should have had a reduction in combat strength it''s quite the miraculous record. It''s not all that much different from when Ginger and Hisu were with them. Though I''m sure one of the primary factors for it is that Rodrick and my combat slave Mekku''s magic levels increased but I''m sure it''s also because their progressive nature in combat even surpasses the {Butchers} filled with veterans. They''ve accumulated quite a bit of experience and because their levels were originally the lowest they''re the party that''s grown in levels the most over the past two years. In just a bit longer, I guess, if they can shorten their time by about 2 more hours then they should obtain the ticket to explore the 6th floor. Of course, the {Butchers} aren''t losing to them either. Since it seems they were able to arrive at the teleport room on the 6th floor by just past 8:00 pm on the second day as well. On their end if they can arrive before 8:00 pm on a stable basis then that would be plenty as proof of their abilities. I''d even be willing to give them permission to enter the 7th floor. After all the results this time were without a leader from the former {Saviors}. In the first place making it to the teleport room on the 6th floor in two days is a high speed that beyond the {Saviors} not even the {Verdure.Brotherhood} has managed. Their faces are colored with confidence. "Now then, we''ll be going back into the dungeon from the 6th but next time Zenom will go to the {Butchers}. Take over command of them. And then for the {Exterminators} will be..I guess so. Basutoral, you try going." "Eh? Me!?" Basutoral replied with a surprised face. "Yeah, that''s right. Isn''t it about a good time for you to gain experience with things like that?" "..Yes. I''ll try doing it! By the way, would it be no good for me to bring along Maru and Rinbi?" ..This guy, don''t get so nervous over something stupid~ Maru and Rinbi who I let sit at the lowest seats are looking at me with sparkling expressions. Their eyes are so radiant I can almost hear the sparkling sound effects. Ah, Basutoral has a relationship with these two from when he taught them at the sausage factory so I guess he wasn''t just nervous but just wanted to make use of them even sooner? "..Obviously that''s no good. I''m afraid to even let these two fight against goblins yet." After I said that Maru and Rinbi both lowered their heads. Of course~ if it''s one-on-one then let alone goblins they might even be able to manage against a gnoll. If they''re prepared to suffer injuries then while they might not be able to win they may even be able to hold their own against an ork or hobgoblin. But something like that, if any random adult gets desperate enough they could probably manage it. In the first place, there''s aren''t over in the dungeon after a single battle. "Hey, Maru, Rinbi. It''s still too soon for you two. Putting aside your skills you need to grow a bit taller." Ruttsu said that to try and cheer them up. CH 303 Year 7447, Month 7, Day 10 I spent a short while contemplating while glaring at the altar. "For the time being, let''s try going to a different place." It''s not like we''ve seen any monsters. If we approach the altar then there''s a high possibility that a monster will be summoned but it''s not like we''ve actually seen it. This is different from fleeing. It''s simply changing directions. No, though it''s fine even if we''re running from monsters. Even up until now we''ve run from them a number of times. For the time being I decided to move to the right along the grassland that''s believed to be in the shape of a doughnut. The next time there''s an opening in the forest I intend to go further inside from there. After walking for a short while just as expected we arrived at an opening in the forest. It''s about 10 meters wide and the trees of just that area has no trees growing almost like a hallway. After trying to look further inside and it seems to gently curve to the right. It seems like there''s no traps either. Then, shall we try advancing from here? After a distance of about 100 meters this time it curved to the left and then after another 100 meters we were surrounded by forest again almost like a dead end. After advancing a bit further while remaining cautious and this time Miduchi said "Wait" so we all stopped. "That, it''s an altar right?" ..Miduchi pointed her finger but even looking to the left the trees are too dense so I can''t see anything. After all the vegetation of the forest is thick so it seems it can''t be seen other than from Miduchi''s position. I have her open up the place she''s standing. "It looks like an altar..But I can''t see anything like gargoyles." "Al-san. Show me as well.." I switch places with Gwine. We need her to properly remember the location. After advancing a bit from there again and this time Angela discovered an altar in the opposite direction. "That altar, it seems to be about 200 meters from the one we just saw." Gwine said after confirming the location of the newly discovered altar. Hm~mm. Unexpectedly this is the third altar we''ve discovered today. I wonder if there''s such a high density of altars on this 11th floor... I guess that means this hallway like opening in the forest passes in between the altars? It seems everyone else has the same questions as me. Up until now all of the altars that have existed inside of this dungeon have been in what you could call monster rooms and they''re enshrine together with statues of gargoyles inside a room with a decent area. If you step foot inside of that room then the gargoyle statues start to move as if they were given life and simultaneously the large magic circle like pattern in front of the altar floats up while giving off light before summoning a monster that could be called the guardian of the room. If you defeat all of those then the door of the shrine installed on the top of the altar opens and if you''re lucky you could obtain some kind of treasure. For adventurers who''s goal is to obtain treasure other than this the only way is the magic items which room bosses are confirmed to be holding with a low probability once every couple of years. Other than that, it''s possible to obtain valuable ores and gems from mining the walls and such below the 3rd floor, just that. After that is..I guess just the guardians? That''s why it''s not limited to just us {Saviors} but normally it''s absurd to overlook an altar you find. I think the only ones who would normally overlook them are the {Butchers} and {Exterminators} when Kamu and Kimu are commanding them. If Kamu and Kimu hadn''t said, "it''s fine if it''s a monster you can defeat without any casualties.." then I think they would have challenged it. Even when it comes to them I heard they met with some firmly rooted opposition when they made the decision to overlook the altar and go around it. There''s a possibility of obtaining treasure worth that much from the altars in the dungeon after all. Eh? It''s something you can only say if you''re alive? That''s right. Shall we put it into an easy to understand example? There''s clearly a gap between you who normally neglects your health and an adventurer that''s decently trained and used to fighting. Let''s go easy on the opponent as well. If you were to fight against a Tosa dog that does dog-fighting and if you win it''s okay for you to roll some dice. If you roll a decent number then you get several hundred million yen. If you were told that depending on the roll of the dice you might be given something worth several billion yen, what would you do? Of course, it''s fine for you to bring allies as well. Though it''s only up to 9 people other than yourself. It''s fine if you wear armor and it''s even okay if you use a katana, spear, or bow as your weapon. Though there''s no guarantee that it''ll only be one Tosa dog either. But, judging from past precedents even at most there''s rarely more than 5 of them. I think challengers would appear at a decent rate. Even if you''re thinking, "there''s no way I could do something so frightening", there''s at least one person around you who would be delighted to aim for a gamble that could turn around their life in a single go right? The adventurers who enter the dungeon are people like that. Kamu and Kimu said they struggled quite a bit to hold everyone back. I can tell that even those two are anticipating it every time they look at the altar because they have powerful allies with them right now. Though as expected they have at least enough judgement to not bring up challenging the altar when it''s a floor in the depths of the dungeon and almost our first time here. Well, we can anytime after all. CH 304 Year 7447, Month 7, Day 10 The warhead of my greatest attack spell {Stone Cannon Missile} obviously went flying towards the flying lizard that was approaching us from the sky. But, what in the world! Around the point when it was 50 meters from the surface it was offset by countless spells(?) that came flying from it''s side. Came flying? No, they might not have come flying. It almost looked like an extremely long and thin {Anti-Magic Field} stretching out that even I can''t make. It looked like the spell warhead was exposed to something resembling a purple beam. In any case, the flying spell warhead was exposed(?) to that beam or whatever that acted as if it wouldn''t allow the flying lizard to be attacked so in order to try and avoid it I shifted the course of the warhead even more. My {Stone Cannon} was only able to endure it for a really short period of time. In the end it scattered midway through it''s path. Along the trail that the beam followed to the warhead there was something like a sparkling powder scattered about. Looking at the scattering trail and it seems that the beam was fired from the surface. I said it was an {Anti-Magic Field} but that''s probably not an {Anti-Magic Field}. The warhead didn''t look like it crumbled from losing it''s mana and an {Anti-Magic Field} wouldn''t leave behind that kind of sparkling powder after it moves. That''s why I think it should be something different. However, what in the world was that just now!? Miduchi who stopped moving raised her voice in surprise as well. The beam came flying from the outer circumference of the room from every direction. Right. Every direction including from behind us as we face off against the {Wyvern}. Did we overlook a monster!? Or was it summoned from those altars!? The flying lizard has already reached the size of a baseball. I should be able to see it pretty soon and after trying to {Identify} it after all it was the so-called {Wyvern}. There wasn''t anything that seemed to be really problematic among it''s abilities. Though {Venom} seems pretty dangerous we have the method of resisting it with magic. Other than that, it doesn''t have any magic special skills and no {Breath} like the {Dragon} I''ve heard about in stories or the {Lesser Yowie} and {Frost Lizard} either. "It''s fine so go!! Everyone be careful of the surroundings!! Something is out there!!" I yell at Miduchi while using an attack spell one more time. This time it''s {Ice Cannon Missile}. Once again a spell warhead with powerful force behind it was fired from my left hand. This time for sure! I started guiding it immediately after firing it. This time I''ll lead it along an arched curve from bottom to top. I''ll give it an ice uppercut. It might appear difficult at a glance but it''s possible to guide the flying warhead while looking at the opponent so as long as the target that is the flying lizard doesn''t make any sudden maneuvers there''s no doubt it''ll hit. I''m sure it can''t manage that with that large of a body. That''s the frightening part about a spell with {Missile} added to it. It seems that the beam isn''t flying at it this time. But, of all things! Right before the spell warhead was about to land a direct hit on the {Wyvern} it flapped both of it''s bat wings wide in front of it and performed an unbelievably sudden deceleration. Since the state of it was almost as if it used emergency breaks in mid-air, it temporarily stalled, and then fell a bit of altitude. CH 305 Year 7447, Month 7, Day 10 A massive amount of air springs forth with my left hand as the starting point. That spreads out in a cone shape and raised up into the air as turbulence. The surrounding trees that were hit with waves from it bent back and forth twisting and shaking. My ears popped from the rapid change in air pressure. While still maintaining some amount of direction it arrived at the target {Wyvern} in an instant. The {Wyvern} that was caught in the vortex of turbulence lost it''s balance. A flood of purple beams rushed there. All of the beams rapidly moved up and down erasing my spell. However, just as expected while even more sparkling particles were left behind almost all of them including those were scattered upwards and aren''t remaining! Without a moment''s delay I sent lightning flying. Even if it was only for a moment it was swallowed up by the super turbulent air and while it barely managed to avoid crashing my lightning flew towards that sort of flying lizard. "Gyaoooo~n!!" This time for sure my lightning hit the {Wyvern} without being obstructed by the shining particles and caught it with bluish-white shining tentacles. And then, the beams started flooding again but it was already too late. I don''t know if it''s because of the damage or because it''s muscle stiffened up from the lightning but the {Wyvern} started falling with it''s wings spread out halfway. "Finish it off!!!" After yelling that I started running towards the place where it seems to have fallen with my bayonet in hand. Everyone''s started regrouping from the surroundings. Along with the breaking of branches I heard a loud thud! as a sound similar to tremors could be heard. "Over here!" I heard Toris''s voice from the shadow of a treetop a bit ahead. By the time I arrived Angela had stabbed her broadsword into an eye of the {Wyvern} and was gouging it out like crazy. "Did you finish it off!!?" Someone asked but Angela is moving the grip of her sword in her right hand like she''s mad and punching the side of it''s head with the small spike attached to her shield. The {Wyvern} isn''t moving. ¡¾Condition: Shock Injury.Internal Bruising.Puncture Wound¡¿ ¡¾HP: -9(612) MP: 25(25)¡¿ "Angela, stop already." It''s already on the verge of death. It already can''t do anything at all. "Hie..gu" Angela let out a small scream while moving the sword stabbed into it''s eye and continued punching it with the spike of her shield with a thud~thud. Hyun~ and someone''s arrow came flying but was deflected by the scales covering it''s long neck. Is it Kamu? "It''s already fine, Maruso. Stop." Toris embraced Angela from behind to restrain her and after taking his left glove off with his mouth touched the {Wyverns} head with it to check it''s status. "It''s dead." Tors reported to me as I finally got close to it. ¡¾Condition: Death¡¿ ¡¾HP: -76(612) MP: 25(25)¡¿ "Hiu..Ha..Ha..." Looking at Angela''s face and it''s crumpled with tears. She must have been quite terrified. I wonder if it fell right nearby the place she was hiding? I''m sure that would be pretty shocking. CH 306 People Cannot Live On Bread Alone Year 7447, Month 7, Day 11 "Fu..." We arrived at the teleport crystal room in the center of the 11th floor. It''s something we figured out after getting closer but this pillar where the teleport crystal room is was just as expected a square which each side is about 50 meters just like the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors. Over 5 hours have already passed since then. It''s completely morning. I haven''t slept in almost a full day. Since we haven''t been running it''s still a bit easier than the time when we rescued {Black.Topaz} but somehow I remember the hard days exploring the dungeon with {Sun.Ray}. Since there was a high chance that those altars were the source for the beams we went around destroying them in a hurry. We destroyed over 20 of them in all. According to Gwine and the altars are at fixed locations exactly 500 meters from the outer circumference lined up in a circle. In other words, roughly 200 meters from the outer circumference is forest. The next 200 meters or so from there is a grassland. The cage of lightning bolts appeared around the border between the doughnut shaped forest and grassland or at most in the center of the grassland. It was a huge cage that''s over tens of times larger than the ones from the floors up until now. Then after you pass through the grassland you enter a forest or thicket again but another 100 meters or so from there the altars are placed with a fixed distance of several hundred meters in a doughnut shape once again. Therefore, the total length of the circular shape which the altars are placed along is around 28 kms. If we were to assume they''re lined up with an average interval of 300 meters then there should be over 90 of them. I wanted to destroy at least 1/5th of them. Of course, it''s believed there''s a good chance the dungeons automatic repair would take effect but we still did it because we thought it would take a considerable amount of time for them to be repaired. In any case, we went around destroying as many altars as we could in a hurry so that''s why it took this much time. After all this is only the second time we''ve come to the 11th floor. Even though there''s no hallways I didn''t think we would defeat the floor guardian after just that amount of experience so the matter this time was really unexpected. Judging from the things we saw last time we guessed that clearing the 11th floor would take far less time than every floor until now but I never thought it would be this time on just our second try. It was a floor we were exploring for almost the first time and it''s not like we could let our guard down regarding traps either. As expected we''re reaching the limits of our willpower for today. I talk to everyone while biting a hardtack. "Everyone, sorry when you''re exhausted but endure for just a bit longer. Probably, the {Wyvern} that was the guardian should respawn around 20 hours after last time so, tomorrow, no, it should be around 10:00 today. There''s already less than 5 hours remaining. Right after this we''ll get some sleep. Zulu and Angela you two take turns keeping watch." Sorry but you two be patient with just 2 hours or so of sleep. You''re slaves and can''t use magic so you drew the unlucky lot. Particularly Zulu who said, "This will increase masters reputation even more!" and cut off the {Wyvern}''s head then carried the damn heavy thing in shifts with Angela. Even though I told them to stop because it would just add to the burden. Everyone else agree with them so I just let them do as they like but isn''t it fine if we have that many scales? "In regards to the place the {Wyvern} will respawn but I can think of several patterns. First off is the case where it respawns over in front of that hall as if protecting it. In that case it''ll be the easiest. Since it''s fine if everyone just attacks it all at once. It''s got a huge body so once it''s noticed us and we can use magic then we can attack without needing to worry about hitting each other. If it''s magic a distance which you can punch then I''m sure those beams won''t have the time to come flying and in terms of position the forest should act as a shield so I don''t even think the beams will come flying in the first place." Everyone''s munching on hardtack and sipping dried meat soup while silently listening to me with exhaustion on their faces. "It should be plenty possible to finish it off before the {Gorgons} come. In regards to the {Gorgons}, the surroundings of this pillar is nothing but wasteland and viability is good so I think we''ll have a safe time fighting with magic or bow. Depending on the case we can just run into this room as well. They most likely won''t be able to enter the room just like up until now and even in the worst case they do the hall is narrow so it''ll be one at a time. In that case~ it''s fine if we just wait for them on both sides of the room." Ah, even I''m having trouble thinking from fatigue. I''m glad I thought about it ahead of time. "And in cases other than that. There was a protrusion way above this pillar right? If that''s the {Wyvern}''s nest and it respawns up there then it''ll be troublesome." It started to get troublesome so I just dipped all three of my remaining hardtack into my soup. "Nn~ I wonder about that?" "I wonder if something like that will really happen?" Miduchi and Bel brought up their doubts. "What do you mean?" Toris, Ralpha, and everyone else looked at the two of them curiously when I asked them. "Certainly I agree if it ends up like Al-san said then it would be troublesome but if it''s a floor guardian then in the first place shouldn''t it respawn while protecting that entrance?" "Yeah. I think so too. Though it''ll probably move up above where it''s easier to attack intruders afterwards." Bel and Miduchi didn''t just find this case doubtful but seem to have the same opinion. "I see..Certainly that might be true." Ralpha agreed with a self-satisfied look. Hm~mm. "If it were going to respawn in a place where it''s at an advantage from the start then why do the Minotaur on the 9th floor all respawn gathered together? It wouldn''t be strange for them to respawn separately all around the pillar right? Even the {Amber.Goliath} wouldn''t it be best for it to be underground?" Miduchi said things which all make sense. Certainly that might the case hearing it said. Not just myself but everyone else is nodding as well. "Nn..That might be the case. But, for now I want to think of as many cases as possible. If it respawns above here then it''s impossible to aim at it with magic because we can''t see it and even if we could the distance is too far. Even if it were to come down since we''d have to aim the attack spells upwards those beams would be a problem. Also, it''s hard to imagine since it''s called a guardian but it''s possible it might not come down right away. They also say, "it''s harder to see in the light" so it''s even possible it might not see us right below it''s feet for a short while." I sip at my soup and swallow down the soggy hardtack together with it. "In that case we''ll test out everything we can and then return to the 10th floor. We''ll restart from the beginning." Depending on the case we might come to the 11th floor one more time but if the cage of lightning bolts is still in effect we''ll give up advancing to anymore of floors after this. It seems like the amulet will sell pretty high and there''s also a high chance that the {Wyvern}''s scales we obtained this time can be made into equipment that won''t lose to that in price. We can still obtain quite a bit of treasure up to the 10th floor so if we just focus on nothing but earning for the next one or two years then I should be able save up plenty of money. Though I say that, I''m sure that won''t be the case. That cage of lightning bolts should stop when either the challenger or guardian''s life signs stop or they disappear. If that wasn''t the case then it''s just a matter of having it already activated from the start. CH 307 So yeah...the next chapters are like a 9+ parter with lots of pretty big cliffhangers. Expect 1-3 weeks before next bulk release. I''ll try to get it to a good point without major cliffhangers. Though we''re in the last 30 chapters of volume 2 and almost all of them are pretty big cliffhangers... Year 7447, Month 7, Day 14 Yesterday was exhausting. In the end I had to stay overnight in the royal castle. Incidentally I didn''t get a wink of sleep. After that I returned to Baldukk once and up to chartering a carriage to bring the {Wyvern}''s head and scales back to the castle again was fine. I can accept that I given my own room to stay at in the third outer citadel as well. Shortly after I arrived the King and his wife along with his highness Richard came along. First off they said to show them the head so I showed them the frozen head of the {Wyvern} while still loaded on the back of the carriage. The moment I took off the rubber tarp covering it all three of them seemed to be unable to hide their expressions of surprise. But, by that time I had already heard the fact that the "scales are huge" yesterday morning and since I also heard that there were a lot of scales as well, I felt it was a bit unexpected that "they would be surprised to that extent". After all there''s not a single person in the {Slaughterers} who has seen a real {Wyvern}. That''s why there''s no way I could have known that this {Wyvern} was over double the normal size either. I just thought, it seems to be just a bit big~ While everyone was raising an uproar including the King all of the military officers and officials who happened to pass by were shocked seeing the head of the {Wyvern}. In the end a ton of unknown people came along switching places and standing around as they all started another uproar seeing the {Wyvern}''s head. I''m sure that was almost every person in attendance at the castle hearing the rumors and coming over to take a look at it. Before I realized it the job of managing the number of people was pushed onto me and I had the realization, "I was able to do something that impressed this many people enough to come take a look~" while at the same time feeling proud of the allies I went to the 11th floor together with. Up until here was busy but it was also pretty pleasant so it wasn''t to the point where I minded just managing the people coming to take a look. I''m sure something like the scales on it''s head are dirt cheap so if you want it then it''s fine even to give it to you. But, if I can sell it I''d like to do that. While I was doing that all of the artisans were called out and arrived at the castle one after another. The number of them was a surprising 12 people. Though they were artisans they''re still coming to visit the royal castle so most of them were wearing reasonably tidy clothing. A lot of them seemed to be pretty rich and it wasn''t uncommon for them to be wearing clothes several levels higher quality than mine. Putting that aside, the problem started when his highness Richard invited them and I into the third outer citadel to inspect the scales. His highness Richard seemed pleased to irresponsibly say, "These four large bags are all filled with scales from the {Wyvern} at the entrance. All of you, inspect them as you please and attach a price on them." The bags were casually filled with the torn off scales without being organized so the artisans pointed out that it was first necessary to organize them based on the size. It couldn''t be helped so I flipped one bag over thinking of making different piles with each 1 cm as the cutoff when all of the artisan''s eye color changed seeing the scales and jumped at them. Supposedly it''s rare to obtain scales that over 3 cm in diameter so from their viewpoint it seems it looked like a pile of treasure. In the end the 13 of us, including myself, spent an entire night sorting them into piles with a 0.5 cm cutoff. It seems that processing the small ones below 1 cm in diameter is difficult so they aren''t worth much at all but even then they''re easily worth over 10,000 Z so for the ones that are even bigger than that they''re sold at the high price of several tens or hundreds of thousands of Z each. It seems there''s several processing methods for each piece of armor so supposedly because I brought them in without any processing done to them they can make any size of armor they please and this will raise the price a bit as well. And then things were difficult when it was time for each of the artisans to try and attach a price to them. The five piles of sizes from 1 cm in diameter up to 3 cms in diameter were quickly given a price. Even though we took them all off we peeled off the small ones along with the skin itself so the number of them was the highest. It was confirmed that there were over 3,000 scales in just these five piles. The prices they were given were from the lowest at 255,000,000 Z to the highest at 315,000,000 Z. CH 308 Year 7447, Month 7, Day 14 Ah..Really, shit!! Even though we were getting to the good point for the first time in a while!? In the first place what''s the meaning of someone other than a lodging customer coming to someone''s room!? Even Kamu, Kimu, and Rodrick get stopped at the front you know? Employees of the inn properly do your jobs! "Let''s just ignore it." I lift up Miduchi''s chin. "Is that okay? Wouldn''t it be better to answer it?" Miduchi said with a slightly worried face. It seems the moods completely gone cold. Damn it. "Something might have happened." I''m sure. If she didn''t have any business she wouldn''t come here. "Hey!? Are you here!?" Along with some slightly more violent knocking I can hear Anderson''s voice from outside the door again. It sounds like she''s at her limits. Furthermore at almost the same time I could hear the voices of the inn''s owner, employees, and the brat saying things like, "Customer, please stop!" or "Hey, you, stop her!", and "Is..isn''t it obvious that''s impossible~" "It can''t be helped, I''ll go out for a bit." "Yeah, I think that''s a good idea." I stood up from the chair and went towards the door. ................................... "..is the reason why. I''ll blow up the compensation from father and their parents so wouldn''t you lend me a hand?" I looked down at the middle-aged woman with deep pink hair holding her head down with both hands on the table and looking up at me with upturned eyes and couldn''t help but let out a sigh. After opening the door just now, Anderson was standing there with her leather armor breastplate on, a crossbow hanging down, and a sword at her side fully armed with a desperate expression on her face. Along with the employees of Boil Manor following her like goldfish poop. When I opened the door while making annoyed expression everyone including Anderson made relieved expressions. It couldn''t be helped so I invited her into the room and started listening to her together with Miduchi. She started off with saying, "I''ll tell you everything without any secrets" before talking. Last Wednesday(in other words, July 9th), 14 knights came here from the capital on their holiday. Supposedly each of them were split into groups of four or five people. Furthermore, the group was made up of activate duty knights so those with decent official positions in the knight group were mixed in with them as well. It seems all of them took a long holiday from the knight group. It doesn''t even need to be said that hearing this both Miduchi and I started to get a bad premonition. Just as expected the bad premonition hit the mark and the three groups were each lead by Noirura.Jibekuto, Yorire.Refaisu, and Mimaru.Fokein. All three of them are the King''s illegitimate children. They brought along what could be called their group of retainers, squires from their parents households and all of them were the same as them active duty knights in the kingdom''s third and fourth knight groups. They might have been the most elite of the squires from their households. Putting that aside and the reason they came along to Baldukk was the same. They were going to have the {Verdure.Brotherhood} and {Black.Topaz} who have connections with the King accompany them as they gain combat experience against monsters in the dungeon and build up strength as adventurers. According to what sis Anderson was saying it''s because they needed to be useful talents to me as an adventurer. Well~ I''m sure it will be necessary to hunt monsters to maintain peace in my territory in the future so it''s not as if I don''t understand. It''s also necessary for a new lord to gain popularity with the population of their territory so if an army from the country is willing to hunt monsters without request any compensation anyone would be willing to welcome them. In other words rather than bringing in money when they come to my place they wanted to bring along some immediately useful subordinates. Additionally I''m sure it''s an appeal that they can combat and defeat monsters themselves as well. It''s not unusual for the spouse of a lord to stand on the battlefield and in this sort of era I''m sure it''s necessary as well. Even more so you could say it''s indispensable in a place like the Dirt Plains where combat occurs with Devas once every 4~5 years. In any case, the 14 people who came along to Baldukk just to get used to combat against monsters first off made contact with Viruhaima and Anderson, and requested that they train them as adventurers in exchange for some pretty good compensation. Putting it simply they were hired as guides. In regards to their circumstances as illegitimate children not only Anderson knew but Viruhaima did as well. Come to think of it when I was invited to the Elm Tree Manor where Yorire-ojosama was staying I ran into Viruhaima but I guess that wasn''t a coincidence. It must have been because they were clearing everyone out~ Before even that, there''s no way they who worked as spies for the King in Baldukk could turn it down I''m sure. Also, putting aside the matter about spies, since several members of the {Verdure.Brotherhood} suffered some pretty heavy injuries and they weren''t able to do very much during that time, they might have also been interested in the decent compensation as well. If they aren''t going to the 5th floor then it''s probably just right for rehabilitation. In regards to {Black.Topaz} it seems that Anderson was on pretty good terms with the youngest daughter of the three Mimairu, so I guess it wouldn''t be surprising if she happily threw down training the slaves they just purchased to be hired by her for a few weeks. Noirura and three of her followers jointed with Viruhaima and five of his party to form a party of 10 and Yorire and three of her followers joined with the Basu the sub-leader of {Verdure.Brotherhood} and four other members to form a party of 9. Anderson brought along Mimairu and three of her followers to form a party of 10 and they all supposedly entered the dungeon the next day on Thursday. Since they''re accompanying them they obviously properly confirmed that they had a decent level of skill. They''re active duty knights so even if they aren''t at the level of first-rate adventurers they can still match up to second-rate or so. Even the three illegitimate children themselves were forced to train by the knight groups so I don''t think there was any doubt about them having decent skills.